Old Bridge Area of The Old City of Mostar in Bosnia And Herzegovina

Old Bridge Area of The Old City of Mostar in Bosnia And Herzegovina

Short Report

The historical city of Mostar, crossing a deep vale of the River Neretva, developed in the 15th and 16th centuries as a city of border of Ottoman and during the Austro-Hungarian period in the 19th and 20th centuries. Mostar has been a lot of time known for his old Turkish houses and Old Bridge, Stari More, for which it is so-called. In the conflict of the year 1990, nevertheless, most of the historical city and the Old Bridge designed by the renowned architect Sinan, was destroyed. The Old Bridge was reconstructed recently and many of the buildings in the Old City have been restored or reconstructed by the contribution of a scientific international committee established by the UNESCO. The Old area of Bridge, with his preOttoman one, the Ottoman one of the East, Mediterranean and architectural features of the Western Europe, is an exceptional example of an urban multicultural establishment. The Old reconstructed Bridge and the Old City of Mostar are a symbol of conciliation, international cooperation and of the coexistence of diverse cultural, ethnic and religious communities.

Wide Report

The Old area of Bridge of the Old City of Mostar, with his multicultural exceptional one (preOttoman, Ottoman of the East, Mediterranean and inhabitant of the Western Europe) architectural features, and satisfactory interrelation with the scenery, is an exceptional example of an urban multicultural establishment. The qualities of the construction of the place, after the damage of war that it devastates extremely and the subsequent works of the renewal, have been confirmed by scientific detailed investigations. These have provided the test of the exceptionally high technical refinement in the skill and the quality of the ancient constructions, in particular of the Old Bridge. Of the special meaning it is the current Radoboija, which enters the Neretva his right bank. This one provided a source of watering for the increasing establishment, and of it it drives several small channels used for the irrigation and to lead the wheels of mills of watering. There was human establishment in the Neretva between the Hill of Buzz and the Mountain Velez from the prehistoric times, as testified by discoveries of fortified enceintes and cemeteries. Tests of the Roman occupation come from under the present city.

Little is known about Mostar in the medieval period, although the Christian basilicas of late antiquity remained in use. The name of Mostar is first mentioned in a document of 1474, taking into account the name of the bridge-holders (mostari ); this relates to the existence of a wooden bridge from the town on the left bank of the river was used by soldiers, traders and other travelers. At this time was the seat of a kadiluk (district with a regional court).  Because it was on the trade route between the Adriatic Sea and the mineral-rich regions in central Bosnia, the settlement spread on the right bank of the river. It was the most important city in the Sanjak of Herzegovina and, with the arrival of the Ottoman Turks from the east, the center of Turkish rule.

The town was increased between 1520 and 1566, and the bridge was rebuilt in stone. The second half of the 16th century and the first decades of the 17th century were the most important period in the development of Mostar. Religious and public buildings were built, concentrated on the left bank of the river, in a religious complex. While many private and commercial buildings, organized in different districts, known as mahalas (properties) and bazaar, were set up.

Of the thirteen original mosques dating back to the 16th and 17th century, seven are destroyed during the 20th century for ideological reasons or by bombing. One of the two 19th-century Orthodox churches has also disappeared, and the beginning of the 20th-century synagogue, after serious damage in the Second World War has been converted for use as a theater. Various Ottoman inns also survive, together with other buildings from this period of Mostar history, such as fountains and schools.

The administrative buildings are all from the austrian-hungarian period and neoclassical and Secessionist movements. A number of surviving late Ottoman houses show the overall characteristics of this form of domestic architecture - hall, first floor for residential use, cobbled courtyard and veranda on one or two levels. The subsequent 19th-century houses are in neoclassical style.

Some early trade and craft buildings still exist, in particular some cheap shops in wood or stone, stone warehouses and a group of former tanneries around an open courtyard. Once again, the 19th-century commercial buildings are predominantly neoclassical. A number of elements of the early forts are visible. The Hercegusa Tower dating from the medieval period, while the Ottoman defenses are represented by the Halebinovka and Tara Towers, the watchtowers along the ends of the Old Bridge and a stretch of the ramparts.

Historical Data

There are human settlement on the Neretva between the Hum Hill and the Velez mountain from prehistory, which manifests itself by discoveries of reinforced enceintes and cemeteries. Evidence of Roman occupation comes from beneath the present town.

Little is known about Mostar in the medieval period, although the Christian basilicas of late antiquity remained in use. The name of Mostar is first mentioned in a document of 1474, taking into account the name of the bridge-holders (mostari) refers to the existence of a wooden bridge from the town on the left bank of the river was used by soldiers, traders, and other travellers. At this time was the seat of a kadiluk (district with a regional court). Because it was on the trade route between the Adriatic Sea and the mineral-rich regions in central Bosnia, the settlement spread on the right bank of the river. It was the most important city in the Sanjak of Herzegovina and, with the arrival of the Ottoman Turks from the east, the center of Turkish rule.

The tow was increased between 1520 and 1566 and the bridge was rebuilt in stone. The second half of the 16th century and the first decades of the 17th century were the most important period in the development of Mostar. Religious and public buildings were built, such as mosques, madrasah (Islamic school), and a hammam (public bath); these were concentrated on the left bank of the river, in a religious complex (kullia). While many private and commercial buildings, organized in different districts, known as mahalas (properties) and bazaar, were set up.

Bosnia and Herzegovina was first occupied (1878) and then annexd (1908) by the Austrian-hungarian Empire, and it was in this period that a number of administrative, military, cultural and Christian religious buildings were established. These were mainly on the right bank of the river, where a new district was developed according to a strict 'Rondo' plan. This makes for a strong contrast with the left bank when there was a more organic growth on the steeper slopes, with winding narrow streets and public space for emissions trading (pazar), recreation (mejdan), and prayer (musallah).  The city was also connected to this moment by rail and new roads to Sarajevo and the Adriatic

Between 1992 and 1995 the city was badly damaged during the war in Bosnia and Herzegovina and many of the urban center of ruins and the Old Bridge destroyed. Since 1998, major restoration projects in the center of the Old Town, in particular the reconstruction of the Old Bridge.

Source:whc/unesco

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