At the confluence of Neretva River into Bregava River is located one of the most beautiful bridges that you have ever seen, and you just need to remove the vegetation that covers it with your imagination and picture how it looked like at the time when it meant to people more than it does today.
The Old Bridge in Klepci is older than the one in Mostar, and architectural design reminiscent of the larger, much more famous one. While the Old Bridge in Mostar is attracting thousands of tourists, the bridge in Klepci is still waiting on its reconstruction.
This bridge was constructed in 1517 on the orders of Herzegovina sandzakbey Mustafa, and it represents a real jewel of Ottoman architecture.
The bridge was reconstructed 150 years after sandzakbey Mustafa with the money of Sisman Ibrahim-bey from Pocitelj, and it welcomed the 20th century in a poor condition. Available historical sources recorded the full range of inappropriate interventions and attempts of reconstruction.
Passersby who were traveling on this road in the 16th century when the bridge was created, had more ecological consciousness, and this road back then was called “Carigrad road” or “Stambol road”. The aforementioned road was connecting the capital of the Ottoman Empire in the quickest and easiest way to Vienna and Venice.
As if someone really wanted to ruin the bridges that bind us with other areas, people, and phenomena and left this pearl of Capljina to terrible ravages of time. We are hoping that someone will start with the implementation of those decisions that treat this bridge as a protected monument of BiH.
(Source: R. D./Klix.ba)
