ITCHY FEET TRAVELS

Mostar, Bosnia

Sept 5, 2025

The name of the bridge is Stari Most and it is from this bridge that the town itself got its name Mostar, meaning Bridge Keeper. You might say the very identity of the town is wrapped up in this bridge. Built by the Ottomans in the 16^th century CE, both the town and the bridge had remained under the radar for centuries before the bridge was demolished by the Croat HVO forces in the Bosnian war of 1992-1995. Put on the UNESCO list and rebuilt in 2004, it helped Mostar catapult into popularity in recent years. The village climbs up on either side of blue sparkling blue-green waters of the Neretva river, pretty as it basks in the sunshine.

There are plenty of other bridges that span the river, some with curious names like the Crooked Bridge but the star is undoubtedly the Stari Most. It is crowded with sightseers all day and late into the night. The Halebija Tower still stands at one end of the bridge, originally built for defense.

The old part of town has narrow cobble-stoned streets lined by small houses with stone roofs and there are mosques too dating from old times, among them, the Koski Mehmed Pasha Mosque. It is compact, quaint and pretty.

The popularity of recent years means Mostar is mobbed. The crowds are in the restaurants and cafes that line the river bank, in every alleyway and every street. They are in the path leading to the bridge, in the rows of shops lining it. The shops themselves sell the usual souvenirs; these ones seem to be taken enmasse from souvenir shops in Turkey. There are plenty of visitors in the inflatable boats that zip up and down the river while drones record their antics from above. There are plenty more splashing in the rocky pools on the shore.

But there is one activity that supersedes others. It is jumping into the river off platforms built on the banks. The water is decidedly cold – barely twelve degrees centigrade even on a blisteringly hot day, apparently one of the coldest rivers in these parts. It is not an activity I would be keen on, but there are plenty that do little else all day.

And then there is the lure of jumping off the bridge. In fact, there is an annual competition sponsored by Red Bull that has the town agog for days before.

Hotel rooms are booked out, crowds are even thicker than before and the mood is infectious as competitors jump off the highest point of Stari Most.