Discover Mostar : The districts of Mostar

Since the siege of 1993-1994, Mostar has been cut in two by an invisible border. On one side, the old districts of Mostar-Est (Mostar Istočni) stretch along the Neretva river and Maršala-Tita street. Located around the Old Bridge and under Mount Velež, they are mainly populated by Bosnians (Muslims). On the other hand, Mostar-West (Mostar Zapad) is larger, more modern and mainly populated by Bosnian-Croats (Catholic Christians). The dividing line is the "Bulevar", a major north-south axis some 200 m west of the Neretva, which was the main frontline in 1993-1994. Moving from one side to the other is easy, although it's tempting to stay on the eastern side, where monuments, restaurants, hotels and tourist agencies are concentrated. Mostar-West, however, is not devoid of interest, with some of the city's best museums and restaurants.

Mostar East

Situated beneath Mount Velež, this is the oldest and most touristic part of Mostar, with the Stari Grad ("Old Town") district listed as a Unesco World Heritage Site: around the Old Bridge are mosques and houses from the Ottoman period. Mainly inhabited by Bosnians (Muslims), Mostar-Est also has a minority of Bosnian-Serbs (Orthodox Christians), in the hills around the Cathedral of the Holy Trinity. To understand the city's division, you need to know that Mostar-Est stretches along both banks of the Neretva. On the left bank, the main axis is Maréchal-Tito Street (Maršala Tita). It runs alongside the railway station and the main bus station, and continues southwards past the Old Bridge. On the right bank, Mostar-Est stretches some 200 m westwards, with the " Bulevar " as its main axis... which also marks the "border" with Mostar-Ouest.

West Mostar

This is the largest and most modern part. It lies to the west of the Bulevar. Mainly populated by Bosnian-Croats (Catholic Christians), it is dominated by Hum Hill (with its "Millennium Cross") and the Franciscan monastery's immense "Peace Bell Tower". Although Mostar-West is not very touristy, it is home to the best restaurants, the main market, a bus station, a shopping mall(Mepas Mall) as well as the astonishing Partisan Cemetery, two rich art museums and the pleasant municipal park.

History

Mostar's origins are not well known. In 1474, a document mentions mostari, "bridge keepers" to whom one had to pay a tax to cross a wooden structure built on the Neretva River. This is how the name Mostar came about. The town grew from the end of the ^15th century onwards, with the arrival of the Ottomans and the construction of the Old Bridge in 1566. Mostar became a wealthy city of merchants and craftsmen, where Muslims, Orthodox, Catholics and Jews rubbed shoulders. For a long time, urban development was concentrated around the Old Bridge. During the Austro-Hungarian period, at the end of the ^19th century, the city expanded to the west, welcoming Catholic peasants from Herzegovina and Tropolje. It was severely affected by the Second World War, with the massacre of part of the Serbian and Jewish populations by Nazi-allied Croats. During the period of socialist Yugoslavia (1944-1992), while the old town became a tourist destination, the western districts were modernized to accommodate all sections of the population. But this mix was shattered during the last war. Between April and June 1992, the first phase of the conflict saw Bosnians and Bosnian-Croats join forces to defeat the Yugoslav army and the Bosnian-Serb forces encircling the city. Destruction was already being recorded, and the Bosnian-Serb population fled. During the second phase of the conflict, from May 1993 to April 1994, Bosnian-Croat troops supported by the Croatian army laid siege to the Bosnian population in the old town defended by the Bosnian army. This second siege caused extensive damage, in particular the disappearance of the Old Bridge. Although the war here was relatively short, it caused some 2,500 deaths and 8,000 injuries, the majority of them Bosnian. It also led to a vast exodus and the destruction of 60% of the buildings. Peace remains fragile today. The clear division between communities and the many ruins still visible on either side of the "Bulevar" bear witness to this.