studentsineurope

Mostar´s Bridges, Real and Imagined

“Bosnia! Are you crazy? Isn’t there, like, a war going on there?” my friends exclaimed when I informed them of my next stop during a summer tour of Eastern Europe. Actually, the, like, war ended in 1995, and a fragile peace since then has given the country time to recover. Travelers, too, are rediscovering the appeal of the Balkan nation, which was once a notable tourist destination, before the political strife and violence of the ‘90s.

The restored Ottoman Bridge of Mostar.

Sarajevo, the capital city, deservedly draws the most foreign visitors. But for those who want to venture deeper into the heart of Bosnia, head to Mostar. This charming city of 120,000 dates back 600 years, and you’ll see its medieval past and Ottoman heritage literally brushing up against remains of the tragic civil conflict with which Bosnia is commonly associated.

Such contradictory images seem to define Mostar, a city of opposites most poetically represented by the Ottoman bridge that connects the formerly warring Croatian and Muslim halves of the city. In 1993, it was bombed into oblivion, but since peacetime it has been painstakingly reassembled from the original stone recovered from the emerald-colored river below. Today, the bridge – a UNESCO World Heritage site – provides a dramatic view a powerful symbol of the fragile but tenacious unity of the city’s warring ethnic groups.

Nevertheless, the scars of war remain numerous. Pockmarked facades and burnt-out buildings stand among thriving neighborhoods. Local residents, hiding behind their gaze who knows what kind of traumas, go about their lives in the shadow of these ruins. The sight is at once tragic and transfixing, but observe respectfully, never forgetting that the people you see on the streets may have very well lost a daughter, cousin, or husband in those buildings. It may have even been their home.

It would also be a mistake to reduce this ancient city to its war-time history. Today, Mostar lives, a fact you will happily encounter in the busy cafés and restaurants and subdued but pleasant street life. Islam has a visible presence here, and in the shadow of mosque minarets that pop up here and there it’s easy to forget that you’re still in Europe. The Koshi Mehmed Pasha Mosque in the Old Town is a beautiful sight, and lets visitors climb to the top of the minaret for a small fee. From there, you can take in Mostar’s low-rise, stone-and-mortar skyline, marveling at the complex beauty and complicated history of this place from a quiet perch above.