Mostar

Mostar Мостар
City
City of Mostar
Mostar, Top:Neretva River and Mostar Old Bridge, Middle left:Koski Mehmed Pasina Moscue, Center:Mostar Clock Tower, Middle right:A entrance of old bridge, Bottom left:Bazzar in Kujundziluk Street, Bottom right:Night view of old bridge and Kujundziluk area
Flag Coat of arms
Map of Bosnia and Herzegovina (Mostar)
Coordinates: 43°20′N 17°48′E / 43.333°N 17.800°E / 43.333; 17.800
Country	Bosnia and Herzegovina
Entity	Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina
Canton	Herzegovina-Neretva
Region	Herzegovina
Founded	1452
Government
• Mayor	Ljubo Bešlić (HDZ BiH)
Area
• Total	1,175 km2 (454 sq mi)
Elevation	60 m (200 ft)
Population
• Total	113,169
• Density	96/km2 (250/sq mi)
Time zone	CET (UTC+1)
• Summer (DST)	CEST (UTC+2)
Area code(s)	+387 (0) 36
Website	www.mostar.ba

UNESCO World Heritage Site

Old Bridge Area of the Old City of Mostar
Name as inscribed on the World Heritage List
Old Bridge in the heart of the Old City of Mostar (Aerial photo)
Type	Cultural
Criteria	vi
Reference	946
UNESCO region	Europe
Inscription history
Inscription	2005 (29th Session)

Mostar is a city and municipality in southern Bosnia and Herzegovina. Inhabited by 105,797 people, it is the most important city in the Herzegovina region, its cultural capital, and the center of the Herzegovina-Neretva Canton of the Federation. Mostar is situated on the Neretva River and is the fifth-largest city in the country. Mostar was named after the bridge keepers (mostari) who in the medieval times guarded the Stari Most (Old Bridge) over the Neretva. The Old Bridge, built by the Ottomans in the 16th century, is one of Bosnia and Herzegovina's most recognizable landmarks, and is considered one of the most exemplary pieces of Islamic architecture in the Balkans.

Human settlements on the river Neretva, between the Hum Hill and the Velež Mountain, have existed since prehistory, as witnessed by discoveries of fortified enceintes and cemeteries. Evidence of Roman occupation was discovered beneath the present town.

As far as medieval Mostar goes, although the Christian basilicas of late antiquity remained in use, few historical sources were preserved and not much is known about this period. The name of Mostar was first mentioned in a document dating from 1474, taking its name from the bridge-keepers (mostari); this refers to the existence of a wooden bridge from the market on the left bank of the river which was used by traders, soldiers, and other travelers. During this time it was also the seat of a kadiluk (district with a regional judge). Since Mostar was on the trade route between the Adriatic and the mineral-rich regions of central Bosnia, the settlement began to spread to the right bank of the river.

Prior to the 1474 the names of two towns appear in medieval historical sources, along with their later medieval territories and properties – the towns of Nebojša and Cimski grad. In the early 15th century the county (župa) of Večenike covered the site of the present-day Mostar along the right bank of the Neretva, including the sites of Zahum, Cim, Ilići, Raštani and Vojno. It was at the center of this area, which in 1408 belonged to Radivojević, that Cim fort was built (prior to 1443). Mostar is indirectly referred to in a 1454 charter of King Alfonso V of Aragon as Pons ("bridge"), for a bridge had already been built there. Prior to 1444, the Nebojša fort was built on the left bank of the Neretva, which belonged to the late medieval county still known as Večenike or Večerić. The earliest documentary reference to Mostar as a settlement dates from 3 April 1452, when Ragusans wrote to their fellow countrymen in the service of Serbian Despot Đorđe Branković to say that Vladislav Hercegović had turned against his father Stjepan and occupied the town of Blagaj and other places, including “Duo Castelli al ponte de Neretua.”.