Smetovi Mountain
Description
Smetovi is a mountain that dominates above Zenica, with its highest peak at 1,025 metres above sea level, just 8 kilometres from the city center. According to local legend, it was named after the giants who "laughed" there, and today this place is synonymous with recreation and escaping into nature. Smetovi offers a wide range of sports and recreational activities, from basketball and beach volleyball courts to marked hiking and mountain biking trails, while in winter visitors enjoy skiing with a ski lift. Thanks to its exceptional position, on a clear day the plateau offers a magnificent view stretching up to 100 kilometres, taking in mountains such as Vlašić, Vranica and Zvijezda.
The central feature of the Smetovi plateau is the monument to the fighters of the Zenica Partisan Detachment, erected in 1968. This monumental reminder of the past bears the powerful verses of the poet Izet Sarajlić, dedicated to those who gave their lives for their ideals. Although the monument has lost its original aluminum plaques over the years, it still stands as a recognizable symbol of resistance and the free spirit of the Zenica region, just a few hundred metres from the mountain lodge.
Zenica’s favourite balcony
Smetovi is a mountain that needs no special introduction for the people of Zenica. Eight kilometres from the centre, accessible from three directions, it offers a view from the summit that stretches up to 100 kilometres on a clear day — to Zvijezda, Vranica, Vlašić, Lisac and beyond. That visibility is what makes Smetovi a favourite among photographers and painters who come here year-round, in every season. In winter, skiers come; in summer, cyclists and hikers; and in between seasons, everyone looking for a simple escape from the Zenica basin and the steelworks.
Where the giant got lost
The name Smetovi did not come about by chance. According to local legend, a giant named Vran fought a fearless young man named Duka and lost. At Vranduk, where the duel took place, the Bosna River gained a witness in the form of a fortress. And where the defeated giant “smetao” — stumbled and wandered in confusion — the people recognized the mountain and named it Smetovi. The same legend says that Zenica was once called Sjenica, after Duka’s mother, and that Vran’s tears between him and Mount Lisac became the Bosna River.
