Stone bridge
The old stone bridge over the river Stavnja in the center of Vareš, as it is assumed, was created in the first decades of the Ottoman administration in Bosnia (probably between the 16th and 17th centuries), and this assumption is based on its appearance and construction method. There is also a folk tradition that it is the work of a woman. It is the oldest architectural monument from the Ottoman period in Vares. The bridge is certainly the work of local builders, and during the construction, limestone stone was used, very rough processed. The bridge is built on a single arch resting on stone sub-walls and is segmental. It represents a special value, not only because of its appearance, but also because, in terms of construction and architecture, scientists associate it with the same style as the Old Bridge in Mostar. It is very similar to most single-arch bridges from the Ottoman era. Its span is 7.70 meters. One of the legends says that the bridge was created as a result of the passionate love between the young man Akif and the girl Anka. According to the previous agreement, the two of them were supposed to get married. Waiting for her on the other side of the river, Akif was a witness when Anka fell from the then narrow wooden crossing into the swollen Stavnja. Akif also jumped after her and only managed to grab Anka's hand for a moment. The water threw them out in the lower course of the river where they were found by coal miners. Saddened by the death of his only son, Akif's father Jusuf decides to spend all his wealth on building a bridge. The builders joined it from two sides in an indissoluble bond, just as the hands of Anka and Akif were joined at the moment of death. In the construction of the bridge, skilled craftsmen left an opening into which Jusuf, with a trembling hand, placed two gold rings decorated with precious stones, with which he married Anka and Akif posthumously.
