2023 Balkans - Day 7 Mostar to Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina

Today we left the Adriatic coast and headed northeast across the mountains to Bosnia and Hercegovina. It’s a heart-shaped country of ancient forests, soaring mountains, waterfalls and clear raging rivers. Long part of the Ottoman Empire, the population is a blend of Muslims, Croate Catholics and Serbian Orthodox Christians. Crescent-shaped Croatia (Catholic) wraps around the south, west and north borders, while Serbia and Montenegro (Orthodox) share the border to the east. Location, location, location drives the history of this little country.

It’s long been a troubled area. Romans divided it in the 4th century when Diocletian established his Rule of Four. Christians split it into Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox 7 centuries later. Sitting between the Holy Roman Empire and the Turks caused further tensions. The Crusaders passed through in 1238, given full rein to plunder and burn. It has suffered many insults over hundreds of years. 

Following WWI, Bosnia and Herzegovina joined the South Slavs Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes, soon renamed Yugoslavia (which means South Slavs). In the early 1990s, the dissolution of Yugoslavia closely followed the breakup of the Soviet Union, splitting into several “new” countries. Slovenia and Croatia declared independence in 1991. The residents of B&H had to decide whether to remain with Yugoslavia (favored by Serbian ethnic group) or seek independence (favored by Croates and Bosniaks). In 1992, a referendum for independence, (boycotted by the great majority of Serbs), overwhelmingly passed by those who did vote. The Republic of B&H was admitted to UN in 1992. It’s not a member of the EU, and has its own currency.

When Bosnian Serb militias mobilized, the government was not prepared. The Balkans dissolved into a 4-year war of ethnic terror. It ended in 1995 with the Dayton Peace Accord, but in some ways it’s an uneasy peace. Our guide believes that the Serb and Croate people would welcome the chance to join their respective motherlands, while the Bosniacs (50% of the population) would not. Today there are three regions plus two small districts. There is a strong Mediterranean influence in the south, a continental/mountain region in the middle, and fertile plains in the north.  

After several hours and a border crossing, we arrived in Mostar, the largest city in Herzegovina. The city of 100,000 is known for a rich mixture of architectural elements, including pre-Ottoman (Turkish), eastern Ottoman, Mediterranean and Western European styles. It’s located on the blue-green Neretva River, which was high today due to recent heavy rains. The city got its name from the “mostari” or bridge keepers, who guarded the Stari Most (“Old Bridge). The bridge, a World Heritage Site, was built by Ottomans in the 16th century. It’s one of the most representative pieces of Islamic architecture in the Balkans. 

We visited a 16th century Ottoman home that’s now maintained as a little museum. 

Room for a new baby and mama

One side of the river is predominantly Muslim, and the other Christian - although we saw minarets and steeples on both sides. People have co-existed here for centuries, even intermarrying between different religions. But everything was negated when the Bosnian War erupted. 

One blameless victim was the Stari Most. After surviving over 400 years, it collapsed under deliberate shelling by Croatian artillery in November 1993. After the war, it was carefully reconstructed using the original building techniques. But it’s not quite the same, knowing this isn’t the original, and why it was deliberately destroyed. 

The bridge is topped by slippery paving stones, but little helper steps 

View from Stari Most

Pockmarks scar many of the building facades, bearing witness to the fighting 30 years ago. Some buildings remain empty shells. But overall, the old town appears to be thriving.

We looked for a little restaurant that was recommended by our Lonely Planet guidebook. And it was little indeed - only 4 tables. 

It was run by an energetic and friendly chef and her daughter. The portions were enormous (we should have split one serving) and the food delicious. 

Everything was cooked on the little grill. 


A thing to behold! Grilled peppers and tomatoes, three kinds of cheese, a roasted pepper spread, pita, two big skewers of spiced minced meat, grilled onions and yogurt. All for $10. (B&H has their own currency, and things here are noticeably cheaper than in Croatia.)

We found another quirky little bridge with a semicircular Roman arch. Known as the Crooked Bridge, it, too, has been rebuilt. Its foundations were weakened from wartime damage, and it washed away in 1999. 

The other side of Stari Most - where Greg looks for a cache.

We continued on for a couple hours to Sarajevo where we will be staying for the next two nights.