Bosnian War Tour (Self Guided), Mostar

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 more savage, former allies Croats and Bosnians tearing at each other. A number of famous landmarks were destroyed during the war. Symbolically, the Old Bridge, which had joined the Christian and Muslim communities since 1557, was destroyed. Many ruins still stand.

The Ferhadija Mosque of Banja Luka, built in 1579, was destroyed in two attacks in 1993. It was rebuilt in 2017. The Old Bridge, commissioned by Suleiman the Magnificent, was restored in 2004. Mostar had suffered more bombings than any other Bosnian city. Buildings are pockmarked with bullet scars. The cemeteries' death dates are mostly 1993.

Mostar was under siege. People venturing out for food were picked off by shooters in the Sniper Tower, a former bank. Stones stand by ruins bearing the message "Don't Forget '93." Curiously, the signs are in English.

Bulevar Street, once a street in no man's land, is now the Main Street of Mostar and the location of the War Photo Museum. Spanish Square, five minutes from the Old Bridge, is named for the 21 Spanish soldiers of the UN forces who died there. The Neretva Hotel, once the symbol of the city, now stands in ruins, partially restored.

Bosnia is on the mend, but it has a way to go. People are still wary of each other. As the stones say, "Don't forget."