Stara Ćuprija

Stara Ćuprija
Stara Ćuprija
Coordinates	43°39′04″N 17°57′46″E / 43.651083°N 17.962722°E
Carried	Pedestrians
Crossed	Neretva
Locale	Konjic, Bosnia and Herzegovina
Other name(s)	Konjička Stara Ćuprija
Heritage status	National Monument of BiH
Characteristics
Design	Multiple-Arch
Material	Tufa
Trough construction	Mortar
Pier construction	Stone
Total length	- metres
Width	4 metres
No. of spans	6
Piers in water	5
Clearance below	- metres at mid-span
History
Constructed by	Ali-aga Hasečić
Construction start	1682
Construction end	1683
Opened	1683
Rebuilt	2009
Collapsed	March 1945
Location

Stara Ćuprija (Stara Ćuprija = English: Old Bridge) is old bridge in Konjic, and is one in series of Ottoman bridges in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

History

It was built between 1682 and 1683 by Ali-aga Hasečić (as shown by a stone plaque at the center of the bridge).

Construction, destruction and reconstruction

Bridge was built over six slightly pointed stone arches. The deck was completely destroyed with explosives, laid by the retreating German army in March 1945, while the arches suffered partial damage from explosion. Fortunately, all of the five piers remained and structural integrity was preserved. This allowed hope in future reconstruction to be much easier and reconstructed bridge wouldn't lose its authenticity. Since World War II officials decided to use bridge temporarily with makeshift deck made of iron beams laid down upon still existing piers and one track tarmac for motorized vehicle traffic. However, this solution lasted for more than five decades.
Only after the war of the nineties it was announced that bridge will be renovated, and between 2003 and 2009 it was reconstructed to its original state. Today it stands as one of the best preserved Ottoman bridges in Bosnia and Herzegovina and entire Balkans.