Mostar

Mostar is the capital of the Canton of Herzégovine-Neretva. It is located at a hundred kilometers in the south of Sarajevo, approximately 40 km of the Croatian border and to 50 km of the Adriatic Sea. The city is bathed by the river Neretva.

General localization

It is connected by the train to the Croatian coast and Sarajevo.
Le “ Quartier of the Old Bridge of the old city of Mostar ” is on Liste of the world heritage of UNESCO.

History

Mostar is founded in XVe century and develops at the time of the four following centuries, under the supervision of the Ottoman Empire. In 1878, Mostar, as well as the remainder of Bosnia-Herzégovine, passes under administration Austro-Hungarian, then formed part, after 1918, from new the Royaume of Serb, the Croats and the Sloveniens, future the Yugoslavia.

In XVe century, the files mention a fortified town at the place where one passed from one edge to the other of the river Neretva by a suspended bridge. This bridge, which gave its name to the city, Mostar, (" mostar" meaning the " frontier runner of the pont" with which it was necessary to pay the right-of-way), supported the development of transport and the rise of the trade. As of 1475, a first Moslem district (known as " mahala"), with mosques and baths, is established at the edge of the river, in the north of the crossing point. The core of the Moslem borough was made on both sides of the bridge of stone built in 1566 under the government of Karadjoz-Beg. When Bosnia-Herzégovine passes under administration Austro-Hungarian in 1878, after the Othoman period, the town of Mostar knows a new economic advancement and urban.

The city, exceptional by the whole of its dwellings and monuments joined together in a harmonious town planning which developed with the wire of the centuries, was famous for its softness of living. Until the contemporary time, the city had preserved its character while being a place of artisanal production and an important center of commercial exchanges. Even if, like everywhere in Europe, of the buildings often out-scale were built there during the years 1960, as a whole, the old city its medieval seal had preserved.

Mostar during the war

Mostar considerably suffered from the war (1992-1995). More big city of the Herzégovine, it was a center of industries and active trade (textile, tobacco, food products) as well as a tourist site very attended because of its Eastern architecture and its many mosques. Just like most of the city, Stari Most, " the old man pont" stone spanning Neretva, built by the Turkish architect Mimar Hayruddin in 1566 and architectural symbol of the city, was completely destroyed by a bombardment of the Croatian militia, the November 9th 1993. As of spring 1992, the city is touched by the military offensive in the area carried out by Serbes of Bosnia, supported by the Serbia. In July 1992, Mostar-West is built-in the République of Herceg-Bosna, rested by Croats of Bosnia, who make their capital of it and install their Parliament there.

The May 9th 1993, the Croatian militia, up to that point combined Army of Bosnia-Herzégovine against the Serb ones, supported by the official Army of Croatia, attack the city of Mostar-Is. In very fatal combat and, fine 1993, the Croats become Masters of part of the city (Mostar-West, in the West of Bulevar) by driving out some the majority of the Bosnian population of origin. In March 1994, the Parliament of the Croats and the official government of Bosnia-Herzégovine decide creation of a federation croato-Moslem woman, putting an end to the conflict between the Croatian militia and Bosnia-Herzégovine. The devastations of the war have constrained most of the population to the exile.

Mostar since the war

Mostar-west (primarily modern districts and since 1995 with Croatian and catholic majority) and Mostar-(mainly older districts with Bosnian and Moslem majority), is separated by the “Bulevar narodne revolucije” during the war were reunified in only one municipality, it thus became the capital of the Canton of Herzégovine-Neretva. The Neretva crosses the Eastern district of the city.

Stari Most was rebuilt with identical in 2004 with many stones of origin (in particular for the coating of the bridge), and according to the Othoman technique of time. It accommodates as in the past the traditional championship of dive whose room is the Cardak maisonnette located at the Western exit of the Old Bridge.

Mostar-Ortijes: This camp of SFOR located beside the current airport sheltered the elements of the armies (Germany, France, Italy, Spain, Morocco) which composed a vital element in the security of the city.

Many houses remain to be rebuilt in the city, but the historical center is Rene of its ashes quickly thanks to many givers. The attraction and the charm of the center of Mostar thus could be preserved despite everything.

Mostar, list of the world heritage of UNESCO
'' Article UNESCO on Stari Most ''
Site on the rebuilding of Mostar '' (in French) ''
Site dedicated to the rebuilding of Stari Most (old bridge) '' (in French) ''

Culture

In Mostar are the following arts centres:

Center for the culture " Mostar"
House of the Culture " Dom Kulture Herceg Stjepan Kosača"
Arts center Youth " Abraševic"
Concert hall " Pavarotti-Mostar"
Files of Herzégovine (today cantonal Files)
Museum of Herzégovine
Public library " Herceg Stjepan Kosače"
Gradska biblioteka "Luka"
popular Theater of Croatian Mostar
Theater " HNK-Mostar"
House Aleksa Šantić

The cultural event most known is the Be of Mostar with in particular a recital of poetry old of Aleksa Šantić. One of the oldest competitions of traditional dives since the Old Bridge takes place the last weekend of July.

Tourism

The town of Mostar is more the tourist big city of Bosnia-Herzégovine with many curiosities:

Old city of Mostar with Stari Most (Old Bridge) and the tourist district
Mosque Karadoz-beg
Church of Franciscains (Franjevačka crkva with the largest bell of the country)
Lane Bišcevic bordered of Turkish houses
Old hamlet of Brankovac with houses & gardens of the traditional houses of Othoman style
Old village of Blagaj where the (duke) lived Herceg Stjepan Kosače, where are: the Source of Buna, Tekia (house of Dervish which inspired to Meša Selimović for its book “the Dervish and Death” ).
Natural park of Ruište with the mountains of Prenj (where the “Bosnian Lys pushes” )
Natural reserve “Grabovica Diva” , almost at the primitive state
the “Plate (Blato)” , hill which dominates the city, in its Western part
Maison of Aleksa Šantić , the largest poet of Mostar
Musée of Herzégovine
----- and much of other curiosities -----

Daily life

Peacefully, in spite of the tensions resulting from the black years, the population gradually recovers from the traumatism of the war (1992-1995) according to the new methods. The houses and buildings are restored at the rate/rhythm of the programme of rebuilding of the European Union. Many a mostariens is reinstalled in the west or the east of the “Bulevar” according to their membership of the Bosnian or Croatian community. The exchanges between the two parts of the city remain always very important in spite of the tendency of each community to be inspired, either of the Croatian neighbor, or of the central valleys of Bosnia. The population was demobilized with relief on arrival of SFOR represented on the spot by a detachment of the Spanish army and the various military chiefs continued their career on the economic or political ground.

The Serb community almost entirely took the way of the exile, towards the Serb République of Bosnia or towards the foreigner. Refugees (Croatian and Bosnian) originating in all the areas of Bosnia-Herzégovine settled there after the war, and Mostar remains a dynamic hearth from the cultural and economic point of view.

The city sees multiplying the shops of clothing, pieces of furniture, music or hi-fi at moderate prices. Because of non-adhesion to OMC, the prices remain relatively low for the customers local and gravitational for the countries bordering, which allows an economic revival (in particular sector of BTP) reflecting itself on all the back country of Herzégovine, the villages becoming in a few years of the “mushroom towns”. Exiled (mainly of Germany & Austria) represent an important potential of investment in the area, and the economy is supported by the stability of the Convertible Mark, currency of Bosnia-Herzégovine indexed on the Euro. The informal sector is important and remains a factor of economic dynamism despite everything.

The young people are constrained to face an always raised unemployment, and distance of the university centres of point (Sarajevo, Split, Zagreb) the conduit often to leave the area, which, not having sufficient qualified jobs to offer to them, then undergoes a Brain drain.

The richness of the inheritance UNESCO of the city, the proximity of tourist sites like Međugorje (catholic pilgrimage), the village of Blagaj (Moslem pilgrimage), the necropolis Bogomile of Radimlja and the museum of the resistance of Jablanica make of Mostar the center of a gravitational area, benefitting from the tourist boom of the Adriatic coast of Croatia.

Regional capital in full movement which is modernized quickly; Mostar is a dynamic city open on the world.

Sports

The city counts two principal football clubs: The Velež Mostar and the Zrinjski Mostar.

Famous characters

Ahmed Glavović
Ivona Golemac, the princess of Croatia
Zdravko Grebo, essay writer
Vahid Halilhodžić trainer of football
Adin Hebib, photographer
Alija Kebo, writer
Predrag Matvejević writer
Himzo Polovina, poet
Aleksa Šantić poet
Josip Sesar
Blaž Slišković
Safet Sušić
Sergej Trifunović, actor
Almir Zalihić, writer
Pero Zubac, writer

See too

External bonds

Plane of the town of Mostar
Site on the rebuilding of Mostar '' (in French) ''
Site dedicated to the rebuilding of Stari Most (old bridge) '' (in French) ''
''' Site of association Guernica ADPE, Mostarski Interkulturalni Festival ''', Delivers " Sta Ima? "
''' Musical Mostar european exchanges '''
Town of Mostar '' (in Bosnian) ''
Gate Internet of the town of Mostar '' (in Bosnian) ''
''' Nansen Dialog Center, center of promotion of peace ''' '' (in English & Bosnian) ''
National Monument House Muslibegovic '' (in English) ''
Photographs of the town of Mostar - Winter 1994
Fotos Mostar

Be-X-old: Мостар

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