This Sept. 4, 2018, photo shows the harbor in the old town of Dubrovnik from a hill above the city. Darko Bandic / AP

A sunken 18th-century boat has been discovered by chance near the majestic stone walls of Croatia's medieval city of Dubrovnik.

Ivan Bukelic was working on a water pipeline in Dubrovnik's old port back in April when he found a wooden structure buried in the seabed.

"I can now say I discovered a boat at the Old Town Dubrovnik," said Bukelic, who is a diver and undersea builder from Dubrovnik.

He added the vessel was less than three feet under the sea bottom.

A key trade port in the Adriatic Sea in medieval times, Dubrovnik has been declared a UNESCO protected heritage site. It attracts huge crowds of tourists, especially during the summer, and is also known as a filming site for HBO's "Game of Thrones" series.

The remains of the boat in Dubrovnik's old port have been protected for further examination.

"We still cannot speak of the type of vessel or its dimensions but we can say for certain, based on the results of radiocarbon analysis that it was from late 18th century," marine archaeologist Irena Radi? Rossi said.

Radi? Rossi said the aim is to continue with the research in cooperation with Croatia's Ministry of Culture: "We must protect it for the future."

Known as the "Pearl of the Adriatic," Dubrovnik became an important Mediterranean sea power in the 13th century onwards, according to UNESCO. The city was damaged by an earthquake in 1667, but was able to preserve many of its ancient churches, palaces and fountains.

The find marks the second time this month that authorities have announced an unexpected discovery of a centuries-old shipwreck in Europe.

Earlier this month, archaeologists said they discovered by chance what they say are the remains of a 16th-century merchant ship more than 1.5 miles underwater off southern France. The wreck is the deepest such find in its section of the Mediterranean or any other French waters.

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