Stari Most
Stari Most (Serbo-Croatian: Stari most, Стари мост, lit. 'Old Bridge'), also known as Mostar Bridge, is a rebuilt 16th-century Ottoman bridge in the city of Mostar in Bosnia and Herzegovina. It crosses the river Neretva and connects the two parts of the city, which is named after the bridge keepers (mostari) who guarded the Stari Most during the Ottoman era. On 9 November 1993, Stari Most collapsed due to shelling by the Croatian Defence Council (HVO), since the bridge was a military target as the opposing Army of the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina used it as a military supply line during the Croat–Bosniak War. Subsequently, a project was set in motion to reconstruct it; the rebuilt bridge opened on 23 July 2004. In 2017, the appeal court deemed that destruction was legal and that the bridge was a legitimate military target.
Stari Most | |
|---|---|
Stari Most in 2006 | |
| Coordinates | 43°20′14″N 17°48′54″E |
| Carries | Pedestrians |
| Crosses | Neretva |
| Locale | Mostar, Bosnia and Herzegovina |
| Official name | Stari most |
| Heritage status | |
| Official name | Old Bridge Area of the Old City of Mostar |
| Type | Cultural |
| Criteria | vi |
| Designated | 2005 (29th session) |
| Reference no. | 946 |
| Region | Europe |
| Official name | Old Bridge (Stari Most) in Mostar |
| Type | Category 0 cultural property |
| Criteria | A, B, C ii.iii.iv., D ii.iv., E i.ii.iii.iv.v., F i.ii.iii., G i.v.vi.vii., H ii., I i.ii.iii. |
| Designated | 8 July 2004 (session No. 07.1-02-903/03-29) |
| Part of | Mostar, the historic urban site |
| Reference no. | 2493 |
| List of National Monuments of Bosnia and Herzegovina | |
| Characteristics | |
| Design | Arch |
| Material | Stone |
| Total length | 29 metres (95 ft) |
| Width | 4 metres (13 ft) |
| No. of spans | 1 |
| Clearance below | c. 20 metres (66 ft) at mid-span depending on river water-level |
| History | |
| Architect | Mimar Hayruddin (concept could originate from Mimar Sinan's idea) |
| Constructed by | Mimar Hayruddin, apprentice of Mimar Sinan |
| Construction start | 1557 |
| Construction end | 1566 |
| Opened | 1566 |
| Rebuilt | 7 June 2001 – 23 July 2004 |
| Destroyed | 9 November 1993 |
| Location | |
The Old Bridge is an exemplary piece of Balkan Islamic architecture. It was commissioned by Suleiman the Magnificent in 1557 and designed by Mimar Hayruddin, a student and apprentice of the architect Mimar Sinan.