The Old Bridge in Mostar

Posted on May 19, 2023 by johnageddes

It was good to be back in Mostar for a few days, to visit with friends and wander in the town, I was reminded of the first time I came to Mostar in 1998 and seeing all the devastation along the Neretva River that was basically the front line of the hostilities there. The iconic 400-year old bridge had been destroyed in 1993 and the whole east side was battered.

I had a photo that I took of the bridge in 1998 and went back to the same spot, now the terrace of a restaurant by the river. I asked a young waiter if I could go down by the railing to take a comparable photo and showed him what I was trying to copy. He showed my phone pic to a waitress friend. Her response was “where is the bridge?”. She was 2 years old in 1998 and the young man was not yet born. They never saw first hand the devastation that the war caused although there are still buildings that remain waiting repair.

The historic old part of the city has been mainly restored and now attracts a lot of tourists. In 1998 there were none. It is good to see this recovery.

***From the same vantage point 25 years later.***

***The bridge photos above were taken from the far corner of the restaurant by the trees.***

***In May 1999 that riverbank looked like this.***

Here are some photos of the old bridge area now.

Video: A montage of photos of the old bridge in May 2023.

NOTE: This post has a video image. If you are reading the post on an email you must click on the title of the post to be taken to the WordPress site where the video can be streamed.

Bosnian Post(ers)

Posted on July 15, 2014 by johnageddes

When I visited Bosnia in the spring the weather was particularly cool and damp. I wondered if my photos would be a bit dreary. I was looking through my pictures last night and realized that many of them held vibrant colour and they cried out to me for a poster treatment. So here are a few of my photos, posterized. I don’t usually tart my photos up this way but I kind of like these. Enjoy a brief visit to Bosnia and Herzegovina.

The hill behind Inat Kuča in Sarajevo.

The Mostar Bridge

Street in old Mostar.

This building in Mostar near the river was heavily damaged during the war. It has been shored up with timbers. Snapdragons grow between the bricks on the window ledges. In fact, I didn’t alter this photo. This is how it looked. Dramatic.

Mostar

Sarajevo Market

Coffee time.

The old bridge – Stari most – from which Mostar gets its name.

The Neretva River on the very scenic drive between Sarajevo and Mostaf.

Dobro došli u Bosnu i Herzegovinu

Posted on April 29, 2014 by johnageddes

I have switched countries. Now on the east side of the Adriatic in Bosnia where I worked for several years between 1998 and 2009. It is nice to be back. My friend Saša picked me up at the airport and we headed along one of my favourite drives from Sarajevo to Mostar. A twisty road lined with mountains and following the Neretva River.

The weather was threatening rain but the sky was dramatic and there were lots of bursts of sunshine to give great light for photography.