MZ Gostović realised the first 4.7 km Health Trail with the Golo Brdo viewpoint

Why Gostović - a pioneering move in the community

The local community Gostović (7 km from Zavidovići) did not have recreational infrastructure that would enable residents and visitors to engage in organised cycling or trekking. People who wanted to pursue such activities had to go to other local communities or improvise on unarranged forest roads. MZ Gostović decided to break that gap, and the constructed "Health Trail" was the first project of this kind in the community.

But this was not just a recreational trail. The way the project was conceived turned it into something greater: a multifunctional recreational space combining physical activity, education, and tourism.

What was specifically done

The trail - 4,720 metres (almost 5 km)

• Works on clearing and cleaning existing forest routes
• Excavator work on levelling the terrain along the entire 4,720 m
• Crushed stone layer - the trail is passable regardless of the season
• The trail was designed to be accessible for all ages and physical abilities, including families with children and the elderly

"Golo Brdo" viewpoint

• Site preparation with crushed stone
• Construction of the viewpoint as a point with a panoramic view of the surroundings
• Renovation of the access road to the viewpoint location was done from the local community's own funds in a previous phase

20 resting benches

• Distributed along the trail for rest in stages
• They allow all users - from runners to recreational walkers - to stop wherever suits them

22 informational boards

• Exercise recommendations along the trail - a mini open-air gym in nature
• Information on natural resources of the area - flora, fauna, terrain characteristics
• An educational component that turns the trail into an open classroom

Readiness - part of the work done from own funds

Before MZ Gostović applied for a subsidy, it had already realised the preparatory part of the project from its own funds:

• Renovation of the access road to the "Golo Brdo" viewpoint location
• Initial clearing and marking of the "Health Trail" route

This means the project did not start from zero when the funds were secured - there was a concrete, already visible base on which further work was built. For this type of work (a trail through forest land owned by the community), special project documentation and permits were not required, so time was not lost on bureaucracy.

Who actually worked - the community

From the photographs in the documentation, the human side of the project was clearly visible: residents of Gostović, men of different generations, personally worked on clearing the trail, with tools in hand, in the forest.

This was not a project where a contractor "dropped" the works and MZ only had its picture taken at the ceremonial opening. This was a joint undertaking in which the community itself first came to a solution with its own hands, and then it was completed and standardised.

Why this mattered for Zenica-Doboj Canton as well

The project had significance beyond the borders of the local community:

• It improved the tourism infrastructure of ZDK - added a new kind of content that did not exist in Gostović before
• It attracted active tourists - a trend growing worldwide (cycling tourism, trekking, active recreation)
• It diversified the canton's offer - in addition to cultural and historical destinations, ZDK got recognisable outdoor content
• It created economic effects - an increased number of visitors meant income for local hospitality, traders, and service providers
• It could be an example - the success of this project opened doors for similar projects in other local communities

The message of the project

The "Health Trail" did not sound like a big project. There were no luxurious facilities, no spectacular capital. But it changed the life of a whole local community: for children who would ride a bicycle safely in nature for the first time, for the older population that finally had somewhere to walk without fear, for families who could spend an afternoon away from home without driving to other municipalities.

With this project, Gostović showed that the most important tourist facility is often not a facility but a path. And that a community that walks together is healthier, more connected, and more attractive to those who come from outside.