Old Bridge commemoration takes place on 9 November

A commemoration of the Old Bridge (Stari most) in Mostar will take place on 9 November 2026, when the city’s Culture Centre hosts a discussion called Literature and War. The programme links the landmark’s wartime destruction with a literary and cultural meeting in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Mostar discussion recalls the bridge’s destruction

The Bosniak Intellectuals Congress Council of Mostar, known as VKBI, and the Mostar Culture Centre are organising the event. Mostarski.ba lists the discussion for 7pm on Monday, 9 November 2026, at the Culture Centre in Mostar.

The programme includes Elbisa Ustamujic, Lejla Zujo Maric, Dijana Hadzizukic and Edim Sator. The organisers connect the discussion with the anniversary of the bridge’s destruction on 9 November 1993, when shelling brought the structure down into the Neretva River.

The date gives visitors a specific cultural programme connected to the landmark during November. The event is at the Culture Centre rather than on the bridge itself, so the commemoration adds a city venue for understanding the site’s recent history. Details of the 9 November discussion programme were published by the local news site.

From a 1566 arch to World Heritage status

The stone bridge was constructed in 1566 by Mimar Hajruddin, a pupil of the Ottoman architect Sinan. UNESCO records an arch opening of 27 metres, a width of 4 metres and a length of 30 metres, with the structure standing 20 metres above the maximum summer water level.

The bridge was flanked by the Halebija and Tara towers, both dating from the seventeenth century. Reconstruction followed the destruction, with work on the foundations beginning in June 2001 and reconstruction methods based on sixteenth-century techniques. UNESCO’s account of the bridge’s construction and restoration places the landmark within the Old Bridge Area of the Old City of Mostar World Heritage property.

The relationship between the November programme and the bridge is therefore specific: Literature and War is scheduled around the anniversary of the 1993 loss, while the structure visitors see today belongs to a reconstruction effort recorded by UNESCO. The Old Bridge Area of the Old City of Mostar was inscribed on the World Heritage List in 2005.

Visiting Old Bridge: what travellers from Western Europe should know

• The Literature and War discussion is scheduled for 9 November 2026 at the Mostar Culture Centre, with the programme listing 7pm as the start time.
• The dated cultural event takes place at the Culture Centre, not on the bridge, and the listing names four speakers: Elbisa Ustamujic, Lejla Zujo Maric, Dijana Hadzizukic and Edim Sator.
• The landmark crosses the Neretva River in Mostar and forms the centre of the Old Bridge Area of the Old City of Mostar World Heritage property.
• The stone crossing has a 27-metre arch opening, is 4 metres wide and stands 20 metres above the maximum summer water level.

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Frequently asked questions about Old Bridge

When does Literature and War take place at Old Bridge?

The discussion is scheduled for 9 November 2026 at the Mostar Culture Centre, with the programme listing 7pm as the start time.

What is Old Bridge?

It is a 1566 stone crossing over the Neretva River in Mostar, reconstructed after its destruction in 1993.

Where is Old Bridge and how do you get there?

The bridge is in Mostar, Bosnia and Herzegovina, within the Old Bridge Area of the Old City of Mostar World Heritage property.