The ruin of the remarkable Department Store «Razvitak» (“development’) stands at a major intersection in Mostar. At one stage in its life, there was a 7-story apartment tower in the background of these photos. Most notable for its cement-relief panels which feature reproductions of the ancient Bosnian gravestone carvings called Stećci, from the period of the Kingdom of Bosnia in the 11th-15th centuries and found in the highlands throughout the country which depict hunts, battles, celebrations, farming, wild animals, and other symbols. Like the rest of the city, Razvitak was destroyed during the war, and although there have been numerous proposals to rescue the shell and redevelop as a hotel, due to ownership disputes—including the plausible assertions by many of the former residents of the tower that they retain property rights—it remains derelict. Ante Paljaga, architect, 1970. Photos July 2019 Bauzeitgeist.
