RURAL TOURISM AND OLD HANDICRAFTS REVIVAL IN STARA PLANINA

The traditional gastronomy, in distinctive, natural, cultural-historical and ethno-architectural environment, strengthens the development of catering industry, tourism and handicrafts. The multifunctional husbandries have real possibilities for development of entrepreneurship and/or realization of incomes in these activities, as additional activities on the husbandry and/or in rural surrounding.

The spatial plan of the area anticipates tourism development in, so called, tourist villages and villages in function of tourism. In tourist villages – traditional settlements, which development will dominantly lie upon tourism, was anticipated 9600 beds and engagement of 1450 employees in tourism. In villages in function of tourism, as significant complementary activities (rural, agro-, hunting and ethno-tourism), was anticipated 3700 beds and 466 employees. The settlements: Temska, Topli Do and Visočka Ržana-Dojkinci in the municipality of Pirot; Kalna and Crni Vrh (municipality of Knjaževac); and Izatovci and Senokos (municipality of Dimitrovgrad) were anticipated for development of complementary activities – tourism and the local agricultural products concentration for organized supply of tourist resort and tourist centres and settlements in Stara Planina (Official Gazette of RS, 115/2008).

 

Besides wide supply of traditional specialities and local wines, activating old handicrafts should contribute to more complete tourist supply: kilim weaving – which originates from XVI century (famous Pirot kilims with autochthonous motifs and weaving techniques with the wool from Stara planina sheeps), traditional pottery (especially present in the middle of XIX century, also in Pirot) and making jewelry (silversmiths), which had been developed  from Middle Age to the beginning of the XX century, then embroidery, etc. There should also add ethno architecture and ethno manifestations, where promotes rich spiritual inheritance of this region – music, food, folklore, customs („Molitva pod Midžorom“, „Sabor na Kadibogazu“, „Sabor na Panadžur“…).

Autori: Vesna Popović, Marija Nikolić, Branko Katić