Croatia has opened a bridge connecting two parts of the country separated by Herzegovina and Bosnia’s twelve-mile stretch; reuniting the coastline which had been divided when the Yugoslav federation broke up in the early 1990s.
The bridge opened early yesterday morning and many Croats were there to be the first group to cross the 2.4-kilometre stretch on foot. After the ceremony, it was open to traffic.
The bridge spans the Adriatic Sea to link Croatia’s mainland to the Peljesac peninsula in the south, allowing easier access to the walled city of Dubrovnik.
Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic made a speech at the end of a day of festivities including fireworks and boat races. He called the event a ‘historic day for Croatia’ and the bridge itself a ‘project of a generation. a project of pride.’
Known for its stunning nature and hundreds of Adriatic Sea islands, Croatia is a major tourism destination, attracting millions from Europe and all over the world every summer.