Sniper Tower, Mostar

Sniper Tower, Mostar

The upper floors of the Brutalist layered Ljubijanska Bank provide an excellent view of the surrounding cityscape of Mostar. The building performed well enough as a bank in the days of Yugoslavia. But in the days of the two sieges of Mostar, it gave outstanding performances as a sniper nest. Shooters could cover every niche and corner below.

The second and more deadly siege of Mostar occurred in the struggle between the Croats and Bosniaks, former allies against the Serbs. The ruined bank building was the tallest structure and was held in Croatian territory, near the Neretva River. Residents of the Bosnian section were completely cut off, without food and the necessities.

Anyone who ventured out to search for anything became an easy target for shooters in the bank tower. The bank building was gutted and riddled with the marks of shells and bullets. In 1995 the war ended, and the work of restoration began. Sniper Tower was cleaned of debris, rubbish, and foliage.

Street art adorns the exterior and interior walls. There seem to be no plans for the remains of the building. After the cleanup, it was left as it was, a ragged monument to grief and despair. As the stones say, "Don't Forget."

Want to visit this sight? Check out these Self-Guided Walking Tours in Mostar. Alternatively, you can download the mobile app "GPSmyCity: Walks in 1K+ Cities" from Apple App Store or Google Play Store. The app turns your mobile device to a personal tour guide and it works offline, so no data plan is needed when traveling abroad.

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Sniper Tower on Map

Sight Name: Sniper Tower
Sight Location: Mostar, Bosnia-Herzegovina (See walking tours in Mostar)
Sight Type: Attraction/Landmark
Guide(s) Containing This Sight:

Walking Tours in Mostar, Bosnia-Herzegovina

Create Your Own Walk in Mostar

Create Your Own Walk in Mostar

Creating your own self-guided walk in Mostar is easy and fun. Choose the city attractions that you want to see and a walk route map will be created just for you. You can even set your hotel as the start point of the walk.
Mostar Introduction Walking Tour

Mostar Introduction Walking Tour

Settlements by the Neretva River, between Mount Hum and Mount Velez, go back to prehistoric times. Remains of fortified encampments, cemeteries, and Roman foundations have been discovered beneath present-day Mostar. The name Mostar was derived from a document dated 1474. It called the residents "Mostari" which means "bridge-keepers."

Mostar was strategically located between...  view more

Tour Duration: 1 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 1.6 Km or 1 Miles
Bosnian War Tour

Bosnian War Tour

After the fall of Yugoslavia, there followed civil wars of particular savagery. In Bosnia, there were two distinct struggles. The first involved Serbs against Croats and Bosnians. The alliance of Croats and Bosnians proved effective, and the Serbs were repulsed. The Croats were mainly Christian, and the Bosnians were Muslim. There was antipathy between them.

The second part of the war was the...  view more

Tour Duration: 1 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 1.5 Km or 0.9 Miles