Time Out magazine has named Stari Most, the Old Bridge in Mostar, Bosnia and Herzegovina, as the world's most beautiful bridge. The stone arch bridge, commissioned by Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent in 1557 and completed in 1566, spans the Neretva River without central supports.
History and Restoration
The original bridge was destroyed by bombing in 1993 during the Bosnian War. UNESCO supported its restoration, with divers retrieving original stones from the river and stonemasons using 16th-century tools to rebuild it. It was reopened in 2004 and is now a UNESCO World Heritage site.
UNESCO describes Stari Most as "a symbol of reconciliation, international co-operation and of the coexistence of diverse cultural, ethnic and religious communities."
Diving Tradition
The bridge rises 27 metres above the emerald green river. The earliest recorded jump dates back to 1664, according to Bosnian Voyager. By the 19th century, it was a tourist attraction. Since 2016, the Red Bull Cliff Diving World Series has used the bridge as a venue, with elite divers leaping from it in late July.
