Source: The Boston Globe
On July 23, 2004 The Boston Globe reported, "When Nedzad Kasumovic filmed Croatian tank shells pounding into Mostar's Old Bridge until its 400-year-old white marble stones plunged deep into the Neretva River's emerald waters a decade ago, he did so through tear-filled eyes. And when he set foot on the newly rebuilt bridge for the first time last week, he cried again -- but this time he was shedding tears of joy. For longtime Mostar residents like Kasumovic, the 16th century humped-back bridge connecting the city's mostly Muslim east and predominantly Croat west, which officially reopens in a gala ceremony today, is more than just an architectural gem. It is a cherished symbol of the city's centuries-old ethnic diversity and religious tolerance that was obliterated by the vicious 1992-95 war in Bosnia."