During the withdrawal of its troops in 1945, on this day, German invaders toppled the Old Stone Bridge in Konjic.
The stone bridge was destroyed by bombing Pioneer units of the 3rd Battalion 370th Regiment Wehrmacht. Only what was left were the stone pillars.
Later on, the new bridge was built, first a wooden one, then concrete-steel bridge, and from 2006 to 2009 it was completely renovated, retaining its original shape.
For the reconstruction of the bridge it was used a total of 2,408 blocks of travertine, more than 10 tons of lead, nearly 5 tons of cramps, and all fixed with mortar as it was used to be in its original times.
The old stone bridge has six arches, and since 2003 is on the list of national monuments. The length of the bridge is 101.80 meters and a width is 5.25 meters.
The total cost of reconstruction amounted to around 5.3 million BAM. This bridge is considered as the point where it connects Bosnia meets Herzegovina, and is one of the most beautiful buildings from the Ottoman era, together with with Mostar’s Old Bridge and the Mehmed Pasha Sokolovic Bridge in Visegrad.
The old bridge was built in 1682, in the time of Sultan Mehmed IV, as the last great Ottoman buildings in Bosnia and Herzegovina. It was built by Haseči Aliaga from Blagaj. The bridge was a masterpiece of architecture of the seventeenth century.
(Source: faktor)
