Bosnia and Herzegovina is home to three UNESCO World Heritage Sites: the Mehmed Paša Sokolović Bridge in Višegrad, the Old Bridge Area of the Old City of Mostar and the Stećci Medieval Tombstones Graveyards. We visited all three UNESCO sites on a 2017 trip to Bosnia and Herzegovina.
The 3 UNESCO World Heritage sites in Bosnia and Herzegovina
The UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Bosnia and Herzegovina and the year they were inscribed are:
- Mehmed Paša Sokolović Bridge in Višegrad (2007)
- Old Bridge Area of the Old City of Mostar (2005)
- Stećci Medieval Tombstones Graveyards (2016)
Hover over the map for the names of the sites:
UNESCO Bosnia
1 | Mehmed Paša Sokolović Bridge in Višegrad (2007)
The Mehmed Pasa Sokolovic Bridge, built in 1577, is a historic bridge in Višegrad which spans over the Drina River in the east of the country. The bridge was built by the court architect Mimar Koca Sinan on the orders of Grand Vizier Mehmed Paša Sokolović.The 11 arches of the bridge are described as a unique elegance of proportion and it is one of the best remaining examples of Ottoman architecture in the country.
The bridge has a dark history: it was the scene of many killings during the Visegrad Genocide at the beginning of the Bosnian War. The bridge has a starring role in Bridge on the Drina, a book by Nobel Prize winning Ivo Andric.
2 | Old Bridge Area of the Old City of Mostar (2005)
Stari Most (The Old Bridge), together with the Old City make up one of Bosnia’s most famous landmarks. The bridge swoops over the Neretva River and was rebuilt in 2004 after the original Old Bridge, which stood for over 400 years, was destroyed in the Bosnian War. The bridge is a symbol of the rebirth of Mostar from its devastating past and features pre-Ottoman, Eastern Ottoman, Mediterranean and Western European architectural features.
The bridge is famous for the diving antics of locals and visitors who have been jumping from the bridge for over 450 years. We watched in awe at the 3 second freefall before the divers reached the cool waters of the Neretva River below!
3 | Stećci Medieval Tombstones Graveyards (2016)
The Stećci Medieval Tombstones Graveyards are comprised of 28 sites across Bosnia and Herzegovina, western Serbia, western Montenegro and central and southern Croatia. The cemeteries containing limestone stećci, monumental medieval tomb stones, which date from the 12th to the 16th Centuries and are laid out in rows.
22 of the sites are located in Bosnia and Herzegovina and we visited the Radimlja Necropils located about 30 drive minutes from Mostar. The Radimlja Necropils contains many well preserved and decorated stećci which date back to the 1480s and 16th centuries.
