Mehmed Paša Sokolovic Bridge
Encyclopedia
The Mehmed Paša Sokolović Bridge (Bosnian
, Croatian
, and Serbian
: Most Mehmed-paše Sokolovića Cyrillic: Мост Мехмед Паше Соколовића ) is a historic bridge in Višegrad
, over the Drina River in eastern Republika Srpska
entity of Bosnia and Herzegovina
. It was completed in 1577 AD by the Ottoman
court architect Mimar Sinan on the order of the Grand Vizier
Mehmed Paša Sokolović. UNESCO included the facility in its 2007 World Heritage List. (See List of World Heritage Sites in Bosnia and Herzegovina)
, with which his work can be compared. The unique elegance of proportion and monumental nobility of the property as a whole bear witness to the greatness of this style of architecture.
, the Republika Srpska
Cultural Ministry and the Višegrad
municipality signed an agreement to rebuild the bridge on April 19, 2010.
The Višegrad Bridge was commissioned by Grand Vizier Mehmed Paša Sokolović, who exercised power over a long period at the summit of the Ottoman Empire during the reign 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 were subsequently restored.
During the 1992-95 war in Bosnia and Herzegovina, the bridge was a place of the brutal killing of a large number of Bosniak civilians by Bosnian Serb Army during the Višegrad massacre
in 1992.
The bridge received UNESCO World Heritage Listing in 2008.
written by Yugoslav writer Ivo Andrić
, Nobel prize winning author
.
Bosnian language
Bosnian is a South Slavic language, spoken by Bosniaks. As a standardized form of the Shtokavian dialect, it is one of the three official languages of Bosnia and Herzegovina....
, Croatian
Croatian language
Croatian is the collective name for the standard language and dialects spoken by Croats, principally in Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, the Serbian province of Vojvodina and other neighbouring countries...
, and Serbian
Serbian language
Serbian is a form of Serbo-Croatian, a South Slavic language, spoken by Serbs in Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, Croatia and neighbouring countries....
: Most Mehmed-paše Sokolovića Cyrillic: Мост Мехмед Паше Соколовића ) is a historic bridge in Višegrad
Višegrad
Višegrad is a town and municipality in Bosnia and Herzegovina. It is part of the Republika Srpska entity. It is on the river Drina, located on the road from Goražde and Ustiprača towards Užice, Serbia.-History:...
, over the Drina River in eastern Republika Srpska
Republika Srpska
Republika Srpska is one of two main political entities of Bosnia and Herzegovina, the other being the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina...
entity of Bosnia and Herzegovina
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Bosnia and Herzegovina , sometimes called Bosnia-Herzegovina or simply Bosnia, is a country in Southern Europe, on the Balkan Peninsula. Bordered by Croatia to the north, west and south, Serbia to the east, and Montenegro to the southeast, Bosnia and Herzegovina is almost landlocked, except for the...
. It was completed in 1577 AD by the Ottoman
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman EmpireIt was usually referred to as the "Ottoman Empire", the "Turkish Empire", the "Ottoman Caliphate" or more commonly "Turkey" by its contemporaries...
court architect Mimar Sinan on the order of the Grand Vizier
Grand Vizier
Grand Vizier, in Turkish Vezir-i Azam or Sadr-ı Azam , deriving from the Arabic word vizier , was the greatest minister of the Sultan, with absolute power of attorney and, in principle, dismissable only by the Sultan himself...
Mehmed Paša Sokolović. UNESCO included the facility in its 2007 World Heritage List. (See List of World Heritage Sites in Bosnia and Herzegovina)
Characteristics
It is characteristic of the apogee of Turkish monumental architecture and civil engineering. It numbers 11 masonry arches, with spans of 11 to 15 metres, and an access ramp at right angles with four arches on the left bank of the river. The 179.5 meter long bridge is a representative masterpiece of Mimar Koca Sinan, one of the greatest architects and engineers of the classical Ottoman period and a contemporary of the Italian RenaissanceItalian Renaissance
The Italian Renaissance began the opening phase of the Renaissance, a period of great cultural change and achievement in Europe that spanned the period from the end of the 13th century to about 1600, marking the transition between Medieval and Early Modern Europe...
, with which his work can be compared. The unique elegance of proportion and monumental nobility of the property as a whole bear witness to the greatness of this style of architecture.
Renovation
The Turkish International Co-operation and Development Agency (TIKA) provided 3.5 million euros for the reconstruction of the Mehmed Paša Sokolović Bridge. Representatives of TIKA, the BiH Commission for Co-operation with UNESCOUNESCO
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations...
, the Republika Srpska
Republika Srpska
Republika Srpska is one of two main political entities of Bosnia and Herzegovina, the other being the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina...
Cultural Ministry and the Višegrad
Višegrad
Višegrad is a town and municipality in Bosnia and Herzegovina. It is part of the Republika Srpska entity. It is on the river Drina, located on the road from Goražde and Ustiprača towards Užice, Serbia.-History:...
municipality signed an agreement to rebuild the bridge on April 19, 2010.
History
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
and five were damaged during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
but were subsequently restored.
During the 1992-95 war in Bosnia and Herzegovina, the bridge was a place of the brutal killing of a large number of Bosniak civilians by Bosnian Serb Army during the Višegrad massacre
Višegrad massacre
The Višegrad massacres also known as the Visegrad Genocide were acts of mass murder committed against the Bosniak civilian population of the town and municipality of Višegrad during the ethnic cleansing of eastern Bosnia by Serb police and military forces during the spring and summer of 1992, at...
in 1992.
The bridge received UNESCO World Heritage Listing in 2008.
In literature
The bridge is now widely known because of the book The Bridge on the DrinaThe Bridge on the Drina
The Bridge on the Drina , sometimes restyled as The Bridge Over the Drina, is a novel by Yugoslav writer Ivo Andrić. Andrić wrote the novel while living quietly in Belgrade during World War II, publishing it in 1945...
written by Yugoslav writer Ivo Andrić
Ivo Andric
Ivan "Ivo" Andrić was a Yugoslav novelist, short story writer, and the 1961 winner of the Nobel Prize in Literature. His writings dealt mainly with life in his native Bosnia under the Ottoman Empire...
, Nobel prize winning author
Nobel Prize in Literature
Since 1901, the Nobel Prize in Literature has been awarded annually to an author from any country who has, in the words from the will of Alfred Nobel, produced "in the field of literature the most outstanding work in an ideal direction"...
.