Mostar, Bosnia & Hercegovina _ Department Store
Architect: A. Paljaga
Date: 1970

On my way to Sarajevo, I decided to prolong my Dalmatian experience with stopovers in Dubrovnik and Mostar. Highlights of the cities include the well preserved 14th century Venetian Old Town and the 16th century ‘Stari Most’ (Old Bridge), respectively.

During my visit to Mostar - completely unplanned -I came across the remains of the Department store Razvitak (architect A. Paljaga, 1970).

The store was damaged in the recent war and now stands in pretty bad shape; although with most of the shell in place, it’s easy to see the resemblance to other department stores of the ex-YU regions - most notably the Department store in Osijek by Mihelić. Unlike the Osijek project, which uses aluminum panels to clad the exterior, this store is made up of unique concrete panels with intricate imagery molded into each panel. It’s unclear if the intention was to develope some sort of holistic thematic narrative , but the ornament effect introduces an interesting take on the emergence of a different mode of expression - one that may echo the remains of Ottoman influence in the former Yugoslav city.


View of Roof of D.Store from across the Bridge


View of Department Store from Intersection


Detail of Panels


Corner


Underside