| Wooden architecture is sensitive to the passage of time and the changing tastes of mankind, and many beautiful monuments to human craftsmanship have already been lost forever. Sculptor, conservator and restorer Radivoje Jovičić decided to do something before it’s too late. In 2004, at the site of a small bridge crossing the Kravarščica stream on the road from Lukavec to Lijevi Štefanki, he started to recreate a traditional village consisting of homes rescued from Pannonian Croatia. This tireless campaigner together with his team of helpers has bought, restored and erected right here buildings that were in danger of being lost forever. The project envisages the creation of a skansen-type museum consisting of six settlements each representing a period from a 500-year time-span. The homes will be furnished in the original style, with gardens and outbuildings, workshops for traditional crafts, a chapel, vineyards, orchards, breeding of old-fashioned farm animals, a riding stables and a museum. This is a gargantuan task beset with practical and administrative challenges, so it’s hard to predict when the project will reach completion. But right now there are some wonderful restored buildings you can look at, some with stunning wood-carving and others painted in the bright colours and floral motifs that became popular in this part of the world around the middle of the 19th century. We urge you to visit, enjoy and support this highly worthwhile project! |