War-damaged Bosnian City Shows Solidarity With Paris

The war-damaged Bosnian city of Mostar showed its solidarity with Paris on Tuesday, when its famous Old Bridge was illuminated in blue, white and red - the colours of the French flag - on an initiative of a local NGO called the Centre for Peace and Multiethnic Cooperation.

The light show followed the massive fire that severely damaged the famous Cathedral of Notre Dame on Monday.

Mostar experienced huge damage during the 1992-5 war, which culminated in the destruction of its famous Ottoman-era bridge.

"Just like the reconstruction of the Old Bridge and Mostar's Old Town united donors from all parts of the world, this tragedy will unite the whole world in the restoration of Notre Dame Cathedral," the organisers said in a press release on Tuesday.

Mostar's Old Bridge is one of the finest single-span stone bridges in the world, originally constructed by Ottoman engineers in the 16th century.

But the city became a battleground between rival Bosniak and Bosnian Croat forces and it was destroyed during fighting in 1993.

It was, however, fully reconstructed in line with original blueprints and materials in 2003. In 2005, the Old Bridge was placed on UNESCO's World Heritage list.

Mostar, Old Bridge. Photo: Courtesy of Vijesti.ba
Old bridge in Mostar. Photo: Courtesy of vijesti.ba
Mostar, Old Bridge. Photo: Courtesy of Vijesti.ba
Mostar, Old Bridge. Photo: Courtesy of vijesti.ba
Mostar, Old Bridge. Photo: Courtesy of Vijesti.ba