The northern end of the bridge was the site of the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria by Gavrilo Princip in 1914,[1] which began the July Crisis that ultimately led to the outbreak of World War I.

The census of the Sanjak of Bosnia from 1541 mentions the bridge on this spot, built by the leather-worker Hussein, son of Sirmerd.

[citation needed] A terrible flood on 15 November 1791 badly damaged the bridge and its reconstruction was financed by the Sarajevo merchant Abdulah-aga Briga.

Because of heavy traffic at the time of Austria-Hungary, the pavements on consoles were added to the bridge.

[2][3] On 28 June 1914, at the turning from the Right Bank into a street, Gavrilo Princip shot and killed Franz Ferdinand, heir presumptive to the Austro-Hungarian throne.

At the judicial hearing on 12 October 1914, Princip described the site of the shooting during his interrogation, specifically mentioning the bridge.

On the day of the assassination I wanted to find someone who would not be conspicuous, and I found the son of the prosecutor, Svara, and one Spiric.

Then I took thought as to where to stand, because I knew where he would pass from having read it in the Bosanska Posta (Bosnian Post) and the Tagblatt.