Gostuša

Gostuša sits at around 900 metres on the slopes of Stara Planina, and it is built almost entirely of one material: thin stone slabs from the surrounding hills, used for walls, roofs, fences, paving and outbuildings, laid without mortar in the lower courses with timber and mud above, so the whole village reads as a single grey mass against the mountain. The architecture is a shepherding vernacular refined over generations and it survives because the village emptied rather than modernised; a conservation project has documented it and won recognition for the effort. Perhaps a few dozen people still live there, mostly elderly. Walking the lanes takes an hour and the interest is in how completely consistent the building tradition is.

The main sights

• Stone-slab roofs - houses roofed in the same rock as their walls.
• Dry-stone lanes - paths, fences and paving all in local stone.
• Shepherding vernacular - barns, pens and outbuildings in the same idiom.
• Mountain setting - the village against the Stara Planina slopes.

When to go

May to October; the road up is difficult in snow and the village is largely cut off in winter. Summer is pleasant at this altitude. Autumn brings colour on the surrounding slopes.

Practical notes

This is a nearly abandoned village with an elderly population, not a museum; many houses are collapsing and entering them is unsafe and intrusive. There are no facilities, no shop and no signage. The road up is narrow and rough. Photographing residents and their homes needs asking.

Nearby

Pirot lies southwest; Stara Planina rises above.

Key facts