Crooked Bridge, Mostar, Guide du visiteur et quoi faire à proximité

The Crooked Bridge (Kriva Ćuprija) is a small stone arch bridge over the Radobolja stream in the Old Town of Mostar, Bosnia and Herzegovina. It is one of the oldest bridges in the city and is often described as a forerunner of the famous Old Bridge, which stands a short walk away.

The story behind it

The bridge dates from the mid-16th century, in the Ottoman period, and is usually credited to the builder Cejvan-kehaja. Its single, gently humped arch crosses the Radobolja just before the stream reaches the Neretva river. Local tradition holds that it served as a kind of trial run for the much larger Old Bridge, built not long after, though this is a story rather than a documented fact.

The bridge has not always had an easy life. Floods on the Radobolja brought it down in the early 2010s, and it was later rebuilt using as much of the original stone as could be recovered. What you see today is a careful reconstruction of a very old structure.

What to look for

• The single low arch, which is narrow and steep enough to give the bridge its slightly lopsided, crooked look from the water level.
• The mix of weathered and newer stone in the walls, a reminder of the rebuilding after the flood.
• The small stone-lined stream below, where the Radobolja runs between old houses and former mills on its way to the Neretva.
• The contrast with the Old Bridge nearby: the same idea of a stone arch, but here at an intimate scale you can take in at a glance.

Tips for your visit

• You need only 10 to 15 minutes at the bridge itself, longer if you stop at the cafes and terraces along the stream.
• It is an open-air spot in the street, so there is no entry to pay for or queue for, and you can simply walk across it.
• Early morning or early evening gives softer light and fewer people than the middle of the day, when the Old Town fills up.
• Combine it with the Old Bridge, the Koski Mehmed Pasha Mosque and the stone lanes of the old bazaar, all within a few minutes on foot. Check current opening hours for any mosque or museum you want to go inside.

Explore it on a quest

The Crooked Bridge is best seen as one stop in a longer wander through the Old Town, not on its own. Discover the area on foot with one of Questo's self-guided quests in Mostar: the app leads you from place to place, tells you about each spot as you arrive and sets a puzzle in what is in front of you. There is no guide and no group to join, so you can start whenever you like.