logo
episode-header-image
Nov 2014
9m 8s

The Destruction of the Bridge at Mostar,...

Bbc World Service
About this episode

In November 1993, one of Bosnia's most famous landmarks, the old Ottoman bridge in Mostar, was destroyed by Croat guns in the Bosnian war. Built by the Ottomans in the 16th Century, the bridge was a symbol of Bosnia's multicultural past. We talk to Eldin Palata, who filmed the destruction of the bridge; and to local journalist Mirsad Behram about what the bridge meant to the people of Mostar.

Photograph: the gap where Mostar's historic bridge had stood, November 1993. Credit: AP

Up next
Dec 2014
The Biggest Rock Concert Ever
What does rock megastar Rod Stewart remember most about playing to 4 million people on Copacabana beach on New Year's Eve 1994? Well... it's not nice.Photo: Rod Stewart at the BBC. 
8m 52s
Dec 2014
The Beginning of Reality TV
In December 1999 a young Dutch man, Bart Spring in't Veld, won the first ever Big Brother reality TV show. It was to be the start of a global television phenomenon. But for 22-year-old Bart the victory proved to be a mixed blessing.Photo: Big Brother winner Bart Spring in't Veld, ... Show More
8m 57s
Dec 2014
The Casa Pia Scandal in Portugal
In 2004, some of the most high-profile people in Portugual went on trial on charges of sexuallly abusing boys from a children's home called Casa Pia. Six defendants were eventually found guilty, including a famous televison presenter. Simon Watts talks to Pedro Namora, a lawyer w ... Show More
8m 56s
Recommended Episodes
Oct 2023
The first Bosphorus Bridge
In 1973, the Bosphorus Bridge was completed connecting Europe and Asia.The suspension bridge was the first of three spanning the Bosphorus Strait in Istanbul, Turkey. Wayne Wright speaks to Harvey Binnie who was an important member of the design team. A Made in Manchester product ... Show More
9m 1s
Aug 2023
Sarajevo’s haven of peace
After the collapse of former Yugoslavia, Bosnian Serb forces laid siege to the Bosnian capital, Sarajevo, in 1992. More than a quarter of a million people lived under almost constant bombardment and sniper fire for more than four years. Over 10,000 were killed. Hunger and destitu ... Show More
9m 56s
Oct 2018
Why Build Bridges?
Part of the Building Bridges Tour. Davao, Philippines. Hosted by Faredatunnisa Foundation Building bridges. The first bridge the venerated Sheikh informs is the bridge with Allah. He is Rabbun – the one how nourishes,who protects, the one in absolute control of all aspects of exi ... Show More
1h 1m
May 2024
The battle of Meggido: ancient Egypt at war
Nicky Nielsen traces the progress of a brutal 15th-century BC battle that saw supercharged the rise of Egypt's greatest warrior pharaoh Recovering the stories of ancient battles that happened thousands of years ago can be very difficult. But as one of the first battles to have be ... Show More
17m 14s
Jan 2023
Budapest: Between East and West
Almost at the centre of Europe, Budapest, is at the crossroads of geographical regions and of civilizations, at the intersection of ancient trade routes. Mountains that gradually slope into gentle hills converge on a great river, the Danube, and the regions of Buda and Pest spran ... Show More
18m 7s
Feb 2022
The Ukraine crisis: an eyewitness history
Former presidents and protestors recount two key moments in the history of the Ukraine crisis - from the historic meeting that ended the USSR to the dramatic anti-government protests in Ukraine in 2013-14. And the BBC's Lucy Ash explains how Russian-Ukrainian relations have evolv ... Show More
49m 58s
Jun 2023
Ukraine's Dam Destroyed: Water as a Weapon
On the 6th of June, 2023, an explosion tore through the Kakhovka Dam in Ukraine. A torrent of water cascaded downriver, flooding towns and villages, displacing thousands, and causing a catastrophic ecological disaster. Many observers suggest that this was a deliberate act of sabo ... Show More
33m 17s
Mar 2022
Ukrainian history special
To mark the Russian invasion of Ukraine, a special edition on episodes from Ukrainian history. In April 1986 a reactor exploded at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant in Soviet Ukraine. Sergii Mirnyi monitored radiation levels in the exclusion zone around the plant. How the interna ... Show More
50m 17s
Oct 2018
The Smooth-talking Takeover of Tabor Bridge
In 1805, two French Marshals found themselves in quite a pickle -- Jean Lannes and Joachim Murat needed to cross the Danube at the Tabor bridge (a series of three bridges, actually) to reach Vienna. However, Austrian forces held the bridges and were prepared to destroy them befor ... Show More
29m 49s