If you happen to be taking a stroll through Mostar’s Park Zrinjevac, you may be surprised to find a life-sized statue of Bruce Lee with nunchucks in hand!
As a lover of unusual places and things, I was all too delighted to visit this statue and see it with my own eyes. It reminded me of other strange things I’d seen over the years like the Brno Ossuary packed full of more than 50,000 skulls, a church in Belgrade with a chandelier made out of weapons, and a statue of a young boy mooning in Antwerp.
Is there really a Bruce Lee Statue in Mostar?
The Bruce Lee statue in Mostar was erected on November 26, 2005, right around the time of the martial arts star’s 65th birthday, and was actually, the world’s very first Bruce Lee statue. Standing 1.68 meters high, it’s only slightly shorter than the real man himself, who measured in at 1.72 meters.
Created by Croatian sculptor Ivan Fijolic and oddly funded by the German government(!), the statue was a symbol of solidarity with an ethnically divided Mostar. It was thought that everyone loved Bruce Lee, regardless of whether or not they were Croatian, Serbian, or Bosnian.
The Bruce Lee statue was commissioned by a youth group called Mostar Urban Movement. Just like the Mostar Street Art Festival also spearheaded by local youth, the statue was intended to bring a message of peace in a fun and lighthearted way.
Recommended reading: This post about street art in Mostar and this post, telling you all the reasons why you need to visit Mostar.
It was originally placed in Spanish Square but was vandalized shortly thereafter. Sadly, the statue had to be removed and was only returned in 2013, when it was placed in the city park.
Thankfully, tourists like me can now do their part and take pictures of themselves acting like complete goofballs.
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What do you think of this Bruce Lee statue in Mostar? Do you have other tips for the city? Tell us in the comments below.
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Good to Know
1) If you need somewhere to stay while you’re in Mostar, read our guide or check more options with booking.com.
Booking.com2) While you’re in Mostar, go on a guided tour with Get Your Guide.
3) If you love Europe as much as we do here on this blog, read some of our top posts.
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- Getting Rubbed Down at the Blue Lagoon Iceland – Achieve that bucket list dream and experience the Blue Lagoon Iceland for the very first time. Even better is having an in-water massage.
- Visit Brescia, How to Spend a Perfect 24 Hours in Brescia – Only 24 hours to visit Brescia? What to do, where to stay, and where to eat if you only have a day in beautiful Brescia, Italy.
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The Bruce Lee statue definitely fits the weird and offbeat bill. I found the story behind it totally interesting — love this kind of thing. I also like learning about all places and I’d never heard of Mostar before — thanks!
Thanks Cathy! It has a nice messages behind it and I can definitely support that. Mostar and Bosnia is totally worth a visit, you should definitely make a visit. 🙂
Love it 🙂
Me too! The story behind the statue is incredible.
Is no one else noticing the huge bulge in his pants? 🙂
LOL, sorry but that wasn’t something I noticed at all. 🙂
Interesting! Great that it sends a message of peace and fun loving! Definitely gives the place some character!
Hey Mary – It really does. In a place where it can be easy to become overwhelmed at the injustices that happened during the war, it’s nice to have something fun to do in Mostar.
Ha ha, love the cultural unity idea! Everyone loves Bruce Lee!
Totally missed this when I went through Mostar.
Hey Tash,
Yeah, I’m not sure how far one can stretch the cultural unity concept with a Bruce Lee statue but I love the statue all the same.
It’s nice to see something that can make you laugh in the midst of a town that’s otherwise full of dark and sad history.
Cheryl
Great find!
Stephanie – although unusual, it’s definitely a highlight in Mostar!
The German funding may be due to him beeing a quarter German…
Hey Sal! People actually think that, but he’s actually not German. 🙂 https://www.inkstonenews.com/arts/bruce-lee-biography-dives-life-and-death-martial-arts-legend/article/2149330
Great article, thanks for sharing with us! It was really well written and simplified, Bruclee was a legend, I still watch his videos for motivation, thanks a lot!!!
Thank you for your kind comment! Glad you enjoyed my feature of Bruce Lee.