In winter time (I think) the water flows at its highest so, naturally, the distance from the bridge to the waters surface decreases. Everyone around you gets involved in the fun, and theres a great atmosphere. You cant miss it. The bridge spans the Neretva river in the old town of Mostar, the city to which it gave the name. Mostarian jumps are the most important tourist event and brand for Mostar and all of Bosnia and Herzegovina, and during the times of traditional jumps from the Old Bridge the city of Mostar is the most visited. Mostar Bridge, also known as the Stari Most ('Old Bridge'), is a reconstructed 16th century Ottoman bridge in Bosnia and Herzegovina. 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All in all, it doesn't take long from booking the jump to actually doing it. This might sound like a lot just for a jump. A smaller Ottoman-era stone-arch bridge named Kriva cuprija, the Crooked Bridge, crosses one of the tributaries of Neretva just a stone throw away from the Old Bridge. Theres only one really big but: locals told us that jumping feet first might cause hitting legs at the bottom. They will ask you to keep doing it until you get it just right. Its fine not to as its certainly not everyones cup of tea. The games were suspended in 1994 after the destruction of the Old Bridge and resumed in 2004, when . In the Bosnian parts of Mostar, around 60-70% of houses were totally destroyed or badly damaged. The biggest attraction on Mostar bridge has always been the group of young divers who jump in the freezing river underneath. Here a list of things to do in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Things to do in Mostar; Old Town Go out for beers afterwards Youve just survived one of the scariest things of your life! You are like gazelle leaping into the air! I felt pumped up, elated, and I wanted to do it again. Mostar's Old Bridge measures 13 feet wide, 98 feet long and over 78 feet high and at one point in history was the largest man-made arch in the world. We travel the Balkans seeking out food, accommodation and the best things to do in the Balkans so youll save time travel planning & travel like a local. There will be lots of handshaking and high-fives at this point; its excellent! Neretva is among the coldest rivers in the world. At least one of the Mostar bridge jumping deaths was caused by heart attack: the contrast between a hot summer day and nearly freezing water can take its toll even for a healthy person. I wonder how many mostaris, guardians of the bridge, also roam in the grounds with other restless souls. Tourists can join in too and become members of the Mostar diving club. You can cross into Bosnia Herzegovina by all surrounding countries at a variety of borders. Forget the Mile High Club, how many people can claim theyve joined the 24 metre-high club in Bosnia? As far as physical fitness is concerned, I think that I have given the maximum said Listo, emphasizing that he wants to defend the title but also to pass without injury. This is definitely something that not everyone knows about. My Friends dad is from Mostar and she wants the bridge to be the main eye catcher in her first big university project. Ask one of the bridge jumpers if you can't find it and they will show you. Once there is sufficient collection, the Mostar bridge jump takes a second. Hi travellers! i've been to Mostar before and walked the bridge. Somehow, at the last second, I managed to pull my arms and legs in, grab my balls, and make myself pencil-thin as I speared the water. You will receive a unique code. Be careful at the bridge and only jump when youre ready to do it in a good form. Even the initial flaws were honored. Before you firmly decide on whether or not you want to jump, head to the bridge itself and take a look for yourself. The water is cold, it's a long way down, and the current is strong. Lawrence Listo, the famous Mostarian swallow, last years winner, who has won the title ten times, reveals that he was never more ready than this year. I'm Macca & I run the multiple award-winning blog An Adventurous World. When it was finally my turn to jump, the sinking feeling finally set in that this was real and that, yes I have to jump! And thats when I launched myself off the side of the bridge into the river below. The Old Bridge in Mostar was designed by the renowned architect Mimar Hajruddin and stood for a proud 427 years before being destroyed during the war. Be sure to record your jump and share it on Facebook! Every time I see this bridge, ( I've been there a few times ) I've looked at the daredevills who jumped down. Including, Croatia, Turkey, Greece, Bulgaria, Albania, Bosnia-Herzegovina,, Montenegro, Slovenia, Turkey, Macedonia, Romania, Kosovo and Serbia. Stari Most was constructed by the Ottomans under the commission of Suleiman the Magnificent in the 16 th century. The Stari Most was built by a student of Mimar Sinn, a famed architect of the Ottoman Empire. A memorial stone located near the Old Bridge in Mostar's Old Town; the stone is one of the original pieces of the Old Bridge, destroyed in 1993. It all depends on what season you go in. I am a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites. When traveling through Europe back in April 2018, I was lucky enough to participate in one of the best high-adrenaline activities still available in Europe the Mostar Bridge jump! They will also enter your name into the official record books alongside the hundreds of others who have completed the jump. I'm 70 years of age, in good shape and there's still one scary moment to do. We witness a daring and incredibly high bridge jump in Mostar, Bosnia. Ok, thats a joke! Then, each candidate must practice safe jumping at a 10-meter high training platform downstream from Stari Most. The most iconic landmark of the city, and perhaps of all of Herzegovina, the Stari Most (Old [] In the evening haze, legends and ghost stories come alive. The Ottoman sultan was so tired of unsuccessful bridge building attempts that he threatened to execute every failing architect. Now, this is not something you should decide to do willy-nilly because the waters are dangerous, and many people have been injured or even killed by merely choosing to try it for themselves. They will then give you a certificate which shows you did the jump. Honestly, this was such a rush. The Mostar bridge jump in Bosnia costs 25 euros per person. It it Ill tell you all about what its like doing this jump, and whether there have been any Mostar bridge deaths. Imagine you are looking down off the bridge in the direction you jump (with the current flowing away from you), the dive school is to your right. The bridge stood for 427 years until it was destroyed by Croat forces in the Croat-Bosniak War on November 9, 1993. You will then need to pay for the jump. One of the terraces makes a perfect dinner spot. Scared? For hundreds of years, the Mostar bridge has stood as an icon of multicultural coexistence, connecting the east banks Muslim and west banks Catholic communities. the instructor will tell you to remain calm. While many blogs claim Mostar bridge jumping safe, YouTube is full of videos of jumps gone bad by unlucky tourists. Thanks! If you do land a little off-balance, then having the wetsuit will reduce any pain you feel on impact. In my opinion, hell yeah! We blog about the best travel destinations in the Balkans. It costs 10 for the practice jump and 20 for the actual jump. The scars of war run still deep and bullet-ridden facades can be seen around Mostar, especially in the eastern part. The water is frigid and will help keep you at least a little warm. The old town harks back to the Ottoman empire, with its Turkishesque bazaars, colourful narrow streets and impressive mosques. But it can reach mid to high 20s in Summer. The answer to this question will never be, yes, it is 100% safe!. Bridge jumping in Mostar is a tradition that spans back to 1664, when the first recorded person jumped from the famous bridge known locally as, Stari Most, which means "Old Bridge." Since then, jumping from the bridge has since become a tradition, so much that to some locals, the jump is seen as a symbolic right of passage for boys to . 020 7155 9863 The Mostar Bridge Jumping Festival! And Pierre - they are still jumping . This causes people to freeze and actually makes things far harder. Walk along or get into some adventure on the Neretva River 3. I bet hundreds of agonized souls have jumped off the bridge to their death and even greater number of civilians are raped and murdered during the wars. The diving club installed a platform beside the temporary suspension bridge and carried on with their annual bridge diving competition. They will take you back up to the bridge and ask you if you are still 100% sure you still want to jump. How long did it take to train and then get approved for the jump? July 2018 marked 452nd annual Mostar bridge diving competition. You can look down off the railings from the top and get a feel for how high it is. If youre a thrill-seeker and figuring out what to do in Mostar, bridge jumping is definitely an amazing experience. Oops! Luckily, his work was celebrated as the widest man-made arch in the world! Footage showed the ancient town and the iconic bridge itself. Since the bridges reconstruction, the Mostar Diving club has maintained records of all the people who have made the Mostar Bridge jump. https://www.bizarreglobehopper.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/mostar-bridge-daylight-bosnia-and-hertzegovina.jpg. Slipping is dangerous because then you cannot prepare your body for hitting the water. Local tradition says that a 16-year-old boy must jump from the bridge as a right of passage, but more importantly, it is said that the boy's life will be a complete failure if he doesn't jump. They require proof of this at the border to let you in. 37.76. They will tell you to be calm and go whenever youre ready. There are plans to include famous jumps from the Old Bridge in Mostar to the UNESCO World Heritage List soon, which everyone is eagerly waiting for. History of Mostar Bridge Mostar Bridge was commissioned by the Ottoman Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent in 1557. Privacy Policy. Bravely jumping off the bridge, they draw large crowds who want to see them perform their death-defying leaps into the Neretva river below. Sure, theres always a chance you could hurt yourself with a slightly dodgy landing, but the whole team is there on hand to jump in and help you. Home > Mostar Bridge Jump Guide (From Someone Who Jumped). Traditional Mostar Bridge Jumps, which was held for the 456th time this year, were held in the city of Mostar in the south of Bosnia and Herzegovina. The most famous thing about the Mostar Ancient Bridge is the bridge jump. John, Vlad, Ricardo and Pierre, thank you. Thanks for sharing this experience. CTRL + SPACE for auto-complete. While many locals say that the Old Bridge is haunted, to our misfortune we didnt catch any ghost stories. In turn, as long as you do what they say, then you should have no problems with your jump! Also, its a great talking point for everyone back home! As you will read below, once you pay to jump once, you become a member for life and can jump for free. And, well, I decided I just had to jump again! As Ive said, doing this Bosnia bridge jump can be really dangerous if not done right, Practice practice practice Theres nothing wrong with doing little practice jumps over and over again to ensure you feel comfortable. Driving from Dubrovnik takes around 2,5 hours, while the bus takes around 3,5 hours. A few years earlier, Hamish and Andy (Australian radio personalities) jumped from the bridge, and a few days after them, our son also jumped (successfully) from the bridge. New Talgo trains are comfortable and have even free wifi! Mostar Bridge Jump: Read This Before Jumping Off Mostar Bridge! Of course, tourists are briefed for jumping off safely and accustoming their bodies to the cold. Many tourists have also had a change of hearts before seeing the bridge and standing up there looking down: 24-28 meters doesnt sound like much, but it looks daunting for sure. Youll then need to do a few practice jumps. An Adventurous World (2014-23). The national plates, which consist of sausages and grilled meat, come at around 15-20 KM (7,50-10 ) and easily quench the hunger of two. Free shipping for many products! One of the dive instructors will also be there to steady you and help you. 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