0 Bridge in Mostar open again

Mostar Brige

 Mostar opened its rebuilt 16th century bridge over the River Neretva on Friday (23 July) more than ten years after its destruction became a symbol of the brutality and futility of war in Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH).

According to officials the new Old Bridge will symbolize groups of prichastnostta Mostar and its citizens to peace.

"This confirms that the period of hostilities is behind us forever," claims the President of BiH Presidency Sulejman Tihic. "Let us restore the old bridge is a triumph, which shows the way to our building a wonderful future."

Evening ceremony attended by hundreds of officials and journalists (ironically, the residents of Mostar had to watch the event on television at home because of the crowds and tight security measures) marked the completion of the multi-annual project worth 12.3 million euros for reconstruction of bridge using methods similar to those in the 16th century

UNESCO and the World Bank led the project with the assistance of the governments of Croatia, Italy and the Netherlands together with the Council of Europe.

 In celebration of the opening of the bridge that night was attended by dance troupes, large orchestra, choirs in the background of fireworks. The program included a half-dozen jumper in water, as is tradition for centuries opportunity for young males Mostar, which jumped from 28-meter bridge.

Sixty-nine years old Emir Balich, who at a young age has performed hundreds of jumps, said he would leave the new bridge jumping from the younger generation.

"I am both happy and sad," he told BH-TV before the opening, adding that 23 of his fellow jumper were killed during the war.

 The original bridge was completed in 1566 He gave his name and the nearby Turkish Location: Mostar is derived from the word meaning "guardian of the bridge."

The bridge survived for centuries, but could not outlast the Muslim-Croat fighting that erupted in 1993 In November the same year the bridge collapsed after continuous fire from the Croatian side.

Although Croats and Muslims were together in unstable Federation next year, Mostar remains a divided and tense city after the conflict in BiH from the 1992-1995 period
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Bridge will be completed by December 20

 Momentum of the initiative to restore the bridge was given after the groundbreaking 2002 original Divers were pulled from river stones, but the manager, the Turkish construction company performing the reconstruction, told SE Times last year that the stones will be used only to strengthen the left and right side of the bridge.

People are hoping that the new bridge will again attract tourists who flock here and he will not only connect the two banks of the river, but the hearts and minds in the still divided city, where Croats and Muslims have separate bus lines, hospitals and schools.

The EU raised the unification of Mostar as a condition for bringing the country closer to membership. In January the High Representative Paddy Ashdown joined the six municipal council in a district.

"The long, often difficult, often frustrating, often painful, yet sustainable revival of BiH from the ruins of war the benefits of peace shows that countries can recover and actually, they can achieve this relatively fast recovery," said Ashdown at the opening.