Stari Most Bridge

Stari Most: Mostar’s Bridge

The original Stari Most (Old Bridge) was built in 1566 by the Ottoman architect Mimar Hayruddin, commissioned by Suleiman the Magnificent. It spanned the Neretva River in a single arch of locally quarried tenelija limestone and stood for 427 years. Croatian forces destroyed it with tank fire in November 1993. The reconstruction, completed in 2004 using the same stone quarried from the same source and the same Ottoman construction techniques, was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site the same year it reopened.

The bridge is 29 metres long, rises 21 metres above the river at its highest point, and has a surface deliberately made smooth rather than textured — a consequence of the Ottoman construction method that polished the stone. It is genuinely slippery when wet or when foot traffic is at its heaviest. The approach from the old town on either side involves cobblestones polished equally smooth by centuries of use.

The Divers

The Mostari diving club has been jumping from the bridge since 1968. A summer tradition, formalised into a competition each July, involves trained divers leaping from the bridge crown into the Neretva 21 metres below. The river runs cold here even in August. Spectators watch from the bridge approaches and the banks. Individuals sometimes pay members of the club to let them make the jump, which costs around €25-30 and involves a training session on the bridge parapet first.

Mostar’s Old Town

The Kujundžiluk bazaar runs from the west end of the bridge and is the main shopping street — copper and brasswork, traditional embroidery, coffee sets, and tourist goods of varying quality. It is busy in summer and worth a slower walk in the morning before the tour groups arrive.

The Koski Mehmed Pasha Mosque, about 150 metres from the east bank, allows non-Muslim entry for a small fee and has a minaret you can climb. The view of Stari Most from the minaret gallery, looking across the river through the arch to the towers on the far bank, is the most architecturally coherent view of the complex.

The Croneska Tower and Tara Tower flank the bridge on either side; both house small exhibitions about the bridge’s history and the reconstruction process. The Museum of War and Genocide Victims covers the 1990s conflict and its impact on Mostar specifically.

Practical Notes

Mostar is in the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, about 130km south of Sarajevo on a road that winds through dramatic limestone gorges. Bus connections from Sarajevo take about 2.5 hours. Day trips are possible but a night’s stay allows you to experience the bridge in the early morning when it is empty. Boutique hotels and guesthouses in the old town range from €40-90 per night double. The currency is the Bosnian Convertible Mark (BAM), pegged to the euro at roughly 2:1, and euros are widely accepted.

April through May and September through October are the most comfortable months; July and August bring heat and the highest visitor volumes, though the July bridge diving competition is worth planning around.