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Arslanagića bridge on Trebišnjica river

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Arslanagića bridge is one of the most beautiful bridges built during the Ottoman rule in Bosnia and Herzegovina. This bridge is built on Trebišnjica river by the funding of Mehmed paša Sokolović, one of the most powerful Bosniaks ever in Ottoman empire, in 1574.

It is 80 meters long with 7 arches while the two in the middle are 15 meters high. At that time this bridge was a very important object located on the road that connects central Bosnia with Novi city (today known as Herceg Novi).

Important trade route

This city was a part of Bosnian state and under Ottoman rule, but today it belongs to Croatia. Novi was very important for it's production of salt that has been transported into the central Bosnia over the Arslanagića bridge. A little more than a hundred years after the Arslanagića bridge was built the Venetians captured Novi city and most of the Muslim locals refuge in the Trebinje city. After the building of new roads to Dubrovnik this bridge slowly lost it's significance.

One of the local Muslims who's name was Arslan-aga had a task of collecting the bridge tolls and his house was located right beside the bridge. During the time on that place locals founded a village named Arslanagići, after Arslan-aga.

Attacks on the bridge

After almost a 400 years of it's being the bridge was targeted by Serbian "četnik" forces during the Second World War. They tried to prevent partisan forces from crossing the Trebišnjica river by mining the Arslanagića bridge - but they efforts was unsuccessful since they menage to destroy only the left side of the bridge.

Arslanagića bridge on it's original location

After this first attack on this historical and cultural jewel Yugoslav government dismantled the bridge stone by stone 1965. because they decided to build a hydroelectric plant on that place. Arslanagića bridge rested on the nearby field several years with every stone properly marked. There is a saying that some foreigners tried to buy the bridge in that state, but faith of the bridge was to be built again on the same river, but few kilometers lower to the Trebinje city. The bridge stones was transported on the boats to it's new location in 1970 and two years later the bridge was up again in one of the Trebinje villages named Gradina.

History changing attempts

Peace of the bridge was disturbed again in 1993 during the recent aggression on Bosnia and Herzegovina when Božidar Vučurević, mayor of Trebinje city, decided to rename the bridge and name it Perovića bridge claiming that Arslanagić family had roots in the Serbian family Perovići. Despite these efforts to change the history people still call this bridge by it's name - Arslanagića bridge.