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Prioritized Intervention List:
§
Country:
Bosnia
and Herzegovina
§
Name
of organization compiling the information:
Commission
to Preserve National Monuments
§
Contact
name:
Mirela
Mulaluć Handan
§
email
address:
mirela@aneks8ko.com.ba
The
monument, sites or ensemble
§
Name
and address of building(s) or site:
Historical
building - The bridge of Mehmed-pasha Sokolović in
Višegrad
§
Inventory
reference number(s):
 08.2-6-101/03-5
§
Building
type(s):
Infrastructure
- Bridge
§
Main
date(s):
date
range from 1571 to 1577 (when the bridge was built)
1664, 1875, 1911. and
1939/40., 1949.-1952., (when the bridge is known to have been repaired)
§
Current
use(s):
Bridge
for pedestrian traffic
Significance:
The
Mehmed-paša
Sokolović
Bridge was built between
1571 and 1577 over the river Drina where the road
linking Bosnia with
Istanbul ran (known as the
"Carigradska džada” or road to the Imperial city).
The construction of the bridge was entrusted to the great court architect
Kodža Mimar Sinan, not only the leading architect of the Ottoman
Empire
but one of the greatest builders in the entire world.
The benefactor who funded the construction was Mehmed paša Sokolović,
Grand Vezier to three sultans from 1565 to 1579.
The
stone from which the bridge was built was quarried in Banja, about five
kilometers downstream on the right bank of the Drina.
A wooden tower formerly stood on the middle of the bridge; the date of
its construction is unknown, but it was pulled down in 1886.
The tower was used as a guard-room, with a passage beneath closed by
massive oak doors on both sides.
The tower was equipped with several small cannons known as šibe.
On
the bridge itself, there were two chronograms engraved with the years 971/1571
and 985/1577 respectively.
General
information:
The
bridge is one of the most magnificent works of architecture of the fifteenth to
nineteenth century in Bosnia
and Herzegovina. The part of the bridge that spans the
river consists of eleven arched openings, of which the end opening on the right
bank rests on two retaining walls with the smallest span of 5.20 m.
The other ten arches have a span of from 10.70 to 14.80 m. The bridge is
carried by nine great stone piers with a width of from 3.50 to 4 m, and a length
of about 11.50 m. On the left bank
the endmost opening rests on the angle of the bridge where it grades into the
ramp. The width of the road over
the bridge is 6.00 m. The parapet
walls are 60 cm thick and 179.44 m. long.
The access ramp is about 6.60 m. wide including the parapet walls, and
about 120.00 m. long. There are
four arches in the ramp, a larger one in the angle (4.50 m. wide) and three
smaller ones spanning a brook that flows into the Drina.
The arches are classical depressed arches with the eccentricity of the
centers relatively small - about 1.00 m., with a depth of 85cm – making them
almost semicircular. The piers,
arches and facing walls are made of limestone from the locality of majdan
Višegradske banje. Some of the
stone blocks are held together by iron clamps sealed with lead.
Above the facing walls, at the level of the roadway, is a molded
limestone cornice 30 cm high on which rests a solid stone parapet.
The sixth pier is ornamented.
On the upstream side, it is of triangular profile, grading into a
rectangular extension bearing a blind portal with chronogrammatic
inscription. On the downstream
side it is polygonal in shape, grading into a rectangular extension with
built-in seats, which are still used to this day.
Research
and Conservation and Restoration Works
The
extent of damage and repairs of the bridge in period from 17th century till 19th
century is unknown except from what Evlija Čelebija recounts in his 1625
travelogue. There are no written
documents subsequent to this date until the nineteenth century, in 1896, when
the Drina rose to 15.4 m.
above its normal level, or some 1.6 m. above the highest point of the bridge
roadway. The korkaluk or parapet
of the bridge was destroyed by the flood, but the rest of the bridge and ramps
survived undamaged. However, the
piers, which stand on wooden grills, deteriorated with time and began to
undermine the stability of the bridge, as a result of which the foundations were
repaired in 1911.
The
bridge is known to have been repaired in around 1664, and again in 1875, 1911
and 1939/40. When the Austrians
withdrew from Višegrad in 1914 one of the openings of the bridge was destroyed,
and the following year the Serb army destroyed another one when retreating. The bridge remained in this condition
until 1939 when it was repaired.
During the intervening period, 1915-1939, the sections of the bridge that
had been destroyed were provided with an iron structure to make the bridge
passable. When the Germans
retreated in October 1943 that part was also destroyed. The reconstruction of
the destroyed sections of the bridge was carried out in 1949-1952.
The
hydroelectric power plant Bajina Basta downstream from the bridge and the
Višegrad hydroelectric power plant with dam located upstream from the bridge,
endanger this historical monument. (A study on repairs to the bridge for the
purpose of its preservation was drawn up by Professor Gojković,
Ph.D.)
During
1950, 1951 and 1952, the Roads Authority of the Ministry of Local Traffic
reconstructed the destroyed arches, and carried out restoration works on the
surviving sections. These works
were carried out to a project designed by engineer Weber from the Regional
Design Institute from Sarajevo, the contractor was
GP «Put», and engineer Sorokin supervised the works.
The restored sections were reconstructed to conform exactly to the
surviving sections. The material
was taken from the old quarry. The
roadway, parapet, sofas and portal were fully restored.
The restoration of the inscription was by M. Mujagić, and the stonemason
Ivan Vrlec cut and dressed the stone.
The
reconstruction of the ramp was designed by a project drawn up by the Institute
for the Protection of the Cultural, Historical and Natural Heritage of BiH. The works started in 1991, and the
reconstruction of foundation of the pillars (towards the left river bank) was
carried out in 1992. The war
of1992-95 stopped these works, but the bridge did not suffer any damage as a
result of war action. Bearing in
mind that the power plant is continually operational, the bridge is regularly
exposed to fluctuations in water flow and water level, which directly endangers
its stability and future survival.
Categories
of Significance:
Internationally
important
Categories
of ownership or interest:
Of
national interest
Documentation
and bibliographic references:
Documentation:
§
Ruling
on the protection of the property by the Institute for the Protection of
Cultural Monuments no. 1099/51 and no. 02-741-3 dated 18
April 1962,
§
Technical
documentation from the Institute for the Protection of the Cultural, Historical
and Natural Heritage of BiH;
§
Photo
documentation
Bibliography:
- Documentation of the Commission to
Preserve National
Monument
- Bejtić,
Alija, Sokolovićev most na Drini u Višegradu (The Sokolović Bridge on the
Drina in Višegrad)
Sarajevo 1945.
- Čelić,
Džemal, Obnova Sokolovićeva mosta u Višegradu (Restoration of the
Sokolović Bridge in Višegrad) Naše starine I, 1953.
- Čelić,
Džemal, and Mujezinović, Mehmed, Stari mostovi u BiH (Old Bridges in BiH)
Sarajevo 1969
- Gojković,
Milan, Kameni mostovi
(Stone Bridges)
- Herman, K,
Journal of the National Museum, 1889 . Vol. I
- Korkut, D.,
Obnova natpisa na Sokolovića mostu (Restoration of the inscriptions on the
Sokolović Bridge) Journal of the
National Museum, 1939, Vol. II
- Mujezinović, Mehmed, Obnova natpisa
na Sokolovićevom mostu u Višegradu (Restoration of the inscriptions on the
Sokolović Bridge) Naše starine I, 1953.
- Styh, E,
Bauwesen in B. und H. , Vienna, 1887.
Condition:
2.
Poor
§
Since
the power plant is in constant operation, the bridge is exposed to fluctuations
in water flow and level on a daily basis, which is directly jeopardizes its
stability and future survival.
Temporary protection in the shape of steel panels has been erected on the
second and fifth piers, intended to prevent further erosion of the stone, but
the rest of the bridge remains unprotected,
§
The
structure is exposed to the specific risks of heavy traffic, weathering
etc.
Amount
of war or associated damage:
0.
No damage
§
The
bridge suffered no damage as a result of war action
Risk:
§
The
bridge is at risk of rapid deterioration as a result of the lack of regular
maintenance,
§
The
bridge is at risk of further deterioration due to the insufficiency of means and
will to execute the project of conservation of the
bridge.
Condition
risk:
B.
Immediate risk of further rapid deterioration or loss of fabric, solution agreed but not
begun
The
construction of the Bajina Bašta hydroelectric power station and the
accompanying reservoir below the bridge has diminished its aesthetic value. The
construction of the Višegrad hydroelectric power station has still further
altered the hydrology of the area and poses a threat to the bridge's
stability.
Technical
assessment and costing:
Project
of urgent protection measures from further deterioration needs to be
done.
On
the National monument and a zone extending 100 meters upstream and downstream
from the bridge, the following measures shall be applied:
§
the
construction of residential, commercial and agricultural facilities is
prohibited
§
all
works are prohibited other than conservation and restoration works carried out
to an approved project and under the professional supervision of the heritage
protection authority of Republika Srpska
§
the
dumping of all kinds of waste is prohibited
§
motor
vehicle traffic is prohibited
§
all
infrastructural works are prohibited other than in exceptional cases with the
approval of the relevant ministry and under the professional supervision of the
heritage protection authority of Republika Srpska
§
the
construction of any infrastructure or power facilities, quarries and other
pollutants the construction or operation of which could be detrimental to the
national monument is prohibited.
Costing
proposals for projects and above listed works have not been done.
Ownership:
State
property
Occupation:
Fully
occupied in regular use
Management:
The
provisions relating to protection and rehabilitation measures set forth by the
Law on the Implementation of the Decisions of the Commission to Preserve
National Monuments, established pursuant to Annex 8 of the General Framework
Agreement for Peace in Bosnia and Herzegovina (Official Gazette of Republika
Srpska no. 9/02) shall apply to the National Monument specified in the preceding
paragraph.
The
Government of Republika Srpska shall be responsible for ensuring and providing
the legal, scientific, technical, administrative and financial measures
necessary to protect, conserve, display and rehabilitate the National Monument –
Bridge of Mehmed-paša Sokolović.
For
the purpose of preserving the property and preventing its further deterioration,
the Government of Republika Srpska (RS), in the shape of the Ministry of Urban
Planning, Public Utilities, Construction and the Environment of RS, is
responsible for acting in accordance with Ruling no. 06-362-116/90 dated 20
February 1990 issued by the Ministry of Regional Planning and the Environment of
Bosnia and Herzegovina requiring that shut down the Višegrad hydroelectricity
plant, in regard to which approval for trial operations expired on 1 August
1991, until such time as the conditions have been met for final operating
approval as follows:
§
the
regulation of the Drina river bed downstream
from the dam to the Mehmed paša Sokolović
Bridge,
and
§
the
repair of the piers of the old Mehmed paša
Sokolović
Bridge in conformity with
the technical documentation certified by the relevant heritage protection
authority of Republika Srpska.
Summary:
Based
on the date of its construction, historical value, workmanship and proportions,
the Mehmed paša Sokolović
Bridge in Višegrad is an
outstanding example of public buildings, specifically bridges, within the
territory of
Bosnia
and Herzegovina.
The
Regional Plan for BiH to 2002 classified the bridge as category 0 – of
international importance.
Applying
the Criteria for the adoption of a decision on proclaiming an item of property a
national monument, this national monument reaches the following criteria
(criteria of significance):
A. Time frame
B. Historic value
C. Artistic and aesthetic value
C.i. quality of workmanship
C.ii. quality of material
C.iii. proportions
C.iv. composition
C.v. value of details
C.vi. structural value
D. Clarity (documentary, scientific and educational
value)
D.iii. work of a famous artist or builder
D.iv. evidence of a certain type, style or regional
manner
E. Symbolic value
E.iii. traditional value
E.v. significance for the identity of a group of
people
F. Landscape value
F.i. relation to other elements of an ensemble
F.ii. meaning in the townscape
F.iii. the building or group of buildings is part of a group or
site
G. Authenticity
G.i. form and design
G.ii. materials and content
G.iii. use and function
G.iv. traditions and techniques
G.v. location and setting
G.vi. spirit and feeling
H. Uniqueness/rarity
H.ii. outstanding work of art or architecture
H.iii. work of a prominent artist or architect
The
priority level of intervention is HIGH.
NOTE:
Condition
2.
Poor:
Condition
risk
B.
Immediate risk of further rapid deterioration or loss of fabric, solution agreed but not
begun
Criteria
employed for the Priority Intervention List:
§
The
monuments are designated as national monuments,
§
They
represents rear or unique example of the typology or chronological - stylistic
corpus,
§
They
are damaged/destroyed during the 1992-1995 war in BiH or they are endangered by
the post war conditions (illegal constructions, lack of funding for restoration
and maintenance, inexpert reconstruction,…) and are imposed to further
deterioration,
§
Their
restoration will encourage return process in BiH,
§
Their
restoration will support development of the region.
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