Mostar, Bosnia and Herzegovina
I've sat on this image, and many others from Mostar for months now as I've been totally bewildered as to how best to present this historic bridge. Considering it was taken on an extremely bright and hot day - 43C no less, the colour version just didn't say anything to me and so I feel mono is the only way to go.
If I could have my time again in engineering I would probably have jumped ship and gone into civil, structural engineering or even architecture had I been clever enough, however, my passion for bridges and tall buildings has never diminished. I consider myself lucky enough to have visited what I like to believe are the five most iconic and recognisable bridges in the world (in no particular order) - The Golden Gate Bridge, Forth Rail Bridge, Tower Bridge, Sydney Harbour Bridge and the Ponte Vecchio.
Our holiday to Croatia presented an opportunity to visit this bridge over the border in Bosnia and Herzegovina. While not being instantly recognisable it certainly has a history to match the best of the best.
For fear of boring you all to death again the bridge is a rebuilt 16th-century Ottoman bridge in the city of Mostar in Bosnia and Herzegovina that crosses the river Neretva and connects the two parts of the city. The Old Bridge (replaced an older wooden suspension bridge) stood for 427 years, until it was destroyed on 9 November 1993 by Croat paramilitary forces during the Croat–Bosniak War. It was rebuilt between June 2001 and July 2004 and subsequently made a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Tags: Mostar Stari Most Old Bridge Bosnia and Herzegovina arch stonework Ottoman 16th century destroyed 1993 rebuilt 2004 Croat-Bosniak War UNESCO World Heritage Site
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Mostar, Bosnia and Herzegovina
Same bridge, different direction. Taken from the minaret of the Koski Mehmed Pasha Mosque. Well worth the entrance fee for the mosque and minaret climb, and the mosque advisors are so helpful to us togs, although a tip for anyone venturing there.
Don't climb the minaret with a backpack on. If you meet anyone coming down it's impossible to pass or even turn round in the spiralling stone tower. I had to descend backwards a third of the height... this is a public information notice for any accident prone togs you may know.
Tags: Mostar Stari Most Old Bridge Bosnia and Herzegovina arch stonework Ottoman 16th century destroyed 1993 rebuilt 2004 Croat-Bosniak War UNESCO World Heritage Site mosque Koski Mehmed Pasha Mosque minaret tower viewpoint b&w black & white mono
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Mostar, Bosnia and Herzegovina
I was going to do a write up on how we ended up over the border in B&H while what was meant to be a lazy-do nothing relaxing beach holiday in Croatia but I'll expand on that when I get more time. In the meantime, I'm enjoying getting back into photography and processing what I like so everything is a bit random at the moment
This was the first mosque we visited as part of a tour of Mostar and although still used is very much for the tourists. This is just a very quick grab shot on the way out before the next coach load came in. I'm quite pleased how its turned out as it's taken a ground level for the vivid carpet.
However, I've forgotten a lot of what the guide told me so this is the best info I've found apart from the fact it was built specially for the tanners, who smelled when they came to prey so this is their own mosque.
The Hadzi-Kurt Mosque or Tabačica was built between the 16th and 17th centuries, as desired by Hajji Kurt, member of the ancient Mostar Kurt family. Standing on the right bank of the Neretva River, about 100 metres from the Old Bridge, this mosque was next to the antque Tabhana, the district where leather processing workshops were once found; and this fact reveals the mystery of its name, deriving actually from the term Tabaci (leather tanners). A row of small shops and its location make the Tabačica mosque one of the most frequently visited in Mostar.
Tags: Mostar Bosnia and Herzegovina Hadzi-Kurt Mosque mosque Tabačica Tabaci leather tanners tannery carpets woven vivid colour
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Makarska, Croatia
See, this is what happens when you give your backup camera to someone who has no idea of photography!
Tags: Croatia Makarska back streets happy snapping no idea what do those funny numbers mean?
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Makarska, Croatia
It's been a very long time since I posted anything on Flickr, but having just got back from a holiday in Croatia I may have a few shots to post at long last. This is the Co-cathedral of St. Mark the Evangelist (Croatian: Konkatedrala sv. Marka evanđelista) and is a baroque church and former cathedral in the Archdiocese of Split-Makarska. It is located in the center of the town of Makarska, Croatia, on Andrija Kačić Miošić Square.
The former cathedral was built in the Baroque style in 1700 as the cathedral of the then diocese of Makarska at the initiative of the Bishop of Makarska, Nikola Bijanković, but was never completely finished. In 1756, the cathedral was consecrated by a later Bishop of Makarska, Stjepan Blašković. In 1828 Makarska diocese became part of the united Archdiocese of Split-Makarska, with the diocesan cathedral based in Split.
The façade, facing southwest, is decorated with two simple mullioned windows and a smaller Gothic-style oculus. On the right side from the entrance to the co-cathedral is the altar, which houses the bones of the patron saint of the city of Makarska and the diocese, St. Clement. The bones were brought to the co-cathedral from the Roman catacombs in 1725. On the left side from the entrance to the co-cathedral is the altar dedicated to Virgin Mary, and over it a small altar dedicated to Our Lady of the Rosary, decorated with the painting on wood of a Virgin and Child, painted by a master from the Byzantine school. The small altar, according to its locals, was built during the plague that hit Makarska in 1815. The second altar on the left is the altar of St. Cross. It is dedicated to the Calvary, and is decorated with the life-size wooden statues.
The Co-Cathedral was badly damaged during the large earthquake that hit Makarska in 1962. The renovation of the co-cathedral's interior changed its original appearance. The main altar, work of Venetian masters, was moved to the province Chapel of the Blessed Sacrament. Earthquake also damaged the choir. New organs, work of the Slovenian company Jenko, were installed in 1970
Tags: Croatia Makarska Co-Cathedral St. Mark church cathedral Baroque water fountain
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