EWAP visits the Endangered Wooden Architecture of Banovina/Banija, Croatia

October 16, 2023

EWAP visits the Endangered Wooden Architecture of Banovina/Banija, Croatia

On a rainy September day EWAP’s programme manager, Kelly travelled to the village of Krapje in Croatia for the annual architectural heritage event. 28 years ago, the Posavina village of Krapje was declared a village of architectural heritage. With more than 80 wooden houses, this village on the left bank of the Sava in the area of Jasenovac Municipality is one of the pearls of the Lonjsko Polje Nature Park and is listed in the Register of Cultural Property of the Republic of Croatia

Krapje, named after the carp fish, is a settlement characterized by rows of one-story buildings, with narrow gables facing the street from the side of which you enter the courtyards. Walls are typically rendered with mud, earth, or clay with mixtures of chaff or chopped straw, and then whitewashed with lime. Various other types of wooden houses characteristic of this part of Posavina have also been preserved. Next to the houses are different outbuildings, such as barns, gazebos, dry areas, storehouses, pigsties, baskets for storing corn, chicken coops, etc. The houses were built from horizontally stacked oak planks, which are connected to each other with wooden pegs. The style of the houses is accentuated by covered external staircases, porches, protective roofs and richly decorated details of fences and columns. They are part of the historical legacy from the time of the Military Frontier established to defend against incursions from the Ottoman Empire that existed in this area for almost 350 years.

The heritage day showcased traditional crafts and numerous growers and producers of traditional products, beekeeping, basketry, rope making, pottery, fishing, horse breeding and dairying. Several talks took place, including a talk from EWAP Grantee Dr Sanja Lončar and her colleague Dr Hrvoje Tomić who discussed the project being undertaken for EWAP recording these endangered structures. As we walked around Krapje and visited nearby villages with similar wooden structures it became clear how several were deteriorating, especially from annual floods, and that many were abandoned.