National Geographic Traveler - USA (2019-12 & 2020-01)

DECEMBER 2019/JANUARY 2020 99

IF YOU LIKE

WHY GO NOW

Mark 25 years

of peaceful

coexistence

HOW TO GO

Visit Mostar as part of a 12-day

Nat Geo Expeditions “Discover

the Balkans” trip, offered in

partnership with G Adventures.

natgeoexpeditions.com/explore

Partially destroyed during the Bosnian War (1992-

1995), history-rich Mostar still bears scars of the

past. Numerous buildings in the Old City, devel-

oped as a 15th-century Ottoman frontier town,

have been rebuilt or restored in the 25 years since

the Dayton Peace Accords established relative

calm in the western Balkans.

Wander around Mostar, which is located on

the Neretva River, and you’ll pass newly reno-

vated apartments next to buildings riddled with

bullet holes. Local and international artists reg-

ularly decorate the abandoned structures with

colorful murals, creating a street art collection

that has helped boost the appeal of this largely

undiscovered Balkan gem.

Mostar’s most tangible image of peace is the

16th-century Stari Most (Old Bridge), rebuilt

in 2004. It connects the city’s predominantly

Christian Croat west side with the mainly Muslim

Bosniak east. Cross the bridge and you may

witness a tradition dating back more than 400

years: young men diving into the water from the

79-foot-high span to prove their fearlessness.

WHEN TO GO

MAY

VISIT

BOSNIA AND

HERZEGOVINA

HISTORIC BRIDGES

MOSTAR

CITIES

43

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37

1 °

N

,^1

7.^8

14

9 °

E

A EUROPE

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