Mehmed Paša Sokolović Bridge in Višegrad

World Heritage Research

Discover scientific research and academic studies that deepen our understanding of Mehmed Paša Sokolović Bridge in Višegrad from its history and significance to its conservation, management, and contemporary challenges.

• La Durée in The Bridge on the Drina

  A novel approach to understanding time through the lens of Henri Bergson's 'la durée' reveals how subjective experiences of time, shaped by individual consciousness, are reflected in the lives and narratives surrounding the Mehmed Paša Sokolović Bridge. This 16th-century Ottoman stone bridge, central to Ivo Andrić’s historical novel The Bridge on the Drina, serves as a metaphor for the passage of four centuries, witnessing the fates of Višegrad residents until its destruction in World War I. The study demonstrates that time is not merely objective or measurable but is deeply tied to human perception and emotional experiences, challenging conventional temporal divisions. By analyzing the novel’s narrative, the research highlights how characters' consciousness alters their experience of time—whether swift or slow—without breaking its indivisible nature.

  Sulaiman, M. Q. (2025). La Durée in The Bridge on the Drina. Journal of Language Studies, 8(12, 2), 290–296. https://doi.org/10.25130/lang.8.12.2.15

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• Zmienność i trwałość skażonych krajobrazów nadrzecznych w ujęciu geobiograficznym – casus Driny

  This study reveals how landscapes shaped by historical trauma and suffering can be both mutable and enduring, with their perception influenced by cultural narratives. Focusing on the Drina River, particularly around the Mehmed Paša Sokolović Bridge in Višegrad, it demonstrates that rivers, inherently ephemeral due to their dynamic nature, serve as repositories of hidden wickedness while literature plays a pivotal role in solidifying the permanence of their perceived image. The research employs a geobiographical approach, integrating literary analysis—such as Ivo Andrić’s The Bridge on the Drina—with sensory experiences to construct an individually perceived landscape. This interplay between real and imagined landscapes highlights how cultural texts like Saša Stanišić’s How a Soldier Repaired the Gramophone and Ed Vulliamy’s reportage collection shape our understanding of contaminated riverine environments, offering a nuanced perspective on the intersection of history, memory, and place.

  Kapusta, A., Kaczmarek, J.,. (2025). Zmienność i trwałość skażonych krajobrazów nadrzecznych w ujęciu geobiograficznym – casus Driny. Białostockie Studia Literaturoznawcze, (26), 135–156. https://doi.org/10.15290/bsl.2025.26.07

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• Impact of biodeterioration on the durability of the historical bridge of Mehmed Pasha Sokolović in Višegrad

  Biodeterioration significantly impacts the durability of the Mehmed Pasha Sokolović Bridge, threatening its structural integrity and longevity. The study reveals that biological agents such as algae, mosses, lichens, and fungi, combined with environmental factors like seismicity, moisture, air pollution, and hydroelectric power plant effects, accelerate deterioration in stone joints, materials, and concrete components. To address this, the research developed a decision-making platform for improved maintenance and monitoring, leveraging new technologies to extend the bridge's service life. This approach aims to inform future conservation strategies and secure funding through business planning. The findings underscore the need for proactive measures to safeguard this UNESCO World Heritage Site.

  Vujović, V. (2025). Impact of biodeterioration on the durability of the historical bridge of Mehmed Pasha Sokolović in Višegrad. Procedia Structural Integrity, 72, 5–12. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.prostr.2025.08.067

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• Death, Grief, and Mourning in an ICTY Film: Exploring Relational and Non/Living Worlds

  A queer relational approach to analyzing the ICTY documentary 'Crimes Before the ICTY: Višegrad' reveals that death, grief, and mourning are not merely evidentiary tools but also relational encounters involving more-than-human elements like buildings, bridges, and artifacts. This analysis challenges the reductive representation of violence in international criminal justice, highlighting how these elements serve as vestiges, witnesses, and sites of loss. By drawing on Queer Death Studies and relational ontologies, the study enriches attempts to understand and feel loss in the wake of violence, while also critiquing civilizational logics that dominate such representations.

  Biddolph, C. (2024). Death, Grief, and Mourning in an ICTY Film: Exploring Relational and Non/Living Worlds. International Studies Quarterly, 68(2). https://doi.org/10.1093/isq/sqae076

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• The image of Višegrad in the architectonics of Ivo Andrić’s novel “The Bridge on the Drina”

  Ivo Andrić's novel The Bridge on the Drina employs architectural ekphrasis to depict Višegrad as a 'Drina text,' where the city's development is intricately linked to its iconic bridge over the Drina River. The study reveals that this narrative structure—categorized as a 'novel-fresco' or mosaic—serves as a mediator across multiple dimensions, including time, space (e.g., between East and West), and historical crises spanning nearly four centuries. Through descriptive, chronotopic, intermedial, and stylistic analysis, the research demonstrates how Andrić uses the bridge and city imagery to symbolize existential themes, such as death and destruction, often through isomorphs like water, circles, or mountains. The novel's 'Drina text' framework highlights its philosophical exploration of human existence amid historical upheaval.

  Dobroshtan, T. (2024). The image of Višegrad in the architectonics of Ivo Andrić’s novel “The Bridge on the Drina”. Synopsis: Text Context Media, 30(3), 177–183. Internet Archive. https://doi.org/10.28925/2311-259x.2024.3.5

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• Theorizing History in the Works of Ivo Andrić and Leo Tolstoy

  This chapter identifies distinct approaches to irony and historical theorization in the works of Ivo Andrić and Leo Tolstoy. It argues that Andrić's irony is sceptical, rooted in relativity, while Tolstoy's is 'holy,' blending reverence with impiety. The study compares their narratives, particularly focusing on the Višegrad Bridge's historical significance and the political polemics surrounding it, as well as the complexities of characters like Prince Andrew and Pierre. It also explores how Aristotle's concept of entelechy influences their views on history's trajectory, whether driven by divine or nationalistic forces.

  Doubt, K. (2023). Theorizing History in the Works of Ivo Andrić and Leo Tolstoy. Bosnian Authors in a European Window, 69–76. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781032619675-12

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• On Translating Some Culture-specific Elements of Oriental Origin in Italian Translations of the Novel Na Drini Ćuprija by Ivo Andrić

  Translating culture-specific elements of Oriental origin poses significant challenges for translators, as demonstrated by an analysis of Italian translations of Ivo Andrić's novel 'Na Drini Ćuprija' (The Bridge on the Drina). The study found that these elements, which denote state, social, and religious titles and occupations, do not exist in the Italian language repertoire due to significant spatial and cultural distance. This leads to difficulties in maintaining the authenticity of the original text, as these realia are often perceived as archaisms or regionalisms even in contemporary Bosnian language. The research involved excerpts from the novel, contrasting analysis of their frequency in the original and both Italian translations (1960 by Bruno Meriggi and 2001 by Dunja Badnjević), revealing a notable gap that translators must navigate to preserve cultural context.

  Kerla, N. (2023). On Translating Some Culture-specific Elements of Oriental Origin in Italian Translations of the Novel Na Drini Ćuprija by Ivo Andrić. Društvene I Humanističke Studije (Online), 8(3(24)), 173–192. https://doi.org/10.51558/2490-3647.2023.8.3.173

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