Croatian gunners destroyed the famous Old Bridge in the B&H city of Mostar by sending one of the most beautiful examples of Ottoman architecture into the Neretva River.
The demolition of the 400 year old stone arch, which was described as a“stone crescent moon” by one Muslim poet, was one of the most dire metaphors pertaining to the breakdown of the joint life and the joint state of Muslims, Serbs and Croats, Yugoslavia.
“It is one of the most beautiful bridges in the world,” wrote British author Rebecca West in her book about traveling through the Yugoslavia before World War II. “A slim arch placed between 2 round towers, with the parapet arched in the middle.”
Veso Vegar, a spokesperson for the HVO at the time, admitted that his gunners aimed at the bridge, whose foundations were laid back in 1557 on the orders of the great Ottoman ruler Sulejman the Magnificent.
“As the bridge is located on a strategically important position, and Muslim positions are very close, just 70 to 100 meters far away, the bridge is constantly under the fire of grenades,” said Vegar, adding that Croats fired a dozen shells just that week.
The Bosnian government radio reported that 60 shells hit the structure, which was built in 1566, and eventually became known as the Old Bridge, after which the town got its name.
(Source: klix)
