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<p>This compact kuќa in Gari protects the owners from the winter season with its thick masonry walls. Spaces for summer living are of lighter construction, on the upper floor.</p><p><br></p><p>LEGEND</p><p>trem (porch, vestibule)</p><p>klet (cellar)</p><p>kuќa (hearth, kitchen)</p><p>odaja (room, bedroom)</p><p>mala odaja (small room)</p><p>čardak (sitting space)</p><p>doksat (raised sitting area)</p>
<p>The majority of the surviving dwellings date from the late eighteenth to early twentieth centuries during the period when the Ottoman Empire controlled the region. Since the village has been designated a cultural site, regulations have been put in place to restrict the existing buildings and their uses and standards for repair and modifications have been established. These regulations sometimes make it difficult for building owners to afford to bring the buildings back to life.</p>
<p>The wooden clad čardak was typically framed with lumber studs and infilled with a combination of cobble stones and plaster. The studs were interconnected with diagonal lumber pieces to reinforce the studs and served to support the infill material. The čardak elements were either covered with wooden board and battens (as in this case) or with a layer of thin wooden strips and a plaster coating.</p>
<p>Galičnik is a village in the Reka region of western Macedonia. It sits 1400 meters above sea level and below Bistra Mountain and Lake Mavrovo nearby to the north. The village was first noted in the 10th century and is famous for the fortress-like stone dwellings and its masons and craftsmen. In 1975 it was designated as an important cultural site. The inhabitants (ethnic Miyaks) still raise cattle and sheep and also work as masons and craftsmen. The Reka region borders Albania and is named for the Radika river valley and its mountain tributaries.</p>
<p>This dwelling shows the shifting of stones and vulnerability of these structures in these highlands. It has the basic three levels with exterior access for each level. The window and door openings have wooden lintels except at the uppermost level where dressed stones form the opening for the entry door.</p>
<p>The dwelling sits beside the church of saints Peter and Paul. This dwelling has three levels. The coursed stone is reinforced with horizontal bands of wood that connect to interior bands by wooden cross pieces. The lowest level of the house was used for animals with separate rooms for storing food. The intermediate level contained rooms for living and the upper level contained the kitchen and common space. The common space is wooden framed and the projecting areas are referred to as čardaci (chardaks). The roofs were traditionally covered with stone panels.</p>
<p>Kruševo, located south of Mount Baba in west central Macedonia, was founded in the 15th century. The town is approximately 1,350 meters above sea level, the country's highest. The town prospered in the 19th century when most of its traditional dwellings (kuќi) were built, and which now form a living museum. In the late Ottoman period Kruševo was a center of the Macedonian national resistance movement and the Ilinden uprising of 1903. The town's historic ethnicities included Macedonians, Vlachs (Aromanians), and Albanians.</p>
<p>This three storey dwelling previously belonged to the Tomoski family. The roof has the traditional stone panels (ploča) and masonry walls with wooden reinforcing strips. The reinforced masonry is an important element in Macedonia since seismic activity is common. The projecting corner čardak has additional brackets to support this element. The structure has become a house museum.</p>
<p>The steep slopes allow dwellings to face the views and sun. The dwellings (kuќi) were constructed of stone and wooden frame covered with plaster and typically contained three levels. The lowest was constructed of stone with earthen floors with areas for animals and storage of food. The middle level contained an entry space (čardak), kitchen (kujna) and separate rooms for winter living. The uppermost level contained a common space and rooms for summer living and sleeping. The common space at each level, with the dwelling's connecting stair, is called a čardak (chardak).</p>

Macedonia (BHBA)

(North Macedonia)Macedonia, formerly a republic in Yugoslavia, declared its intention to leave the Yugoslavia federation and gained its independence peacefully in 1991 (recognized by the UN under the name FYRO Macedonia, now recognized as North Macedonia). The three principal ethnic groups (Slavic Macedonian, Albanian, and Turkish) have common and specific cultural roots with strong connections to Greek, Slavonic, Albanian and Ottoman cultures.

The country has three mountainous landscapes (the Dinaric/Pindus Alps, the Šar Planina, and the Rila/Rhodopes), two major Lakes (Ohrid and Prespa) and the Vardar River as important factors in the development of the country's history and the different types of vernacular architecture still found.

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Bing and Harrington Balkan Archive (BHBA)
Bing and Harrington Balkan Archive (BHBA)
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vernacular architecture
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Macedonia (BHBA)

(North Macedonia)Macedonia, formerly a republic in Yugoslavia, declared its intention to leave the Yugoslavia federation and gained its independence peacefully in 1991 (recognized by the UN under the name FYRO Macedonia, now recognized as North Macedonia). The three principal ethnic groups (Slavic Macedonian, Albanian, and Turkish) have common and specific cultural roots with strong connections to Greek, Slavonic, Albanian and Ottoman cultures.

The country has three mountainous landscapes (the Dinaric/Pindus Alps, the Šar Planina, and the Rila/Rhodopes), two major Lakes (Ohrid and Prespa) and the Vardar River as important factors in the development of the country's history and the different types of vernacular architecture still found.

Images & Videos
Screenshot 2023-10-24 at 1.21.10 PM.png
digital graphic
<p>This compact kuќa in Gari protects the owners from the winter season with its thick masonry walls. Spaces for summer living are of lighter construction, on the upper floor.</p><p><br></p><p>LEGEND</p><p>trem (porch, vestibule)</p><p>klet (cellar)</p><p>kuќa (hearth, kitchen)</p><p>odaja (room, bedroom)</p><p>mala odaja (small room)</p><p>čardak (sitting space)</p><p>doksat (raised sitting area)</p>
Drawings of Serafinofski House, Gari, Macedonia
architectural drawing
<p>The majority of the surviving dwellings date from the late eighteenth to early twentieth centuries during the period when the Ottoman Empire controlled the region. Since the village has been designated a cultural site, regulations have been put in place to restrict the existing buildings and their uses and standards for repair and modifications have been established. These regulations sometimes make it difficult for building owners to afford to bring the buildings back to life.</p>
Traditional dwelling 3 Kuќa 3, Galičnik, Macedonia
digital photograph
<p>The wooden clad čardak was typically framed with lumber studs and infilled with a combination of cobble stones and plaster. The studs were interconnected with diagonal lumber pieces to reinforce the studs and served to support the infill material. The čardak elements were either covered with wooden board and battens (as in this case) or with a layer of thin wooden strips and a plaster coating.</p>
Traditional dwelling 4 Kuќa 4, Galičnik, Macedonia
digital photograph
<p>Galičnik is a village in the Reka region of western Macedonia. It sits 1400 meters above sea level and below Bistra Mountain and Lake Mavrovo nearby to the north. The village was first noted in the 10th century and is famous for the fortress-like stone dwellings and its masons and craftsmen. In 1975 it was designated as an important cultural site. The inhabitants (ethnic Miyaks) still raise cattle and sheep and also work as masons and craftsmen. The Reka region borders Albania and is named for the Radika river valley and its mountain tributaries.</p>
View from the Galičnik road, Galičnik, Macedonia
digital photograph
<p>This dwelling shows the shifting of stones and vulnerability of these structures in these highlands. It has the basic three levels with exterior access for each level. The window and door openings have wooden lintels except at the uppermost level where dressed stones form the opening for the entry door.</p>
Traditional dwelling 5 Kuќa 5, Galičnik, Macedonia
digital photograph
<p>The dwelling sits beside the church of saints Peter and Paul. This dwelling has three levels. The coursed stone is reinforced with horizontal bands of wood that connect to interior bands by wooden cross pieces. The lowest level of the house was used for animals with separate rooms for storing food. The intermediate level contained rooms for living and the upper level contained the kitchen and common space. The common space is wooden framed and the projecting areas are referred to as čardaci (chardaks). The roofs were traditionally covered with stone panels.</p>
Traditional dwelling 1 Kuќa 1, Galičnik, Macedonia
digital photograph
<p>Kruševo, located south of Mount Baba in west central Macedonia, was founded in the 15th century. The town is approximately 1,350 meters above sea level, the country's highest. The town prospered in the 19th century when most of its traditional dwellings (kuќi) were built, and which now form a living museum. In the late Ottoman period Kruševo was a center of the Macedonian national resistance movement and the Ilinden uprising of 1903. The town's historic ethnicities included Macedonians, Vlachs (Aromanians), and Albanians.</p>
Traditional dwelling 1 Kuќa 1, Kruševo, Macedonia
digital photograph
<p>This three storey dwelling previously belonged to the Tomoski family. The roof has the traditional stone panels (ploča) and masonry walls with wooden reinforcing strips. The reinforced masonry is an important element in Macedonia since seismic activity is common. The projecting corner čardak has additional brackets to support this element. The structure has become a house museum.</p>
House of Tomoski Kuќata na Tomosk, Galičnik, Macedonia
digital photograph
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Parent Collections
Bing and Harrington Balkan Archive (BHBA)
Bing and Harrington Balkan Archive (BHBA)
Keywords
vernacular architecture
Terms of use
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