Today marks exactly 20 years since the entry of the Old Bridge into the UNESCO list of protected cultural heritage.
This historic decision for Mostar and Bosnia and Herzegovina was made by UNESCO experts at the session of the UNESCO Board held from 11 to 17 July 2005 in Durban, South Africa, which gave our country the first monument on that prestigious list.
The Old Bridge in Mostar was built in 1566 and was the largest arched structure of that time in the world.
It was heavily damaged at the beginning of the war in 1992, and was completely demolished in November 1993 after being hit by an artillery shot fired from an HVO position.
The restoration of the Old Bridge began in June 1999 with the signing of the contract on the restoration, which took place at the site next to the remains of the Old Bridge. On that occasion, the Director of UNESCO, Federico Mayor, emphasized that the beginning of the restoration of the Old Bridge is a big undertaking for which 15.5 million US dollars have been allocated.
By laying the first stone block on the arch of the bridge, the mayor and deputy mayor of Mostar, Hamdija Jahić and Ljubo Bešlić, symbolically started the construction of the arch of the Old Bridge, and it was on April 14, 2003.
In the next four months, they worked in rain, wind and sun, so that on August 20, the last stone was installed in the arch of the Old Bridge, thus completing the most demanding phase of the project.
This was followed by the construction of cornices on both sides of the arch of the bridge, then the installation of a metal fence. For the remaining work of building the cornices, 44 tons of stone were extracted to be installed on the cobblestone of the bridge, and each stone was processed sculpturally, individually, on the basis of photo-documentation and was “consumed” to the extent that was documented before the demolition.
In addition to the arch itself, the towers on both sides of the bridge, Tara and Helebija, and accompanying buildings were rebuilt.
The actual opening ceremony of the renovated Old Bridge was held on July 23, 2004, and the event was attended by more than 600 journalists, photojournalists and videographers from 50 countries around the world.
One year later, on July 15, 2005, the Old Bridge was included in the UNESCO list of protected monuments.
As Ljubo Bešlić, the mayor of Mostar and leader of the state delegation in Durban, Mostar, said at the time, that day will remain inscribed in golden letters in the history of Bosnia and Herzegovina.
“I cannot hide my delight that we have succeeded in our efforts to be registered in the world cultural heritage. This is the first registration from Bosnia and Herzegovina. The road to registration was arduous, long and very demanding. In this moment of enthusiasm, I use the opportunity to greet everyone who participated in this project, as well as thank the countries and friends who helped rebuild the bridge in Italy, the Netherlands, Turkey and Croatia, as well as the World and Development Bank of the Council of Europe. For the sake of the citizens, I must emphasize that this is primarily a project of the city that should to bring improvement to the city and the country. For the first time in Bosnia and Herzegovina, we can build a better future when we want to achieve it together. We have shown that some new winds are moving in Bosnia and Herzegovina, which can build a better future for everyone,” said Mayor Bešlić.
The reconstruction of the Old Bridge, the opening ceremony and the inscription on the UNESCO list, was a demanding construction, political and media project, said Miroslava Landek, the author of the book “The Old Bridge from the Place of the Event”, which talks about the process of rebuilding the Old Bridge.
“What is certain, as more time passes, is the fact that the date 7/15/2005 will remain permanently inscribed in the history of Mostar and BiH because it was the first inscription of a monument from BiH on the UNESCO list. The path from the beginning of the restoration and implementation of the reconstruction project of the Old Bridge and the old city core, as well as three objects of three nations, was more than complex and demanding, in the then complicated political relations, but, unfortunately, much better and healthier than today after two decades of of that great event,” added Landeka, Federalna writes.
