The « Old Bridge » and its district in Mostar’s Old Town are a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
The Bosnian-Croat war of the early 1990s claimed many victims, both human and architectural. One of the most famous of these was Mostar’s old bridge. Once one of the most emblematic monuments of Bosnia and the former Yugoslavia, the bridge was destroyed by Croatian armed forces on November 9, 1993. It is difficult to understand why the Croatian army would have destroyed a historic bridge, except as an act of revenge (there were many on both sides of the conflict), especially as the bridge had no military significance.
Flickr – jaime.silva
The bridge, a masterpiece of Ottoman Turkish architecture, was commissioned by none other than Suleiman the Magnificent, and designed by Mimar Hayruddin, a pupil of the famous Sinan. Construction began in 1557 and took nine years, being completed in 1566. Elegant in its simplicity, the bridge consists of a single arch 30 meters long, 24 meters high and 4 meters wide, linking the steep banks of the Neretva River. Two towers (the Helebija tower on the right bank and the Tara tower on the left bank) protect the bridge entrances. These massive stone structures provide a striking contrast to the bridge’s streamlined silhouette, further emphasizing its beauty.
The town of Mostar even owes its name to the bridge, most meaning « bridge » in Serbo-Croatian. After the end of the war in Bosnia, the bridge was rebuilt between 2001 and 2004. Many of the original stones were salvaged from the river bed. The remainder was replaced by new stone blocks quarried from the same quarries used to build the original bridge. A coalition of international organizations led by the World Bank and UNESCO financed the reconstruction.
Flickr – G D
Diving into the river from the highest point of the bridge has been a test of courage for local young men for as long as anyone can remember. Official annual diving competitions began in 1968, and are still held every summer.
This video will certainly make you want to go to Mostar to watch the « Stari Most » bridge and the locals diving from it for hours:
What to see in Mostar
Much more than the capital Sarajevo, the small town of Mostar is Bosnia’s most popular tourist destination. In addition to the Old Bridge of Mostar, there are many other buildings, museums and places to discover:
- The Old Bridge Museum, right next to the Stari Most
- Mostar’s old town and tourist district
- The Karadoz-beg mosque
- Koski Mehmed-Pacha Mosque
- The Muslibegovic Ottoman house
- Franciscan Church (Franjevačka crkva with the country’s largest bell)
- Bišcevic alley lined with Turkish houses
- The old hamlet of Brankovac with its traditional Ottoman-style houses and gardens
- The old village of Blagaj, not far from
- Ruište nature park with the Prenj mountains (home to the « Bosnian Lily »)
- Diva Grabovica » nature reserve, almost in its pristine state
- The « Plateau (Blato) », the hill that dominates the city in its western part
- The house of Aleksa Šantić, Mostar’s greatest poet
- The Herzegovina Museum
If you’re thinking of staying in Mostar, why not use our hotel comparison service?
Flickr – Lassi Kurkijärvi
Flickr – Ljiljan BiH
Flickr – Lassi Kurkijärvi
Flickr – Sylvia Gutiérrez Sánchez
Mostar can be reached from Dubrovnik, Croatia: