Visiting Mostar is like being back in school and having a very in-depth history lesson (in a good way).
You will probably leave just as confused as you arrived as even the locals will say how complicated the history of was and still is. After the dissolution of Yugoslavia, a civil war ensued in Bosnia involving three populations: Catholic Croats, Muslim Bosnians and Orthodox Serbs. Understanding who was fighting who, when it seems at times all three factions were fighting each other is beyond the class room.
Mostar’s famous old bridge (“Stari Most”), was designed by a famous Ottoman architect and commissioned by Suleiman the Magnificent. It was one of the Ottoman’s architectural lasting symbols and an engineering feat, with its domed arch being the widest in the world. This was until it destroyed during the war in 1993, 427 years after it was first constructed.
Reconstructed in 2004 the bridge has become a symbol of reconciliation and today tourists come to Mostar to walk the cobbled alleys of the Turkish bazaar, admire this feat of architecture and gaze at the crystal turquoise water running beneath its archway.
Do go and visit and become part of its history.
Restaurants:
We recommend the Konoba Taurus, next to the river. It has great reviews on Trip Advisor.
Or leave the bustle of Mostar behind for lunch by the River Buna. Head South on the E73/M6 Southbound, flowing signs for Blagaj Tekke, a Dervish Monastery.