Mostar: A Tale of Two Cities

Walking through the vibrant cobbled streets of Mostar’s beautiful old town, it’s difficult to comprehend how much this city has changed and progressed in the last fifteen years. Locals and tourists alike weave through a vivid maze of restaurants, shops and souvenir street sellers (multicoloured fezzes start from a bargain 50p); elegant mosques and churches attest to multicultural diversity; while at the heart of it all the beautiful old bridge beats a material and symbolic link between north and south, past and present.

But in an adjacent museum, videos of its destruction by multinational forces in the mid 90’s paint an entirely different picture to the melting pot bustling just metres outside. The bridge, built in 1566 and for so long the symbol of the city, was destroyed in 1993 during a war which saw ethnic cleansing, tragic social haemorrhaging and civil implosion. Images of the town devastated and desolate belie the bustling throngs of life in the city today, and it is a testament to the city to watch the footage charting its architectural and social revival, culminating in the total restoration of the bridge; celebrated with fireworks and the Mostar tradition of bridge diving.

This breathtaking spectacle is still evident today. Trained locals and professional divers gather from all parts of the globe, cultivating tourist support and sponsorship on the bridge’s marble slopes before plummeting from its 75ft summit into the icy, rocky river below. The tradition, like the bridge, affirms the unity of past and present here - a simultaneous preservation and progression which is palpable from the bridge’s peak. Steeped in mountainous foothills, Mostar’s cerulean Neretva River mirrors the vivid hues of tumbling vines and the teeming market high above during the day, whilst by night the city radiates from the glow of its many great bars and restaurants, as distant lights stud the surrounding mountains like fireflies. Beyond, the river flows south to the stunning Kravica Waterfalls, affirming the exquisite fusion of natural and cultural beauty in the region.

This beauty is one born out of great pain though, as the proximity of Mostar’s present to its painful recent past is still physically evident in the apposition of modern development and war-ravaged buildings in the city centre. Here, countless trendy modern bars, cafés and restaurants co-exist uneasily and uncannily with the last lingering shrapnel-scarred structures, attesting to the still ongoing social and infrastructural development of the city. Though only a few such relics remain here now, pock-marked plaster is still a prominent vestige across the city centre, scarring its walls. But the continuous development, constantly modernising and revitalizing this eclectic city, is gradually removing these last blemishes.

Five minutes walk from the city centre lays the haunting decay of the old front line; a bleak and devastated urban wasteland. Only animals and overgrowth now inhabit these former suburban precipices, where a strip of shell-hollowed buildings is all that remains of a once bustling profusion of houses, shops and schools. It’s jarring to see the last bastion of Mostar’s heartbreaking recent history in such physical austerity; a frozen, fractured cityscape echoing Dresden after WWII. Adjacent, ashen grey flats await demolition in the shadow of a bombed tower block, looming over swathes of crumbled concrete. Perhaps the most shocking aspect though is the reality that this area is not being preserved for any cultural remembrance, but simply because the historical immediacy of the war and the logistical ramifications of rebuilding an entire city mean that until now it has not been possible to rebuild. Notices of restoration adorn many of the buildings, while within a stone’s throw two sleek corporate office blocks signify the push towards progression and re-industrialisation in the city. In time, this area will be demolished and rebuilt, removing the last physical traces of the city’s devastation. As a local Mostar man said: “We do not need to be reminded of what happened; it will stay with us always”.

Living in a country untroubled by civil turmoil, it is almost impossible to conceive that a devastating war was fought in Europe during our lifetime. Perhaps it is the progression since then that makes modern Mostar all the more remarkable. Today, its streets are packed with travellers eager to discover a city whose friendly, welcoming atmosphere, beautiful architecture and cultural and religious pluralism make it an increasingly popular destination. But the remnants of its past continue to deter too many from this region. Despite its vibrant modern development, memories of its past mar a city that I enjoyed perhaps more than any other that I have visited.

Yet like the bridge at its heart, the city continues to symbolise progression both socially and historically. In time, with this progression, so too will come an appreciation for a city that has risen from the ashes of war to become one of the most beautiful and poignant in Europe.

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