Historic monument of the Bridge over the River Žepa, Rogatica (BH_29)
Country or territory: Bosnia and Herzegovina
Name of organisation compiling the information: Commission to Preserve National Monuments
Contact name: Mirela Mulaluć Handan
Email address: mirela.m.handan@kons.gov.ba
Name and address of building(s) or site: Historic monument of the Bridge over the River Žepa, Rogatica Municipality, RS
Inventory reference number(s): 07.2-2-969/03-7
Building type(s): Historic monument
Main date(s): Ottoman period, built 16th century, reconstructed 1967
Current use(s): In use
Significance
Bridges were built in Bosnia and Herzegovina during the Ottoman period to improve links with the Empire. The bridge in Višegrad was of particular importance in this regard, linking Bosnia and Herzegovina with the rest of the Empire. Its construction gave rise to the need for more bridges on the main and branch routes leading to it, and hence to the erection of the bridge over the River Žepa and the Goat Bridge in Sarajevo at almost the same time and as part of the same project. It is thus quite possible, or even likely, that the founder of this bridge too was Mehmed pasha Sokolović, and that a realistic date for the bridge is the final quarter of the 16th century. However, the absence of documentation or other physical evidence means that this cannot be confirmed beyond doubt.
Better-quality, more durable bridges were built on all major trade routes. At first, wooden bridges were the norm (as in the bridge over the Prača), but by the 16th century a number were being built in stone.
As a building material, stone is tailormade in essential characteristics and formal potential for stereotomic forms. The fundamental stereotomic form common to all bridge-building world-wide is the arch – a single arch between two banks, or a number of arches linking the river-banks in a certain rhythm.
The bridge over the River Žepa is one of the finest and most elegant of its kind in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Whereas the bridge over the River Drina in Višegrad is imposing in size and a certain stylistic and technical finish, and the bridge in Mostar strikes one with its span and elegance, the bridge over the Žepa, though smaller, is a monumental expression of strength and beauty. The architectural features of the bridge and the quality of workmanship still reveal that it was the work of a highly skilled bridge-builder, even though the bridge was dismantled in 1966 when a hydro power plant was built, moved to a new site and rebuilt in new topographic surroundings. The reconstruction works were carried out in 1967, with each element replaced in its original position. The binder used to re-lay the spandrel walls was lime cement mortar; the other joints were made in the original manner. The infill consisted of rubble stone in lime cement mortar. In this case, there was no question of a vernacular builder: judging from the bridge’s bold construction, its builder must have been trained in one of the leading schools, and have mastered the most advanced building techniques of his day. Some of the formal elements, such as the line of the arch, the nature of the masonry and so on, are very similar to details that can be observed on the Mehmed pasha Sokolović Bridge in Višegrad, suggesting that the builder of the bridge over the Žepa was of the same school and that this bridge too dates from the late 16th century.
The steep banks of the River Žepa made it necessary to construct a single-arched bridge. The arch is pointed both upstream and downstream. Evidence of the stylistic likeness between the bridge on the Žepa and the bridge in Višegrad may be found in the fact that the span of this arch is almost identical to that of the first arch of the Višegrad bridge by the left bank, except that the rise of the bridge over the Žepa is somewhat greater. The bridge is 21.60 m long and consists of a roadway and parapets, below which are string courses.
The barrel and faces of the arch are of cut tufa blocks, and the spandrel walls of ashlar limestone. The courses consist of alternate headers and stretchers, allowing the builder to tie the spandrels to the core of rubble stone and lime mortar. The very narrow joints between the blocks were even and radial, and were pointed with lime mortar, largely calcified on the surface. Most were reinforced along the horizontal courses by wrought iron cramps set in lead; no cramps were used on the vertical joints. The spandrel walls terminated in a simply-moulded string course level with the roadway. The roadway itself rose slightly towards the middle of the bridge, and was entirely cobbled. The bridge was not found to have any kind of hydroinsulation. The parapet was joined to the wide horizontal slabs of the string course by iron spikes and lead, and the slabs forming the parapet were joined at the top by iron cramps set in lead.
There is no extant chronogram on the bridge that might provide details of the date and the builder.
Categories of Significance
- Of outstanding national importance
Categories of ownership or interest
- The bridge over the River Žepa, dating from the Ottoman period, is of universal importance in its historical, cultural and, above all, its symbolic value, and is of outstanding importance for everyone in Bosnia and Herzegovina regardless of ethnicity or religious affiliation. The short story entitled The Bridge on the Žepa by the Nobel Prize winning novelist Ivo Andrić both corroborates and enlarges upon the universal symbolic value of the monument, which may thus be said to transcend the borders of Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Documentation and bibliographic references
1882. Matković, P. “Dva italijanska putopisa po Balkanskom poluotoku iz XVI stoljeća” (Two 16th century Italian travelogues around the Balkan peninsula), Starine X, 206.
1866. Bosna, no. 14, 15 and 27 August 1866, 1.
1886. Bosanska vila, yr. I, 1886, 120-121.
1887. Styh, E., Bauwesen in B. und H., Wien, 1887.
1889. Herman, K. Glasnik Zemaljskog muzeja, 1889, vol. I.
1934. Gujić, Kasim. “Najljepši turski mostovi u BiH” (Bosnia and Herzegovina’s finest Turkish bridges), Gajret calendar for 1934. Sarajevo: 1934.
1945. Bejtić, Alija. Sokolovićev most na Drini u Višegradu (The Sokolović bridge in Višegrad). Sarajevo: 1945.
1953. Čelić, Džemal. “Obnova Sokolovićeva mosta u Višegradu” (Restoration of the Sokolović bridge in Višegrad), Naše starine I, 1953.
1957. Ayverdi, Ekrem, Hakki. Yugoslavia da Turk Abidelari ve vakiflari. Ankara: 1957.
1961. Gojković, Milan, Katanić, Nadežda. Građa za proučavanje starih mostova i akvadukata u Srbiji, Makedoniji, Crnoj Gori (Material for the study of old bridges and aqueducts in Serbia, Macedonia and Montenegro). Belgrade: 1961.
1968. Bašeskija, Mula Mustafa. Ljetopis (Chronicles), trans. M. Mujezinović. Sarajevo: 1968.
1969. Defterdarević, Aziz. “Pravni aspekti spasavanja starih mostova na Trebišnjici, Žepi i Drini” (Legal aspects of the rescue of old bridges on the Trebišnjica, Žepa and Drina), Naše starine no. 12, 61, 1969.
1998. Čelić, Džemal, Mujezinović. Mehmed. Stari mostovi u BiH (Old bridges in BiH). Sarajevo: Sarajevo Publishing, 2004.
Photographic documentation of the Commission to Preserve National Monuments.
Condition
5. Poor - deteriorating structure, general internal dilapidation.
War or associated damage
0. None
Risk
The bridge is in very poor structural condition, and is no longer of the same importance as before, now that no important roads now pass over it. As a result, the relevant authorities have no interest in repairing it.
Development
- Industrial development:
- in 1966 the bridge was dismantled to make way for the construction of a hydro power plant, and was rebuilt in 1967 in a different topographical setting
- Abandonment of countryside due to urbanization:
- the bridge is in the little town of Žepa, completely disregarded in development plans since 1945. The bridge is remote from main roads
- changing local population (the new generation has an entirely different perspective on the village and its way of life).
Lack of planning measures
- Isolated “digs”:
- the little town of Žepa and the bridge itself are not part of development plants.
Inappropriate interventions as damaging factor
- Incompatible materials:
- In 1967 the bridge was reconstructed by replacing each element of the structure in its original position. The binder used to re-lay the spandrel walls was lime cement mortar; the other joints were made in the original manner. The infill consisted of rubble stone in lime cement mortar.
Lack of maintenance
- Vegetation growth -the bridge is at risk from self-sown vegetation
Lack of administration and legislation
- Poor integration of heritage into development plans -the town of Žepa and its cultural and natural heritage are not integrated into development plans.
Structural destabilization
- Loss of materials, detachment, cracking - the bridge was rebuilt in a different topographical setting for which it was not structurally suited, and large cracks can be seen on the walls and arch of the bridge, the result of the inflexible bond with the footings caused by the use of cement mortar
Ownership and occupation
- No responsibility for maintenance - no system of routine maintenance has been set up.
Function
- Conflicting uses - the bridge was an important feature of the roads network, but was completely sidelined by the 1945 development plans.
Resources
- Lack of finance for maintenance and repair.
Condition risk
A. Immediate risk of continued rapid deterioration or loss of fabric; no solution agreed.
The bridge is not even subject to routine maintenance measures. The effects of the elements and neglect have left the bridge in poor condition. No repair, conservation and restoration project has been drawn up.
Technical assessment and costings
In January 2005, following the designation of the bridge as a national monument by the Commission to Preserve National Monuments, the condition of the bridge was examined and the structure was found to be in poor condition, with the possibility of collapse if repair works were not carried out in the near future.
The decision designating the bridge over the Žepa as a national monument prescribed the following protection measures:
- drawing up a programme to determine the condition of the bridge
- carrying out a geodetic survey of the bridge
- examining the materials and condition of the structure
- analyzing the available data on the bridge
- carrying out a preliminary structural analysis
- drawing up a project for the repair, restoration and conservation of the bridge.
The repair, restoration and conservation project was to cover
- a structural analysis of the terrain and the structure of the bridge with remedial measures for the footings on which the structure of the bridge rests and repairs to the abutments
- making good the damage to the barrel with light-weight portable scaffolding, cleaning the joints and repointing with lime mortar
- repairing the upstream and downstream wing walls
- making good the damage to the string courses and parapet
- clearing the surroundings of the bridge and removing self-sown vegetation
- cleaning the bridge and removing self-sown vegetation from the bridge structure.
Ownership
- Public ownership
Occupation or use
- The bridge over the Žepa is in use, but has lost its original purpose and is no longer used to carry traffic.
Management
Pursuant to the powers allotted to it by Annex 8 of the General Framework Agreement for Peace in BiH, in 2005 the Commission to Preserve National Monuments adopted a Decision designating the bridge over the River Žepa as a national monument.
The Commission monitors and assesses the condition of national monuments and activities associated with them. It has drawn up a List of Endangered Monuments requiring urgent protection measures to prevent them from being wholly destroyed, with a view to drawing the attention of all relevant authorities at the entity and national (state) level, as well as of potential donors and investors, to national monuments at risk of disappearing for ever if steps are not taken immediately to rescue them.
The bridge over the River Žepa is on the List of Endangered Monuments.
Responsibility for implementing the Commission’s decisions lies with the government of the entity in whose territory a given national monument is located. The entity governments, regional planning ministries, heritage protection authorities and municipal authorities responsible for town planning and cadastral affairs are notified of decisions by the Commission to enable them to carry out the measures prescribed by law, and the relevant municipal court is also notified so that the designation may be entered in the Land Register.
Pursuant to the Law on the Implementation of Decisions of the Commission and the provisions of the Decision designating the bridge over the River Žepa as a national monument of Bosnia and Herzegovina, the government of Republika Srpska is responsible for providing the legal, scientific, technical, administrative and financial measures necessary for the protection, conservation, presentation and rehabilitation of the national monument (the implementation of the Decision).
In Republika Srpska, the Ministry of Regional Planning, Construction and the Environment issues permits for protective, investigative, conservation, restoration and rehabilitation works on national monuments, along with building permits relating to the protected site of a national monument, based on planning and technical documentation approved by the authorized professional body. Technical documentation must be in conformity with the protection measures set out in the decisions designating national monuments. In addition, the basic activity of the entity ministries responsible for regional planning is spatial planning and drawing up planning documents, and implementing them by means of land use.
The Institute for the Protection of the Cultural and Natural Heritage operates under the RS Ministry of Education and Culture. The Institute is responsible for the expert supervision of restoration works on national monuments and for carrying out restoration projects financed from the budget of the RS Government.
The RS Inspectorate Authority, responsible for planning and building inspection, carries out the inspection and oversight of the protected areas on which national monuments are located, and is authorized to take the legally prescribed protection measures, including issuing decisions suspending all interventions not in compliance with the law and restoring the property in question to the condition in which it was prior to the illicit or inexpert works.
Rogatica Municipality, acting through its various departments, monitors and controls activities in the field. Municipal authorities are required to bring all their plans and documents relating to the protected area of a monument into compliance with the decisions of the Commission to Preserve National Monuments. The Municipality is also required to refrain from all activities that could be detrimental to the monument, and to cooperate with the Commission to Preserve National Monuments and the entity institutions in the process of implementation of the Commission’s decisions and the protection of monuments.
The Commission to Preserve National Monuments is also authorized, in its case by the Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina, to conduct international activities in regard to the protection of the historical and cultural heritage. This includes raising donor funds for the protection of national monuments and the implementation of protection projects.
Given the universal symbolic and historical importance of the bridge over the River Žepa, not only for Bosnia and Herzegovina, its repair, conservation and restoration are among the priorities of the heritage protection institutions.
Summary
Significance
The bridge over the River Žepa, dating from the Ottoman period, is one of the finest and most elegant of its kind in Bosnia and Herzegovina, and is a monumental expression of strength and beauty. Its architectural features and quality of workmanship reveal that it was the work of a highly skilled bridge-builder, who must have been trained in one of the leading schools, and have mastered the most advanced building techniques of his day. The bridge is also of great symbolic value and of universal importance for everyone in Bosnia and Herzegovina and beyond, regardless of ethnicity or religious affiliation.
Condition
The bridge is in poor structural condition, with the possibility of collapse if repair works were not carried out in the near future.
Risk
The bridge is in very poor structural condition and at risk of partly collapsing or even, in the longer term, of complete structural collapse.
Priority level
- High.
Proposal submitted by the Institute for the Protection of the Cultural and Natural Heritage RS
Signed and dated
Milijana Okilj, architect - Institute for the Protection of the Cultural and Natural Heritage RS
Adi Ćorović, architect - Commission to Preserve National Monuments
Mirela Mulalić Handan, architect - Commission to Preserve National Monuments
Sarajevo, 5 May 2010
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