Lesson 1 in Traditional Serbian Rural Architecture

The reason I researched information about traditional rural houses (seoske kuce) in Serbia,was a personal one: my husband and I wanted to remodel his old family house in a village inthe south of Serbia.But for me, only if I understand the principle of the past I can apply them in a contemporaryway. And also only if I understand the regional peculiarities I can transform an old house into amodern one that blends perfectly with the surroundings.

Basically the rural type houses have two typical images: there is the log-cabin (mostly inWestern Serbia) called "брвнара" (brvnara, from brvno = log) and the cottage with mud-

filled walls (all over Serbia) called "бондрука" (bondruka). Then there are mixed forms ofthese two basic types.

The way of construction and how the buildings and rooms were disposed, based on theexperience of the farmers and how the farmers household was organized. The architecture wasdeducted from the form of living, and this was very close and dependable from nature,weather and the characteristics of the area.So the building were strictly functional and the used material was what the pheasant could findin his surrounding:wattle of reef, wood or straw for fillings of wooden framework and wood-shingles or tiles tocover the roof. Then according to climatic conditions, the materials may vary.

The ”брвнара” (brvnara)

This is the oldest type and also the rarest form: the log-cabin. It's a one-room rectanglebuilding, built directly on the ground or on a flat base of rubble stones (mostly when theterrain is steep). The tented or hip roof (four sides) is steep and covered with woodenshingles. The eaves come down very low and cover most part of the windows and protectsthem from weather.

The typical of the log-cabin is that the walls are massive and full. The logs can be round orsquared off.

Vuk Karadzic's house in Trsic (here my post about Trsic) An open fireplace is located in the center. Usually there are two doors on oposite sides. Тhefloors are of stomped earth and the ceiling is open to the roof. Windows are just small vents inthe logs, that will be closed with wood or transparent leather in winter.

These log-cabins were used for living or overnight-stay in the woods, today it's still used forweekend-houses in the mountains.

Бондручна конструкција испуњена чатмом(The Bondruka Wall is a wooden skeleton filled with mud)

The "бондрука" (bondruka)Tis is the most popular rural house in the Balkan region and is a further progress of the log-cabin. The construction is of wooden skeleton walls filled with mud and reef and plastered withmud on the outside and with plaster on the interior walls.Also here, on steep terrains the cellar is made of stones to level out the differences in height.

There is always a hiproof (4-sided roof) and it's covered with slightly curved roof tiles.

A typical Bondruka with Stone basment and plaster-covered skeletton-walls of wood and mud