MZ Kovači arranged the Zeleni predah rest area along the Zavidovići-Tuzla motorway

Why Kovači - a location that sought its content

Kovači is located on the Zavidovići-Tuzla motorway, one of the busiest transit sections in this part of ZDK. Every day thousands of vehicles pass through, but an arranged place where a traveller could stop, stretch their legs, drink water, and continue did not exist.

Between the local community house and the Krivaja river bank there was an unused area that had stood neglected for years, although it had exceptional potential:

• It is along the motorway - accessible and visible to every passer-by
• It is owned by the local community - no property-legal obstacles
• It borders the Krivaja river - a natural aesthetic quality

The local community Kovači recognised the opportunity and set out to arrange this space, not as a classic roadside stop but as a fully conceived tourism micro location.

What the rest area specifically gained

Unlike typical roadside stops (a bench, a bin, a parking spot), "Zeleni predah Kovači" placed a comprehensive set of content:

• 2 pavilions with benches - a basic place to sit in the shade with a table for a group
• A fountain - drinking water available to travellers and local visitors
• A fire pit and barbecue zone - for a longer stay, family trips, picnics
• A children's corner (swings and accompanying equipment) - an important element for families in transit
• Arrangement of the green area and the Krivaja river bed - a space for walks by the water
• Lighting - safety and usability in evening hours
• Waste bins and video surveillance - order and safety on the space
• Benches along the whole space
• 3 promotional boards - information about Kovači, Krivaja, and the surroundings

Essentially, a visitor who stops at "Zeleni predah Kovači" gets the experience of a short trip, not just a quick stop.

One detail that changed everything - the women of Kovači as hosts

What made this rest area different from any other on the motorway: the Women's Association of Kovači is part of the concept. Through their daily presence and cooperation with organisations from other cities and abroad, the members of the association offer visitors coffee or homemade juice.

This means the visitor does not come to an empty public space - they come to an active community that welcomes them. In tourism terms, that is the difference between "we stopped to stretch our legs" and "in Kovači we had coffee, chatted with the women from the association, let the children play by the river, and now we are travelling on".

The second is what is remembered and passed on. And that is the difference that turns a rest area into a destination.

Readiness - everything was in place before the application

The project was in a high state of readiness. Before the application, MZ Kovači had already:

• Carried out a field analysis of the location and potential
• Confirmed the ownership structure of the land (MZ Kovači owner, no obstacles)
• Made a unanimous decision of the Local Community Council on launching the project
• Engaged a professional for the conceptual design
• Obtained the consent of the Sava River Basin Agency, Sarajevo
• Secured eleven documented attachments - decisions, consents, conceptual design, confirmations of funds, letter of intent
• Started clearing and mowing the terrain - works were already physically underway

Sustainability - why this endures

The project was designed so that it would not require expensive maintenance. The content is typical, robust, made for public use. In addition:

• MZ owns the land - no future problems with lease or right of use
• The Women's Association of Kovači physically lives in the space through its activities - spontaneous supervision and maintenance
• Video surveillance and lighting ensure order without additional costs of permanent staff
• The location along the motorway means a constant inflow of users - the space is always in use, not decaying from disuse

The message of the project

"Zeleni predah Kovači" was not a large construction intervention, but it was precisely timed. In a place where thousands of vehicles pass every day, MZ Kovači created a reason for someone to stop. And not an ordinary stop, but a space where one can grill, drink homemade juice, let the children into the play corner, and continue the journey with the impression that Kovači is a community that knows what it wants and does it well.

For ZDK as a whole, this was an example of how motorways become axes of tourism development, not just transit passing through the canton without leaving any trace. Kovači put their local community on the tourism map, with a calm, smartly conceived, truly usable intervention.