UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Bosnia and Herzegovina

UNESCO's Description

The Mehmed Paša Sokolović Bridge of Višegrad across the Drina River in the east of Bosnia and Herzegovina was built at the end of the 16th century by the court architect Mimar Koca Sinan on the orders of Grand Vizier Mehmed Paša Sokolović. Characteristic of the apogee of Ottoman monumental architecture and civil engineering, the bridge has 11 masonry arches with spans of 11 m to 15 m, and an access ramp at right angles with four arches on the left bank of the river. The 179.5 m long bridge is a representative masterpiece of Sinan, one of the greatest architects and engineers of the classical Ottoman period and a contemporary of the Italian Renaissance, with which his work may be compared. The unique elegance of proportion and monumental nobility of the whole site bear witness to the greatness of this style of architecture.

From the UNESCO World Heritage Centre (CC BY-SA IGO 3.0).

History

The Višegrad Bridge was commissioned by Grand Vizier Mehmed Pasha Sokolović, who exercised power over a long period at the summit of the Ottoman Empire during the reigns of three sultans, as a tribute to his native region and a symbol of trade and prosperity. Construction of the bridge took place between 1571 and 1577. Major renovations of the bridge have taken place in 1664, 1875, 1911, 1940 and 1950–52. Three of its 11 arches were destroyed during World War I and five were damaged during World War II but subsequently restored.

The Turkish International Co-operation and Development Agency (TIKA) provided 3.5 million euros for the restoration of the Mehmed Paša Sokolović Bridge.

Key Facts

Facts from Wikidata Q210055 (CC0).

UNESCO's Description

Located in the Dinaric mountain range, the property stands out with its remarkable cave biodiversity and endemicity. Known since antiquity, the well-conserved representation of karst topography is one of the world’s most important biodiversity hotspots for cave-dwelling fauna, notably subterranean aquatic fauna. It is home to a number of globally threatened vertebrate species, and the only subterranean tubeworm in the world, as well as a diversity of plant species endemic to the Balkans. Additionally, several of the species found in Vjetrenica Cave are tertiary and pre-tertiary relict species, meaning that many of them can be considered living fossils whose closest relatives went extinct a long time ago.

From the UNESCO World Heritage Centre (CC BY-SA IGO 3.0).

Geography

Vjetrenica is located in Popovo Polje (pronounced [pɔ̌pɔʋɔ pɔ̂ʎɛ], meaning priest's field, where polje means a karstic plain), which is itself located in the southernmost regions of Bosnia and Herzegovina, West Herzegovina, near the Adriatic coast.

Its entrance is near the village of Zavala, in the west south-western corner of the polje. During the warmer parts of the year, a strong blast of cold air blows from its entrance, which is very attractive in the middle of the rocky, hot and waterless terrain.