Mostar on the mend

Echos of the wars in the 90’s are seen in the burned-out shells of buildings still standing 15 years later, and in the extra-height church tower and cross on the Christian side of the city competing with the minarets on the Muslim side. But past the broken glass and EU police occasionally seen still on patrol, Mostar is also a shockingly pretty city.

Of course there is beauty in its namesake, the bright stone Stari Most, or Old Bridge, re-built several years ago in an identical form to its 400+ year-old original that was destroyed in 1993. There are also clusters of medieval stone buildings huddled on both sides of the bridge, and polished, multi-colored river stones making up the walking streets in these neighborhoods. There is the striking blue-green color of the Neretva River flowing through town, as well as high, rocky mountains rising on both sides of providing a wild, beautiful backdrop to the city in all directions.

 

  

The ottoman-style buildings and mosques sprinkled everywhere, the call to prayer occasionally echoing over the city from so many minarets pricking the sky, and the ever present smell of wood smoke and grilled meats, are reminders that the Turks were a little more successful here once upon a time than in much of Europe. Many Bosnians converted to Islam over several generations under the Ottoman empire, and as the easternmost remaining remnant of that culture, give the region a frontier feeling. 

The busy sidewalks and cafes we saw on a warm early November evening were an indication of how far Mostar has resuscitated from its recent past. Having fallen for the place so quickly, it was hard to return to our hotel room knowing our train left so early the next morning.