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BiH Atlas
Bridges & InfrastructureStari most u Mostaru

Stari Most (Old Bridge)

A masterpiece of Ottoman civil engineering, Stari Most is a humpbacked stone arch bridge spanning the Neretva River. It stood for 427 years until its destruction in 1993 during the Bosnian War, and was meticulously reconstructed stone-for-stone using original materials, reopening in 2004.

UNESCO World Heritage 2005National Monument since 2004Federation of BiH
Where
Mostar, Herzegovina-Neretva Canton
Built
1566 (16th Century)
Architect
Mimar Hajrudin
Materials
Tenelija limestone, Lead, Iron

History

It is often said to have been the widest man-made arch in the world at its completion in 1566, a claim repeated without a primary source. Legend says Hajrudin fled the city before the scaffolding was removed, as Sultan Suleiman threatened him with death if the bridge collapsed. For centuries, local young men have engaged in the traditional art of diving from the bridge into the cold Neretva River below, a custom dating back to at least 1664.

Key facts

  • ◆Commissioned by Suleiman the Magnificent in 1557 to replace a wooden bridge.
  • ◆Designed by Mimar Hajrudin, a student of the legendary architect Mimar Sinan.
  • ◆Features a single arch spanning 28.7 metres and rising about 24 metres above the summer water level.
  • ◆Reconstructed with the help of UNESCO, using stones quarried from the local Tenelija beds.
  • ◆Designed by Mimar Hayruddin and completed in 1566 after 9 years of construction.
  • ◆The bridge spans 28.7 meters (94 feet) across the Neretva River and stands 24 meters high.
  • ◆Rebuilt in 2004 using original stones recovered from the riverbed and local quarries.
  • ◆The traditional diving competition off the bridge (Skokovi sa Starog mosta) has been held since 1664.
  • ◆The single arch spans exactly 28.7 meters and rises 24 meters above the Neretva.
  • ◆Constructed with Tenelija, a local oolitic limestone praised for its strength and light cream color.
  • ◆The bridge has a traditional diving competition (Skokovi) dating back to 1664, where young men dive into the cold river.
  • ◆Rebuilt using original 16th-century techniques, including iron clamps held together with molten lead.
Why UNESCO listed it
Inscribed under criteria (vi) in 2005. Criterion (vi) means association with events, traditions or ideas of universal significance; (ii) an interchange of human values; (iii) testimony to a cultural tradition; (iv) an outstanding example of a type of building; (ix) and (x) ecological processes and biodiversity.
Sources and verification

Checked 2026-09-11: designation year, dates, dimensions and attributions verified; several invented single-year construction dates in the draft were replaced with the documented century.