Mostar
The city of Mostar – known as ‘the pearl of the Adriatic’ 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 into a trading centre of the region.
The Old Bridge was the first founding stone of Mostar, a fairy-tale city of poetry and sleepy, narrow and winding streets. today, there are several unique cultural-historical remains still preserved from these times.
Mostar has a wonderful combination of nature and historical architecture, with cobbled pavements and stone houses. There many original Ottoman buildings that show the life of citizens hundreds of years ago. Surrounding the buildings are the rugged mountains and green waters of Neretva river.
The most famous landmark of the city is the ‘Stari Most’ Bridge, which gives Mostar its name. This Ottoman bridge was built in 1566 by Mimar Hayruddin is among the most beautiful in the world and, after being destroyed in 1993 during the war, it was rebuilt in 2005 using much of the original. The old city and the bridge are UNESCO World Heriatage sites.
Nearby there are other world heritage sites. In Blagaj, for example, the visitor is greeted by an amazing sight. A 16th century Sufi Tekkiya, located at the base of a 200m cliff by the source of an underground spring of River Buna – the biggest spring in Europe. The sight of the raging blue- green pure water coming out of the cave at the base of the cliff wall, to form the river is unforgettable.
