Writing any article on Mostar is very difficult for me as every time I think of this city in Bosnia Herzegovina I feel very emotional. I have only visited twice but the whole city and people left a great heartfelt impression on me. I am not sure if it is because of what happened to the town in the Bosnian War, where families who had lived together side by side for centuries suddenly started killing each other, or whether it is the destruction of the houses and buildings, and the famous old bridge or perhaps it is just because the town overlooking the river is such a beautiful, tranquil place. I don't know, but I hope you will read my review and hopefully go along one day to see this important and interesting city in Bosnia Herzegovina.

Location

The city of Mostar is situated in the southern part of Bosnia Herzegovina spread over both banks of the Neretva River. Mountains are near to the left bank making this area steep. The right bank is much flatter and extended, and forms a small tributary called Radobolja.

The city is roughly about 60km away from the Croatian coast and can be found by following the main M17 road.

Getting there

Trains from Ploce and Sarajevo will take you to Mostar. They are very reasonably priced and comfy.

Air - You can fly from Split in Croatia and Dubrovnik. Mostar does have it's own small airport but it is not generally used for tourism.

Buses - Local buses are very reliable travelling within Mostar and surrounding towns but intercity travel can be a little unreliable so I would advise you to check the timetables situated in the central bus station. These change frequently but you can always ask the staff in the office who are friendly and helpful.

History

The first time Mostar was mentioned in written documents was 1452. In letters written by citizens of Dubrovnik the city was described as a small settlement with two towers around a wooden bridge stregthened by chains. Until the Turkish conquest, Mostar was considered to be a small and not very important place. There are two explanations for the origin of it's name. One is that it was called after bridge keepers (mostari) or after two towers which were called mostare. Mostar did start to develop and eventually became the centre of Herzegovina.

Until 1878, Mostar was under Ottoman rule although the Venetians tried several times to capture it. Austro-Hungarians occupation directed the town's economic and cultural development towards Europe. Although the the First World War slowed down the development of the town, World War Two left deep scars on it's people. Many were killed and buildings were destroyed and damaged.

In 1992 a new wave of destruction and sufferance flooded upon Mostar, again families were killed first by The JNA (Yugoslav's People's Army) and then by the Croation Defence Council who undertook the most violent assassination attempt of the city and its inhabitants in 1993. The war didn't end until 1995 when the city was left crippled and divided.

History of The Old Bridge.

The bridge was built in 1566, constructed by Hajrudin who was an architect of the Sultan Solaiman's Court. It is a single arch bridge made of white, soft stone and the span of the arch is 28.70m and it is 21 metres high from the water level of the river. Sometimes in the winter months the river can rise to the top of the bridge's arch.

It is tradition that every year in summer, young men from Mostar organise jumping off competitions. Even when the ruins of the old bridge were under water , jumps were still performed by erecting platforms on the remains of the bridge.

Without going into to much detail about the history ( that's a book in itself) I really want to take you on my tour of Mostar and tell you about the sights.

Both times we have visited Mostar have been by coach from Korcula in Croatia. It is a long journey but well worth it. Arriving in the city we were met by a guide. He was to stay with us for a day to introduce us to Mostar's buildings and history. He was a nice chap, very tall, handsome and very communicative. His English was excellent and he really wanted to talk and tell us about his city. He was 11 years old when the Bosnian war started and he told us that his family had to hide in the cellar and ate leaves as food supplies couldn't get through.

The first building he showed us was on the Neretva's left bank, 100 metres from the Old Bridge; a mosque built in 1617 by Koski Mehmed Pasha. At this time I had never been in a mosque before so I was really interested. Inside is a nice dome and the wall paint and decorations have been preserved. Unfortunately its minaret was demolished in 1993 and the courtyard and dome slightly damaged, even though the mosque was protected by UNESCO. I was surprised how simplistic the decorations were inside but there was a sense of calm and serenity . I loved the stained glass windows which really stood out with the light shining through from behind.

Next visit was to the orthodox church Virgin Mary which was built in 1834. This is one of the most beautiful and biggest churches in Bosnia and worth seeing.

Then on to the Old Bazaar (kujundziluk) which is placed beside the left river bank. It is named after craftsmen who struck gold and whose workshops were numerous in this area. Waking down these cobbled streets looking at all the various stalls and shops is a real treat. You really can get lost in history. The bazaar is only small but so full of life. Ironically you can buy painted artillery shells here.

We were left to wander round the bazaar without the guide and also we went into the other part of the city. Here buildings still stand, windows and roofs gutted, walls pummelled with holes made by shells. It is quite daunting to think that parts of the city are still standing as they were left after the war. The city looks poor but has a feeling of energy and life. I hope that Bosnia as a country will be able to generate enough funds to rebuild the rest of the city but at the moment it seems a very slow process.

After a couple of hours left alone we then met up with the guide and he took us into a Turkish house or Biscevica Corner as it is known. It is one of the most beautiful preserved residential structures from the Turkish period. It was built in 1635. The house is surrounded by very high walls which was to protect women and young girls from men's activities. Inside the house rooms are seperated into men's rooms and womens rooms. This house is now a museum showing you life as it was in those times. There is a small theatre inside where we were shown a film depicting the bombing of the Old Mostar bridge.

As we sat down in this theatre I felt very cold and as the guide started to tell us about the war I felt the hairs on the back of my neck stand up. I don't know if any of you can remember those dreadful scenes on the news of the bridge being bombed. I remember at the time being absolutely shocked as the bridge was relentlessly bombarded

from the hilltop above. The guide said ''45 times they tried to kill the bridge but it wouldn't die' As I am writing now I feel exactly the same as I did that day. I am nearly in tears. The bridge to these people was the core and heart of Bosnia and as they saw that day in November in 1993 it's remains fall into the Neretva river they felt total despair.

It was a shocking piece of film and I felt numb when I came out of the theatre. We were unable to walk on the bridge at the time as it was in its final stages of being rebuilt. Thankfully, it has now been fully rebuilt to its former glory. It stands proud and beautiful radiating warmth and new life.

At this stage the day was nearly over and it was time to leave the left bank of the river to drive through the other side of the town where we had a table booked in a very communistic looking hotel. Here with all the other members of the coach party we had a three course meal which was huge portions and good value but after everything we had seen and walking around in the heat all day I didn't feel very hungry.

Finally the meal was over and it was time to leave Mostar. Driving through this city with desolated tenement blocks, bullet holes indented in all buildings, you come to the Old Gymnasium standing in the Spanish Square. It was built in 1898 in a Turkish architectural style and for generations, Mostar's citizens were educated there. At the time I visited it was in a semi derelict state waiting to be reconstructed and for the local people it has particular significance as it was defended by 3,000 men on the front line dividing the city during the last war. To come bang up to date, the building has been re-built and hosted the opening of the United World College of Mostar in May 2007 offering International Bacceularate.

Conclusion

I have travelled a lot over the years but I have never visited a place that I feel so emotional about. It's history is long and complicated. It's people are a melting pot of different societies. The scenery surrounding Mostar is tranquil and beautiful. The water of the Neretva River is a shade of turquoise I have never seen anywhere else. And then there is the Old Bridge rising high above the river, which is a sign that life is slowly returning back to normal.

All you travellers out there go and see Mostar. The city needs you to visit so it can grow and become the city it used to be, the most beautiful in Bosnia Herzegovina.

*I wrote this a while back and first posted the review on Dooyoo. I was going to edit the review but after reading it changed my mind. I love Mostar and Bosnia-Herzegovina and I know it sounds very idealistic and naive for a woman of my age but if I was rich I would invest in this city to get it back on its feet because of all the countries in the Balkans this is the poorest. but the most beautiful.*