莫斯塔尔古桥，波斯尼亚和黑塞哥维那 Stari Most in Mostar, Bosnia and Herzegovina (© Ayhan Altun/Getty Images)

莫斯塔尔古桥，波斯尼亚和黑塞哥维那 Stari Most in Mostar, Bosnia and Herzegovina (© Ayhan Altun/Getty Images)

“古桥”的新生 The 'Old Bridge,' reborn

Stari Most in Mostar, Bosnia and Herzegovina

For 427 years the Mostar Bridge stood strong, despite the belief that its original mortar was composed of egg whites. Truth is, not much is known about the 16th-century construction of this bridge in what is now known as Bosnia and Herzegovina. All that remains in historical records are memories and legends and the name of the bridge's builder, Mimar Hayruddin. He was charged by Suleiman the Magnificent to build an unprecedentedly wide arch, and threatened with death if the structure failed. Hayruddin is said to have been so unsure of his creation that he had made funeral preparations before the scaffolding was removed. Luckily (and much to the builder's probable relief), the arch remained intact. Suspended nearly 80 feet above the Neretva River, the highest point of the bridge's arch rises an additional 39.5 feet. Upon its completion in 1566, it was the widest manmade arch ever built and was compared by one explorer to 'a rainbow arch soaring up to the skies.'

Also known as Stari Most, or 'Old Bridge,' it was finally brought down in November 1993 after being hit by a barrage of shells in a targeted attack during the Bosnian War. Considered a treasure of Bosnian Islamic architecture, its destruction by Croatian forces was condemned around the world. Scholars referred to the act as an attempt at 'killing memory.' Due to its importance in the Mostar region, plans to rebuild the bridge as accurately as possible began at the war's end. The reconstructed bridge was unveiled to the public in 2004. Used for normal daily activities, the bridge also has history as a popular spot for annual diving competitions.

波斯尼亚和黑塞哥维那莫斯塔尔的Stari Most

427年来，莫斯塔尔大桥一直屹立不倒，尽管人们相信它最初的砂浆是由蛋白组成的。事实是，关于16世纪在现在被称为波斯尼亚和黑塞哥维那的地方修建这座桥，人们所知不多。历史记录中只剩下记忆和传说，还有大桥建造者米马尔·海鲁丁的名字。宏伟的苏莱曼（Suleiman the Magnium）要求他建造一座空前宽阔的拱门，并威胁说，如果拱门倒塌，他将面临死亡。据说，海鲁丁对自己的创作非常不确定，以至于在拆除脚手架之前，他就已经为葬礼做了准备。幸运的是（建筑商可能松了一口气），拱门仍然完好无损。悬挂在内雷特瓦河上方近80英尺的地方，桥拱的最高点再高出39.5英尺。1566年建成后，这是有史以来建造的最宽的人造拱门，一位探险家将其比作“一座翱翔天空的彩虹拱门”

它也被称为“Stari Most”，或“Old Bridge”，1993年11月，在波斯尼亚战争期间，在一次有针对性的袭击中，它被一连串炮弹击中，最终被拆毁。被认为是波斯尼亚伊斯兰建筑的瑰宝，克罗地亚军队对其的破坏受到全世界的谴责。学者们把这一行为称为试图“扼杀记忆”由于该桥在莫斯塔尔地区的重要性，在战争结束时就开始了尽可能准确地重建该桥的计划。重建后的大桥于2004年向公众公布。该桥用于正常的日常活动，历史上也是年度跳水比赛的热门场地。