Zelenkovac
25 Mar 2013 | Podrašnica, Republika Srpska, Bosna i Hercegovina
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My way to Bosnia was a bit hectic, I had the most unexpected rides in the most unexpected places :) Still I had to sleep short after the border, my first night outside since I left France, a bit cold (without a tent, on frozen ground, and with a sleeping bag that is made for sleeping at 10°C) but alright. I finally made my way to Zelenkovac.
It's hard to describe what is Zelenkovac. They say it's an ecovillage, and that is what I was expecting. But it doesn't fit at all any definition of what I could call an ecovillage.
So Basically it's a man, Borislav or Boro, who decided in the 60s to settle in the old wooden mill of his father in the middle of the forest, which got him the nickname of Ludi Boro (crazy Boro) from people in the area. But, using a lot of work and sweat, and thanks to a lot of friends (artists a lot) who came to help him, he could turn it out to a magnificient little settlement of wooden houses along the river.
So now, the main center of life in the property is that main mill which has been turned into a pub where you can have local rakija and beers, but also any usual beverage made by the Coca-Cola Company; and a few bungalows that are rented over to tourists for holidays. Altogether, that allows Boro and three employees to barely live out of it.
So in my opinion, it is not an ecovillage: no one lives full time there, nothing is produced there -no food, no crafts...-; but rather an ecotourism resort. I keep the 'eco' part for the sake as it is low impact tourism as being made in the respect of the nature around, and promoting local products from the village or the country.
Overall my experience was so-so. Don't get me wrong, I spent a wonderfull time drinking rakija in the pubs with locals people, and walking around in the area, it is really a peaceful and restful place to be; but on the other hand, I had expected to learn something and to be able to be of any use there, which wasn't the case.