Old Bridge of Mostar, Bosnia-Herzegovina

Mostar Old Town Panorama
Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Mostar_Old_Town_Panorama_2007.jpg
Author: Ramirez


The Old Bridge of Mostar is an outstanding symbol of the multicultural faces of the Old City of Mostar, in Bosnia-Herzegovina. The bridge across the Neretva River, in the Old Town of Mostar, features pre-Ottoman, eastern Ottoman, Mediterranean and western European architectural elements. Known today as Stari Most, meaning "Old Bridge," it was commissioned by Suleiman the Magnificent in 1557 to replace an earlier wooden bridge that was already unstable.

The designer was Mimar Hayruddin, a student of a great Ottoman architect. It took nine years to build. The bridge is 30 meters long, 4 meters wide, and 24 meters above the river at its highest point. On either ends are fortified towers - the Helebija Tower on the northeast and the Tara Tower on the southwest. These towers are called "bridge keepers", or mostari, and it was from them that Mostar got its name.

On 9 November, 1993, the Old Bridge was destroyed by the army of the Croatian Defence Council, during the height of the Bosnian conflict. (Slobodan Praljak, the commander to the Croatian forces, is now on trial at the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia for destroying the bridge.)

Stari Most, Mostar, Bosnia Herzegovina
Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Mostarbridge2004.jpg
Author: Staff Sgt. Samuel Bendet


When peace was restored, an international scientific committee established by undertook to restore and rebuilt the structures in the Old Town of Mostar, including the Old Bridge, which was reopened on 23 July, 2004. During the 29th session of the World Heritage Committee meeting in Durban, South Africa, on 10-17 July, 2005, the Old City of Mostar was inscribed as a World Heritage Site. Although it is rebuilt, the Old Bridge is still regarded as an exceptional and universal symbol of the coexistence of communities from diverse cultural, ethnic and religious backgrounds.

Stari Most, Mostar, Bosnia Herzegovina
Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Stari_Most._01.jpg
Author: Christian Bickel

World Heritage Site Inscription Details

Location: N 43 20 53.2 E 17 48 39.3
Inscription Year: 2005
Type of Site: Cultural
Inscription Criteria: VI View of Stari Most from Neretva River in Mostar
Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Mostar_Stari_Most_2008_2.jpg
Author: Peccafly

Visiting Mostar

Your base for visiting this World Heritage Site is Sarajevo. From there, you can make your arrangement to go to Mostar, or get a travel agency to make the arrangements for you.

Getting there

There are many buses going to Mostar from Sarajevo. You can also reach it travelling from Ploce and Dubrovnik in Croatia.

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