Mehmed Paša Sokolović Bridge in Višegrad - Bosnia and Herzegovina

Mehmed Paša Sokolović Bridge in Višegrad - Bosnia and Herzegovina

Short Report

The Mehmed Paša Višegrad Sokolović Bridge on the Drina River in the east of Bosnia and Herzegovina was built at the end of the 16th century by the court architect Koca Mimar Sinan on the orders of grand vizier Mehmed Paša Sokolović. Characteristic for the pinnacle of the Ottoman monumental architecture and civil engineering, the bridge has 11 stone arches with spans of 11 m to 15 m, and a driveway perpendicular with four arches on the left bank of the river. The 179.5 meters long bridge is a representative masterpiece of Sinan, one of the greatest architects and engineers of the classical Ottoman period and a contemporary of the Italian Renaissance, which his work can be compared. The unique elegance of ratio and monumental nobility of the whole site witnesses of the grandeur of this style of architecture.

Wonderful Universal Importance

The universal value of the bridge in Višegrad is unquestionably for all historic reasons and in the interests of the architectural values. It is an important stage in the history of the civil engineering and bridge architecture, built by one of the most celebrated champions of the Ottoman Empire. The bridge especially testifies to the transmission and adaptation of techniques in the course of a long historical process. It is also important cultural exchange between areas of different civilisations. It is a special representative of Ottoman architecture and civil engineering on its classic apogee. A symbolic role is important in the course of history, and especially in the many conflicts which took place in the 20th century. The cultural value exceeds both national and cultural boundaries.

Historical Data

The Višegrad Bridge was in command of the grand vizier Mehmed Paša Sokolović (1505-1579), that power exercised over a long period on the top of the Ottoman Empire during the reign of three sultans. The commissioning of the bridge was in the first place a tribute to its own region. Founders buildings of this type, which are both religious and social, was part of the tradition of power, which was by large architectural creations is therefore strengthened its symbolic nature and its image of civil and religious power.  On the other hand the Višegrad Bridge was an important structure in terms of planning and control of the inner Balkans by the Ottoman Empire in Istanbul. It is a highlight of the route between the plain of the Danube to Sarajevo and the Adriatic coast, especially the free port of Ragusa (Dubrovnik). The period of the construction coincided with the cream of the Ottoman Empire, after the reign of Suleiman the Magnificent (1520-1566).  This was a long period of peace and prosperity in the region.

The large court architect and engineer Koca Mimar Sinan, who was the head of the team of architects of the Empire, had to design and build the bridge. He had already built, on behalf Mehmed Paša Sokolović, a number of important civil and religious buildings: mosques, bridges, civil structures, in Istanbul and in different regions of the Empire. Sinan is a symbolic representative of the classic architectural formation of the Ottoman Empire at its pinnacle. The Višegrad bridge was built from 1571 to 1577, and considerable human and financial resources were employed in the task.

For two and a half-century, the solid bridge ago mainly against floods. There are records of work in 1625 and then in 1875 on the piers. The exceptional floods of 1896 under water until serious damage. The piers were affected and undermined and the balustrades are flushed out. However, the bridge was destroyed. In 1911-1912, extensive works were carried out to the stabilization and strengthening of the piers by austrian-hungarian engineers (pier 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 and 9).  At that time the bridge was strategically important in military terms, located on the border with Serbia. The installation of a new thicker stone balustrade made a change to the visible parts of the bridge.

During World War I, 1914-1915, piers 3 and 4 were inflated with dynamite. After the war, a temporary repair was carried out with steel girders supported by the other parts of the original bridge. The reconstruction in stone, in response to the original design, was carried out in 1939-1940.

During the Second World War, in 1943, five of the bridge the arches were completely destroyed, which piers 3, 4, 5 and 6. The arches were destroyed rebuilt by the Ministry of Communications and the Administration Roads, between 1950 and 1952, according to the model of the parts still intact.

The most recent period is characterised by the construction of the Bajina Basta power station downstream (1966), and by the Višegrad power station upstream, i.e. approximately 2.5 km (1989).  These two structures on the Drina, relatively close to the bridge, have dramatically changed the hydraulic flow of the river (see chapter 4 and 5). In the field of bridge maintenance, the main event was of 1980 to 1982, an analysis of the bridge and then the start of the restoration work on the foundations of pier 5, 6 and 8. Unfortunately, this work remained incomplete, because of a lack of resources. The same applies to the work on pier 2, started in 1992 and completed. 

The war of 1992-1995 had no direct influence on the Bridge Višegrad. The driveway on the left bank was restored in 1991, in a spirit of respect for the cultural heritage. In 2003, the movement is prohibited, due to the structural risks arising from the condition of the bridge (see chapter 4 and 5). In 1986 a modern bridge was built about 1 km downstream, overlaps with the function of the historic bridge.

Since the exceptional floods of 1896 and the damage during the wars of the 20th century, the bridge has undergone a succession of repairs and reconstructions, with the last two campaigns unfortunately unfinished work. The resulting structural vulnerability is increased by changes in the rate of flow of the Drina, as a result of the construction of the hydroelectric power plants and their management.

Source:whc/unesco