Stari Most, Mostar, Bosnia & Herzegovina
Photo’s are here or you can just click on the photograph above.
I’ve been keen to see the UNESCO World Heritage Stari Most bridge in Mostar for many years. Historically, Mostar was a 15th and 16th century Ottoman frontier town where Catholics and Muslims lived side by side. On the east bank of the Neretva River the town is predominantly Bosniak and Sunni Muslim and features historic Ottoman architecture, the Kujundžiluk Bazaar, and the Koski Mehmed-Pasha Mosque. On the west side of the river the population is predominantly Croat and Roman Catholic and there is more modern development and Catholic churches.
During our few months traveling through the Balkans this summer we decided upon a quick detour to Bosnia en route between the Croatian island of Brač (our starting point in the Balkans at the beginning of May – post to follow mid-July) and Kotor Bay in Montenegro. As it turned out, one night in Mostar was enough. We drove from Split up over the mountains into Bosnia. Once you leave the relatively wealthy country of Croatia and cross the border into Bosnia you traverse pine covered mountains where brown bears and gray wolves roam free in the Dinarik Alps. Passing through small towns and villages it becomes clear that Bosnia is significantly poorer than neighboring Croatia.
For most Europeans who followed the devastatingly brutal and destructive 10 year Yugoslav War during the years 1991-2001 the shelling of the Stari Most (the Old Bridge) in Mostar became an iconic symbol of the destructiveness of the war. If you look closely, there are still visible signs of buildings pock-marked with bullet holes and extensive shell and mortar damage. On November 9th 1993 the famous Stari Most bridge collapsed into the green waters of the Neretva River below following relentless shelling by Bosnian Croat forces during the Croat–Bosniak War. The demolition of the historic 16th-century Ottoman beauty was a defining moment during the conflict. After a horrendous decade of ethnic cleansing, localized skirmishes and various wars of independence the upshot was the dissolution of the former Yugoslavia into its current form as the 6 independent country states of Serbia, Montenegro, Croatia, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Slovenia and Macedonia (4 of which we are exploring over the summer of 2026).
After the end of the war, the famous bridge was ultimately rebuilt using some of the original stones which were painstakingly recovered from the Neretva River and it was eventually reopened in 2004.
The old town (Stari Grad) is one of the most touristy places we’ve ever visited. For those who want to learn more about the horrors of the modern history here, there is the sobering Museum of War and Genocide Victims and the War Photo Exhibition. In the narrow streets of the old town there are so many tourist junk stores it was overwhelming and they were all selling identical fake cashmere scarves, tin Aladdin’s lamps, snow-globes (I haven’t seen one of those since 1975 
) and plastic mosaic fridge magnets all shipped from China … yikes!
Accommodation options are slim on the ground in Stari Grad. Whilst we had booked into the primo historic hotel in town located on a small river by the pretty Crooked Bridge (Kriva Cuprija Hotel and Restaurant) we spent a sleepless night in an uncomfortable bed with an overly hot bathroom with drains which literally made our eyes water.
) and plastic mosaic fridge magnets all shipped from China … yikes!
We arrived mid-afternoon and the crowds in the old town were manic, streaming over the famous Stari Most bridge and jamming into the narrow alleyways. We squeezed between the throngs, their selfie-sticks and the tourist shops with their paraphernalia displayed on stalls spilling out over the cobblestones. Finally, we gave up fighting for breathing space and took refuge in a bar on the east bank where we sat at a table on a patio with a perfect view of the bridge watching the swallows dart across the river. Later, we stopped for dinner at Konoba Podrum located along the main cobblestone street close to our hotel. It serves typical Dalmatian food – grilled whole fish with boiled chard and potatoes which was a lot better than it sounds!
If you’re looking through the photos and wonder why I’m making a fuss about the crowds it would be fair to point out that 99% of these photos were taken between 7am and 8am on the very chilly, but mercifully sunny, morning after the sleepless night before! If you’re not willing to get up with the larks and do that to avoid mingling with thousands of people in tour groups in a relatively tiny and cramped area, then you probably shouldn’t bother with Mostar.
We’re pleased that we saw Mostar since it’s such an iconic historic place and it is very pretty (when it’s closed!) with cute cafes, ancient cobblestone alleyways and baskets of flowers but … honestly … one night and we were done!
Categories: Balkans, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Europe, Mostar, Travel