One of the Knaus motorhomes offered by Zonal. (source: karavany.sk)
A Slovak company that once urged tourists to “explore the beauty of Slovak nature in our motorhomes” has quietly disappeared, raising fresh doubts about how EU-backed farm subsidies are used in Slovakia.
Zonal, the firm behind the website karavany.sk, rented out four types of motorhomes and a single trailer between 2017 and 2023. Prices ranged from €110 to €150 per day, with each vehicle equipped with televisions, solar panels and bicycle racks. The total purchase cost was €590,000, partly funded by a €262,000 grant from Slovakia’s Agricultural Paying Agency (PPA), the body that administers EU rural development funds, according to daily Sme.
The company ceased trading in 2023, immediately after the five-year “sustainability period” for the grant expired. It sold the caravans and went into liquidation. Owner Juraj Bačík, who had also registered the domain and served as liquidator, declined to answer detailed questions. “The company ended its activity. The sustainability period is over. That’s all,” he said by phone before cutting the call.
