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Historical Monuments
Mostar is situated northwest of Dubrovnik (at about 150 km). It is the largest town in Herzegovina and the second largest in the whole country (after Sarajevo, the Bosnian capital). |
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This town has developed on the basis of a small settlement existing already in antiquity. Documents in the 15th century mention a fortified place around a suspended bridge across the Neretva River. The Ottomans took this fortification in the third quarter of the 15th century.
In 1475 the first Muslim quarter or mahala (with a mosque and bath) appeared along the riverbank north of the bridge. The core of the Muslim town developed at both ends of the stone bridge constructed in 1566 (under the government of Karadjos Beg). This bridge enabled the development of transport and trade flourished. When Bosnia-Herzegovina was under Austro-Hungarian administration, Mostar experienced a renewed era of economic and urban development.
The town is exceptional for its dwellings and monuments assembled harmoniously over the centuries thanks to favourable geographical conditions and a sound economic climate. Unfortunately, as elsewhere in Europe, disproportionate buildings went up in Mostar during the 1960s. Nevertheless, on a whole, the old town has conserved its medieval character.
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