ZAGREB, Sept 15 (Hina) - The French Institute in Zagreb on Monday opened an exhibition of the documents concerning the rebuilding of Old Bridge in Mostar, Bosnia-Herzegovina.
ZAGREB, Sept 15 (Hina) - The French Institute in Zagreb on Monday
opened an exhibition of the documents concerning the rebuilding of
Old Bridge in Mostar, Bosnia-Herzegovina. #L#
The exhibition, entitled "Mankind at Work - Art as a Gift", consists
of photographs and documents presenting the historical meaning of
the Old Bridge and the preparations for its reconstruction.
As it was pointed out at the opening of the exhibition, the
reconstruction of the bridge is almost nearing a completion.
The Old Bridge was not just a work of art but it connected cultures
and peoples. Its destruction is one of the numerous war crimes and
violations of human heritage that occurred in Dubrovnik, Vukovar,
Sarajevo", Olivier Brochet, the director of the French Institute in
Zagreb, said.
The ambassador of Bosnia-Herzegovina to Croatia, Zlatko Dizdarevic
pointed out that the Old Bridge in Mostar was a view on life and fate
and there will always be more people willing to build than those who
opt for destruction.
The opening of this event was attended by French Ambassador to
Zagreb, Francis Bellanger, Dutch Ambassador Lionel Veer, and the
head of the OSCE Mission to Croatia, Peter Semneby.
The Old Bridge was constructed in 1566 during the Ottoman Empire. It
was destroyed in the Croat-Muslim conflict in November 1993. With
the assistance of numerous international experts, the
reconstruction of Mostar's landmark began in 2000. During 2001,
stones were supplied from the Mukosa quarry. The same rock was used
in the 16th century to build the bridge. The main arch was joined
recently and pieces of the old bridge hauled out of the Neretva
river were built in.
(hina) sp ms