Project description
In 2006, the City of Vodnjan – Dignano started the project called « My kažun ». Results of the project are reconstructed ‘‘kažun’’ and dry stone walls in the area. Subsidy for local farmers who have the intention to repair the « kažun »in its own vineyard or olive grove is allocated in our budget each year. Up to now we were able to preserve from complete destruction more than 250 « kažun ».
Only if we act quickly we will save and preserve our cultural heritage. Our aim is to continue this project until the last « kažun » is renewed. Doing so « kažun » will become truly « our » as we all gave our contribution to their reconstruction and then we can proudly say: This is My « kažun ». As a part of the project we organize workshops held by experts with topics related to drywall.
All workshops are conducted in nature, where the acquired theory is momentarily put into practice. The City of Vodnjan – Dignano is looking for a partner to candidate an European project trough the Europe for citizens program « Town-twinning » which will have a focus on the exchange of experiences in the field of rural architecture (trulli, kažun, dry walls, dry stone architecture etc..) visiting places of special interest, exchange of experiences in the field of protection and preservation of this kind of architecture etc.. The ultimate goal of the project is to create a connection between partners who have similar situations on their territory.
Maximum of the funds allocated by the EU for this type of project is € 25,000.00 which will cover all costs of project’s partners. If the funds are not sufficient to cover all the costs of the project they will be divided equally between the partners. Time frame for project to begin and to end is 21 days.
Organisation presentation
The City of Vodnjan - Dignano is located in Croatia, more precisely in the southern Istria. It has a population of 6,500 inhabitants. Area surrounding Vodnjan was disseminated with olive groves and vineyards since ancient times.
With the beginning of cultivation of land local farmers started bringing on the edge of the field all the rough stones that they found in the middle of the field and then this stones were linked with dry stone technique positioned one on the other with geometric precision. Over the years this led to the separation of properties with dry stone walls of various sizes that people from Vodnjan – Dignano call ‘’masiere’’. Almost always in the corners of the fields precisely at the crossing between two ‘’masiere’’ a ‘‘kažun’’ was built.
‘‘Kažun’’is a rural building made in dry stone technique with typical circular shape with a conical roof. It was used as a shelter for farmers and for shepherds as a storage room for the necessary tools for landwork, or as a defense against robbers in the time of crop. "Kažun" is absolutely adapted in the Mediterranean landscape full of vineyards and olive groves.
The City of Vodnjan - Dignano has an incredible concentration of ‘‘kažun’’on its territory, perhaps the greatest in the whole Mediterranean. According to some data there are on our territory 2500 ‘’kažun’’ and it is estimated that once there were more than 5000. Today this building is gradually losing its function as a result of mechanization and the different ways of landwork. This does not mean, however, that over time the specificity and importance of the ‘‘kažun’’is decreased.
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