Expert visit to the “Werk 9” fortress – the first step towards valorizing the valuable Austro-Hungarian heritage in Mostar

On Tuesday, October 6, 2025, an expert visit to the fortress "Werk 9" was organized under the leadership of the director of the Tourist Board of the City of Mostar, Elvira Ćemalović, with the aim of considering the possibility of revitalization and the future purpose of this exceptional fortification building from the Austro-Hungarian period.

Tim Clancy, an international expert on sustainable development, and Manuel Martinović, author of a monograph on Austro-Hungarian fortifications in Bosnia and Herzegovina and president of the Association for the Protection of Fortifications "Werk", took part in the visit, along with director Ćemalović. The expert team analyzed the condition of the building and discussed the potential of its renovation and inclusion in the tourist offer of Mostar.

The City Council of the City of Mostar previously made a decision to give the fortress "Werk 9" to the Tourist Association of the City of Mostar for temporary management, free of charge. This decision represents an important step forward in the preservation of cultural and historical heritage, but also in the creation of new tourist content.

The fortress "Werk 9", built in 1888 and located in the settlement of Gnojnice Donje, represents a valuable example of Austro-Hungarian military architecture and is the only preserved building of this type in the area of Mostar. Despite its historical and architectural value, until now it was almost completely out of the focus of the public and tourist promotion. It is currently in an extremely neglected state, partly due to the influence of time, and partly as a result of long-term human carelessness and lack of systematic maintenance. Rehabilitation of the building will require significant financial investments, in order to bring the fortress to a functional and presentationally acceptable state, appropriate to its cultural value.

"Our intention is to preserve, restore and present this object to the public as a valuable segment of the cultural-historical and tourist heritage of Mostar. The Tourist Board will invest efforts, own funds and apply to appropriate funds in order to enable appropriate valorization and protection of the fortress, all while fully respecting its original form and the dignity of the space," said the director of the Tourist Board of the City of Mostar, Elvira Ćemalović.

According to the provisions of the decision of the City Council, the building will be used exclusively in a way that does not damage its cultural significance and historical integrity. By including the "Werk 9" fortress in the official tourist offer of Mostar, an opportunity is created to enrich the content that the city offers to visitors, while at the same time preserving one of the rare remaining testimonies of the Austro-Hungarian military infrastructure.

The Tourist Board of the City of Mostar hereby expresses its gratitude to the City Council for the trust shown and announces concrete steps in the coming period so that the fortress "Werk 9" becomes a recognizable and valuable part of the identity of the city of Mostar.