Katuni

the period of overpopulation it was more than important to use the arable land effectively.Not only the land close to the village,but in the hinterland as well. Eventhough the circumstances were not so good ,people saught an ecological niche for additional food production. Their treasure(cattle and other domestic animals) could survive only if taken to the mountains,during summer,and to the areas near the shore,in winter. In addition,people used to practice agriculture in mountain fields,because summer draught is less intense there. Anyway,there were no original katuni,asin the north region of Montenegro. There was no need to spend the night in the mountain,as villages were not too distant. Instead of katuni,people used to make summer cottages-accomodations used for cattle breeding and agriculture. Inhabitants of Krusevice had their summer accommodations in Sitnica and Vrbanj,all to Vucji do,boardering with Poljice,where people from Mokrine had their summer accommodations. People from Kameno made their accommodations in Kamenska mountain,and those from Ubli in Ubaljska mountain,Scepan dolu and Dubokom dolu. Peoplefrom Zlijebi had modest summer accommodation,more like shelters in Velikom and Malom Medjusu,and they used caves too.People from Bunovici didn’t make summer accommodations,as they didn’t have much land.

Cottages werw built of stone, with two sides made of large, cut stone, filled in with small, crushed stone. Walls weren’t high enough, so that someone should bend down to get in. Most appreciated wood for the roof beams was munika (pinus heldreichi), while the roofs were covered with hay, and had to be replaced every 10 years. A gable roof was most common roof shape. The simplest kind of cottage was with one entrance, for both people and the cattle. There was a wooden fence inside to separate one section for people and the other for animals. There was a fireplace in the middle, few wall shelves for the dishes, and at least one hollow in the wall. There was a little table, with simple chairs (without seatback). In the other part of the room there wassome kind of trunk or cupboard. The floor was usually covered with large stones. A smoke produced by an open fireplace, went out through the roof, thus preserving roof beams and hay onth roof, there were no chimnies. The fireplace was open, without any constructions above. There was a separated section for sleeping, built above the section for animals. There was a little door in the gable of the roof,and wooden ledder, near the fireplace, leaded to that door.

Water supply near summer accomodations was wery important. It was in a form of small underground cisterns, that can be found even today. They were covered with flagstones, thet were collectin surfaces at the same time. In more distant past roofs of cisterns were made in a form of fake vault, made of stone. There is still one of this kind, a cistern of Gajo Murisic in Zukovica.

Animals that were breeded are: small and large livestock,cattle,sheep,goats and few donkeys and mules,or a horse. Animals were taken to the mountains after the period of hey making,and stayed there until the weather circumstances allowed,usually to th first days of October. People in summer settlements used to grow some crops and vegetables:potatoes,rye,collard,carrots and cabbage. Harvest depended on the weather conditions,mainly frost and drought.Today these summer settlements are being used in an insignificant percentage, but objectives are to restore them and add them in as a  gastro touristic and accommodational offer on Orjen,but also to save its original appearance in the overall agro-cultural milieu.