A pearl hidden in the mountains. Why do Serbs love Zlatibor?

It has six stunning national parks – and then the area around Zlatibor, which the local business elite love. It’s where they are building at a pace never seen before. Already, the city can accommodate over seventy thousand guests. Soon, that number is set to grow by another thirty thousand, rounding out at a round hundred. This, of course, means a great challenge for planners, architects and builders. Or the Serbian branch of the Holešov-based company ELKO EP, which has been growing rapidly in the Balkans in recent years. New projects and significant references are reported not only in Zlatibor or the metropolis of Belgrade, but also from Novi Sad, Nis or neighbouring Montenegro.

Vila Pavlović, our reference

“Serbia is going up fast as a tourist destination. The cities in particular can offer very good infrastructure, good restaurants and hotels and a lively atmosphere. Zlatibor, in turn, has been loved by Serbs for a long time. In addition, there is currently the longest panoramic cable car in the world – the Golden Gondola, which connects the centre of Zlatibor with the mountain resort of Tornik and offers breathtaking views of the surrounding countryside,” calculates Mladen Babić, who is Managing Director of the ELKO EP Balkan nearby Uzice. We spoke to him about tourism, development, business and, of course, new installations.

Invite us to Zlatibor. Why visit, and when to go?

I’ll start from the end. It’s worth a visit all year round, but it has two peak seasons. The first is always with the New Year, which tens of thousands of tourists come to celebrate and is a kind of imaginary start of the whole ski season. And then May, when we celebrate Labour Day. That’s when families hop in their cars again and head off to admire the mountains – but first and foremost to have a good time. After all, Zlatibor, translated into Serbian as the Golden Pine Tree, is a paradise of clubs, bars, casinos and luxury hotels.

Where can we find a trace of Czech products and electrical installations?

At the moment, in three apartment buildings (about 105 + 20 + 40 flats) and one smaller hotel. Another building with 124 apartments is under construction. Obviously, developers are interested in our solution, because we have six more apartment building projects coming up at the moment.

What are the key products and solutions that drive your business forward?

A new generation of RF Touch panels. Touch units that control the entire apartment space. Heating, air conditioning, switching appliances, dimming and controlling lights. Along with that, we usually supply an RFSA internal antenna. By being in the mountains, heating is logically a key requirement and must always provide perfect comfort for guests and savings for operators.

What does the solution look like technically?

The apartments typically have two-channel AC. One for the heating circuit and the other for the hot water boiler. To this we add sensors to the doors, to the windows and other useful elements of smart wiring, And we honestly explain to the owners that with each additional addition, sensor or solution, the overall energy efficiency and savings multiply. The vast majority of owners will also appreciate the possibility of remote management, as they are often from Belgrade or even more distant locations. This is done using the eLAN smart box, which connects the local internet network to a mobile phone or tablet.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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What other interesting projects have you tackled?

Last year I personally enjoyed Montenegro a lot, where we prepared the entire solution for a modern hotel, including access card readers, which we made in an elegant glass design. Another important reference for us is the collaboration on Belgrade’s Yugoslavian Theatre, where we played with lights. In six weeks we got 500 lights under control and today they work as a perfectly interplayed organism. We are now working on apartments and a new hotel in the Serbian capital. It’s really a lot and we’re happy about it.

What is the mood in Serbia right now? It sounds like it’s developing really fast…

Yes, there is optimism. Belgrade is changing before our eyes, and every year whole complexes, streets or neighbourhoods are growing (or undergoing major renovations). If you were here two years ago, the city is already different again. Now other cities are joining in, typically Novi Sad in the north or Niś in the south. The villages, by comparison, are lagging behind. But it is also the diversity that makes Serbia an attractive place for tourists. Come, enjoy and judge.