Old Bridge (Stari Most), Mostar > Reviews (1)

Perhaps because I live in Gateshead, where seven of them within a stones throw of each span the River Tyne linking us with Newcastle, bridges seem to strike a chord with me. Not only do their designs and the materials they are constructed from put them in a defined time but their very being often represents some important moment from history. Often so much more than just a crossing place, bridges can arise from or be symbolic of more than is at first obvious.

Since childhood I longed to see the Stari Most in the city of Mostar in what was then Yugoslavia, now Bosnia and Herzegovina. A family friend had been in the country and had brought back postcards of various sights in Yugoslavia, this being one of them. In particular I was fascinated by the divers, those brave – some might say crazy – young men who leap from the peak of the bridge into the fast blue waters of the Neretva River beneath.

When war came to Bosnia in the 1990s I was reminded of my dream again and I hoped that one day, after the war I might still be able to go to Mostar. However, when the bridge was destroyed by a Croatian rocket, I was resigned to having my dream shattered. Fortunately, after the war the bridge was rebuilt thanks to international cooperation and it is once more one of the country’s major tourist attractions.

“Stari most” translates quite simply as Old Bridge; there are a number of bridges over the Neretva River and the Stari Most was built during Ottoman times (the sixteenth century to be more precise). It was so well known and well loved that it became the national symbol of Bosnia and Herzegovina. In fact,the very name Mostar springs from a suspension bridge that was built even before the Turks took the town. A “mostari” was a bridge keeper. As the town expanded under the Ottomans it became the financial , industrial and cultural centre of Herzegovina. A stone bridge was built in and completed in 1566 which is at the very heart of the “carsija”, the old commercial centre of the town where artisans had their workshops and still do today.

Before the war Mostar was considered one of the least “divided” cities in Bosnia and Herzegovina; quite simply, people lived in harmony and it wasn’t until they were told otherwise did they believe they hated their neighbours. What is especially cruel about what happened in Mostar is that people who were one allies turned on one another: the Bosnian Croat Defence Council turned against the Muslim community who were remaining loyal to the Bosnian government. Muslim east Mostar was effectively under siege for eleven months and all the bridges spanning the Neretva were destroyed. The destruction of Stari Most, while not surprising, was most painful to see. It is widely said that in the years immediately after the war many people would spontaneously burst into tears at the very mention of Stari Most.

After the war a project was set up to reconstruct the bridge. Not only is the bridge important to the people of Bosnia and Herzegovina, not matter which community they come from, but it is also an important source of tourist revenue which Mostar badly needed.

Money for the project came from UNESCO, the World Bank and the Aga Khan Trust for Culture and World Monuments among other sources. I am sorry to say that unlike Turkey and the Netherlands amongst other countries, the UK did not as far as I know contribute. But that’s another matter...

At least Prince Charles represented the UK by attending the opening ceremony of the newly constructed bridge in 2004. It was a huge international event and gave the impression that the country and the city were on the road to reconciliation though nothing could be further from the truth. People in Mostar now live much more in separate rather than mixed communities and the peace is somewhat fragile. The bridge is now a geographical rather than a symbolic feature.

VISITING THE BRIDGE

While Mostar has a reasonably good infrastructure for independent visitors, many of the tourists you see wandering around are actually on day trips from the Croatian coastal resorts. So if you are staying in Croatia do consider a trip to Mostar, there is much more to see than just the bridge though, in my opinion, it’s worth it to see Stari Most alone.

The bridge is a foot bridge and in the heart of the old historic district so you do need to be able to walk to reach it. You should also take extreme care as the paving stones are very slippy.There’s no admission charge or anything like that, it’s just a part of the town.

It’s a humpbacked bridge with two fortified towers, one at each end, to protect it. The distinct arch of the bridge is made from local stone. Happily, when the bridge was reconstructed, divers were able to retrieve some sections of the original bridge from the Neretva and these sections have been re-used in the new version. At its highest point, the bridge is 24 metres above the river. It doesn’t have foundations as such but it stands on abutments that are built into each bank which give the impression of the bridge growing organically from the cliffs on each side and just happening to meet in the middle.

The design follows the old one completely. That bridge was commissioned by Suleiman the Magnificent and designed by Mimar Hayruddin who is reputed to have been a student of the great Sinan (if you have been to Istanbul you will no doubt be familiar with Sinan’s work). According to some sources, the Sultan had instructed the architect (on pain of death) to construct a bridge of unprecedented proportions. Fortunately for Mimar he did just that and at the time it was built it was the widest man made arch in the world. Sadly there are few historical documents around from this period so little is known about the actual methods employed to achieve such a feet of architecture and engineering.

While the bridge is undeniably impressive the reason most people flock here is the hope of seeing some diving. The practice of diving from the Stari Most is as old as the bridge itself. It is a more dangerous activity than one might think; the water is very cold, even on hot day (I can vouch for that after a paddle) and there are hidden rocks so you really must be familiar with the site.

These days you must be a member of the Mostar Diving Club to jump from the bridge and young men spend years training to be allowed to participate. An annual competition exists, but in summer you may see diving on any day. The trouble is that there are no set times so you may or may not be lucky.

We were eating lunch in the garden of a restaurant near the bridge when we heard a cheer and a splash but we couldn’t quite see the bridge because of the trees at the edge of the courtyard. We did see the diver emerge from the water and climb the steps next to use to return to the tower where the divers retire after dives. After lunch we went down to the level of the river and sat with our feet in the icy water while we waited and waited. After thirty minutes our patience was rewarded. A muscular young man in skimpy red Speedos climbed onto the highest point of the bridge, stood on tiptoe, arms raised in a straight line about his head and jumped in. Now, I was so excited when I saw him climb onto the bridge that my partner volunteered to take the camera as he knew how long I’d wanted to see this and he knew I wouldn’t want to watch it through the camera. Unfortunately it all happens so quickly that by the time our delay on the camera had kicked in all we caught was a splash! Still, I saw it myself and it was as thrilling as I’d hoped and right up there with some of my best travel memories. Later we went back because I was so desperate to catch the event on camera but we waited almost forty five minutes and no diving happened. While it would be nice to know when there will be dives, I also like the fact that these undeniably daring young men don’t feel obliged to dive all day long and this somehow makes seeing it all the more special.

I guess it’s quite obvious how I feel about Stari Most; I’d looked forward to seeing it for so long and it lived up to my expectations. Mostar is a charming and very interesting town that merits a visit with or without the bridge and I can’t imagine anyone visiting Mostar and not seeing Stari Most. Mostar and its historic bridge get my unreserved recommendation.