Today marks 21 years since the ceremonial opening of the restored Old Bridge in Mostar, one of the most recognizable symbols of Bosnia and Herzegovina and a powerful message of hope, reconciliation and renewal. The bridge, which was originally built in 1566, was completely renovated and officially opened on July 23, 2004, with the presence of state and international officials and numerous citizens from all over the world.
The reconstruction of the Old Bridge, which was demolished on November 9, 1993 during the war, took almost five years. It is about one of the most important international post-war reconstruction projects, which also had a symbolic meaning – the reconnection of the two banks of the Neretva River, but also the restoration of ties between people, damaged during the war.
The agreement on the restoration of the Old Bridge was signed in June 1999 in Mostar, and was initiated by UNESCO, the City of Mostar and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Bosnia and Herzegovina. The project was financed through a combination of donations and favorable loans. The total value was more than 15 million US dollars, of which the World Bank approved a loan for cultural heritage for the first time in history. Support was provided by the governments of Italy, Turkey, the Netherlands, France, Croatia, as well as the City of Mostar and the Development Bank of the Council of Europe.
For the implementation of the project, a special Agency for the Restoration of the Old Bridge and Cultural Heritage of Mostar (PCU) was established, led by Rusmir Ćišić and Tihomir Rozić. The works entailed an extremely precise engineering and conservation approach – 1,088 stone blocks from the Mukoša quarry were prepared, which were manually processed and installed based on photogrammetric images of the old arch. Traditional materials were used: lime mortar, lead and insulation based on clay and bauxite, and the execution supervision was entrusted to the Croatian company OMEGA Engineering from Dubrovnik.
The Turkish company ER-BU from Ankara was chosen as the main contractor, while the project was made by the Italian company General Engineering from Florence. Laboratory tests of materials were performed by renowned institutes from Germany, Croatia and Bosnia and Herzegovina.
The laying of the first stone block on the arch of the bridge on April 14, 2003 marked the beginning of the key phase of the works, and the finishing stone was installed on August 20 of the same year. The opening ceremony on July 23, 2004 was attended by numerous guests, including the British Prince Charles, the presidents of Croatia and Italy, the prime ministers of several countries and the special envoy of the Vatican. On the opening day, 22 planes landed in Mostar, and the event was broadcast live by more than 28 international television companies, including CNN.
More than 600 journalists, videographers and photojournalists from the country, region and the world were accredited for the opening. It was, as it was emphasized at the time, one of the most important events in post-war BiH, which attracted global media attention and returned Mostar to the world map of cultural and tourist centers, said the head of the Press Center Miroslav Landeka.
“The opening of the Old Bridge means a historical turning point for Mostar. It is no longer a political symbol, but a bridge that belongs to all citizens, a symbol of unity, culture and the future,” said the then mayor Neven Tomić.
One year later, on July 15, 2005, the restored Old Bridge was included in the UNESCO list of world cultural heritage. This confirmed its exceptional value not only as a building and historical monument, but also as a symbol of international cultural dialogue.
The old bridge, as the Nobel laureate Ivo Andrić wrote, “is more important than houses, holier than temples” because “it belongs to everyone and is equal to everyone”. Even today, 21 years after the reconstruction, it remains a permanent reminder of the strength of the common will to overcome divisions and rebuild Mostar – the city of bridges, memories and hope.
