The Head of the European Union Delegation to Bosnia and Herzegovina and European Union Special Representative in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Johann Sattler, attended the inauguration of the flower clock in Travnik on 8 July, making Travnik the first city with such a visual and architectural attraction in Bosnia and Herzegovina. The construction and installation were entirely financed by the European Union, worth more than 75,000 KM.
“I want to thank Mayor Dautoviću and the citizens of Travnik for such a warm welcome. Travnik has always held a special place in my heart. My fascination with the Vizier City only got stronger after reading the literature of Ivo Andrić. I am especially happy that I am her today in Travnik at the ceremonial opening of the first flower clock in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Despite the delays in the realization of this project, it is important to remember that good initiatives sometimes take time. I am delighted that the citizens of Travnik will have the opportunity to enjoy this unique installation. But not only that, the flower clock will attract more tourists and thus help the development of tourism and bring new economic opportunities to the local community. Also, this is a strong symbol of the good cooperation between the European Union and Travnik and just one example of the numerous EU project in this city,” emphasized Ambassador Sattler.
The flower clock in Travnik was built as part of the larger EU project called “EU for local communities,” whose goal is to improve the living conditions of citizens in local communities throughout Bosnia and Herzegovina.
The flower clock will serve as a green oasis and tourist attraction on the newly built pedestrian zone, but also as a central gathering place for young people, where numerous city events will be held, which will ultimately contribute to improving the quality of life in Travnik.
“I am overjoyed that we also got to see this moment, because Travnik is famous for having two clock towers and three sundials, and this is the first flower clock of this kind in Bosnia and Herzegovina and beyond. I sincerely and from the bottom of my heart thank the mission of the European Union in BiH and their partners, the Centar za promociju civilnog društva and the organization HELP, who realized this demanding project with us. GPPD Vlašić-gradnja, our respected company, was in charge of the construction works, and Smaragd Travnik decorated and made this story a fairy tale. This is not just about the flower clock, but an entire newly built park complex in front of the Travnik municipality,” said Kenan Dautović, Mayor of Travnik.
The project is implemented by the Centar za promociju civilnog društva (CPCD) with the partner organization Help – Hilfe zur Selbsthilfe. The works were carried out by the company GPPD Vlašić-gradnja. The clock mechanism was made in Italy, and the installation was carried out by the authorized company Iskratrade from the Republic of Croatia. The manufacturer, Smaragd Travnik, was in charge of arranging the green area on the clock and the area around it.
Photo: EU in BiH
