Arriving in Mostar, I was rather surprised as I had not looked up much about the town. The part of the town around the old city is quite different, with many buildings in a state of abandonment and disrepair. Their empty shells showed me the consequences of war and made me understand how perhaps other less popular places in Bosnia ed Herzegovina look. In some parts of town, the contrast between tourist spots and war-torn buildings was very evident.
Gimnazija “Aleksa Šantić” in Mostar
The old bridge in the city of Mostar is in the UNESCO World Heritage list and it’s quite astonishing. It was attacked and destroyed in November 1993 during the Siege of Mostar. Its reconstruction started in 2001 and now it’s almost impossible to tell it apart from the old one (to me, at least.)
The old town was very pretty, made mainly from stone and full of little stores selling Balkan souvenirs. Right next to the bridge, a small shop had a running video showing some of the history of Mostar, mainly focusing on the destruction of the old bridge (the footage showed the destruction of the bridge by tank shells. Don’t click this link if you are emotional towards beautiful and old bridges.)
The stop in Mostar was planned to be short but it was pleasant nevertheless and very eye-opening. Next destination, Sarajevo!
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