Mehmed Paša Sokolović Bridge

Historic bridge in Višegrad, Bosnia and Herzegovina

43°46′57″N 19°17′17″E / 43.782446°N 19.287963°E / 43.782446; 19.287963CrossesDrina RiverLocaleVišegrad, Republika Srpska, Bosnia and HerzegovinaOfficial nameMost Mehmed-paše SokolovićaHeritage status

KONS of Bosnia and Herzegovina

Official nameMehmed paša Sokolovic Bridge, the historical monumentTypeCategory 0 cultural-historical and natural monumentCriteriaA, B, C i.ii.iii.iv.v.vi., D iii.iv., E iii.v., F i.ii.iii., G i.ii.iii.iv.v.vi., H ii.iii.Designated4 March 2003 (session no.-)Reference no.769Decision no.08.2-6-101/03-5Has parts-List

List of National Monuments of Bosnia and Herzegovina

CharacteristicsDesignArchMaterialLimestoneTraversable?pedestrianNo. of spans11HistoryArchitectMimar SinanConstructed bySokollu Mehmed PashaOpened1577

UNESCO World Heritage Site

Official nameMehmed Paša Sokolović Bridge in VišegradTypeCulturalCriteriaii, ivDesignated2007 (31st session)Reference no.1260RegionEurope and North America Location Map

The Mehmed Paša Sokolović Bridge (Serbian: Мост Мехмед-паше Соколовића, romanized: Most Mehmed-paša Sokolovića) is a historic bridge in Višegrad, over the Drina River in eastern Bosnia and Herzegovina part of the Republika Srpska entity. It was completed in 1577 by the Ottoman court architect Mimar Sinan on the order of the Grand Vizier Mehmed Paša Sokolović.^[1] In 2003 bridge was included into the List of National Monuments of Bosnia and Herzegovina by KONS,^[2] and UNESCO inclusion into the World Heritage List followed in 2007.

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 meters, and an access ramp at right angles with four arches on the left bank of the river.

The 179.5-meter-long (589 ft) bridge is a representative masterpiece of Mimar Sinan, one of the greatest architects and engineers of the classical Ottoman period and a contemporary of the Italian Renaissance, with which his work can be compared. The UNESCO summary states: The unique elegance of proportion and monumental nobility of the property as a whole bear witness to the greatness of this style of architecture.^[3]

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 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 subsequently restored.^[4]

Renovation

The bridge received UNESCO World Heritage Listing in 2007.

The Turkish International Co-operation and Development Agency (TIKA) provided 3.5 million euros for the restoration of the Mehmed Paša Sokolović Bridge. Representatives of TIKA, the BiH Commission for Co-operation with UNESCO, the Republika Srpska Cultural Ministry and the Višegrad municipality signed an agreement to renovate the bridge on 19 April 2010.^[5]

In literature

The bridge is widely known because of the book The Bridge on the Drina (1945) written by Yugoslav writer Ivo Andrić, Nobel Prize–winning author.^[4]^[6]

References

^ Mehmed Paša Sokolović Bridge at Structurae. Retrieved 15 April 2017.
^ "Mehmed paša Sokolovic Bridge, the historical monument". old.kons.gov.ba. Sarajevo: Commision to preserve national monuments. 4 March 2003. Retrieved 31 May 2024.
^ "UNESCO World Heritage Centre - Bosnian Bridge among five new sites inscribed on UNESCO's World Heritage List this evening". Whc.unesco.org. Retrieved 14 July 2017.
^ ^a ^b "Mehmed-Pasha Sokolovic Bridge". Archived from the original on 2 July 2007. Retrieved 14 July 2017.
^ "Culture and Sports: Turkish agency sponsors repairs to Ottoman bridge". SETimes.com. Retrieved 15 April 2017.
^ Wayne S. Vucinich, ed. (1995). "Ivo Andrić Revisited: The Bridge Still Stands" (PDF). Division of International and Area Studies, University of California, Berkeley. Archived (PDF) from the original on 27 May 2020.