UNESCO - Old Bridge Area of the Old City of Mostar, BiH

Recieving the stamps of HP Mostar inspired me to track down and post this beautiful b&w view of the Old Bridge of Mostar, which is one of the two unesco sites in Bosnia and Herzegovina. I have received it more than two years ago from Eldin on behalf of Ana - so thank you both :)

The historic town of Mostar is situated on the Neretva river and is the fifth-largest city in the country. It was named after the bridge keepers ( mostari ) who in the medieval times guarded the Stari Most (Old Bridge) over the Neretva. The Old Bridge, built by the Ottomans in the 16th century, is one of Bosnia and Herzegovina's most recognizable landmarks.

It is also a symbol of the Bosnian war in the early 90's, which also casts a dark shadow over my country. Very sad and so superfluous, when everything could have been dealt with much more care and humanity. It is enough to say that the Old Bridge stood proudly for 427 years until it was destroyed on November 9, 1993. In 1998 Unesco established an international committee of experts to oversee the design and reconstruction work; it was decided to build a bridge as similar as possible to the original, using the same technology and materials. The reconstructed bridge was inaugurated on 23 July 2004.

It is traditional for the young men of the town to leap from the bridge into the Neretva. In 1968 a formal diving competition was inaugurated and held every summer. Here is  video so you dont have to imagine ;)