Editing Mostar (section)

==History==
===Ancient and medieval history===
Human settlements on the river Neretva, between [[Mount Hum (Mostar)|Mount Hum]] and the [[Velež Mountain]], have existed since prehistory, as witnessed by discoveries of fortified enceintes and cemeteries. Evidence of [[Roman people|Roman]] occupation was discovered beneath the present town.<ref name="whc.unesco.org">{{Cite web |url=https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/946/ |title=UNESCO: Old Bridge Area of the Old City of Mostar |access-date=2019-12-26 |archive-date=2020-01-09 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200109150400/https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/946/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

As far as medieval Mostar goes, although the Christian basilicas of late antiquity remained in use, few historical sources were preserved and not much is known about this period. The name of Mostar was first mentioned in a document dating from 1474, taking its name from the bridge-keepers (''mostari''); this refers to the existence of a wooden bridge from the market on the left bank of the river which was used by traders, soldiers, and other travelers. During this time it was also the seat of a [[kadiluk]] (district with a regional judge). Since Mostar was on the trade route between the [[Adriatic Sea|Adriatic]] and the mineral-rich regions of [[central Bosnia]], the settlement began to spread to the right bank of the river.<ref name="whc.unesco.org"/>

Prior to 1474 the names of two towns appear in medieval historical sources, along with their later medieval territories and properties – the towns of Nebojša and Cimski grad. In the early 15th century the county (''[[župa]]'') of Večenike covered the site of the present-day Mostar along the right bank of the Neretva, including the sites of Zahum, [[Cim (archaeological site)|Cim]], [[Ilići]], [[Raštani, Mostar|Raštani]] and [[Vojno]]. It was at the center of this area, which in 1408 belonged to [[Juraj Radivojević|Radivojević]], who built Cim Fort (prior to 1443). Mostar is indirectly referred to in a 1454 charter of King [[Alfonso V of Aragon]] as ''Pons'' ("bridge"), for a bridge had already been built there. Prior to 1444, the Nebojša Tower was built on the left bank of the Neretva, which belonged to the late medieval county still known as Večenike or Večerić.<ref>Anđelić, 1974, 276–278</ref> The earliest documentary reference to Mostar as a settlement dates from 3 April 1452, when [[Republic of Ragusa|Ragusans]] from [[Dubrovnik]] wrote to their fellow countrymen in the service of Serbian Despot [[Đorđe Branković]] to say that [[Vladislav Hercegović]] had turned against his father [[Stjepan Vukčić Kosača|Stjepan]] and occupied the town of [[Blagaj, Mostar|Blagaj]] and other places, including ''“Duo Castelli al ponte de Neretua.”''.<ref name="Mujezinović, 1998, p. 144">Mujezinović, 1998, p.&nbsp;144</ref>

===Ottoman period===
[[File:Bazar at Old Bridge in Mostar, Herzegovina.JPG|thumb|The Old Town Street]]
[[File:Cskt-tavasz mosztarban (1903).jpg|thumb|Springtime in Mostar by [[Tivadar Kosztka Csontváry]] (1853–1919)]]

In 1468 the region came under the rule of the [[Ottoman Empire]]<ref name="Mujezinović, 1998, p. 144"/> and the [[urbanization]] of the settlement began. It was named ''Köprühisar'', meaning fortress at the bridge, at the centre of which was a cluster of 15 houses. The town was organized into two distinct areas: ''[[čaršija]]'', the crafts and commercial centre of the settlement, and ''[[mahala]]'' or a residential area.<ref>Institute for Regional Planning, Mostar, 1982, p.&nbsp;21</ref>

The town was fortified between the years 1520 and 1566, and the wooden bridge rebuilt in stone.<ref name="whc.unesco.org"/> In 1519 ([[Hijri year|Hijri]] 925) the settlement was recorded as a castle and both as Mostar and as Köprühisar and it was inhabited by Muslims and Christians. It had four Muslim households and 85 Christian households.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=GÖKBİLGİN |first=M. TAYYİB |date=1956 |title=KANUNÎ SULTAN SÜLEYMAN DEVRİ BAŞLARINDA RUMELİ EYALETİ, LİVALARI, ŞEHİR VE KASABALARI |url=https://belleten.gov.tr/tam-metin-pdf/1214/tur |journal=Belleten |volume=20 |issue=78 |pages=247–294 |issn=0041-4255 |eissn=2791-6472 }}</ref> The stone bridge, the [[Stari Most|Old Bridge]] (''Stari most''), was erected in 1566 on the orders of Sultan [[Suleiman the Magnificent]]<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.theguardian.com/world/2004/jul/24/iantraynor |title=Mostar reclaims Ottoman heritage |date=July 23, 2004 |website=the Guardian |access-date=July 15, 2022 |archive-date=July 15, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220715013950/https://www.theguardian.com/world/2004/jul/24/iantraynor |url-status=live }}</ref> and at {{cvt|28|m|abbr=off}} long and {{cvt|20|m|abbr=off}} high, quickly became a wonder in its own time. Later becoming the city's symbol, the Old Bridge was designed by [[Mimar Hayruddin]],<ref name=Stratton/> a student and apprentice of Ottoman architect [[Mimar Sinan]]. In the late 16th century, Köprühisar was one of the towns of the [[Sanjak of Herzegovina]]. In the 17th century, Turkish traveler and author [[Evliya Çelebi]] wrote of the bridge thus:
{{blockquote|the bridge is like a rainbow arch soaring up to the skies, extending from one cliff to the other... I, a poor and miserable servant of Allah, 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.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.saudiaramcoworld.com/issue/199805/hearts.and.stones.htm |title=Hearts and Stones |publisher=Saudi Aramco World |access-date=2013-03-26 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121004214954/http://www.saudiaramcoworld.com/issue/199805/hearts.and.stones.htm |archive-date=2012-10-04 |url-status=dead}}</ref>}}

The first church in the city of Mostar, a [[Serbian Orthodox Church]], was built in 1834 during Ottoman rule.<ref name="Villa Menalo 1992">{{cite web |title=Mostar |website=Villa Menalo |date=1992-04-03 |url=http://www.villa-menalo.com/mostar-210.html |access-date=2021-06-17 |archive-date=2021-06-24 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210624201056/http://www.villa-menalo.com/mostar-210.html |url-status=live }}</ref>

===Austrian and Yugoslav period===
{{stack|float=left|[[File:Mostar-1900.jpg|thumb|left|People of Mostar in 1890–1900]] [[File:Stjepan Radic in Mostar, 1925.jpg|thumb|left|People gathered waiting for [[Stjepan Radić]] to arrive in Mostar in 1925]]}}

[[Austria-Hungary]] took [[Austro-Hungarian rule in Bosnia and Herzegovina|control over Bosnia and Herzegovina]] in 1878 and ruled the region until the [[aftermath of World War I]] in 1918, when it became part of the [[State of Slovenes, Croats and Serbs]] and then [[Kingdom of Yugoslavia|Yugoslavia]]. During this period, Mostar was the main urban centre of [[Herzegovina]].<ref>{{cite news |title=Taking Vengeance on the Serbs |url=https://archive.org/stream/independen79v80newy#page/n54/mode/1up |newspaper=The Independent |date=July 13, 1914 |access-date=August 12, 2012}}</ref> In 1881, the town became the seat of the [[Roman Catholic Diocese of Mostar-Duvno]] and, in 1939, it became a part of the [[Banovina of Croatia]]. During [[World War II]], Mostar was annexed into the [[Nazi Germany|Nazi German]] [[fascist]] [[puppet state]], the [[Independent State of Croatia]].

During the period of Austro-Hungarian rule (1878–1918), Mostar's city council cooperated with the Austro-Hungarian administration to implement sweeping reforms in city planning: broad avenues and an urban grid were imposed on the western bank of the Neretva, and significant investments were made in infrastructure, communications and housing. City administrators like [[Mustafa Mujaga Komadina]] were central players in these transformations, which facilitated growth and linked the eastern and western banks of the city. Noteworthy examples of Austro-Hungarian architecture include [[Hotel Neretva]], the Municipality building, which was designed by the architect [[Josip Vancaš]] from [[Sarajevo]], residential districts around the Rondo, and [[Gimnazija Mostar]] from 1902 designed by [[František Blažek]].
[[File:8. korpus NOVJ u Mostaru, februar 1945.jpg|thumb|8th Yugoslav Partisans' Corps in liberated Mostar, February 1945]]

After World War II, Mostar developed industries producing [[plastic]]s, [[tobacco]], [[bauxite]], [[wine]], [[aircraft]] and [[aluminium]]. Several [[dam]]s (''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 economically during the time of the [[Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia]].

When the German and Italian [[Independent State of Croatia#Zones of influence|Zones of Influence]] were revised on 24 June 1942, Mostar fell in {{ill|Zone II (NDH)|lt=Zone II|hr|Druga zona (NDH)}}, administered civilly by Croatia but militarily by Italy. The boundary with {{ill|Zone III (NDH)|lt=Zone III|Treća zona (NDH)}} was on [[Prenj]].{{sfn|Trgo|1964|p=341}}

Between 1948 and 1974 the industrial base was expanded with construction of a [[Metalworking|metal-working]] factory, [[Cotton textile industry|cotton textile mills]], and an aluminum plant. Skilled workers, both men and women, entered the work force and the social and demographic profile of the city was broadened dramatically; between 1945 and 1980, Mostar's population grew from 18,000 to 100,000.

Because Mostar's eastern bank was burdened by inadequate infrastructure, the city expanded on the western bank with the construction of large residential blocks. Local architects favored an austere [[modernist]] aesthetic, prefabrication and repetitive modules. Commercial buildings in the [[Functionalism (architecture)|functionalist]] style appeared on the historic eastern side of the city as well, replacing more intimate timber constructions that had survived since Ottoman times. In the 1970s and 1980s, a healthy local economy fueled by foreign investment spurred recognition and conservation of the city's cultural heritage. An economically sustainable plan to preserve the old town of Mostar was implemented by the municipality, which drew thousands of tourists from the Adriatic coast and invigorated the economy of the city. The results of this ten-year project earned Mostar an [[Aga Khan Award for Architecture]] in 1986.<ref name="Pasic, Amir 2004"/>

According to the [[1991 population census in Bosnia and Herzegovina|1991 census]], Mostar had 127,000 inhabitants with roughly an equal number of [[Bosniaks]] (34.6%) and [[Croats]] (34%), 18.8% [[Serbs]], and 13.6% of those who declared themselves [[Yugoslavs]] or Others.<ref name=DPC>Bodo Weber, [http://www.democratizationpolicy.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/DPC-Policy-Note16_The-Wests-Dirty-Mostar-Deal.pdf The West's Dirty Mostar Deal: Deliverables in the Absence of a BiH Policy] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201218112532/http://www.democratizationpolicy.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/DPC-Policy-Note16_The-Wests-Dirty-Mostar-Deal.pdf |date=2020-12-18 }}, ''Democratisation Policy Council'' policy note #16, December 2020</ref>

===Bosnian War===
[[File:Mostar-damagedhouses-2-2001.jpg|thumb|War damage on the former Mostar frontline, 2001]]
After Bosnia and Herzegovina declared [[1992 Bosnian independence referendum|independence]] from Yugoslavia in April 1992, the town was [[Siege of Mostar|besieged]] by the [[Yugoslav People's Army]] (JNA), following clashes between the JNA and Croat forces. The Croats were organized into the [[Croatian Defence Council]] (HVO){{sfn|Tanner|2001|p=286}} and were joined by a sizable number of Bosniaks.{{sfn|Goldstein|1999|p=243}} The JNA artillery periodically shelled neighbourhoods outside of their control from early April.{{sfn|CIA|2002|p=156-157}}

On 7 June the [[Croatian Army]] (HV) launched an offensive code named [[Operation Jackal]], the objective of which was to relieve Mostar and break the JNA [[siege of Dubrovnik]]. The offensive was supported by the HVO, which attacked the [[Army of Republika Srpska]] (VRS) positions around Mostar. By 12 June the HVO secured the western part of the city and by 21 June the VRS was completely pushed out from the eastern part. Numerous religious buildings and most of the city's bridges were destroyed or severely damaged during the fighting.{{sfn|CIA|2002|p=156-157}} Among them were the [[Catholic Church|Catholic]] [[Cathedral of Mary, Mother of the Church, Mostar|Cathedral of Mary, Mother of the Church]], the [[Franciscan]] Church and Monastery, the Bishop's Palace and 12 out of 14 mosques in the city. After the VRS was pushed from the city, the [[Serbian Orthodox]] [[Žitomislić Monastery]] and the [[Cathedral of the Holy Trinity, Mostar|Cathedral of the Holy Trinity]] were demolished.{{sfn|Ruggles|2012|p=152-153}}

Throughout late 1992, tensions between Croats and Bosniaks increased in Mostar. In early 1993 the [[Croat–Bosniak War]] escalated and by mid-April 1993 Mostar had become a divided city with the western part dominated by HVO forces and the eastern part controlled by the [[Army of the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina]] (ARBiH).<ref name="Encyclopedia Britannica">{{cite web |title=Mostar |website=Encyclopedia Britannica |url=https://www.britannica.com/place/Mostar |access-date=2021-06-17 |archive-date=2021-06-14 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210614111106/https://www.britannica.com/place/Mostar |url-status=live }}</ref> Fighting broke out in May when both sides of the city came under intense artillery fire.{{sfn|Christia|2012|p=157-158}} The city was divided along ethnic lines, with a number of offensives taking place, resulting in a series of stalemates.{{sfn|Tanner|2001|p=290}}{{sfn|Christia|2012|p=159}}{{sfn|CIA|2002|p=201}} The Croat–Bosniak conflict ended with the signing of the [[Washington Agreement]] in 1994, and the Bosnian War ended with the [[Dayton Agreement]] in 1995. Around 2,000 people died in Mostar during the war.{{sfn|Yarwood|Seebacher|Strufe|Wolfram|1999|p=4}}

Two wars (Serb forces versus Bosniak and Croatian and Croat-Bosniak war) left Mostar physically devastated and ethno-territorially divided between a Croat-majority west bank (with ca. 55,000 residents) and a Bosniak-majority old City and east bank (with ca. 50,000 residents), with the frontline running parallel to the Neretva River. Most Serbs had fled the city.<ref>Commission for Reforming the City of Mostar: ''Recommendations of the Commission Report of the Chairman'', 15 December 2003, p.55.</ref>

===Post-war developments===
[[File:Bosnia, Mostar, old bridge 2.JPG|thumb|right|The Old Bridge undergoing reconstruction in June 2003.]]

Since the end of the wider war in 1995, great progress has been made in the reconstruction of the city of Mostar under the [[European Union Administration of the City of Mostar]] (EUAM).<ref name="stahn08">{{cite book |doi=10.1017/CBO9780511585937 |title=The Law and Practice of International Territorial Administration |date=2008 |last1=Stahn |first1=Carsten |isbn=978-0-521-87800-5 }}</ref> Over 15 million dollars has been spent on restoration.{{citation needed|date=June 2013}}

A monumental project to rebuild the Old Bridge, which was destroyed during the [[Bosnian War]] by HVO, to the original design, and restore surrounding structures and historic neighbourhoods was initiated in 1999 and mostly completed by spring 2004. The money for this reconstruction was donated by [[Spain]] {{citation needed|date=June 2013}} (who had a sizable contingent of peacekeeping troops stationed in the surrounding area during the conflict), the [[United States]], [[Turkey]], [[Italy]], the [[Netherlands]], and [[Croatia]]. A grand opening was held on 23 July 2004 under heavy security.

In parallel, the [[Aga Khan Trust for Culture]] and the [[World Monuments Fund]], with funding provided by the [[World Bank]], undertook a five-year-long restoration and rehabilitation effort to regenerate the most significant areas of historic Mostar, and particularly the urban tissue around the Old Bridge. Also in July 2004, the Stari Grad Agency was launched to operate and maintain the restored buildings, including the Old Bridge complex, and promote Mostar as a cultural and tourist destination.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.akdn.org/news/mostar_230704.html |title=Resurgence of Mostar's Historic City Centre |access-date=2006-11-29 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061206022522/http://www.akdn.org/news/mostar_230704.html |archive-date=2006-12-06}}</ref>

In July 2005, [[UNESCO]] inscribed the Old Bridge and its closest vicinity onto the [[World Heritage List]].

International reconstruction efforts also aimed at the reunification of the divided city. The February 1996 Mostar Agreement led to the adoption of the Interim Statute of the city the same month, and to a 1-year period of EUAM, headed by former [[Bremen]] mayor [[Hans Koschnick]], until early 1997.<ref name="apnews.com">[https://apnews.com/article/03d8ef6db3d846c39d7470e3b4589cfa German diplomat who was EU administrator of Mostar, dies] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220905171238/https://apnews.com/article/03d8ef6db3d846c39d7470e3b4589cfa |date=2022-09-05 }}. AP, April 21, 2016</ref>

After six years of implementation, in 2003 [[High Representative for Bosnia and Herzegovina|OHR]] [[Paddy Ashdown]] established an "international commission for reforming Mostar", whose final report noted how the HDZ/SDA power-sharing in Mostar had entrenched division and corruption, with "rampant parallelism" in administrative structures and usurpation of power by the municipalities over the City.<ref name=DPC/>{{rp|5}} A new Statute was negotiated, and finally imposed in February 2004 by [[High Representative for Bosnia and Herzegovina|OHR]] [[Paddy Ashdown]].<ref name=DPC/>{{rp|6}}

In November 2010, the [[Constitutional Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina|Constitutional Court]] struck down as discriminatory the electoral framework for Mostar. The Bosniak and Croat ruling parties were unable, however, to reach a new compromise. Lacking a legal basis, local elections could not take place in Mostar in [[2012 Bosnian municipal elections|2012]] and [[2016 Bosnian municipal elections|2016]], and outgoing mayor [[Ljubo Bešlić]] (HDZ BiH) remained in office as the only person authorised to allocate the city budget on an emergency basis. Almost a decade without administration led to a decline in service provision, including trash collection. In October 2019 [[Irma Baralija]] won a case against Bosnia and Herzegovina at the [[European Court of Human Rights]] for the lack of elections in Mostar. Finally, a political deal, agreed under international mediation in June 2020, enabled legislative amendments in July 2020 and the conduct of the vote in Mostar on 20 December 2020.<ref name="reuters.com">{{Cite news |url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-bosnia-mostar-election-idUSKCN24O1VP |title=Bosnia's city of Mostar to hold election on December 20 after 12 years |newspaper=Reuters |date=July 23, 2020 |via=www.reuters.com |access-date=December 16, 2020 |archive-date=July 26, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200726182943/https://www.reuters.com/article/us-bosnia-mostar-election-idUSKCN24O1VP |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="Local elections in Mostar">{{Cite web |url=https://www.europarl.europa.eu/doceo/document/E-9-2020-002851_EN.html |title=Parliamentary question &#124; Local elections in Mostar &#124; E-002851/2020 &#124; European Parliament |first=Klemen |last=GROŠELJ |website=www.europarl.europa.eu |access-date=2020-12-16 |archive-date=2022-09-14 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220914033620/https://www.europarl.europa.eu/doceo/document/E-9-2020-002851_EN.html |url-status=live }}</ref>