It is one of the main tourist attractions in the region as well as being one of the most impressive bridges in the world for its long history and its unfortunate destruction during the Balkan War in 1993. In 2004, with the help of UNESCO, its exact reconstruction was inaugurated, giving back to the city a heritage and architectural landmark of more than 400 years old.

The bridge, which was built in the second half of the 16th century, has always been considered a symbol of the Ottoman era in Bosnia and Herzegovina. It was designed by a disciple of the great architect Mimar Sinan, responsible for the construction and supervision of the most important buildings of the Ottoman Empire.

The perfect engineering applied in the projection of the bridge allowed it to resist for more than four centuries the passage of time, several earthquakes, floods, wars and even the Panzers of Nazi Germany that crossed it during the Second World War.

Architecturally, the bridge is built on a slightly pointed arch with a span of 27 meters, a width of 4 meters and a length of 30 meters, about 20 meters above the Neretva River. It is flanked by two fortified towers built in the 17th century; the Halebija Tower on the right bank and the Tara Tower on the left bank.

It was built to replace an old wooden bridge that served as a passage for merchants, citizens and travelers on the trade route linking the Adriatic Sea with the mineral-rich regions of central Bosnia. Due to its importance on the trade route, a settlement grew up around the bridge on the right bank of the Neretva River.

Since the 15th century and under Ottoman rule, this settlement was urbanized and fortified around the original old wooden bridge, giving rise to the city of Mostar. In fact, the bridge gave the city its name, since most in Bosnian means bridge.

With the passage of time, Mostar grew as an important commercial enclave in the region, and like the entire Balkan area, the various kingdoms and empires left their cultural and religious mark, reflected to this day in its architecture, traditions and cultural diversity.

The bridge, which connected the Muslim and Croatian Catholic sides of the old town of Mostar, was destroyed on November 9, 1993 by Croatian forces during the Yugoslav wars of the 1990s. The incident marked the end of several centuries of coexistence between religious communities.

After the end of the war, the international community was involved in its reconstruction, with the collaboration of UNESCO and organizations for the rescue of World Heritage Sites. For its reconstruction, exactly the same methods and techniques of the 16th century were used, as well as the type of stone and its cuts, also using ancient methods. UNESCO was in charge of coordinating the group of experts who carried out the technical and scientific supervision of the work.

Along with the bridge, the reconstruction work included the surrounding buildings of part of the old part of the city, badly affected by the bombings of the war. Its reconstruction was inaugurated on July 23, 2004, at an event attended by world personalities, highlighting its importance as a symbol of national reconciliation in Bosnia and Herzegovina. A stone with the inscription "Do not forget 1993" on both sides of the bridge is a reminder of the past disaster, with the intention that it will never happen again.

Thus, since 2005 the Bridge and the Old Bridge Quarter in the historic center of Mostar became a UNESCO World Heritage Site, being an important focus of tourist attraction that has contributed to revitalize the economy of the area and, little by little, to heal the wounds of the war.

In addition to its iconic bridge, Mostar's old town today is an interesting tourist destination thanks to its architectural mix of varied pre-Ottoman, Ottoman-Oriental, Mediterranean and Western buildings, a symbol of its multicultural essence.

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