A walk through Stari Grad, the Old Town, towards Stari Most, the Old Bridge
Copyright Timothy Tye
Stari Most, literally Old Bridge, is a Turkish-style bridge across the River Neretva in Mostar, Bosnia-Herzegovina. It is such an important bridge that it gives its name to the town around it - Mostar means "bridge keeper" and refers to this particular bridge.
Stari Most was destroyed by the army of the Croatian Defence Council during the Bosnian conflict on 9 November, 1993. In 1999, after the war was over, a project was afoot to rebuilt it. The newly reconstructed bridge was reopened on 23 July, 2004.
Stari Most is a humped back bridge. It is 4 meters wide and 30 meters long. At its highest, it is 24 meters over the River Neretva. The arch of the bridge is constructed from a local stone called tenelija. On either end are towers to protect it, Helebija Tower on the northeast and Tara Tower on the southwest. These towers are called mostari, or "bridge keepers", and it is through these towers that the town Mostar derived its name.
The original Stari Most was commissioned by Suleiman the Magnificent in 1557. It was to replace an earlier wooden bridge that was already unstable. The original bridge was built in the same year and was completed nine year later. It is said that the name of the builder was Mimar Hayruddin, a student of a great Ottoman architect.
Stari Most is regarded as one of the great architectural achievements of its time, as it was the widest man-made arch in the world when it was completed. After it was destroyed in the Bosnian conflict, a new bridge designed to be an exact replica of the original one, was constructed under the aegis of Unesco. The stones for its construction were shaped according to documented original technique. The "new Old Bridge" was built at a cost of €12 million.
It is a tradition - further encouraged by tourism today - for the young men of the village to dive from the bridge into the river below. This is a rather risky endeavor, as the water is often icy cold.
Stari Most and its surrounding heritage structures were inscribed as a Unesco World Heritage Site in July, 2005.
The River Neretva separates East and West Mostar
Copyright Timothy Tye
The reconstructed Stari Most across the Neretva
Copyright Timothy Tye
Tim on the Stari Most, Mostar, Bosnia-Herzegovina
Copyright Timothy Tye
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