Things to do in Southern Bosnia & Hercegovina
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Gymnasium
A once-stately building is the now damaged 1896 Gymnasium, a solid piece of Austro-Hungarian architecture softened up by Moorish flourishes.
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Stari Most (Old Bridge)
Originally built in 1556, Stari Most was named 'petrified moon' on account of its elegant beauty. It took nine years to build with local Tenelija stone, which is very pale and appears to change colour depending on the position and strength of the sun. Recently rebuilt using the original 16th century methods, the new bridge resembles the old in minute detail.
The Old Bridge stood for 427 years before it was destroyed by bombing in November 1993. Quite apart from the expectations of Mostar's citizens, the reconstruction challenge was overwhelming. As it was such an important symbol, the new bridge had to be identical to the Old Bridge. It was decided to rebuild it without t…
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Turkish House
Between Stari Most's two mosques is the 350-year-old Turkish House furnished for a Bosnian family of some stature. The symbolism of the courtyard is intriguing: the ground is decorated with circles of pebbles divided into five sectors denoting the number of times a good Muslim must pray each day. The fountain has 12 spouts for the months, filling four watering pots for the seasons.
Surrounding the fountain are three stone globes, one for the day we were born, the second facing Mecca for the life we lead, and the third for inevitable death that will greet us.
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Museum of Hercegovina
The Museum of Hercegovina is the former house of Džemal Bijedić, who was the ex-head of the Yugoslav government and died in mysterious circumstances in 1978. Now a small museum, that's dedicated more to Mostar than him, it has as its prize exhibit a 10-minute film on how Mostar used, before 1990, the bridge-jumping competition and the actual destruction of the bridge.
At the bottom of the hill below the museum is a telling graveyard where all the headstones share the same date of death.
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Liquid Lounge
Ultracool hang-out bar decorated in mauves, blues and greens to sink you into an ocean of languor. When you can't focus on the fish swimming along the front of the bar (it's an aquarium), you've had too many of the 150 cocktails on offer. Appropriately they play lounge music during the day but swing into house and R'n'B when guest DJs spin the discs at the weekends.
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Restaurant Taurus
In an old mill down below Oneščukova, the Taurus comes with ancient smoke-stained beams and a large log fire for winter; a roofed terrace looks out onto the river. Risotto is a good test of a restaurant's capabilities; too often it comes as a tasteless sludge but not here, where our tasty seafood dinner came in a 'shouldn't have had lunch' portion.
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Karadjozbeg Mosque
Mostar's most important mosque was built in 1557 but its minaret and other parts were heavily damaged during the war. Now completely renovated, the mosque is open to visitors. A man will let you climb the minaret too. Behind the mosque is the old Muslim graveyard, the oldest in town, with beautiful grey turbe (tombstones) standing in the grass.
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Koski Mehmed Paša Mosque
Along the eastern side of Kujundžiluk is the 1618 Koski Mehmed Paša Mosque with a commanding view of Stari Most from its minaret. Within the mosque, lit by an immense chandelier plus natural light filtered through coloured glass, is some beautiful linear design work outlining the interior architectural shapes and mihrab.
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Grill Centar
Cooking aromas lead you by the nose to this little noshing place full of happy customers. The local recommendation is ćevapčići with kajmak (salted cream turned to cheese) accompanied by a round lump of lepinon (bread).
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Šadran
Just before the western entrance to Stari Most this courtyard restaurant has trestle tables set under the spreading tentacles of a kiwi-fruit vine. Service is prompt and there's a good variety of meals to appease a meat, vegetarian or fish appetite.
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Catholic Church
Behind the 1896 Gymnasium stands the Catholic Church, with its out-of-proportion campanile. The original was extended after the war and smacks of a campanile-versus-minaret one-upmanship, but poor workmanship has meant that it's acquired a lean.
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Restaurant Rondo
This place is right by the roundabout, hence its name. Snack on the zelzanica stagana (spinach pie), or revel in a San Pietro all Cartoccio (a fish fillet baked in foil with a wine sauce, mushrooms, shrimps and mussels).
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Irish Pub
A try-hard Irish pub, decorated with a few reproduction Irish knick-knacks, serving Guinness and Kilkenny Bitter. A large outdoor video screen shows sports etc, in silence, so it doesn't compete with the music in the pub.
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MM Restaurant
Buffet presentation makes this a visitor-friendly feeding station. The food's lip-smackingly good with some veg options, and there's a ham and eggs breakfast for around KM3.
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Vranac Riding Club
Vranac Riding Club is a horse-riding school, which can accommodate people with disabilities.
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City Baths
Enjoy a swim at the beautiful City Baths, an Austro-Hungarian place dating from 1912.
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Supermarket
This supermarket has plenty of different food goodies for the self-caterers.
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Raft
Badžo-Raft is a rafting company based at Konjic, 83km north of Mostar.
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