Mostar is a city in Bosnia and Herzegovina, formerly one of the most ethnically diverse cities in the country. The city is situated in a beautiful valley bedded between high mountains of Herzegovina. It is thanks to the river Neretva that Mostar was able to develop as a city in the desert-like landscape of Herzegovina. Neretva’s size turned Mostar very early in to a trading centre of the region. What makes this city known is it’s famous bridge. The Old Bridge was built by the Ottoman Empire in 1566. It was the great architect Mimar Hajrudin who had succeeded with the impossible mission to cross the Neretva river with a single span stone bridge. The bridge was blown down during the war in 1993. Through combined efforts with the international community, The Old Bridge has been rebuilt (completed in 2004, almost 11 years after its destruction), using some of its original pieces recovered from the Neretva river. The city was the most heavily bombed of any B&H city during the war in Bosnia and Herzegovina following the break up of then-Yugoslavia. A significant portion of the city has been rebuilt, but the visitor will easily notice the many remnants of Mostar’s troubled recent history.
Mostar got its name after that same Bridge, or more precisely after the bridge keepers. They used to guard the bridge and were called “Mostari”; thereby the city got its name. Mostar’s population in 2003 was 105,448. With its hot summers and mild winters, Mostar is also one of Europe’s sunniest cities.
Mostar, being in the south of Bosnia is Herzegovina and near the Adriatic Sea, has a mild mediterrean climate. It is one of the warmest cities of the country. In April it is usually sunny, with average temperature of 20 Celsius/68 Fahrenheit degrees. Evenings are usually warm too. Still, it is recommended to bring a piece or two of warmer clothes just in case of rain or wind.
Suggestions for further information
- http://www.bhtourism.ba/loc/mostar.wbsp (available in English and German)
- http://www.hercegovina.ba/hrv/mostar.html (available only in local language)
- http://www.cob.net.ba/mapa/mapa.jsp (a great interactive map of Mostar)
- http://www.turizam-bosna.com/ (also available in English; we recommend the section „About Bosnia and Herzegovina“)
- http://www.bih-x.com/2009/ (available only in local language)