MOSTAR  , the

capital of Herzegovina, situated 81 m . S.W. of Serajevo, on the river Narenta, and on the railway from Serajevo to Ragusa . Pop . (1900), about 14,500 including the garrison . Mostar is the seat of Roman Catholic and Orthodox bishops, a district court, and an Austrian garrison . Half Turkish, half Italian in character, it commands the gateway through which all heavy traffic must pass on the seaward road . A single arch of great beauty, 891 ft. in span, and 6r ft. high, leads to the Roman Catholic quarter, on the right bank of the river . This bridge has been the theme of many legends, and its origin has been much debated . Probably it was built by the Turks, in the 15th or 16th century, after Italian designs; but some antiquaries ascribe its foundation to the Romans . Since 1881, when an iron bridge was opened, its use has been confined to foot passengers . Mostar possesses a gymnasium, a school of viticulture, and a massive Orthodox cathedral . The present name of the city has been derived from the Serbo-Croatian most, a bridge, and star, old .

Its earlier

Slavonic name was Vitrinicha . Whether it may be identified with Pons Vetus, Andretium, Bistuae, Saloniana, or Sarsenterum, it certainly dates from Roman times . Mostar was enlarged in 1440 by Radivoi Gost, mayor of the palace to Stephen, first duke of St Sava . Immediately on their conquest of Herzegovina it was chosen by the Turks as their headquarters . The environs of the city are interesting . Within a few miles are the sources of the Buna, a small affluent of the Narenta, which issues from a cavern at the foot of Podvelez, amid scenery celebrated for its wild grandeur . See Sir G . Wilkinson, Dalmatia and Montenegro (London, 1848), vol. ii . (view and plan at pp . 59, 6o) ; J . Asboth, An Official Tour through Bosnia and Herzegovina (London, 1890), pp . 255—262 ; and R .

Munro, Bosnia and Herzegovina (Edinburgh, 1900), pp . 179-188 .