(fotosi:Oslobodjenje)
Stari Most in the Bosnian city of Mostar has hosted regional
diving competitions in the past, but on August 15 the bridge that crosses the
river Neretva will welcome the elite of the Red Bull Cliff Diving World Series.
August takes the cliff diving elite to new ground in Mostar,
where an annual bridge diving competition has been a tradition for many years.
The humpback bridge in today's design was inaugurated with a diving exhibition
in 2004 and will be the venue for a World Series competition for the first time
this year.
Built in the 16th century, the iconic Stari Most, which
means 'old bridge', gracefully arches over the emerald water of Neretva River,
connecting two parts of the old town in Mostar. On both sides surrounded by
fortified towers, it fits seamlessly into the landscape, creating an impressive
sight. This single span stone bridge seems to look different when viewed from
different perspectives.
Built by Mimar Hayruddin, disciple of the great Ottoman
architect Mimar Sinan, legend has it that the builder never saw the bridge
completed, as he left before the scaffolding was removed, having no strength to
see if the bridge will stand. Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent threatened to
decapitate him if the bridge falls. The bridge is, together with the
surrounding part of the Old City of Mostar, on UNESCO's list of World Heritage
Sites, and is often cited as one of the most beautiful bridges in the world.
The bridge is a place where young men from Mostar prove
their courage in a sort of maturity test, and the tradition of the diving
competitions is almost 450 years old. Equally iconic as the bridge is the image
of a diver soaring through the air from the bridge towards the fast and cold
water of Neretva River.
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