In the historic center of Mostar, declared a World Heritage Site, tourists stroll among monuments and postcard corners towards its emblematic Old Bridge. But before getting there, the most attentive eyes discover some curious stones with this legend engraved on their surface: "Don't forget 93". What happened in 1993? Why not forget it?
Or perhaps one should ask oneself, how could it have been forgotten? That year, key episodes of the Balkan war took place, the last suffered in Europe during the past century. A contest that had terrible scenarios in Bosnia-Herzegovina. And precisely the city of Mostar lived events as bloody as symbolic.
Mostar epitomized the multi-ethnic and multi-faith character of the former Yugoslavia. Orthodox Serbs, Catholic Croats and Muslim Bosnians lived in this city in the Herzegovina region. So it was doomed to catastrophe from the moment the armed conflict broke out.
First, those who dreamed of an imperial Serbia tried to dominate it. But the alliance of Bosniaks and Croats prevented it. The union made strength, although later the situation took a turn and the Croats wanted to take over the city. Those neighboring ethnic groups have become bitter enemies for centuries. In the city alone, more than two thousand victims are estimated, although an exact figure was never given. On the other hand, there is a very specific image that captures barbarism: the destruction of the Old Bridge or Stari Most of Mostar.
A bridge that linked the banks of the Neretva River since the 16th century. Superb construction that never needed any repair and did not even vibrate when the Nazi tanks crossed it in World War II. However, it was blown up after a long Croatian bombardment. Totally intentional, albeit absurd from a military point of view. It was about blowing up the reconciliation between two peoples.
The chronicles say that when it collapsed, the Neretva was dyed red. It is true that it was due to a reddish mineral used in the construction mortar. But the metaphor was clear: the river cried blood. The symbolism of its destruction was so strong that even before the end of the conflict, Unesco planned its reconstruction.
Obviously it was not easy. In fact, the new Stari Most was inaugurated in 2004, almost a decade after the end of the war. But the time was worth it since from the first moment a reconstruction identical to the original was proposed. After all, apart from the symbolism, it was a jewel of Bosnia-Herzegovina's heritage. And therefore destined to be a tourist icon for the recovery of the country, as has happened.
It is currently its most visited monument. It is an engineering marvel from 1566 designed by the Turk Mimar Hajrudin. This builder learned from the great Sinan, creator of some of the most famous mosques in Istanbul. And perhaps on the recommendation of his teacher, he received the order from Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent himself to travel to this remote part of the Ottoman Empire to build the bridge.
A key work in the commercial development and Turkish settlement in these lands of Europe. So important was it that it is said that the sultan threatened to behead him if he failed in his attempt. So gossip says that Hajrudin never saw his work finished, since before removing the last scaffolding he fled, fearing that his calculations were wrong.
Nothing could be further from the truth. The work was and is spectacular. A single arch almost 30 meters wide that rises the same over the waters of the river. With the techniques of the 16th century, a real feat! Only thanks to its destruction in 1993 have the architect's tricks been discovered, such as leaving a hollow internal chamber to relieve its weight or designing an innovative metallic assembly between stone and stone.
These assemblages and even original stones taken from the riverbed by divers were reused in a reconstruction carried out with extraordinary historical rigor. These and many other curiosities can be discovered in the Stari Most Museum located in the Tara tower that flanks the access to the bridge on the left bank. While on the other bank is the Helebija tower, whose interior houses the War Photo Exhibition, which shows the images captured in the 1993 fighting by the New Zealand photojournalist Wade Goddard.
The war memory is present throughout the city. An example is Kujundžiluk street, the busiest road to reach the bridge. Here you can breathe the Muslim essence of Mostar, since the atmosphere is similar to that of any Arab souk. But with the native note of selling helmets, uniforms, insignia, stripes and other military supplies converted into souvenirs.
Less morbid is the walk through the historic mosques. One of them almost contemporary with the Old Bridge. It is the Karadjoz-Bey Mosque, possibly designed by Sinan and of course also practically rebuilt after the war. As is the case with the Koski Mehmed Pasha, in this case built in the 17th century.
These monuments and others make up the beautiful Stari Grad or old town. Its reconstruction is what almost all tourists see. Many are rushed cruise passengers who have disembarked in nearby Dubrovnik and have a few hours left for the excursion. It is always pitiful to travel in a hurry. Here it is impossible to take just one step away from the old area and see scars from the war that reinforce the motto "Don't forget 93".
Bullet marks are discovered on many facades or you reach the Plaza de España, a tribute to the Spanish troops who participated in the conflict. In this square, the Gimnazija is preserved, a nineteenth-century building that served as a school for boys and girls of any ethnic group. Something that changed after the war. And just around the corner is the Sniper Tower from which snipers from all sides fired indiscriminately. A now skeletal building, in ruins, a monument that now only triggers a message: don't forget.
