Mostar
- 
A city in the south of Bosnia and Herzegovina (in the latter, to be precise), known mostly for its famous World Heritage Site of the "Old Bridge" (a 2004 reconstruction of the original real old bridge, as that was destroyed in 1993 during the Bosnian war). For the dark tourist, it's rather the not (yet) reconstructed war ruins that form the dark attraction – as well as a badly damaged Spomenik (Yugoslav monument) and another museum about the Bosnian war and genocide. On the outskirts of Mostar a literally dark relic from the Yugoslav era awaits: another abandoned underground air base for jet fighters.More background info: for general context see under Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Mostar, the capital of the Herzegovina part of the country, is perhaps even more than Sarajevo illustrative of the craziness of the wars in former Yugoslavia and especially Bosnia and Herzegovina, namely in that it was affected by both the Bosniaks' war against the Bosnian Serbs and then against the Croats. Initially, the Croats had been allies of the Bosniak resistance against Serbian attacks.
In Mostar, Croat forces played a significant part in fighting back the Serbian Yugoslav People's Army that besieged and shelled the city. Then the "war in the war" between Croats and Bosniaks broke out. Basically, with strong military/financial support from Croatia itself, Bosnian Croats tried to claim Bosnian territory for the Croats, and so the "ethnic cleansing" that so characterized the whole former Yugoslavia conflict also reached these parts.
Mostar had been a particularly multi-ethnic place, where the different religions and ethnicities appeared to have integrated to an exemplary degree. With the outbreak of the hostilities in 1992 that changed dramatically. The city of Mostar became literally divided, with Bosniaks driven out of the western part of the city, now claimed by Croats – and a front line ran right through the middle of Mostar.
Apart from various crimes against humanity, the one thing that shocked the world most was the shelling and destruction of the Old Bridge in November 1993. For well over 400 years this Ottoman-era bridge (‘Stari Most’ – which gave the city its name!) had connected the west bank with the east bank of the Neretva River that runs through Mostar. Then on 9 November 1993 the bridge was shelled and destroyed by Croat forces. Suddenly it stood for, or rather, the gap where it used to be symbolized, the total division of the Bosniak Muslim east and Catholic Croat west. In fact, all bridges over the Neretva were destroyed in the war, making the division quite physical, as well as psychological.
In Mostar, Croat forces played a significant part in fighting back the Serbian Yugoslav People's Army that besieged and shelled the city. Then the "war in the war" between Croats and Bosniaks broke out. Basically, with strong military/financial support from Croatia itself, Bosnian Croats tried to claim Bosnian territory for the Croats, and so the "ethnic cleansing" that so characterized the whole former Yugoslavia conflict also reached these parts.
Mostar had been a particularly multi-ethnic place, where the different religions and ethnicities appeared to have integrated to an exemplary degree. With the outbreak of the hostilities in 1992 that changed dramatically. The city of Mostar became literally divided, with Bosniaks driven out of the western part of the city, now claimed by Croats – and a front line ran right through the middle of Mostar.
Apart from various crimes against humanity, the one thing that shocked the world most was the shelling and destruction of the Old Bridge in November 1993. For well over 400 years this Ottoman-era bridge (‘Stari Most’ – which gave the city its name!) had connected the west bank with the east bank of the Neretva River that runs through Mostar. Then on 9 November 1993 the bridge was shelled and destroyed by Croat forces. Suddenly it stood for, or rather, the gap where it used to be symbolized, the total division of the Bosniak Muslim east and Catholic Croat west. In fact, all bridges over the Neretva were destroyed in the war, making the division quite physical, as well as psychological.
In 2017 the ICTY (International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia) ruled that the bridge, which had been used by the Bosniaks as a supply line, had thus been a legitimate military target, so the shelling was not officially condemned.
After the war, the Old Bridge, being the absolute No.1 premier sight not just of Mostar but really of all of Bosnia and Herzegovina (if not the Balkans at large), was eventually reconstructed – painstakingly true to the original, using the same ancient stonemasonry techniques employed in the construction of the original bridge. Even the stones came from the very same quarry. The bridge was reopened in July 2004. The whole Old Town complex around the bridge was gradually also rebuilt. In 2005 the complex was inscribed in the UNESCO World Heritage List.
After the war, the Old Bridge, being the absolute No.1 premier sight not just of Mostar but really of all of Bosnia and Herzegovina (if not the Balkans at large), was eventually reconstructed – painstakingly true to the original, using the same ancient stonemasonry techniques employed in the construction of the original bridge. Even the stones came from the very same quarry. The bridge was reopened in July 2004. The whole Old Town complex around the bridge was gradually also rebuilt. In 2005 the complex was inscribed in the UNESCO World Heritage List.
What there is to see: A few places in (or near) Mostar warrant their own separate entries on this website – for those check out these four chapters:
Every tourist visiting Mostar (or indeed Bosnia and Herzegovina in general) wants to see first and foremost that famous Old Bridge. And in this case, even a dark tourist won't be an exception – given the recent history and significance of the structure.
This also feeds into its touristic commodification: at the eastern end of the bridge there's a small exhibition of photos of the bridge and its destruction and reconstruction, and on a video screen footage of the shelling of the bridge is played in a loop. There's also a proper "Old Bridge Museum" (daily 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.) Video footage of the bridge and the war in general is also on sale on DVDs at various tourist stalls. At the western end of the bridge’s span is a memorial stone proclaiming “Don’t forget ‘93”.
Just north of the central Old Town is a so-called “Bosnaseum”, a museum about Bosnia, which in addition to antique and crafty things also has sections about the Yugoslav era and about the Bosnian war (daily 9.a.m. until 9 p.m., 10 KM); it’s on Mala Tepa just off Maršala Tita.
Other than that you can also keep your eyes open for some of the remaining war scars still visible in the city (in addition to the proper war ruins, that is). This includes the site of a former synagogue, of which only the outer fence and door with Stars of David and menorahs remains, plus a memorial stone in an empty field. It’s on the corner of Bulevar and Onešćukova.
Location: About 50 miles (80 km) south-west of Sarajevo – as the crow flies (the winding roads take about two hours driving time!) – and about 30 miles (50 km) north from the (mostly Croatian) coast on the Adriatic Sea.
Google Maps locators:
Old Bridge (Stari Most): [43.3373, 17.8150]
Kriva Ćuprija: [43.33672, 17.81313]
Site of the former synagogue: [43.3373, 17.8106]
Bosnaseum: [43.3387, 17.8152]
train and bus station: [43.3487, 17.8134]
Access and costs: fairly easy to get to and not too expensive.
Details: To get to Mostar from Bosnia and Herzegovina's capital Sarajevo, which is the most likely point of departure, you can take a train – it's a very scenic route, but slow and at somewhat inconvenient times. More flexible are buses, which run all through the day, almost hourly, and follow a similar route. Travel time is about two hours.
Mostar also has its own international airport with some connections to other cities in the Balkans, as well as in Italy, Turkey and also Munich, Germany.
Getting around: within Mostar practically everything is walkable. Only the roughly one mile long walk between the train and bus station to the centre may require transport (taxi), depending on luggage and stamina.
Accommodation in Mostar can (still) be found at good prices, even though more upmarket places have joined the ranks too. It’s worth shopping around online well in advance.
As for food & drink, the usual Bosnian standards of mostly grilled meat dominate the scene even more so than in Sarajevo, but fish is also available, including trout right from the Neretva River, while vegetarian options are thinner on the ground – but pizza places can come to the rescue. As for drinks, the usual Bosnian coffee as well as all soft drinks are readily available, and as this is Herzegovina where there are lots of vineyards, local wine is on offer in many places. As for craft beer, Mostar sports the best oasis for that in the whole of Bosnia, the “OldbridZ” brewery’s craft beer pub and beer garden on Gojka Vukovića just a short distance from the western Old Town and the Kriva Ćuprija. This is run by a Bosnian who had fled to the USA during the war and picked up the craft beer revolution there before bringing it to Mostar. Outstanding brews are on offer here, and for reasonable prices.
I had first visited Mostar independently in 2009 and on my return in April 2025 it was as part of a longer four-day/three-nights tour (tailor-made by Funky Tours in Sarajevo) with a guide/driver, and we used Mostar as our base for two nights. Having a car brought the advantage of being able to travel further afield, such as to Objekt Buna, but also various spots in the Herzegovina region – see under Bosnia and Herzegovina in general.
Time required: At a push, Mostar can be done as a day trip from Sarajevo – but then you should make it an early start (travel time alone is about two hours each way). Better plan for staying a night or two in Mostar. That way you can see everything in Mostar – and at leisure (and it will also allow you that must-take picture of the Old Bridge by night …).
Within Mostar itself, the Old Bridge (‘Stari Most’) and (tiny) Old Town around it totally dominate mainstream tourism – and the crowds can be massive. The Old Town houses around the bridge are almost all occupied by souvenir shops, so many that you have to wonder how they can all survive. It’s also here that there is the largest concentration of restaurants, bars, cafés and ice-cream parlours. It looks like overtourism in a very small area.
Still in the Old Town on the Western side is another classic Ottoman bridge, called Kriva Ćuprija (‘Crooked Bridge’), which looks like a baby version of the more famous Stari Most. In fact it was built just a few years earlier than its bigger more famous counterpart, allegedly as a kind of architectural test for the building of the bigger one (which was at the time of completion in the late 16th century the largest single-span stone bridge). The Crooked Bridge was also damaged in the war but only collapsed during flooding in 1999. It was reconstructed in 2002.
In addition there are several mosques, Catholic churches and even a Serbian Orthodox church still undergoing reconstruction after it had been badly damaged during the war. Remarkable is also the building of the Mostar “Gymnasium” (as in German, so meaning ‘secondary school’), in a faux-Byzantine style that was popular at the time within the Austro-Hungarian Empire in the late 19th century. This was also damaged during the war but has been fully refurbished … perhaps even a bit too zealously, as the garish colours of the façade make it look a bit artificial.
