55 years ago, the construction of some of the most important infrastructure projects began in the area of Zenica, among which was the construction of the Kruscica water supply system, which still supplies the citizens of Zenica, and the steel solitaire, which was among the first such buildings in Yugoslavia.
Archives of cities in Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) always bring interesting data and facts important for a certain place and its inhabitants. In the rich history of the city of Zenica, the industrial city of Yugoslavia, and even today, considering that Zenica’s ArcelorMittal is one of the largest exporters in BiH, there are numerous projects that were implemented and that changed the lives of the citizens of the steel city in the 60s.
The year 1968 was one of the most significant for Zenica, and some of the projects that were realized then are still the most important in this city today. 55 years ago, the construction of the first steel solitaire in Zenica began, the construction of which was financed by the Zenica Ironworks (Zeljezara) with the aim of solving workers’ housing problems, and companies from Zagreb and Zenica participated in the construction. Peoplemoved in there a year later.
The building with 15 floors and 105 apartments was among the first of its kind in Yugoslavia.
Work was also done on raising culture to a higher level, and by the decision of the assembly, the museum collection founded in 1966 was declared the City Museum, which had an archaeological, historical, and ethnological collection. According to information from books about the urbanization of Zenica by Mirza Dzananovic and Mirsad Djulbic, the collections were located in the buildings of the madrasa, Hadzi Mazic‘s house, the Synagogue, and the Memorial House in Serici near Zenica.
In August 55 years ago, the construction of the Kruscica – Zenica water supply system, one of the most important for the citizens of Zenica, began, with a length of slightly more than 20 kilometers. In 2012, a small hydroelectric power plant was built instead of a relief basin, which converted water energy into electricity and produced 3.63 GWh.
Furthermore, the projects that were realized exactly 55 years ago also include the construction of the modern building of the Faculty of Metallurgy in Zenica, but also the integration of metallurgical and metal processing companies from Zenica, Ljubija, Vares, Ilijas, and Mrkonjic Grad in 1968 into the “Mining and Metallurgical Combined Company Zenica”, better known as RMK Zenica, which at one point had around 37.000 employees.
The projects that were built in the area of industrial Zenica 55 years ago, but also earlier, are a witness to the development and growth of a place where, in addition to work, culture and free time were also important, and today, in 2023, the people of Zenica still enjoy and will enjoy the fruits of that time, Klix.ba reports.
