The 27th International DAAAM Symposium is the central event of DAAAM International Week. This symposium in the field of intelligent manufacturing and automation is being held in Bosnia and Herzegovina for the first time and is a key event in the technical and technological sciences. In recent years DAAAM International Vienna has been focused on activities relating to long term regional and global cooperation between universities.
The primary role of engineering is the contribution to the development of quality of life. For the last 26 years the DAAAM Conference has usually been identified with the event location. We have, therefore, found inspiration in the conjunction of technology and engineering with modern life in the example of Mostar's Old Bridge – a masterpiece of engineering and technical innovation. We took one of the first technical drawings of the bridge, which is already considered a historical treasure, and joined this with a modern and rich photograph of the bridge taken from the same perspective, thus demonstrating the synergy of the old with the technical possibilities of the new. The logo, designed specifically for the Mostar Conference, follows the conceptual logic of the visual but in a slightly different way. The different techniques of reproduction give contrast, which is illustrated by the opposing orientation of lines; vertical lines on the actual image of the bridge and horizontal lines on its reflection on the surface of the river.



The Old Bridge that crosses the Neretva river in Mostar is a UNESCO monument and was, at the time of its construction, the largest arched structure in the world. The original bridge was commissioned by Suleiman the Magnificent and designed by Mimar Hayruddin. The arch of the bridge is 4 meters wide and 30 meters long, and it dominates the river with a height of 24 meters at the tallest point. The bridge is protected by two fortified towers on either side: the Halebija tower on the northeast and the Tara tower on the southwest, called "the bridge keepers" (known locally as mostari- which, incidentally, is how the city got its name). The arch was made of local stone known as tenelija. The shape of the arch is the result of numerous irregularities produced by the deformation of the intrados (the inner line of the arch). The most accurate description would be that of a circle which is compressed from both sides.
Instead of foundations, the bridge rests on limestone abutments which lean onto the tower-bearing walls at the level of the river. Measuring from the summer water level of 40.05 m, these abutments are erected to a height of 6.53 meters, from where the arch springs to its highest point. The springing line of the arch is emphasized by a molding 0.32 meters in height. The rise of the arch is 12.02 meters. Given that most information on the construction of the bridge is still a mystery, such as the issue of how its wooden structure was raised, how the stone was transported to the location, and how its wooden props endured a nine-years-long construction; the Old Bridge can be rightly considered as one of the greatest architectural achievements of its time.