Thirty-three years since the destruction of Mostar's Old Bridge marked Monday

The moment of the bridge's destruction was captured on camera, and the footage of its collapse subsequently circulated worldwide.

Following seven years of reconstruction work, the Old Bridge emerged above the Neretva once again in 2004. The following year, in July 2005, it was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage list.

Slobodan Praljak, a former HVO general who ingested poison in the courtroom of the Hague Tribunal in 2017 and subsequently died, is held responsible for the destruction of the Old Bridge.

New footage of the destruction discovered in 2023

In May 2023, new video footage was presented to the public showing moments in which Croatian Army (HV) crew members directed a tank crew via radio communication to target the arch and foundations of the Old Bridge with greater precision.

The footage also captures personnel notifying their command by telephone about the progress of the destruction, detailing how the demolition of the Old Bridge was unfolding and what stage it had reached.

The Center for Peace, in cooperation with Mostar veterans, stated at the time that the content of the recording bears witness to the motives behind the shelling and destruction of this historical monument.

"The content of the recorded material, featuring brutal swearing, crude commentary, and bursts of approval and celebration over every direct shell hit into the body of the Bridge, also undeniably testifies that the Old Bridge along with its complete historical core was shelled and destroyed out of pathological hatred toward Islamic historical heritage, and by no means as a 'logical military target that needed to be destroyed,'" the Center for Peace and Mostar veterans stated at the time.

History of the Old Bridge

The Old Bridge is the work of the Ottoman architect Mimar Hayrudin and was constructed between 1557 and 1566. Its construction was ordered by Ottoman Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent in 1557 to replace a previous wooden suspension bridge that had proven unstable.

The anniversary of the destruction of the Old Bridge is marked every year on 9 November. In remembrance of its collapse, Mostar divers execute a traditional silent dive without applause at precisely 10:16 am, while flowers are cast into the Neretva River.