Text: Paweł Kobylański

Bridge structures have always been a challenge for their creators and more than once they propelled the development of sciences and technology. Numerous are considered state-of-the-art masterpieces, some have been designed by eminent architects. One would like to say that bridges are good by definition – symbolically and literally bring people closer and significantly shorten travel distances. Usually it is true, however, as history has shown – not always.

Ordered in 1557 by Suleiman the Magnificent and designed by Mimar Hayruddin, a student of Mimar Sinan, the royal court architect of Sultan of Turkey, the Old Bridge in Mostar crosses the Neretva River and connects two parts of a city of 100,000. Its robust stone arch replaced the former, somewhat rickety wooden structure. The construction began in 1557 and lasted nine years. Its cost reached three hundred thousand silver Drachmas, an astronomical amount of money at the time. The inscription on the bridge says that it was completed in 974 AH, that is, between July 1566 and July 1567 according to the Christian calendar. The legend tells that on the day the scaffolding was to be removed from under the completed structure, the builder was prepared to die. No wonder – it was then the longest span arch -bridge ever built by the humankind.

The bridge is 4 meters wide and 30 meters long at large. It has no typical foundations, only limestone abutments plugged into the cliff banks of the Neretva River. The “Mostari”, fortified towers called “bridge guards” flank it on either shore.

The Old Bridge provided link between the right and left bank Mostar for 427 years. It collapsed during the Croatian-Bosnian war on November 9, 1993, when it was hit by over 60 artillery shells launched by the Croatian paramilitary units. The spokesman for the Croatslater stated that the bridge was demolished because of “its strategic importance”. In fact, it barely had any military value, and its annihilation was nothing but a deliberate, barbaric act of “memory killing”, aimed at destruction of the heritage that was tangible evidence of centuries of peaceful coexistence of the peoples in the “Balkan melting pot”. After ceasefire both parts of the city became connected by a temporary crossing built by Spanish and Portuguese engineering troops within the United Nations Security Forces mission. When the fratricidal Balkan war finally ended, an initial reconstruction plan was outlined, supported by the international organizations such as the World Bank and UNESCO in October 1998. It included both the completely destroyed historic centre of Mostar and the Old Bridge. Aga Khan Trust for Culture and World Monuments Fund formed a consortium to steer the project. The financial resources for reconstruction were granted by the Government of Bosnia and Herzegovina, as well as Italy, the Netherlands, Turkey, Croatia and European Development Bank. UNESCO set up an international Expert Committee to supervise the reconstruction works. The bridge was meant to be reconstructed as close to the original as possible, by using the construction material from the local quarries and traditional building techniques. Hungarian divers managed to recover from the bottom of the river some of the stones constituting the original bridge structure. The reconstruction, started on June 7, 2001, lasted three years and cost 15.5 million dollars. The rebuilt bridge was opened on July 23, 2004. Sadly, despite the fact that a quarter of a century has already passed since the end of war, the memory of horrible events does not leave the people of Mostar alone. Many of them had lost their loved ones and the war trauma still remains alive. As a result, even today, some never cross the bridge, spending their lives only in “their” part of the city. The bridge that was supposed to be a connector, unfortunately still divides them.

Last but not least, two interesting facts. Before the Old Bridge across the Neretva River was built, a “final test” had been carried out. The so-called “Krivy Most” tied the banks on the Radobolja River, which flows into the main river of the city next to the Old Bridge. It indeed looks like a smaller copy of its famous and only a little bit younger brother. Diving competitions held annually in Mostar at the end of July became the world-famous tradition. Young men jump forty meters down from the bridge to the Neretva River. Since water in the river is among the coldest on Earth (it never exceeds seven degrees Celsius), this is an extreme sport which requires not only skills but ironman stamina and solid preparation as well.

Paweł Kobylański, born in 1958, architect working in Poland and abroad. Former board member of the Council of Architects of Europe, currently the Vice President of SARP for foreign affairs and participant of the Council of the Lubiąż Foundation. Author of a number of publications on architecture and the profession of architect.