Mostar

Mostar is a city in Bosnia located close to the Croatian border. I had no intention of stopping in this city, but timing issues forced me too layover there on my way to Sarajevo. In what has become a common theme in my recent travels I knew nothing of the city I was traveling too.

What I was told, due to constant reminders from my parents, was that Bosnia was dangerous. As I was told, "people still handle disputes with hand grenades!". Rightttt, as if people just casually walk around with hand grenades while picking up bread from the grocery store or as they pick their kid up from work. I wasn't convinced (I know it was out of love mom and dad). The US state report said to avoid abandoned buildings and open fields due to leftover mines. So while my dreams of frolicking in open Bosnian fields and exploring abandoned buildings were crushed by the state report, I had to settle for checking out the city of Mostar instead. I wasnt really concerned about these issues because I had talked with many travelers who said mines are a non-issue.

Mostar has an old city and new city. The old city is lined with stones. The stores all look old and authentic. The bridge connecting over the river in the old town is called the, wait for it.....old bridge! How creative. Of the 7 bridges connecting the east to west side of Mostar, this one is the most famous. During the summer people make the leap off the top. It gets the tourists going. During the war from 92-95 it was destroyed and then rebuilt.

Destruction of the Bridge:



To me, the most striking part of the city was the leftover war damage. There are a lot of bombed out buildings that have not been touched since the war. Theres plenty of buildings riddled with bullet holes. One famous building, called the Bank, was left completely untouched. It was used as a sniper post. I went inside and on the ground you can find old shells from the fighting. It was incredibly eerie. There was one floor that has all of the former bank documents and books that once filled up the offices completely trashed and untouched. There has been nothing done to clean this place up.

At the roof of the Bank. Take note of the expressions

Another aspect of Mostar worth mentioning is the segregation that continues on to this day. The east side is where the Islamic Bosnians are and the west is for the Croat Christians. There is one road down the middle of the city, which used to be the frontline during the war, that divides the two areas. Schools are segregated and as the brother of the hostel owner mentioned discrimination definately goes on to this day. I never would have noticed this social aspect unless I was told about it.

I'll touch upon the safety in Bosnia in my next post, but in short there is nothing to worry about in this country. People are very friendly.

After 2 nights in Mostar I moved on to Sarajevo...



Bonus:
The call to prayer in Old Town Sarajevo. Really pretty



The untouched offices in the Bank














Shell from the Bank


















Outside the Bank