Mostar is a small city of about 100,000. The current ethnic make up is roughly Croats (48.4%); Bosniaks (44.1%) and Serbs (4.1%). Mostar is situated on the mighty and historically significant Neretva River and was named after the bridge keepers (mostari) who in medieval times guarded the Stari Most (Old Bridge). This bridge, built by the Ottomans in the 16th century, is one of Bosnia and Herzegovina's most recognizable landmarks, and is considered one of the most exemplary pieces of Islamic architecture in the Balkans. The Ottoman explorer Evliya Çelebi recorded Stari Most in his travel chronicles (called Seyahatname) in the mid 1600’s. He described the bridge "is like a rainbow arch soaring up to the skies, extending from one cliff to the other. ...I, a poor and miserable slave of God, have passed through 16 countries, but I have never seen such a high bridge. It is thrown from rock to rock as high as the sky.”

History

Mostar is in Bosnia, the heart of the Balkans. Some say the word Balkan means the land of blood and honey (honey is "bal" and blood is "kan" in Turkish). Other sources claim alternate etymological descriptions of "Balkan" to mean mountain range or wooded mountains. Regardless of the true origins, this region endured conflict in ancient and modern times. In 1914, 80 miles away in Sarajevo, the assassination of Arch Duke Franz Ferdinand (next in line to rule the Austro-Hungarian empire) by 19-year-old Gavrilo Princip was the catalyst for World War One. Empires since antiquity have collided in the Balkans. The Romans, followed by the Byzantines, the Ottomans, the Austro-Hungarians and the Communists all claimed these lands. Ethnicity and religion are intertwined here. The Serbs practice Orthodox Christianity of the Byzantine Empire. The Croats practice Roman Catholicism. The Bosnians practice Islam of the Ottomans. These three ethnic groups and religions make Bosnia unique and turbulent.

Recent History - Tito and Yugoslavia

We knew little about Yugoslavia and Tito, other than the country was communist, ruled by a dictator and that Communism and dictators were awful. (Traveling to this part of the world shattered our preconceptions of Tito and Yugoslavia, especially after conversations with a few locals.) Along with Tito's mesmerizing personality and sharp intellect, his unique background qualified him to rule an area with ethnic diversity and strong nationalism. Tito's mother was a Slovene, his father was a Croat and his wife a Serb. In WW2, Tito was recognized as a strong leader fighting against the Nazi occupation. In 1944, he became president of the Communist party and ruled until his death in 1980. Perhaps our Mostar tour guide described it best. "If you talk with 7 people here about our history you will get 7 answers. I wish for you to take my version, because it is correct.”

He went on to say that communist Yugoslavia was wonderful and described Tito as a wise father who brought prosperity to the people of Yugoslavia. When Mostar was a Yugoslavian city, there was 3% unemployment. The city was inhabited by 130,000 people. Marriage between the different ethnic and religious groups was common. Tito knew that religion could be divisive so people were not allowed to openly discuss their religion. They could be religious, but not talk about it. A don’t ask don’t tell policy. Our guide explained this policy worked well in Mostar and there was peace and prosperity. In wartime, the population dropped to 30,000.