The Croatian War of Independence was fought from 1991 to 1995 between Croat forces loyal to the government of Croatia—which had declared independence from the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (SFRY)—and the Serb-controlled Yugoslav People’s Army (JNA) and local Serb forces
With winding stone staircases leading down to the sea and a glass lift built into the side of a cliff, the Hotel Belvedere was probably one of the best hotels in Yugoslavia.
In the lobby of our hostel within the walls of old
Dubronik, we sat with new friends over wine. One backpacker whispered of an abandoned hotel where a traveler he met had found an intact wine cellar and undetonated grenades. It was decided that the next day, a few intrepid would go search for it. Nobody knew where it was–all we knew was that outside the city walls, we needed to follow the main road along the harbor. About halfway there, we could see the ruins across the bay. The Hotel Belvedere was a 5-star luxury hotel destroyed in 1991 during an attack by Serbian forces on the city of Dubrovnik during the Croatian War of Independence. The hotel was only six years old–the cornerstone we found had the year 1985 etched in.
During the course of the multi-month siege, significant damage was done to the old city, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The old city, which was cut off from electricity and water, was host to 55,000 Croatian refugees while dozens had taken shelter inside the Hotel Belvedere. The siege of Dubrovnik is regarded as the turning point of international opinion against Serbia. Not much has been done with this grand luxury complex since then. It is sometimes used for large unofficial raves and more often used for graffiti and dog-walking. Nonetheless, a noose and the large amount of neo-Nazi/White Power graffiti made for some creepy exploration.
The hotel was destroyed in the during the Croatian War of Independence in an attack by the Serbian navy when the hotel was just six years old. Thomas made it to some locations we didn’t get to the first time, like the cafes and restaurants but didn’t find the mythic wine cellar that is rumored to be there (intact, they say…). It’s fun to see that a lot of the graffiti has remained, even after a few years (our photos were taken in 2010).The hotel was destroyed in the during the Croatian War of Independence in an attack by the Serbian navy when the hotel was just six years old. Thomas made it to some locations we didn’t get to the first time, like the cafes and restaurants but didn’t find the mythic wine cellar that is rumored to be there (intact, they say…). It’s fun to see that a lot of the graffiti has remained, even after a few years (our photos were taken in 2010).The hotel was destroyed in the during the Croatian War of Independence in an attack by the Serbian navy when the hotel was just six years old. Thomas made it to some locations we didn’t get to the first time, like the cafes and restaurants but didn’t find the mythic wine cellar that is rumored to be there (intact, they say…). It’s fun to see that a lot of the graffiti has remained, even after a few years (our photos were taken in 2010).The hotel was destroyed in the during the Croatian War of Independence in an attack by the Serbian navy when the hotel was just six years old. Thomas made it to some locations we didn’t get to the first time, like the cafes and restaurants but didn’t find the mythic wine cellar that is rumored to be there (intact, they say…). It’s fun to see that a lot of the graffiti has remained, even after a few years (our photos were taken in 2010).The hotel was destroyed in the during the Croatian War of Independence in an attack by the Serbian navy when the hotel was just six years old. Thomas made it to some locations we didn’t get to the first time, like the cafes and restaurants but didn’t find the mythic wine cellar that is rumored to be there (intact, they say…). It’s fun to see that a lot of the graffiti has remained, even after a few years (our photos were taken in 2010).The hotel was destroyed in the during the Croatian War of Independence in an attack by the Serbian navy when the hotel was just six years old. Thomas made it to some locations we didn’t get to the first time, like the cafes and restaurants but didn’t find the mythic wine cellar that is rumored to be there (intact, they say…). It’s fun to see that a lot of the graffiti has remained, even after a few years (our photos were taken in 2010)
About halfway there, we could see the
ruins across the bay. The Hotel Belvedere was a 5-star luxury hotel destroyed in 1991 during an attack by Serbian forces on the city of Dubrovnik during the Croatian War of Independence. The hotel was only six years old–the cornerstone we found had the year 1985 etched in. During the course of the multi-month siege, significant damage was done to the old city, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The old city, which was cut off from electricity and water, was host to 55,000 Croatian refugees while dozens had taken shelter inside the Hotel Belvedere. The siege of Dubrovnik is regarded as the turning point of international opinion against Serbia. About halfway there, we could see the ruins across the bay. The Hotel Belvedere was a 5-star luxury hotel destroyed in 1991 during an attack by Serbian forces on the city of Dubrovnik during the Croatian War of Independence. The hotel was only six years old–the cornerstone we found had the year 1985 etched in. During the course of the multi-month siege, significant damage was done to the old city, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The old city, which was cut off from electricity and water, was host to 55,000 Croatian refugees while dozens had taken shelter inside the Hotel Belvedere. The siege of Dubrovnik is regarded as the turning point of international opinion against Serbia. About halfway there, we could see the ruins across the bay. The Hotel Belvedere was a 5-star luxury hotel destroyed in Croatian War of Independence. The hotel was only six years old–the cornerstone we found had the year 1985 etched in.
During the course of the multi-month siege, significant damage was done to the old city, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The old city, which was cut off from electricity and water, was host to 55,000 Croatian refugees while dozens had taken shelter inside the Hotel Belvedere. The siege of Dubrovnik is regarded as the turning point of international opinion against Serbia. About halfway there, we could see the ruins across the bay. The Hotel Belvedere was a 5-star luxury hotel destroyed in 19
During the course of the multi-month
siege, significant damage was done to the old city, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The old city, which was cut off from electricity and water, was host to 55,000 Croatian refugees while dozens had taken shelter inside the Hotel Belvedere. The siege of Dubrovnik is regarded as the turning point of international opinion against Serbia.
The Croatian military was in a much worse state than that of the Serbs. In the early stages of the war, lack of military units meant that the Croatian Police force would take the brunt of the fighting. The Croatian National Guard (Croatian: Zbor narodne garde), the new Croatian into in an even worse state, consisting of only a few Antonov An-2 biplane crop-dusters that had been converted to drop makeshift bombs
Stari Most (English: Old Bridge) is a reconstruction of a 16th-century Ottoman bridge in the city of Mostar in Bosnia and Herzegovina that crosses the river Neretva and connects two parts of the city. The Old Bridge stood for 427 years, until it was destroyed on 9 November 1993 by Croat forces during the Croat–Bosniak War. Subsequently, a project was set in motion to reconstruct it, and the rebuilt bridge opened on 23 July 2004. One of the country’s most recognizable landmarks, it is also considered one of the most exemplary pieces of Islamic architecture in the Balkans and was designed by Mimar Hayruddin, a student and apprentice of the famous architect Mimar Sinan The original bridge was commissioned by Suleiman the Magnificent in 1557 to replace an older wooden suspension bridge of dubious stability. Construction began in 1557 and took nine years: according to the inscription the bridge was completed in 974 AH, corresponding to the period between 19 July 1566 and 7 July 1567. Tour directors used to state that the bridge was held together with metal pins and mortar made from the protein of egg whites. Little is known of the building of the bridge, and all that has been preserved in writing are memories and legends and the name of the builder, Mimar Hayruddin (student of Mimar Sinan, the Ottoman architect). Charged under pain of death to construct a bridge of such unprecedented dimensions, the architect reportedly prepared for his own funeral on the day the scaffolding was finally removed from the completed structure. Upon its completion it was the widest manmade arch in the world According to the 17th century Turkish traveler Evliya Çelebi, the name Mostar itself means “bridge-keeper.” As Mostar’s economic and administrative importance grew with the growing presence of Ottoman rule, the precarious wooden suspension bridge over the Neretva gorge required replacement. The old bridge on the river “...was made of wood and hung on chains,” wrote the Ottoman geographer Katip Çelebi, and it “...swayed so much that people crossing it did so in mortal fear”. In 1566, Mimar Hayruddin, a student of the great architect Sinan, designed Stari Most during the reign of Suleyman the Magnificent. The bridge was said to have cost 300,000.
Croatia declared independence on the same day as Slovenia. But while Slovenias withdrawal from the Yugoslav Federation was comparatively bloodless, Croatias was not to be. The sizeable ethnic Serb minority in Croatia openly rejected the authority of the newly proclaimed Croatian state citing the right to remain within Yugoslavia. With the help of the JNA and Serbia, Croatian Serbs rebelled, declaring nearly a third of Croatias territory under their control to be an independent Serb state. Croats and other nonSerbs were expelled from its territory in a violent campaign of ethnic cleansing. Heavy fighting in the second half of 1991 witnessed the shelling of the ancient city of Dubrovnik, and the siege and destruction of Vukovar by Serb forces. In 1995, Croatia launched two major offensives known as Operation Flash and Operation Storm, which would effectively end the war in its favor. The remaining United Nations Transitional Authority for Eastern Slavonia, Baranja and Western Sirmium (UNTAES) zone was peacefully reintegrated into Croatia by 1998. Croatia declared independence on the same day as Slovenia. But while Slovenias withdrawal from the Yugoslav Federation was comparatively bloodless, Croatias was not to be. The sizeable ethnic Serb minority in Croatia openly rejected the authority of the newly proclaimed Croatian state citing the right to remain within Yugoslavia. With the help of the JNA and Serbia, Croatian Serbs rebelled, declaring nearly a third of Croatias territory under their control to be an independent Serb state. Croats and other nonSerbs were expelled from its territory in a violent campaign of ethnic cleansing. Heavy fighting in the second half of 1991 witnessed the shelling of the ancient city of Dubrovnik, and the siege and destruction of Vukovar by Serb forces.
In 1995, Croatia launched two major offensives known as Operation Flash and Operation Storm, which would effectively end the war in its favor. The remaining United Nations Transitional Authority for Eastern Slavonia, Baranja and Western Sirmium (UNTAES) zone was peacefully reintegrated into Croatia by 1998. Croatia declared independence on the same day as Slovenia. But while Slovenias withdrawal from the Yugoslav Federation was comparatively bloodless, Croatias was not to be. The sizeable ethnic Serb minority in Croatia openly rejected the authority of the newly proclaimed Croatian state citing the right to remain within Yugoslavia. With the help of the JNA and Serbia, Croatian Serbs rebelled, declaring nearly a third of Croatias territory under their control to be an independent Serb state. Croats and other nonSerbs were expelled from its territory in a violent campaign of ethnic cleansing. Heavy fighting in the second half of 1991 witnessed the shelling of the ancient city of Dubrovnik, and the siege and destruction of Vukovar by Serb forces.n 1995, Croatia launched two major sives known as Operation Flash and Operation Storm, which would effectively end the war in its favor. The remaining United Nations Transitional Authority for Eastern Slavonia, Baranja and Western Sirmium (UNTAES) zone was peacefully reintegrated into Croatia by 1998. In 1995, Croatia launched two major offensives known as Operation Flash and Operation Storm, which would effectively end the war in its favor. The remaining United Nations Transitional Authority for Eastern Slavonia, Baranja and Western Sirmium (UNTAES) zone was peacefully reintegrated into Croatia by 1998.
The Siege of Dubrovnik (Croatian: Opsada Dubrovnika, Serbian: Blokada Dubrovnika) was a military engagement fought between the Yugoslav People’s Army (JNA) and Croatian forces defending the city of Dubrovnik and its surroundings during the Croatian Wa Independence. The JNA started its advance on 1 October 1991 and by late October had capt virtually all of the territory between the Pelješac and Prevlaka peninsulas on the coast of the Adr Sea—except for Dubrovnik itself. The JNA attacks and bombardment of Dubrovnik, including the Town—a UNESCO World Heritage Site—culminated on 6 December 1991. The bombardment provo strong international condemnation of the JNA and became a public relations disaster for Serbia Montenegro, contributing to their diplomatic and economic isolation and the international reco tion of the independence of Croatia. In May 1992, the JNA pulled back from Dubrovnik to Bosnia Herzegovina, less than 1 kilometre (0.62 miles) from the coast in some places, and east of the to hand over its equipment to the newly formed Army of Republika Srpska (VRS). During this ti the Croatian Army (HV) attacked from the west and pushed back the JNA/VRS from the areas w
ar of tured riatic e Old oked a and ognia and e city ime, west
Destr uction
Demo l i tion is the tearing-down of buildings and other structures. Demolition contrasts with deconstruction, which involves taking a building apart while carefully preserving valuable elements for re-use.
For small buildings, such as houses, that are only two or three stories high, demolition is a rather simple process. The building is pulled down either manually or mechanically using large hydraulic equipment: elevated work platforms, cranes, excavators or bulldozers. Larger buildings may require the use of a wrecking ball, a heavy weight on a ca**ble that is
swung by a crane into the side of the buildings. Wrecking balls are especially effective against masonry, but are less easily controlled and often less efficient than other methods. Newer methods may use rotational hydraulic shears and silenced rock-breakers attached to excavators to cut or break through wood, steel, and concrete. The use of shears is especially common when flame cutting would be dangerous. High reach demolition excavators are more often used for tall buildings where explosive demolition is not appropriate or possible. Excavators with shear attachments are typically used to dismantle steel structural elements. Hydraulic hammers are often used for concrete structures and concrete processing attachments are used to crush concrete to a manageable size, and to remove reinforcing steel. For tall concrete buildings, where neither explosive or high reach demolition with an excavator is safe or practical, the “inside-out� method is used, whereby remotely operated mini-excavators demolish the building from the inside, whilst maintaining the outer walls of the building as a scaffolding, as each floor is demolished. To control dust, fire hoses are used to maintain a wet demolition. Hoses may be held by workers, secured in fixed location, or attached to lifts to gain elevation.