***The post that was previously on this page has regretfully been pulled. I received several comments and emails from readers of the article who expressed their anger with what I had written. To that, I would like to state that the information contained in the original post was not my own opinion but came directly from locals (of every ethnicity) who I spoke with during my stay in Mostar.
Also, I am always open to receiving comments of all types, even those that contain the harshest criticism, however, what I do not tolerate on this site is profanity, direct insults and threatening remarks towards either myself or my readers. So in order to put an end to the nasty comments that have been coming in today, I have decided to turn this post off.
If some of the information in the original post was inaccurate, I certainly do apologize, but again, it was not my intention to cause any offense, as the information written was based upon what I learned directly from people who call this city home.
Perhaps once I have some time to sit down and review all of the comment and emails I will be able to recreate the post in a more detailed manner.
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22 Comments
iva
November 28, 2011 at 5:58 am
Hello Earl. I just wanted to comment that the country is called Bosnia and Herzegovina. BiH has three nationalitys: Serbians, Bosnians and Croatians. Mostar is in Bosnia and Herzegovina, but if you want to be specific, it’s in Herzegovina (part of the country where the most residents are Croatians).
So, your sentence “Actually, before I do end, I might as well mention that the current mayor of Mostar (remember, this is Bosnia we’re talking about) is a member of the Croatian Democratic Union party.” is apsurd, especially “remember, this is Bosnia we’re talking about”, because the country is called BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA!
Earl
November 28, 2011 at 6:05 am
Hey Iva – Thank you for the comment. And while the country is of course officially called Bosnia & Herzegovina, it is often referred to simply as Bosnia in most of the world. So I wouldn’t say it’s absurd to label it that way. But I have gone and added “Herzegovina” into the post just to clarify 🙂
iva
November 28, 2011 at 6:19 am
Hey, thank you for your reply, but you still don’t understand… Although you’ve added Herzegovina in this sentense, it still has no sense:
“Actually, before I do end, I might as well mention that the current mayor of Mostar (remember, this is Bosnia & Herzegovina we’re talking about) is a member of the Croatian Democratic Union party.”
Why do you wonder that the mayor is a member of the Croatian Democratic Union party??? Mostar is a city where Muslims and Catholics, Bosnians and Croatians live together… so at this time it’s Croatian mayor, and maybe on next elections it will be Bosnian mayor…
Remember: 3 ethnic grups with equal rights!!
Great post about Mostar, Earl! We’re going to be in Croatia for about a month in February and were considering doing a day-trip over into Bosnia and now I definitely want to go (though maybe for longer than just a day). I had no idea that it is still so divided. How sad.
Earl
November 27, 2011 at 9:12 pm
Hey Akila – That’s excellent that you’ll be in that region and you should definitely spend some time in Bosnia. Mostar itself is close to the border and it’s easily worth a couple of days in order to really get a feel for the place. And then Sarajevo is only a quick 3 hours away 🙂
Hi Everyone! I wanted to check with Earl to make sure I could post this and he said to go ahead…
On our little travel journal we embedded a 2 part video on Mostar. Each segment is about 10 minutes but it will take you through historical photos, the destruction from the war and then the rebuild of the bridge. Many of these photos are quite stunning. If you are interested in Mostar, I think it’s definately worth your time to check them out.
@Our Passport Stamps – Thanks so much for sharing that link. I remember watching the video of when the bridge was destroyed while I was in the museum in Mostar and I have to admit, it was quite impossible not to be affected by what I saw. It’s just such an emotional place to spend some time.
Hi!
My husband and I visited Mostar in 2008. Of all the places we have visited this was one that really troubled me. The amount and complexity of the emotions that surged through my body while there, took days for me to process (actually, I’m still processing them ~ when I take the time to think or speak about Mostar, I can feel the tears beginning to well up in my eyes and I usually warn people before I say anything, that discussing Mostar is very emotional for me). When we were at the photography exhibit at the bottom of the bridge, I stood in silence in front of each photograph with tears pouring down my face. I looked over at my husband and this was the 1st time I had ever seen him cry. A few minutes later a Bosnian man came over and said do not be embarassed for your tears. This is the reaction we want visitors to have, to keep from history repeating itself. We do agree that every new piece of puzzle that we thought would help us understand, confused us further. As Christians..the cross on the hill and now this church that you wrote about just angers me.
Speaking from the Cultural aspect, we loved wandering the Coopersmith Streets (we picked up a beautiful box, that sits on our fireplace mantle), visiting the Museum of Herzegovina and the Biscevic Turkish House to name just a few. Finally, we visited 2 of the mosques in town. This was particularly memorable because back in 2008 this was our 1st time doing this. I was prepared with a scarf for my head and socks on our feet to enter. But we really knew nothing about an actual Mosque and its features. There were about 5 men in their 20’s outside the entrance and I asked if it I might ask them a few questions about the Mosque. They said yes and then one of them added…you ask us anything you want about the Mosque, about Islam, anything…we want you to know, that we are not what you see on TV in the United States. We are peaceful, we accept Jews and Christians, and not all of us are terrorists. We sat and spoke with this group for about 45 minutes. We learned so much that day and we will never forget this great conversation and the kindness of these men to share their time with us. We think everyone should visit Mostar and Bosnia sometime in their life, but just be prepared that it will mess with your mind and heart!
How to understand this world of ours? I don’t think I’ll ever get there.
I was initially drawn to the article because I’m reading Andrew Eames “The 8.55 to Baghdad” and the subject of Yugoslavia’s strife is relevant. I also know people who have visited Mostar and have see many beautiful images from there.
Sorry- no words of wisdom. Just regret.
Earl
November 27, 2011 at 9:10 pm
Hey Johanna – That makes two of us. Such situations are shocking to me and all I can do is throw my hands up in the air and shake my head. At least Mostar is progressing slowly and as I mentioned in a previous comment, the people have recently expressed their interest in living together in peace, which is obviously a good step.
What a crazy situation. It’s amazing the things that go on in the world, even so many years after such a conflict. I certainly had no idea about this and I guess it comes down to the media. People only know about what is happening in the world by what they are told in the news etc. Great topic Earl – I’m still not sure what to make of it all.
On a side note, Mostar looks like it has a beautiful old town to explore. That photo of the bridge is lovely.
Earl
November 27, 2011 at 9:08 pm
Hey Dean – It certainly is a beautiful place and on two different days I just sat on a ledge for a while in the Old Town and enjoyed the view of the bridge for quite a long time. And I also found it incredible that such a situation has gone virtually unknown to the rest of the world. This only further cements my belief that travel is one of the best ways to really uncover what is happening on this planet of ours.
Tyler Fitzpatrick
November 25, 2011 at 1:08 pm
I stayed at a hostel on the christian side of Mostar right next to the church you mentioned. Me and my friend were walking back to our hostel when three students from the nearby highschool confronted us. They were Christian and thought we were Muslims wandering into their “territory”. When they found out we were just tourists their attitudes totally changed. They introduced themselves, shook our hands and wore smiles on their faces while they told how they had originally planned to beat the shit out of us. Just because they thought we were Muslims. It is crazy there! However, I’d highly recommend going 😛
Earl
November 27, 2011 at 9:03 pm
Hey Tyler – That’s the kind of thing that you would never know took place there unless you encountered it first hand. It is completely crazy but on the other hand, I also met people on both sides who told me that they had no problems with each other and just wanted to live together peacefully. So hopefully that attitude continues to spread in the region.
And I do agree that this is one place that any traveler who happens to be in the general area should definitely visit.
Wow, reading this makes me realize how very little I know about the former Yugoslavia.
Earl
November 27, 2011 at 9:00 pm
Hey Roy – That’s exactly how I felt when I arrived as I quickly realized I knew nothing at all about this region. Luckily, I had a chance to learn a little by the end of my stay.
Matthew Cheyne
November 25, 2011 at 10:53 am
Reading all this makes me draw parallels with the Israeli/Palestination situation. In both circumstances you’ve got stronger nations encroaching on the weaker ones to the detriment of the people of the weaker nation. It makes me wonder whether in the future there may be similar unrest in this region as there is in the Palestinian Occupied Territories as a result. The people of Mostar and Bosnia obviously would not be happy with this.
Earl
November 27, 2011 at 8:59 pm
Hey Matthew – I can definitely see the parallels although I’d say the situation among the people is much better in Mostar than is the case with the Israel/Palestinian situation. There is generally no visible issues between the people and everyone is free to go anywhere in the city they wish. And to be honest, if I had not learned all of what I learned from a few locals, I could have spent two weeks in Mostar and never figured out what was going on behind the scenes.
And on a good note, I did just read today that a poll was taken with the people in Mostar and people on both sides overwhelmingly expressed their desire to live together in harmony.
I’m also fascinated by B&H, and by extension the whole Balkan region.
Everytime I talk about with locals I hear different stories. I guess nobody will ever grasp what was and is going out there.
Nevertheless it’s a wonderful region to travel!
Earl
November 27, 2011 at 8:56 pm
Hey D – That seems to be quite normal to hear different tales from locals there. I experienced the same thing and oddly enough, many locals would conclude their stories by telling me not to believe what they said but to talk to other people as well and to then form my own opinion. It was quite unexpected to hear them say this.
Hello Earl. I just wanted to comment that the country is called Bosnia and Herzegovina. BiH has three nationalitys: Serbians, Bosnians and Croatians. Mostar is in Bosnia and Herzegovina, but if you want to be specific, it’s in Herzegovina (part of the country where the most residents are Croatians).
So, your sentence “Actually, before I do end, I might as well mention that the current mayor of Mostar (remember, this is Bosnia we’re talking about) is a member of the Croatian Democratic Union party.” is apsurd, especially “remember, this is Bosnia we’re talking about”, because the country is called BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA!
Hey Iva – Thank you for the comment. And while the country is of course officially called Bosnia & Herzegovina, it is often referred to simply as Bosnia in most of the world. So I wouldn’t say it’s absurd to label it that way. But I have gone and added “Herzegovina” into the post just to clarify 🙂
Hey, thank you for your reply, but you still don’t understand… Although you’ve added Herzegovina in this sentense, it still has no sense:
“Actually, before I do end, I might as well mention that the current mayor of Mostar (remember, this is Bosnia & Herzegovina we’re talking about) is a member of the Croatian Democratic Union party.”
Why do you wonder that the mayor is a member of the Croatian Democratic Union party??? Mostar is a city where Muslims and Catholics, Bosnians and Croatians live together… so at this time it’s Croatian mayor, and maybe on next elections it will be Bosnian mayor…
Remember: 3 ethnic grups with equal rights!!
Great post about Mostar, Earl! We’re going to be in Croatia for about a month in February and were considering doing a day-trip over into Bosnia and now I definitely want to go (though maybe for longer than just a day). I had no idea that it is still so divided. How sad.
Hey Akila – That’s excellent that you’ll be in that region and you should definitely spend some time in Bosnia. Mostar itself is close to the border and it’s easily worth a couple of days in order to really get a feel for the place. And then Sarajevo is only a quick 3 hours away 🙂
Hi Everyone! I wanted to check with Earl to make sure I could post this and he said to go ahead…
On our little travel journal we embedded a 2 part video on Mostar. Each segment is about 10 minutes but it will take you through historical photos, the destruction from the war and then the rebuild of the bridge. Many of these photos are quite stunning. If you are interested in Mostar, I think it’s definately worth your time to check them out.
https://www.ourpassportstamps.com/2008videoscbm.html
@Our Passport Stamps – Thanks so much for sharing that link. I remember watching the video of when the bridge was destroyed while I was in the museum in Mostar and I have to admit, it was quite impossible not to be affected by what I saw. It’s just such an emotional place to spend some time.
Hi!
My husband and I visited Mostar in 2008. Of all the places we have visited this was one that really troubled me. The amount and complexity of the emotions that surged through my body while there, took days for me to process (actually, I’m still processing them ~ when I take the time to think or speak about Mostar, I can feel the tears beginning to well up in my eyes and I usually warn people before I say anything, that discussing Mostar is very emotional for me). When we were at the photography exhibit at the bottom of the bridge, I stood in silence in front of each photograph with tears pouring down my face. I looked over at my husband and this was the 1st time I had ever seen him cry. A few minutes later a Bosnian man came over and said do not be embarassed for your tears. This is the reaction we want visitors to have, to keep from history repeating itself. We do agree that every new piece of puzzle that we thought would help us understand, confused us further. As Christians..the cross on the hill and now this church that you wrote about just angers me.
Speaking from the Cultural aspect, we loved wandering the Coopersmith Streets (we picked up a beautiful box, that sits on our fireplace mantle), visiting the Museum of Herzegovina and the Biscevic Turkish House to name just a few. Finally, we visited 2 of the mosques in town. This was particularly memorable because back in 2008 this was our 1st time doing this. I was prepared with a scarf for my head and socks on our feet to enter. But we really knew nothing about an actual Mosque and its features. There were about 5 men in their 20’s outside the entrance and I asked if it I might ask them a few questions about the Mosque. They said yes and then one of them added…you ask us anything you want about the Mosque, about Islam, anything…we want you to know, that we are not what you see on TV in the United States. We are peaceful, we accept Jews and Christians, and not all of us are terrorists. We sat and spoke with this group for about 45 minutes. We learned so much that day and we will never forget this great conversation and the kindness of these men to share their time with us. We think everyone should visit Mostar and Bosnia sometime in their life, but just be prepared that it will mess with your mind and heart!
How to understand this world of ours? I don’t think I’ll ever get there.
I was initially drawn to the article because I’m reading Andrew Eames “The 8.55 to Baghdad” and the subject of Yugoslavia’s strife is relevant. I also know people who have visited Mostar and have see many beautiful images from there.
Sorry- no words of wisdom. Just regret.
Hey Johanna – That makes two of us. Such situations are shocking to me and all I can do is throw my hands up in the air and shake my head. At least Mostar is progressing slowly and as I mentioned in a previous comment, the people have recently expressed their interest in living together in peace, which is obviously a good step.
What a crazy situation. It’s amazing the things that go on in the world, even so many years after such a conflict. I certainly had no idea about this and I guess it comes down to the media. People only know about what is happening in the world by what they are told in the news etc. Great topic Earl – I’m still not sure what to make of it all.
On a side note, Mostar looks like it has a beautiful old town to explore. That photo of the bridge is lovely.
Hey Dean – It certainly is a beautiful place and on two different days I just sat on a ledge for a while in the Old Town and enjoyed the view of the bridge for quite a long time. And I also found it incredible that such a situation has gone virtually unknown to the rest of the world. This only further cements my belief that travel is one of the best ways to really uncover what is happening on this planet of ours.
I stayed at a hostel on the christian side of Mostar right next to the church you mentioned. Me and my friend were walking back to our hostel when three students from the nearby highschool confronted us. They were Christian and thought we were Muslims wandering into their “territory”. When they found out we were just tourists their attitudes totally changed. They introduced themselves, shook our hands and wore smiles on their faces while they told how they had originally planned to beat the shit out of us. Just because they thought we were Muslims. It is crazy there! However, I’d highly recommend going 😛
Hey Tyler – That’s the kind of thing that you would never know took place there unless you encountered it first hand. It is completely crazy but on the other hand, I also met people on both sides who told me that they had no problems with each other and just wanted to live together peacefully. So hopefully that attitude continues to spread in the region.
And I do agree that this is one place that any traveler who happens to be in the general area should definitely visit.
Wow, reading this makes me realize how very little I know about the former Yugoslavia.
Hey Roy – That’s exactly how I felt when I arrived as I quickly realized I knew nothing at all about this region. Luckily, I had a chance to learn a little by the end of my stay.
Reading all this makes me draw parallels with the Israeli/Palestination situation. In both circumstances you’ve got stronger nations encroaching on the weaker ones to the detriment of the people of the weaker nation. It makes me wonder whether in the future there may be similar unrest in this region as there is in the Palestinian Occupied Territories as a result. The people of Mostar and Bosnia obviously would not be happy with this.
Hey Matthew – I can definitely see the parallels although I’d say the situation among the people is much better in Mostar than is the case with the Israel/Palestinian situation. There is generally no visible issues between the people and everyone is free to go anywhere in the city they wish. And to be honest, if I had not learned all of what I learned from a few locals, I could have spent two weeks in Mostar and never figured out what was going on behind the scenes.
And on a good note, I did just read today that a poll was taken with the people in Mostar and people on both sides overwhelmingly expressed their desire to live together in harmony.
I’m also fascinated by B&H, and by extension the whole Balkan region.
Everytime I talk about with locals I hear different stories. I guess nobody will ever grasp what was and is going out there.
Nevertheless it’s a wonderful region to travel!
Hey D – That seems to be quite normal to hear different tales from locals there. I experienced the same thing and oddly enough, many locals would conclude their stories by telling me not to believe what they said but to talk to other people as well and to then form my own opinion. It was quite unexpected to hear them say this.
Heading to Mostar next month as part of a Balkans inspired get a way. Curious to see what its like during the dead of winter
@Live Fast Die Fun – It will certainly be cold but quite atmospheric during the winter, and of course, without many other tourists around 🙂