Stari most and the stone arch across Mostar
Published on 09/24/2026 at 07:45 | Editorial responsibility: Rafael MĂĽller, Editor-in-Chief AD HOC NEWS
Stari most rises above the Neretva as a single pale limestone arch, linking the historic quarters of Mostar. The bridge standing in the river today follows the form of the Ottoman structure completed in 1566, while its reconstruction belongs to the history of 2004.
Stari most: a single arch over the Neretva
Stari most crosses the Neretva in the centre of Mostar, Bosnia and Herzegovina. Its humpbacked profile curves between stone buildings, steep riverbanks and the lanes of the Old Town.
The bridge is built from tenelija, a local limestone associated with Mostar. The material gives the masonry a light colour, while the arch carries a stone-paved crossing between the river’s two banks. UNESCO records the opening of the original arch as 27 metres, with a bridge four metres wide and 30 metres long. the bridge’s recorded dimensions show the compact scale of a structure that dominates the river valley.
Built under SĂĽleyman the Magnificent
Stari most belongs to the Ottoman period of Mostar. Sultan SĂĽleyman the Magnificent commissioned the stone crossing, and Mimar Hayruddin carried out the work as a pupil of the Ottoman architect Sinan.
Construction began in 1557 and the bridge was completed in 1566. Its slender masonry arch became part of the urban crossing between the commercial streets, houses and religious buildings of Ottoman Mostar. The bridge and its surrounding historic quarter form a cultural landscape rather than an isolated monument. the Ottoman bridge’s history places the structure within the wider development of the city.
Destruction, reconstruction and World Heritage
The original bridge was destroyed during the conflict in Mostar in 1993. An international reconstruction project rebuilt the crossing between 2001 and 2004, using tenelija limestone and documented Ottoman building techniques.
The reconstructed bridge opened in 2004 and follows the sixteenth-century form across the Neretva. In 2005, the Old Bridge Area of the Old City of Mostar entered the UNESCO World Heritage List. The designation includes the bridge and the historic urban setting around it. the reconstruction project records a bridge whose present fabric belongs to two periods: Ottoman construction and twentieth-first-century rebuilding.
Visiting Stari most: what travellers from Western Europe should know
- Stari most stands in Mostar’s Old Town over the Neretva River. The historic lanes on both sides lead directly towards the bridge.
- The crossing has a pronounced rise and a stone surface. Walking across it involves an uneven gradient rather than a level pavement.
- Mostar’s main bus and railway station lies outside the Old Town. The approach continues on foot through the modern city before reaching the historic quarter.
- Kriva ?uprija, a smaller arched bridge over a tributary, lies near Stari most. Ottoman-era houses, mosque buildings and bazaar lanes surround the bridge zone.
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Frequently asked questions about Stari most
Where is Stari most?
Stari most is in Mostar, Bosnia and Herzegovina, crossing the Neretva River in the city’s historic Old Town.
What can visitors expect at the bridge?
The crossing has a steep stone profile, an uneven surface and views towards the Neretva, riverbanks and historic streets.
What makes Stari most distinctive?
Its distinctive feature is a single humpbacked limestone arch, rebuilt in 2004 after the Ottoman bridge of 1566 was destroyed in 1993.
