This is the ninth stage of a tour through Germany, Austria, Italy, Slovenia, Croatia, and Bosnia and Herzegovina. The routes have been plotted and driven in 2015 by Marc Telkamp. Today is your first day completely in Bosnia and Herzegovina. The emphasis of the route is on visiting Mostar, one of Bosnia and Herzegovina's most speaking cities with a wealth of culture and history. The latter is also regularly encountered along the way. The history of Bosnia and Herzegovina is - to say the least - eventful, as is that of all the old Yugoslav countries.

The “Old Bridge” (Stari Most) in Mostar symbolizes this history. In the 1990s, a civil war raged in what was then Yugoslavia, which slowly divided diverse ethnic populations. For most non-Yugoslavs, this war came to life when images circulated around the world of a destroyed bridge in Mostar.

Today in Mostar - and along the route - you will especially see the resilience of the population. The Old Bridge has been restored and, thanks to the famous divers, it has become a Unesco World Heritage Site. Mostar (rp 13) is today one of the most vibrant cities in Eastern Europe and popular with tourists. Today you also have the opportunity to visit some of the highlights in this city. You can park in one of the parking garages marked along the route and from there continue on foot to the old city center. Here you can of course visit Stari Most and marvel at the courage of the divers. In Mostar you can also clearly see the influences from the Ottoman past. You can visit impressive mosques, learn more about saunas in the local Hamam Museum and visit an old harem (Kajtaz House).

Keep in mind that if you want to visit Mostar extensively, today can be a long day. Especially if you also want to admire the other POIs along the way. And these are definitely worth it!

Once on the road, you will soon pass the lake of Buško (rp 4). This artificial lake was developed in the 1970s to supply the increasing tourism along the Dalmatian coast with electricity. It is hard to imagine that this lake was once a gigantic agricultural area ...

Two religions are dominant in Bosnia and Herzegovina: Islam and Christianity. In Mostar you see especially beautiful Mosques (the old tourist part of the city is largely Islamic). Along Lake Buško you will find the only Carmelite monastery (rp 5) in the country. If you are interested in discovering more about the traditional culture (such as costume and lifestyle), it is recommended to make a short stop here.

After the visit to the monastery, including any prayers for a safe journey, you can test your mettle on a piece of unpaved road. Those who like to hit the rough paths can leave the route at rp 6. Just before the bend to the right, you deviate from the route by continuing straight ahead. Pretty soon you have gravel under your wheels. This quiet path leads you through the vast nature in this region and at rp 7 you resume the original route.

Of course, a nice ride can be interspersed with wonderful breaks. Your first stop on the road is in the town of Posušje. You can take a break here at VIVA café (rp 8). Undoubtedly you can discover several nice other cafes as soon as you stretch your legs through a short walk.

After this break the long stretch towards Mostar starts. The road winds through the hills, further East. Here you follow the Ugrovača and Lištica. These two rivers meet in the town of Široki Brijeg and guide you to Mostar.

Just before entering the city, you will drive down a hill. If you are interested, you can turn right after the upcoming bend, up a road towards the mountain top. Here is the Cross on Mount Hum (rp 12). The view from this top is spectacular. In good weather you can see far away and you have a good view of the city of Mostar. Unfortunately for the inhabitants in the past, this has meant that, from this mountaintop, they were closely watched and regularly attacked by enemy forces. Nowadays you can see here at most the ruins of the old bunker. The machine gun and tanks have been removed a long time ago.

After your visit to Mostar, follow the Neretva River (which passes under the Stari Most) north. This river has unfortunately seen some massacres. One of them took place in 1943, during WWII. At rp 18 you can visit a museum, where part of this history comes to life, because the traces of the battle are clearly visible here. The old ruined bridge is perhaps the most striking example: once destroyed as a distraction, once actually destroyed in an attack and finally destroyed for filming for the movie "Battle of the Neretva". Interesting fact: The original movie poster at the time was created by Pablo Picasso. He did not want to be financially compensated for this work. Instead of money, he asked for a box of the best Yugoslav wines. Keep this in mind: nowadays the wines from this region are still delicious, especially after a nice ride on the motorcycle!

Fortunately, this tour also has a lot of natural beauty to offer. Following the Neretva River will take you to two beautiful lakes. The first is the Jablaničko lake (rp 19): you can swim here. You may have already tried it along the way, but the aforementioned rivers are freezing. This lake has a pleasant temperature again, making it a popular place in the summer to cool off on a warm day.

Lake Ramsko (rp 21) is - just like Lake Jablaničko - an artificial lake. The route will lead you to the center of the lake. Literally! There is a small island in the lake that is easily accessible. Park here to enjoy the view and possibly take a short walk. People with an interest in taxidermy can venture a visit to the Franciscan monastery here. The monastery houses a modest collection of stuffed animals from the area.

All these impressions make man thirsty. Fortunately, there is another opportunity to take a break along the lake. At Cafe Restaurant Mediteran (rp 23) you can enjoy the beautiful views before you start the last hour of your route.

This last part is relatively easy to ride. On a wide and well-paved road you can easily drive back to the hotel in Livno. Along the way you can enjoy nature and the views.

A special place is marked along the route: the Livanjsko karst field (rp 27). This is the largest karst field in Europe with an area of 458.7 km². The special thing about karst is that limestone dissolves because acid rainwater affects the rock. This phenomenon causes, for example, the seasonal emergence and disappearance of Lake Cerkniško (route Bled to Stari trg pri Lozu), but also the disappearance of the Lištica river, which you followed earlier today to Mostar.

Slowly you will come to the end of your route. You can refuel at rp 28 and then end the day at your hotel in Livno.

The route receives 3.5 stars. It is a fairly simple route that requires little of your driving skills. It is mainly a tourist route to bring you to and from Mostar. The tour is particularly worthwhile because of the visit to the city of Mostar (rp 13), the museum about the battle around the Neretva river (rp 18) and the beautiful reservoirs and karst field on the second half of the route.