In the early 1990s, Croat and Bosniak forces bombarded each other into the rubble across a front line that ran along the Bulevar. Even now, several shell-pocked buildings remain in ruins around 'Spanish Square', notably the triangular tower that was once Ljubljanska Banka but is now a concrete skeleton plastered with graffiti. In contrast, the neo-Moorish 1902 Stara Gimnazija (Old High School) has been beautifully restored and painted in a vivid apricot hue.
Lonely Planet's must-see attractions
0.59 MILES
The world-famous Stari Most (meaning simply 'Old Bridge') is Mostar's indisputable visual focus. Its pale stone magnificently reflects the golden glow of…
16.38 MILES
There's a slightly unreal Disney-esque quality to this outstanding natural attraction, where the Trebižat River plummets in a broad 25m-high arc into an…
20.29 MILES
In 1995 archaeologists in Vid made the extraordinary discovery of an Augusteum, a temple dedicated to the cult of the Roman Emperors, built around 10 BC…
7.68 MILES
Forming Blagaj's signature attraction, the centrepiece of this complex of traditional stone-roofed buildings is a very pretty half-timbered dervish house…
0.78 MILES
Hidden behind tall walls, Mostar's most interesting old house was once the harem (women's) section of a larger homestead built for a 16th-century Turkish…
12.42 MILES
Međugorje's central focus is this rather functional double-towered 1969 church and the parklike grounds behind it. The main daily service is a 6pm rosary…
0.52 MILES
Although this cemetery is sadly neglected and badly vandalised, fans of 20th-century socialist architecture should seek out this magnificent memorial…
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22.1 MILES
This collection of more than 270 stećci (ancient grave-carvings) forms two nearby groups under venerable oak trees at Boljuni, 12km from Stolac. While…
Nearby Mostar attractions
0.06 MILES
Of several ruined structures remaining around Španski trg, perhaps the most disturbing is the triangular multistorey skeleton of what was once a bank…
0.23 MILES
Trg Musala was once the heart of Austro-Hungarian Mostar. Today the square is a messy mishmash of architectural styles around a fountain garden. While the…
0.36 MILES
Built in 1635, this is one of Mostar's very few traditional Ottoman houses to retain its original appearance, albeit now with trinkets for sale and a…
0.38 MILES
Mostar's biggest and, some might say, most beautiful mosque was built in 1557. Heavily damaged during the war, it has since been completely renovated with…
0.4 MILES
While some might ponder whether this disproportionately large church bell tower (along with the whopping great cross on the hill above) speaks more of…
0.47 MILES
Ring the bell to be ushered into this walled Ottoman courtyard house, built in the late 17th century and extended in 1871. Its main function today is as…
0.51 MILES
Entered from a gated courtyard, this 1618 mosque (substantially rebuilt after the war) has a dome painted with botanical motifs and punctuated by coloured…
0.52 MILES
Although this cemetery is sadly neglected and badly vandalised, fans of 20th-century socialist architecture should seek out this magnificent memorial…