BOSNIA-HERZEVGOVINA – MOSTAR

APRIL 28-29, 2025

Everyone we met said we must go to Mostar, the unofficial capital of Herzegovina. Bosnia and Herzegovina are named after two historical regions that make up the country that have been used since the Ottoman period. They have distinct geographical and cultural identities. Bosnia refers to the northern and central parts of the country, while Herzegovina is the southern part. Unlike some countries that choose a single name when merged, these two decided to keep both names to reflect their distinct identities.

Mostar was already on our list of places to stop; it did not disappoint.

We checked into our Airbnb, that had the tiniest kitchen yet, but we managed, as we always do. What we lacked in kitchen space, we made up for in having the market a stone’s throw away.

We then headed down the many, many steps to the Old Town. You may have noticed that every town had “many, many” steps. It was good exercise.

We stopped for lunch then set off for STARI MOST (Old Bridge). The bridge was commissioned by Suleiman the Magnificent in 1557. During the Croat-Bosnian War the BiH army used the bridge as a military supply line. The Croatian Defence Council deemed it was a legitimate military target and bombed it on 9 November 1993. It was reconstructed, and it reopened on 23 July 2004.

The hump-backed bridge spans the Neretva River. It is 4 metres (13 ft 1 in) wide and 30 metres (98 ft 5 in) long, and 24 m (78 ft 9 in) high. The arch is 12.02 metres (39 ft 5 in) high.. Two fortified towers protect it at either end. Instead of foundations, the bridge has abutments of limestone linked to wing walls along the waterside.

We walked along the beautiful cobblestone streets to the bridge.

The path up to the bridge was covered in slick stones. Thankfully they also put stoppers to prevent people from slipping down.

There is an annual diving contest where young men dive off the top of the bridge into the cold water below. There was no contest going on, but young men stood on top of the bridge waiting for their tips bucket to fill before taking the plunge. We waited a fair amount of time for him to jump, but grew bored and moved along.

On the other side of the bridge was a memorial stone that said “Don’t Forget ’93“. For nine months, the city of Mostar was under siege. Croats on the west side of the river and Bosniaks on the east side tore at each other. Even now, when at peace, they rarely interact.

From the bridge we cold see the stone buildings hugging the cliffs, It had a medieval look to it.

When we got closer, we could see the extent of the damage left by the ravages of the war. The town was rebuilding, but it there was still a lot to be done.

The CROOKED BRIDGE over Radobolja Creek, a tributary to the river, is the older, smaller brother to the Old Bridge. It is a few years older and may have been the test model before tackling the big bridge. It is built in the same hump-backed style. The arch is a near-perfect semicircle, 28 feet wide (across the creek) and about 14 feet high. 

The Franciscan Church of Sts. Peter & Paul was built in 1866, but looks much newer, maybe due to it being rebuilt after being bombed in the war.

The Mostar Peace Bell Tower stands next to the church. It is regarded as a peace initiative for locals, visitors, and people of all faiths.  It is 107.29 metres (352 ft) high. We took the elevator as high as we could then had to climb the last 148 steps to the viewing platform. We walked past the seven huge bells that tolled a few times while we were inside the tower. The first one scared the crap out of us, then we realized they went off every 15 minutes. We plugged our ears in preparation. The view from the top is a panoramic 360 degrees.

The CATHEDRAL of the HOLY TRINITY was located many, many steps up the hill from our guesthouse. Alas, it was surrounded by construction fencing. It was also damaged during the siege. It has been under construction since 2011. To make matters worse, it has been targeted by vandals and thieves throughout the rebuild.

We wandered through the market, not buying anything, yet!

The next day we took a drive to see BLAGAJ TEKKE, a monastery built for the Dervish around 1520. It is located at the spring of the Buna River, a very cold and pristine tributary to the Nevetva River. The water originates from Vrelo Bune, a robust spring that emerges from a cavern beneath the 240 metres (787.5 ft) towering cliff above the Tekka. The complex was damaged many times due to falling rocks.

We had lunch beside the river and watched the ducks play in the swiftly flowing stream.

On our way to Kravica Waterfall we went past a beautiful island restaurant in the middle of nowhere. Pierre spun a U-turn and parked. We walked across a wooden bridge to the little island and ordered a cool beverage. It was so romantic.

KRAVICA WATERFALL is a large cascade formed from dissolved limestone on the Trebižat River. This semicircle of waterfalls 25 metres (80 ft). There is a small lake at the base which has a radius of 120 metres (390 ft). It was stunningly beautiful.

There were other, smaller, beautiful waterfalls as we walked down to the main attraction.

As we left the waterfalls there were vendors selling souvenirs. We settled for one of these tri-bottle sets of fruit schnapps. Yummy!

While driving we saw many old forts up on hills. We decided to stop at one on the way back to Mostar. Fortress of Herzog Stjepan Vukcic Kosaca had a poorly maintained road that led us to almost the fort. It looked as though it was in the process of being restored when work suddenly stopped.

I think it was more sad to see this half-restored fortress than to see the original walls falling apart. We wandered around for a while then carried on.

We took a different road back to Mostar than the one we left on. This one had us on some crazy switch backs going down into the town.

On the first day, when we had lunch by the Old Bridge, there was a coppersmith pounding away on something. It was a bit annoying while we were trying to enjoy the ambiance. But his stone covered shop intrigued us, so we went in.

The owner said that he made every piece in the shop. He showed us how he hammers from the back to create a 3D image on the front. I guess his pounding the other day was justified.

Earlier I said we did not buy anything, yet. I was not intending to by anything, but I saw a cute outfit outside a shop. I went in to have a further look. I did not buy the outfit displayed, I bought 3 others! Complete with jewelry to match. I had wanted to up my wardrobe, and this was a step in the right direction.

We packed our bags, I put on my new outfit and off we headed for Dubrovnik, Croatia.