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Youth Correspondent from Subotica on Intercultural Exchange in Mostar

Dusica Vojnic Kortmis from Subotica participated in the youth exchange programme in Mostar, from 4th – 7th July, within Balkan regional platform for youth participation and dialogue. You can learn about her impressions and experiences form the travelogue and accompanying video:


“Mostar is one of the most iconic cities in Balkans, it is located at the heart of beautiful Herzegovina, in floral valley of Neretva, one of the coldest rivers on the planet, extraordinary because of its turquoise color. Mostar is a beautiful mosaic of all governance that ruled this region through history, a great example of a mixture of different cultures. It is an area rich in natural and historical treasure. Mostar was mostly built in 15th and 16th century during the Ottoman Empire and in 19th and 20th century during the Austro-Hungarian empire. The Old Bridge is the most magnificent monument and world famous symbol of this city. Its breathtaking beauty attracts many tourists and it is often crowded with people from all over the world. The old bridge was built during the Ottoman governance on Balkans in 1566. During the war between 1992 and 1993 majority of the city was destroyed, unfortunately the old bridge was the target and it was bombed in 1993. Donations from various countries helped the reconstruction of old bridge and restoration of historical part of the city. The Old bridge was officially inaugurated in July 2004, it was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 2005 and it is under its protection. The old bridge symbolizes unity of two sides, east and west. The city is named after the bridge keeper, natively "mostari". The two towers, Tara on the east and Halebija on the west, were used for guarding both sides of the bridge. Currently Tara is a seat of Museum of the Old Bridge and nearby Helebija tower is Mostar Diving Club. Trained jumpers keep the tradition of diving from the bridge into cold Neretva river, frightening 24 metres drop into only 5 metres deep water. Jumpers collect donations from tourists and once they reach a worthy amount they'll jump off the bridge. Since 1968 each year an annual diving competition is held on the last Sunday of July. Mostar also hosts Red Bull Cliff diving competition.

In the centre of the city, one of the oldest parts of Mostar is Kujundžiluk. The pathways in Old town are cobbled, natively called Kaldrma. Walking through this part of the city where oriental spirit is alive, you have a feeling that you've travelled through time. The traditional old craftworks that have been passed on from generation to generation, haven't been forgotten, the streets in Old Baazar and Kujundziluk are crowded with inns and crafts shops where you can buy traditional souvenirs made of copper, like džezva for cooking coffee, pepper grinders, coffee grinders, also souvenirs like beautiful handbags, carpets and lampions.

Mosques can be found in every district in Mostar, I visited the Hadzi-Kurt mosque, or Tabačica, built between the 16th and 17th centuries. It's no longer active but because of its proximity to the Old bridge it has become one of the most visited mosques in Mostar. Streamlet of river Radobolja runs beneath this mosque.

There are numerous buildings from Austro-Hungarian period, among most well known is Secondary School Mostar Gymnasium, built in Moorish Revival architectural style between 1898 and 1902. The gymnasium is of historic value and is considered a national monument. Presently the school operates under two separate curricula in two languages, Bosnian and Croatian. Located in the centre of the city at the Spanish square, next to the former front line which has divided the town into two spheres since the war, it is one of the first schools in post-war Bosnia and Herzegovina in which the integration of students from different ethnic groups was implemented, and the only such school in Mostar.

In the western part of the city is the Monumental Partisan Cemetery, project of the architect Bogdan Bogdanović. It was built in 1965 in the memory of partisans of Mostar who lost their lives during the II World War. Monument has a beautiful view of the city, and although it is abandoned and damaged by vandals, it is a magnificent place to visit.

Mostar was the first city in the world that unveiled a monument to the former globally known marial arts star Bruce Lee. It is exhibited in park Zrinjevac since 2005. This is a monument to universal justice and victory of good over evil, a symbol of peace and overcoming ethnic differences.

During my stay in Mostar I had a great luck of meeting Emir, tour guide who enriched my visit with stories about Mostar and Balkans from the Ottoman Empire period until now. I had an opportunity to visit natural beauty and cultural heritage sites that Herzegovina has to offer in just one day. Emir is knowledgeable and very passionate about history, he has traveled across former Yugoslavian countries to gain a well-rounded perspective on the history of our region.

“Walking around streets of Mostar you can see a lot of reconstructing, but also still a lot of devastated buildings with bullet holes in the walls. That made a shocking impression on me, thinking about what kind of a psychological effect has on people whether those who survived the war or young people growing up and living in such surroundings. One thing that I've found most impressive is the street art, of which the city is known for, among other things. Young people are destined to live among ruins, but they've found a way to leave their marks, with murals and graffiti they make their city more beautiful. Mostar has a lot of cultural programs to offer, one of those is Street arts festival. I talked to the organizer of the festival Marina Đapić. 6 years ago she became a part of Mostar's Youth council, as a representative for OKC Abrasevic. Through those activities she learned about being an active citizen and realising projects and ideas. Her idea was to make public spaces more beautiful, since there are a lot of young artists in Mostar, Marina wanted their work to be visible outside their art studios and living rooms. First festival was organized in 2012, during these six years the festival grew, it all started with local artists and it helped affirm couple of them in artistic world. There are still a lot of local artists participating each year, but also artists from all over the world contact the organizers, wanting to be part of it. This year there were people from other cities from Bosnia, also from the regional countries Croatia, Serbia and Montenegro and different parts of the world, from Uruguay , Argentina, Italy, France, Sweden, Brazil.


Mostar suffered huge destruction and two decades after the war ended the city is still divided, that may not be visible physically but it is deeply rooted in the minds of young people, especially through educational system, says Husein Oručević, a member of Youth cultural centre Abrašević - an open network of non-governmental organizations, informal groups and individuals. In conversation with Husein I learned a lot about history and the current situation. What I found really disturbing is that a large percentage of young people from west side haven't seen the old bridge. Another alarming fact is that the local elections haven't been held in Mostar for 8 years. The change seems to be nowhere in sight.

Youth Cultural Centar Abrasevic exists in Mostar since 1926. Between two wars it was functioning as a Cultural and artistic Association, it was a place where workers could spend their free time through a cultural and social activities. It is important to say that it has been shut down several times during 6 January Dictatorship, later during World War II and also during wars in Bosnia and Herzegovina for more then 10 years, Abrasevic was closed from 1992 until 2003. Building of OKC Abrasevic is located at the former war front line and it was completely destroyed during war. Some parts are still in ruins and the current building - the cafe shop and the main hall, have been reconstructed. The main hall was renovated because of its importance, it is a multifunctional hall for concerts, theatre plays, art exhibitions, workshops, performances, movie screenings, poetry readings, lectures. Containers that are being used as office space were a donation for a project "Mobile culture container" that inspired different divided cities in former Yugoslavia for realising and maintaining public spaces for discussions but also creating certain policies that can help young people keep those places, and also create them themselves. There were 13 cultural and artistic centers in former Yugoslavia by the name Abrašević, and today there are only two: in Mostar and Kragujevac (Serbia). It is interesting that "Abrasevic" in Mostar is independent from any kind of political pressures, it is one of the rare places that is in possession of the organisation itself, almost 3000m2, which is a great advantage. Abrašević is a place for those who are opened to themselves and to others. I loved everything about it, but I was especially charmed by its improvised skate park located behind the building and a corner for repairing bicycles in the concert hall. Abrašević also houses AbrašMEDIA, ABArt and AbrašMEDIA Radio. AbrašMEDIA covers news stories and articles, ABArt encourages social transformation through arts and AbrašMEDIA Radio produces radio program.

Where to stay?

I stayed at the Student hotel Mostar, place where not only students can live, but where anyone can rent a room for a really convenient price. Another great thing about this hotel is that it's right next to Train and East Bus station. Hotel restaurant is designed as a student canteen and the food is really good. For a cheap price you can get whole meals with soup, cooked or grilled vegetables, rice, pasta and a tasty desert, and of course all kinds of meals with meat, which I didn't eat, since I'm a vegetarian, but I suppose those are delicious as well. Hotel view is amazing and it is really peaceful, so you can have a good night sleep in an air conditioned room, or you can take a break in a hotel lobby that is customized for students to have a place to study in a group or individually.

In the end I just want to thank everyone from Mostar for a warm welcome and for being there for me. I can't wait to go to there again, I feel that there are still a lot of places left to visit and to learn about.”

Dusica Vojnic Kortmis


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Posted: Nov 29, 2017,
Categories: Youth,
Comments: 0,
Author: Svetlana
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