Sirogojno house and Gostilje Waterfal

Sirogojno Village and Gostilje Waterfall

Sirogojno village and Gostilje waterfall are must-see places on Zlatibor Mountain.
The Serbian heritage and beautiful nature are the perfect mix to spend one day far away from the crowd, no matter whether it is just for a weekend or during your stay when you already enjoying the Zlatibor beauty.

 

Sirogojno, the open museum

The first mention of Sirogojno dates back to the Turkish defter in 1560.
However, the great development is connected with the founding of the Agricultural Cooperative in 1924. After the Second World War, it had an important role in improving infrastructure, electrification, agriculture, industrial enterprises, organizing handicrafts, retail and catering facilities.

So, the first houses from Zlatibor’s region were transferred to the Sirogojno during the summer of 1980. Officially, the museum was founded on 30th July 1992. Today, more than 50 houses with artefacts can be seen in the only open museum in Serbia. They represent part of the Serbian heritage and specific architecture of the Dinaric region during the 19th and 20th centuries.

The Old Village Sirogojno and Church of St Apostles Peter and Paul were declared a cultural institution of national importance for the Republic of Serbia in 2013.

 

How to get to Sirogojno

The ethno village of Sirogojno is located in the eastern part of Zlatibor mountain and 23 km from its tourist centre. It belongs to Čajetina district. Follow the road from Užice to the main road to Zlatibor, and in the village of Mačkat, turn and take a local road to the villages of Rožanstva and Sirogojno. Also, the road from the centre of Zlatibor leads to these villages.

Zlatibor Sirogojno Village

Sirogojno Village

 

Open time and tickets

The Sirogojno Old Village is open all year:
1st April – 31st October:         9 AM – 7 PM,
1st November –  31st March: 9 AM – 4 PM.

The price ticket is 200 RSD (1.7 EUR) for adults, and 150 RSD (1.3 EUR) for groups and organized school visits.
A family ticket costs 500 RSD (4,3 EUR), while the entrance is free for children under 7.

Also, you can buy tickets on the Visit Serbia online website:
👉 for the Sirogojno Old Village ticket- click here.
👉 Combo ticket includes Sirogojno, the Knitter’s Museum, Stopića Cave and Gostilje Waterfall: you can buy these tickets here.

Entrance to the Sirogouno complex

Entrance to the Sirogojno complex

 

Sirogojno’s Knitters

When we speak about Sirogojno, the first thoughts are Sirogojno sweathers. The story goes back to 1963 when a handicraft workshop was founded within an Agricultural Cooperative. Dobrila Vasiljević-Smiljanić was a designer and her knitter works were famous in the local and foreign market.

At the end of 1991, almost 2,500 women from the Zlatibor region were involved in this production. Their sweaters made of sheep’s wool have been sold around ex-Yugoslavia and Europe and have been awarded many times in the fashion industry.

Today, these unique and traditional products from wool are produced by the Sirogojno Company

Sirogojno Knitter's clothes

Knitter’s clothes

 

The Knitters’ Museum was opened in 2008 in their honour. The statue of the woman knitter is located in front of it and inside the museum, authentic recordings of fashion shows, photographs, and newspaper articles about Sirogojno knitters could be seen.

Also, there is a shop with various handcrafts and Sirogojno sweaters of specific designs, which are in demand nowadays.

Sirogojno Knitter's Museum, Muzej pletilja

Knitter’s Museum

 

What to see in Sirogojno village

Besides the church, the permanent exhibition includes two households with various objects and adapted houses for tourist purposes and accommodation.

During the 19th and 20th centuries, families could have 20, even up to 50 members. They lived in the main house and smaller cottages around it.

Sirogojno Old Village map

Sirogojno Old Village map

 

Church of St Apostles Peter and Paul

When you step into the Sirogojno complex, first you will see the Church of St Apostles Peter and Paul, built in 1764.
The icons from that period are works of the icon painter Simeon Lazović.

Sirogojno, Crkva Svetih Apostola Petra I Pavla, Church St Apostles Peter and Pau

Church St Apostles Peter and Paul

 

Names of killed soldiers during the First World War from this region were inscribed on walls.

Church St Apostles Peter and Paul

Inside the Church St Apostles Peter and Paul

 

A village cemetery is located next to the church. But the old carved graves of killed soldiers caught my attention…

Sirogojno Old Cemetary

Sirogojno Old Cemetary

 

The First Household

The main house in the first household is a Dinaric log house, with a rectangular base on the stone foundation, The 4-sided roof is high and steep with openings for smoke, and in the middle is a chimney with a carved spindle on top.
And of course, there is a plant “Čuvarkuća” on the roof, to keep safe members of the house.

Sirogojno Main House

The First main house and the plant on the roof

 

This house belonged to the Lazović family from Alin potok village, made in 1882. The house has two parts, a kitchen and a room.

In the middle of the kitchen, you can see a fireplace where food is prepared for all family members. Around it, you can see various pottery items and dishes.

Inside of the First Main House, Sirogojno

Inside of the first main house

 

The room is the warmest part of the house because of the clay oven with ceramic pots. Usually, the oldest members of the family and small kids slept there.

Sirogojno, Glavna Kuća, Main house

Sirogojno, the room in the first main house

 

There are two doors in the house, placed one opposite the other. The bigger one is on the east side, and the smaller one is on the west side. Around the main house are cottages (vajat) and a few objects. 

 

Cottage with porch

“Vajat” – Cottage is a smaller and modestly furnished house. Usually, they were built for each married son and his family.

The first cottage is from 1890, and it has a porch used as protection from rain and wind, for leisure time or as a place to sleep during warm nights in the summer.

Sirogojno, Vajat sa tremom, Cottage with porch

Sirogojno Cottage with porch

 

Next to the bed, there is a pole on which clothes and bedding were hung, trunks for storing things and weaving natras.

Sirogojno, 5 Vajat sa tremom

Cottage with porch (5 – Vajat sa tremom)

 

Close to it, there is another Cottage with crosses from 1845. It is the oldest building in the open museum. There are two crosses on the top of the roof, mounted as the symbol of protection for newborn children to prevent premature deaths.
There is a cellar with barrels in the stone foundation of the house.

Sirogojno Cottage with Roof Crosses

Sirogojno Cottage with Roof Crosses

 

Dairy

Usually, the dairy is located close to the main house. For hygiene reasons, only one woman from the family takes care of milking, and making cheese and cream (kajmak). This dairy is from 1920.

According to beliefs, the hazelnut branches and flower wreaths are put on the dairy and in special wooden troughs, to protect the family from diseases and weather conditions.

Sirogojno Mlekara Diary

Dairy house and special wooden troughs

 

Cooperage (Kačara)

This cooperage was relocated from the small town of Arilje. Usually, it is situated close to the garden and plum orchard. The production and trade with brandy – rakija šljivovica, was increased in the late 19th century due to wine diseases and devasted vineyards.
Well, rakija is an important part of the Serbian customs and culture.

Sirogojno, Kačara - Cooperage

Sirogojno Kačara – Cooperage

 

An oven for baking bread, a corn crib, a barn (ambar) and a chicken coop also belong to the first household.
The barn dates from 1900 and it was used for keeping and drying grains, such as wheat, barley, rye, and oats.

irogojno 9 Ambar I 10 Salaš

Sirogojno barns

 

Crafts development

The people from the Zlatibor region knew about 40 various crafts. Mostly, they are known for producing tar and torch, carpentry, working with horses, blacksmiths, watermills, making peasant shoes (opanak), knitting, embroidery, etc. These crafts changed due to social and economic circumstances.

Sirogojno 45 Craft Development

Sirogojno, Craft Development

 

The Second Household

Well, the second main house is similar to the main house in the first household. It is dated from 1891, from the village of Stublo.

Sirogojno The Second Main House

The Second main house

 

Various pottery items can be seen in this house. In fact, the development of pottery craft took place during the 19th century. Mixing the clay and stone, the men made various pots, jars, oval vessels, flowerpots, bread oven covers…

Sirogojno, Second Main House and Pottery

Inside the Second Main House with pottery items

 

Next to the main house, there is a cottage from 1901, with one hidden room. It was used to hide food or a family member during the unstable period when the Serbian state was in the constitution process.

Sirogojno 14 Vajat sa skrivnicom Drugo Gazdinstvo

Sirogojno 14 Vajat sa skrivnicom Drugo Gazdinstvo

 

Close to the main house, there is one corn crib with a porch and two barns for storage and drying grains.

Sirogojno, Ambars

Corn crib (left), and barns in the second household

 

Bee Hives

Since ancient times, honey has been used as food and medicine as well. The old Serbian word for honey is oil, and it is the origin of the word “uljanik”, a covered shelf with beehives, where the bees produce honey. They were made of white vines (pauta) and covered with mud on the outside.
Behind beehives, there is the root cellar, used to keep and store food during the winter.

Sirogojno Uljanik Bee Hives

Bee Hives (uljanik)

 

Tobacco store

The cottage with the tobacco store dates back to 1916 and it is relocated from the village of Čičkova.
At the end of the 19th century, tobacco production was developed, but it was necessary to have a permit from the Kingdom of Yugoslavia.

Sirogojno Cottage - Tobacco Store

Cottage – Tobacco Store

 

By the way, the economic part is built separately from the households. It consists of a cooperage, a shed for drying plumbs, a stable and a pig barn with a pigsty.

 

The Old School

During the Ottoman rule in Serbia (15th-19th), there were only Turkish primary and secondary schools known as madrassas. The Serbian children and the literacy were taught by priests or in monasteries. Only children from rich, princely and trade families had a private education. But, after the liberation, there was a need for education. For example, in the Zlatibor district were 22 inns and only one school.

Sirogojno Old School, Učionica

Sirogojno Old School

 

Regarding the first Law of schools in 1844, the communities could establish the schools. The school year started on the 1st of August and lasted until the 30th of June.

In the old classroom, you can see wooden school desks “skamija”, a globe, and an abacus.
By the way, the teacher could punish the disobedient pupils with a rod, by telling them to kneel on the corn or to sit in the “donkey’s bench”.

Inside of the Sirogojno Old School

Inside of the Sirogojno Old School

 

Houses with tourist purposes

Beside buildings in households, some houses are adapted for various tourist purposes. 
In one of them, there is a traditional Handicrafts Shop, where you can buy local handicrafts and herbal products. 

An exhibition hall is situated in the house with an area of 80 m2, and it can host about 100 guests.

Sirogojno Exhbition Hall

Inside of the Exhibition Hall

 

Various seminars, exhibitions, theatre plays, and concerts are held inside it, while the summer open-air stage is situated in front of the hall.

Sirogojno Exhibition Hall and Summer Open-air stage

Sirogojno Exhibition Hall and Summer Open-air stage

 

Sirogojno restaurant

If you have enough time, take a break and enjoy delicious food from the Zlatibor region.
Taste cheese, milk cream butter (kajmak), various pies, prosciutto, and famous specialities such as roast lamb, local beans (prebranac), and “The Old Village cake”. Try traditional drinks: rakija or teas prepared from domestic herbs.

Sirogojno Restaurant

Sirogojno Restaurant

 

Accommodation in Sirogojno

Seven houses were adapted to accommodate participants in various educational and crafts workshops, programs, and seminars.
But everyone can book these charming wooden apartments and enjoy a mix of traditional and modern accommodations. The apartments have 2 – 5 beds (29 beds in total).

I liked the most the house relocated from the village of Ljubiš, today transformed into a cottage-apartment.

Sirogojno, Kuća Iz Ljubiša-Konak

The House from the village of Ljubiš, today’s Cottage

 

The wooden houses decorated with flowers look so romantic 🤩

Sirogojno 43 Konak-Museum Guest cottage

Konak-Museum Guest Cottage (building no.43)

 

So, when we finished our visit to the old village, we could not resist swinging in the “Sirogojno hamlet for fun” 🙂
If you have time, take a break in the village restaurant “Zavičaj” for coffee or lunch.

Sirogojno Fun Space and Restaurant "Zavičaj"

Sirogojno fun space and Restaurant “Zavičaj”

 

Gostilje Waterfall

 

After visiting Sirogojno Old Village, we continued our trip to the Gostilje Waterfall. It is located in the village of Gostilje about 13 km from Sirogojno, 25 km from Zlatibor tourist centre, 30km from Užice town, and 250 km from Belgrade.

It is easy to come to the waterfall because an arranged path of 450 meters is around it. But take comfortable shoes because the path is narrow and sleepy.

Gostilje Path and Waterfall

The Gostilje Path and Waterfall

 

Well, the Gostilje River flows surrounded by beech and pine forests, and falls from 20m high making a beautiful waterfall.

 Gostilje Waterfall

A view of the Gostilje Waterfall

 

It is one of the highest waterfalls in Serbia. During the winter, the water freezes over, creating the scene of a winter fairy tale.

Zlatibor Gostilje Waterfall

Zlatibor, Gostilje Waterfall

 

Flowing to the confluence of the Katušnica River, the stream creates several smaller waterfalls, cascades, rapids and whirlpools.

Gostilje River

Gostilje River

 

Open time, price ticket and facilities

You can visit the waterfall in the winter from 9 AM to 4:30 PM and in the summer from 9 AM to 7 PM.
The price ticket for adults is 250 RSD (2,2 EUR), and 150 RSD (1,3 EUR) for children 6-14 years.
You can buy tickets at the ticket office in the location or with the Visit Serbia online platform, as a single or combo ticket.
👉 The ticket for Gostilje Waterfall, click here.
👉 For the Combo ticket, click here.

♦ On the hill above the waterfall, there is a park with benches, swings and children’s playground.
◊ If you like horses, take an opportunity and enjoy the ride surrounded by beautiful nature.
♦ Take a break for lunch or dinner at the ethno restaurant “Gostiljska vrela” with traditional dishes and a grilled trout speciality.
◊ If you like to hike, there is the circular hiking trail from Gostilje to Čigota (the health centre), which is 17 km long.

Gostilje_ Riding Horses Hiking Restaurant

Gostilje_ Riding Horses Hiking Restaurant

 

 

The guide to Sirogojno tradition and Gostilje nature

In a word, I hope this “guide” will give you all the details for visiting the open museum of Sirogojno.
The traditional wooden cottages show us the ordinary life was in the Zlatibor region during the 19th century.

And take your time to enjoy the view of the untouched beautiful nature and cold waterdrops from the Gostilje waterfall.

 

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