Bosnian City Unveils Rebuilt Famed Bridge

Mostar joyfully unveiled its rebuilt 16th century bridge Friday, nearly 11 years after its destruction in war became a symbol of the conflicts that tore Yugoslavia apart.

The new Stari Most, or Old Bridge, over the Neretva River, which separates the mainly Muslim side of Mostar from the mainly Croatian side and was a front line during the 1992-95 Bosnian war, was inaugurated during a spectacular ceremony with a guest list of international dignitaries.

Fireworks exploded in the sky above the elegant single-span arch, and nine divers, brandishing torches, leaped into the green rushing waters of the Neretva from the bridge, which was packed with children singing an antiwar song.

“I think this is a new beginning. That’s what citizens have been telling me too. You can feel a special atmosphere all over,” said Mostar’s Muslim mayor, Hamdija Jahic.

More than 2,000 performers took part in the evening ceremony, including Bosnian folk dancers, children’s choirs and brass bands from both sides of the divided city, as well as top Bosnian musicians and singers.

Hundreds of Mostar citizens and tourists watched the celebrations, perched in houses and cafes around the bridge. Thousands then flooded the Old Town, eager to take a walk across the bridge.

“This feeling is hard to describe. I spent my childhood, my youth, my whole life here. I just hope other things in Mostar will soon look more like they were before,” Amela Hadrovic, a 38-year-old Muslim office worker, said after crossing over.

Leaders from Balkan nations; Prince Charles of Britain; Italian Foreign Minister Franco Frattini and his French counterpart, Michel Barnier; and the European Union’s external affairs commissioner, Chris Patten, were present. A choir sang Beethoven’s “Ode to Joy.”

Throughout the day, the 95-foot bridge was the focus of attention in the eastern, Muslim quarter. The narrow streets in the Old Town were packed despite scorching heat and heavy security.

The end of the reconstruction came a few months after Bosnia’s peace overseers imposed a new statute intended to unify the town. Roman Catholic Croats and Muslim Bosnians still lead separate lives, but tensions have eased in recent years.

UNESCO and the World Bank led the $15-million reconstruction project.

The original bridge was commissioned by Suleiman the Magnificent and was completed in 1566. It stood the tests of time and war until November 1993, when it succumbed to the Bosnian Croat forces’ tank shelling, in an attack condemned globally as an act of vandalism.