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Early history
Founded in the late 15th century, Mostar was the chief administrative city for the Ottoman Empire in the Herzegovina region. The Austro-Hungarian Empire absorbed Mostar in 1878 and then it became part of Yugoslavia in the aftermath of World War I. Since 1881 Mostar has been the seat of the Bishopric of Mostar-Duvno. The city's symbol, The Old Bridge (Stari Most) is one of the most important constructions of Ottoman Era and built by the student of the famous Ottoman Architect Mimar Sinan ( Architect Sinan), Mimar Hayrettin. In 1939, Mostar became a part of the Banovina of Croatia, and during the Second World War was an important city in the Independent State of Croatia.
After World War II, Mostar developed a production of tobacco, bauxite, wine and aluminium products. Several dams ("Grabovica", "Salakovac", "Mostar") were built in the region to harness the hydroelectric power of the Neretva. The city was a major industrial and tourist center and prospered during the time of SFRY.
Bosnian war
Between 1992 and 1993, after Bosnia and Herzegovina declared independence from Yugoslavia, the town was subject to an 18 month siege. The army of Bosnia and Herzegovina, consisting of Croat and Muslim soldiers, first bombed Mostar on April 3rd, 1992 and over the following week gradually established control over a large part of the town. The army of Bosnia and Herzegovina's shelling damaged or destroyed a number of civilian objects and resulted in a mass killing of thousands of innocent civilians. Amongst destroyed monuments were a Franciscan monastery, the Catholic cathedral and the bishop's palace, with a library of 50,000 books, as well as the Karadžoz-bey mosque, Roznamed-ij-Ibrahim-efendija mosque and twelve other mosques, as well as secular institutions. Also, Saborna Crkva (Orthodox Cathedral Church) that was built in 1863-1873, was destroyed by extremists among Croat-Muslim forces during the night of June, 15, 1992. On June 12th 1992, the ABIH (4th Corps) and HVO military forces amassed enough weaponry and manpower to force the JNA troops out of Mostar. During the siege that ensued, the city was bombarded by the Bosnian Croats from the mountains to the east.
Post Yugoslavia war in Bosnia-Herzegovina After the Serbs were driven out, the heavily armed, Croatia funded Bosnian-Croat forces (HVO) turned their guns at their once allies, the Army of Bosnia and Herzegovina, in hope of capturing the whole city for themselves in the light of Bosnian Croat Secessionist campaign. The campaign resulted in the deeply rooted division of the city of Mostar into West Mostar (run by HVO and Army of Republic of Croatia) and the East Mostar (run by the Muslim Bosnian Government). HVO forces and forces of Republic of Croatia (especially Splits 114 brigade) engaged in a mass execution, ethnic cleansing and rape on the Bosniak people of the West Mostar and its surrounds and a fierce siege and shelling campaign on the Bosnian Government run East Mostar. HVO campaign resulted in thousands of injured and killed and this city's Old Town reduction to Rubble. On November 9, 1993 HVO troops destroyed the city's most recognizable landmark an Ottoman era bridge built in 1566, which is the city's namesake. Today, the city is slowly recovering from divisions created by the conflict. Some of the scars of that division still remain today. |
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