Status of monument -> National monument
Pursuant to Article V para. 4 Annex 8 of the General Framework Agreement for Peace in Bosnia and Herzegovina and Article 39 para. 1 of the Rules of Procedure of the Commission to Preserve National Monuments, at a session held from 6 to 9 September 2011 the Commission adopted a
D E C I S I O N
I
The historic site of the forges (majdans) in the village of Očevlje, Vareš Municipality hereby designated as a National Monument of Bosnia and Herzegovina (hereinafter: the National Monument).
The National Monument consists of the three forges still operated by the Jozeljić, Gogić and Vijačkić families.
The National Monument is located on a site designated as cadastral plot no. 19, title deed no. 100; c.p. no. 28, title deed no. 49, and c.p. no. 73, title deed no. 16, cadastral municipality Očevlje, Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bosnia and Herzegovina.
The provisions relating to protection measures set forth by the Law on the Implementation of the Decisions of the Commission to Preserve National Monuments, established pursuant to Annex 8 of the General Framework Agreement for Peace in Bosnia and Herzegovina (Official Gazette of the Federation of BiH nos. 2/02, 27/02, 6/04 and 51/07) shall apply to the National Monument.
II
The Government of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina (hereinafter: the Government of the Federation) shall be responsible for providing the legal, scientific, technical, administrative and financial measures necessary for the protection, conservation and presentation of the National Monument.
The Commission to Preserve National Monuments (hereinafter: the Commission) shall determine the technical requirements and secure the funds for preparing and setting up signboards with basic details of the monument and the Decision to proclaim the property a National Monument.
III
To ensure the on-going protection of the National Monument on the area defined in Clause 1 para. 3 of this Decision, the following protection measures are hereby stipulated:
- conservation-restoration works are permitted, including those designed for the presentation of the monument, with the approval of the Federal Ministry responsible for regional planning (hereinafter: the relevant ministry) and under the expert supervision of the heritage protection authority of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina (hereinafter: the heritage protection authority);
- the National Monument may be used and presented for cultural and educational purposes;
- routine maintenance works designed to ensure the sustainable use of the monument are permitted, subject to the approval of the relevant ministry and under the expert supervision of the heritage protection authority;
- works that could be detrimental to the National Monument are prohibited, as is the erection of temporary facilities or permanent structures not designed solely for the protection and presentation of the monument;
- the government of the Federation shall be responsible in particular for producing a Management Plan and providing the conditions required to enable the forges to continue working and selling their wares on the open market.
IV
All executive and area development planning acts are hereby revoked to the extent that they are not in accordance with the provisions of this Decision.
V
Everyone, and in particular the competent authorities of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, the Canton, and urban and municipal authorities, shall refrain from any action that might damage the National Monument or jeopardize the preservation and rehabilitation thereof.
VI
The Government of the Federation, the Federal Ministry responsible for regional planning, the Federation heritage protection authority, and the Municipal Authorities in charge of urban planning and land registry affairs, shall be notified of this Decision in order to carry out the measures stipulated in Articles II to V of this Decision, and the Authorized Municipal Court shall be notified for the purposes of registration in the Land Register.
VII
The elucidation and accompanying documentation form an integral part of this Decision, which may be viewed by interested parties on the premises or by accessing the website of the Commission (www.kons.gov.ba).
VIII
Pursuant to Art. V para 4 Annex 8 of the General Framework Agreement for Peace in Bosnia and Herzegovina, decisions of the Commission are final.
IX
This Decision shall enter into force on the day following its publication in the Official Gazette of BiH.
This Decision has been adopted by the following members of the Commission: Zeynep Ahunbay, Martin Cherry, Amra Hadžimuhamedović, Dubravko Lovrenović and Ljiljana Ševo.
No.04.1-2.3-77/11-21
6 September 2011
Sarajevo
Chair of the Commission
Dubravko Lovrenović
E l u c i d a t i o n
I – INTRODUCTION
Pursuant to Article 2, paragraph 1 of the Law on the Implementation of the Decisions of the Commission to Preserve National Monuments, established pursuant to Annex 8 of the General Framework Agreement for Peace in Bosnia and Herzegovina, a “National Monument” is an item of public property proclaimed by the Commission to Preserve National Monuments to be a National Monument pursuant to Articles V and VI of Annex 8 of the General Framework Agreement for Peace in Bosnia and Herzegovina and property entered on the Provisional List of National Monuments of Bosnia and Herzegovina (Official Gazette of BiH no. 33/02) until the Commission reaches a final decision on its status, as to which there is no time limit and regardless of whether a petition for the property in question has been submitted or not.
The Kreševo Society for the Preservation of Cultural, Historical and Natural Assets contact the Commission on 8 January 2009, as did the Vareš Tourist Information Point on 10 March 2009, with a proposal to designate the majdans (forges) of Alojzije Vijačkić, Mijo Jozeljić and August Gogić of the village of Očevlje, Vareš Municipality, as a national monument.
Pursuant to the provisions of the law, the Commission proceeded to carry out the procedure for reaching a final decision to designate the Property as a National Monument, pursuant to Article V para. 4 of Annex 8 and the provisions of Article 35 of the Rules of Procedure of the Commission to Preserve National Monuments
Statement of Significance
A comparison of the metal-working in Bosnia and Herzegovina with that elsewhere in Europe from Antiquity to the Middle Ages suggests that there were no significant differences. However, later socio-economic and political circumstances were such that the advances in technology and industrialization that took place in most of Europe in the 18th century, radically transforming iron and steel production, left Bosnian metallurgy untouched. Throughout their rule in Bosnia and Herzegovina, the Ottomans preserved the same methods in this branch of the economy as were used when they first conquered the country. Great changes came about when the Austro-Hungarian Empire annexed Bosnia and Herzegovina: large iron and steel works were opened, along with the first factories producing finished products. The competition proved too much for Bosnia’s blacksmiths (majdandžije), and authentic techniques of the kind practised since mediaeval times survived in Bosnia and Herzegovina only among the blacksmiths of the village of Očevlje. In 1967 there were still seven forges in operation; in 2011, there are only three.
The principal value of the forges (majdans) lies in their authenticity, in the form of the main and ancillary buildings, the plant and machinery, the techniques in use and the products, the way they operate, and the archaic nature of the terminology used. The forges are powered by the fast-flowing river Oćevica, which raises the trip hammer, and by ćumur (charcoal), which provides the heat required to forge the iron. The articles being produced today consist of sač (a metal pan with rounded lid, used to bake bread or cook borek by heaping coals around and over it), agricultural implements, logging equipment and horseshoes. Of note is the fact that the majdandžije, skilled craftsmen, are also able to produce a range of small items to order.
II – PRELIMINARY PROCEDURE
In the procedure preceding the adoption of a final decision to proclaim the property a national monument, the following documentation was inspected:
- details of the current condition and use of the property, including a description and photographs
- an inspection of the condition of the property
- copy of cadastral plan
- copy of Land Register entry
- historical, architectural and other documentary material on the property, as set out in the bibliography forming part of this Decision
- letter ref. 05.2-35.2-10/10-210 of 25 October 2010 sent by the Kreševo Society for the Preservation of Cultural, Historical and Natural Assets requesting information on the status of the decision to designate the property as a national monument (enclosing a documentary film on the forges in Očevlje filmed in 1999, TV Kiseljak)
- the available literature on the subject
- the owners’ agreement to the designation of the forges as a national monument (verbal agreement given on 28 July 2011 and officially minuted).
The findings based on the review of the above documentation and the condition of the property are as follows:
1. Details of the property
Location
The village of Očevlje lies below Mt Zvijezda, about 18 km north-east of Vareš and 14 km from Kravija on the Olovo side. It occupies both sides of the River Oćevica valley (Rijeka, Buk), a left-bank tributary of the Krivaja, at an average altitude of about 850 m.
The National Monument is located on a site designated as cadastral plot no. 19, title deed no. 100; c.p. no. 28, title deed no. 49; and c.p. no. 73, title deed no. 16, cadastral municipality Očevlje, Vareš Municipality geodetics department, Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Historical background
A study of the geological map of Bosnia and Herzegovina reveals that iron ore is concentrated in a number of zones in the central region of the country, from Čajniče to Prijedor(1). Many sites of, for the most part, small iron mines and slag heaps(2) in use over the centuries have been identified in these mining areas. The oldest prehistoric (Early Iron Age) iron artefacts in Bosnia have been found in tumuli in Glasinac, in Stari Majdan, and in the pile dwelling villages in Dolina near Gradiška; numerous Late Iron Age artefacts have been found in Donja Dolina, Ripač, and the areas around the Sana, Una and Japra rivers. One of the oldest furnaces used for smelting iron ore found to date, which has been dated to the Late Iron Age(3), is in Sanski Most(4). Most iron ore extraction and smelting during the Roman period was in the Sanski region; the iron ores of central Bosnia (Kreševo, Fojnica, Vareš) were of minor importance.
Iron ore continued to be extracted and smelted in later periods, and both mining and metallurgy were highly prized in the Middle Ages. The technology of iron production and processing was the same as in Western Europe. There were no books on metallurgy or schools where it was taught until the 18th century(5), with the exception of a book entitled De re metallica(6) by Georgius Agricola, published in 1555.
The Ottoman authorities in Bosnia made no changes to the way things were conducted in this field of the economy. In 1530 Süleyman I the Magnificent introduced a mining law, the Kanun Sas Süleyman, to protect mining and allow for its undisturbed development, along with the associated metallurgy, and to prevent clashes between the miners and valturci(7). Later in the Ottoman period, however, mining and metallurgy declined before experiencing a brief recovery in the 18th century.
With the arrival of Austro-Hungarian rule in Bosnia and Herzegovina in 1878, the miners lost the rights they had enjoyed (the right to exploit ores and forests). The industrial production of iron and iron wares was a death knell for the old production methods(8). Curiously, however, though in 1942 just four majdans were recorded as still in operation, but by 1967 this had increased to seven(9).
In his History of Bosnia, Salih ef Muvekit relates that the extraction of iron in the Vareš region began during the time of sanjak-bey Jakub Pasha(10), who governed the country between 1492 and 1494.
The earliest reference to the village of Očevlje(11), birthplace of Fr. Filip Lastrić(12) and Rafael Rafo Barišić(13), dates from about 1485(14). It is known for its majdans or forges(15). Kreševljaković says that ore was never extracted or smelted in the village(16), but there are a number of old mine shafts, overgrown by trees, at Bukvica, and Mijo Barkić, one of the blacksmiths, said in 1989 that he remembered ore that was dug out near his house being smelted right next to the forges(17).
When the footings were being dug for Ilija Barkić’s house, a layer of iron slag was found at a depth of one metre, evidence that iron ore was smelted there(18).
The village of Očevlje now has about seventy residents, most of them elderly and pensioners. Most of the former villagers are now living in Western Europe or Croatia.
Three majdans are still in operation. Ownership of the majdans is by inheritance only, and these three majdans belong to the Jozeljić, Gogić and Vijakčić families(19).
2. Description of the property
The principal components of a majdan are the dam, mill race, high reservoir (the lađa), a system of channels (badnjevi), axles and wheels, and the actual forge, with the various work benches required for the different production stages.
The dam directs the water from the normal course of the River Očevica along the gentle slope of the mill race, and is so constructed that the same volume of water always flows into the mill race regardless of the level of the Očevica(20).
Until the 1930s, the mill race was made of wood, but the wood quickly rotted and had to be replaced and the system needed constant repair. As a result modern materials, mainly concrete, came to be used instead of wood. The mill race is an artificial watercourse following the isohypses of the hill, which receives and directs a certain quantity of water from the dam to the high reservoir (lađa) of the majdan, which ensures a constant supply of water. The reservoir consists partly of concrete and partly of a wooden chest with one end set back into the hillside and the other resting on wooden posts. The channels (badnjevi) are steeply angled pipes with one end below water level in the high reservoir and the other end open. Here the potential energy in the lađa is converted into kinetic energy as the acceleration resulting from the angle of the channels causes the water to strike the paddles of the wheel, which turn on the axle on which they are set. Until the 1960s the channels were made of beech logs with a diameter of 40 to 80 cm, but these were later replaced by steel pipes. The flow of water in the pipes is regulated by special gates by means of articulated bars inside the workshop, on the lever principle.
The water falling onto the paddles of the wheel set on the rotation axles turns both the wheel and the wheel shafts. This is the main majdan wheel, by which the rotation of the shaft is transformed into the tactical movement of the trip hammer. The shaft consists of a beech log with a diameter of 60 to 80 cm. The main wheel is accompanied by another one or two forge wheels that turn the shafts of the fans (replacing the bellows of olden times) and the grinder.
The majdan workshop is a covered area where iron is worked in a specific way. Separate work benches in the majdan are used for the different types of work.
The majdan hammer is raised and lowered tactically under the blows of four pulc on the main rotational shaft. The rate at which the majdan hammer strikes is regulated by the volume of water released. The regulation mechanism consists of a gate on the high reservoir and two articulated bars; when the bars are pulled out, the gate is lifted and water from the reservoir enters the channel.
The majdan hammer, the strike force of which ranges from 1 to 30 KN (100-3000 Kp), is used for the finery process(21).
The grno, the hearth, is the place where the iron is heated to red-heat so that it can be worked. The fuel used is beechwood charcoal, known as ćumur(22). The fire is stirred by the current of air produced by a fan. Each majdan has one or, more usually, two hearths, a large one, and a small one for small articles.
Wooden blocks and anvils are used for the fine forging of iron wares. There are usually two such blocks, one by each hearth.
The majdan also has separate work benches where the various articles are made, a place to work with the large shears used to make sheet-iron articles, and work benches for the grinders used to sharpen agricultural tools(23).
Also in use nowadays are electric grinders and drills, along with welding equipment.
Everything is made by eye, without measuring anything, but the blacksmiths’ experience and routine procedures results in articles that are very similar in shape, weight and quality. They are made in stages, rather than working continuously on a single article – for example, to produce a hoe, the hoe is passed from hand to hand twelve times.
Alongside the majdans are wooden outbuildings known as krams, used to store charcoal and finished wares. Majdandžije Gogić and Vijakčić still have the old-style krams, but the Jozeljić forge has a more modern outbuilding.
The subject of this decision are the three operating forges of the Jozeljić, Gogić and Vijačkić families, which were built on the River Očevica in that order. The first two are on the left bank of the river and the third on the right bank.
The Jozeljić majdan
The owner of the majdan is Jozeljić Mijo, who has two employees, his son and his uncle Ante, who is also the head smith in the majdan.
Access to the majdan is via an unsurfaced track to the south-east of the majdan complex. The majdan consists of several buildings, principal among which are a workshop, a kram and a number of storage facilities. There are also a number of structures that are not directly related to the majdan and its manufacturing process: a water mill with a millstone, two fish ponds and a lean-to with a power saw. On the other side of the river, south of the buildings, are the remains of a hydro power plant that provided the village with electricity in the 1950s(24).
The workshop is a simple, rectangular building of about 7 x 8.20 m with walls of modern materials. The entrance to the building is from the east, through a wooden door 80 cm in width. The floor is on different levels to take account of the production process, with the south-western part 50 cm lower than the rest. The building has a gabled roof clad with sheet metal.
The majdan has three hearths, two charcoal-fired (one large and one small) and the third of which is a furnace fired by used motor oil. There is also a majdan hammer, as well as an electric-powered hammer that was introduced in 1979 or 1980(25).
They purchase their raw materials as scrap metal and from warehouses in Sarajevo and Zenica(26). The end products are sold in markets in Visoko, Zenica, Kakanj, Olovo, Sokolka and Dalmatia. They say that before the 1992-1995 war in Bosnia and Herzegovina they used to produce quite large quantities of tools for forestry workers, but the volume of these products has fallen dramatically. Finished wares are stored in the warehouse by the majdan.
The Gogić majdan
The owner of the majdan is Alojzije Gogić, whose father Mijo and brother Štefan also work in the majdan.
Access to the majdan is from the east. The majdan has five buildings: a workshop, a kram and three stores. One is in very poor condition(27).
The workshop is rectangular in plan, measuring about 6 x 7 metres. The entrance is on the south-east side, through a simple wooden door 80 cm in width. The floor is on different levels, with the eastern part 50 cm lower than the rest. The workshop was built of slag concrete blocks and had a gabled roof clad with sheet metal.
The old kram is rectangular in plan, measuring approx. 4.5 x 2.2 m. The walls are made of planks slotted into wooden posts at the ends and midpoint of the building. The entrance is from the north. The building has a gabled roof clad with sheet metal.
The new kram and store were built of wooden beams with characteristic carpentry joints at the corners. They measure about 4.5 x 2.5 m, and are of recent date, with gabled roofs clad with sheet metal.
The ensemble has one more building, a store, similar to the others, with a gabled roof.
The majdan has two charcoal-fired hearths, one large and one small, and one majdan hammer.
They purchase their raw materials as scrap metal and from warehouses in Sarajevo and Zenica, and sell their wares at the markets in Stup near Sarajevo, and Čapljina(28). Finished products are stored in the majdan.
The Vijakčić majdan
Until the late 1990s the majdan was used by two families, Vijakčić and Barkić, but since then the Barkić family has given up working in the forge, and the majdan is run by Alojzije Vijakčić, helped by his son who handles sales around the markets.
Access to the majdan is from the south-east, via an unsurfaced track that forks off the main road just after the bridge, and over a footbridge about 3 m long and 90 cm wide north of the majdan. The majdan has two buildings, a workshop and a kram, and the remains of a third building downstream, probably a store for finished products.
The workshop, which measures about 7 x 7 m, is a simple building, square in plan, with concrete foundation walls and wooden walls consisting of wooden beams set vertically. To the south, on the hillside, are the remains of an older stone wall, which can also be seen on the east and west sides of the building. The entrance to the building is from the east, through a simple wooden door 80 cm in width. The building has another door facing the wheels to the west; this is just 60 cm wide, with a window 80 cm wide and 60 cm high above.
The floor of the building is on different levels, with the north-west part 50 cm lower than the rest.
The workshop has a hipped roof clad with sheet metal, which is also used to clad the outside walls, to protect it from water splashes.
The kram is rectangular in plan, measuring approx. 8 x 4 m, and is used as a charcoal store. The entrance is to the west, from the workshop, through a wooden door about 70 cm in width. A wooden privy has been built onto the east side of the building. The kram is constructed of 4-5 cm thick wooden planks about 30 cm in width, with characteristic joints at the corners. The planks are charred on the outside from a fire a few years ago. The building has a gabled roof with asbestos board cladding. The roof contains a storage area entered through a wooden door.
The majdan has two charcoal-fired hearths, one large and one small, and one majdan hammer.
They purchase their raw materials as scrap metal and from warehouses in Zenica and Kiseljak(29), and sell their wares at markets in Kladanj, Živinice and Vlasenica.
The Vijakčić majdan is the last in the majdans still in operation on the River Očevica. Since majdandžija Gogić lives a long way from the majdan, he says he no longer feels safe leaving his wares in the majdan, but takes the day’s wares home, where he has a warehouse.
In 1967, during a visit to the majdans, Nedžad Hadžidedić noted that the operation of the majdan is organized to ensure that everyone pulls his weight equally. “If one of the smiths (brothers) is working this week on large pieces of iron under the large majdan hammer (which is regarded as heavy work), next week he will take the wares to market to get some rest, and someone else takes over from him, while the third will be working on the blooms, masses of iron after the first hammering, or making small articles by hand. If more than three people are working in the majdan, and depending on the type of wares being produced, the production process will be split into several stages, with the smiths alternating on a weekly or daily basis. If the majdan has two owners … things are arranged differently, given that the majdan has only one hammer, and in this case the work of each family group of full brothers is managed by the oldest son or brother. Each family group has its own tools, anvils and grno (hearth), and its own stores (krams). However, the majdan hammer is jointly owned, apart from the iron components of the equipment – the oglavina [head], nakovanj [anvil] and škripe(30), which are removed at each change of shift as belonging to each group individually. Each work-group works with the majdan hammer for a week, with the change-over on Saturday at noon, when another group takes over and fits its own iron components. Within these family groups, the work is already traditionally organized in the same way as in majdans where there is only one family group. These groups usually consist of two to four smiths. This way of operating the majdans, based on family relations and mutual trust, increases the productivity of the majdans and means that the wares are sold without a middleman. When organizing and dividing up the work, smiths who specialize in a particular area of production or in making certain articles work more on these but without receiving special compensation for doing so. When the work is in full swing, which is usually in winter, the groups in the majdan, especially if there are several smiths in a group, work in shifts, with one shift working from midnight to 9 am, when the shift changes. This means that work can continue 24 hours a day in the majdan…. Production is not always at the same level; the busiest times are late autumn and, in particular winter. In spring and early summer, on the other hand, production is at its lowest level, and the smiths spend more time travelling from market to market, as this is the season for selling at the fairs, and one or other majdan may close down for a while.” (31)
Almost forty-five years later, things have changed in the majdans, where for the most part one or two people work an eight-hour day or so, while a third employee, often the owner’s son, sells the wares around the markets on the usual market days. The pace of work is much as before, with most wares produced during the winter(32), and spring and summer focused mainly on sales(33). They do not work on Sundays or religious holidays.
The wares produced by the Očevlje majdandžije can be divided by use as follows:
- agricultural tools – hoes and picks. The types of hoe now produced are the Bosnian hoe (Spreča and Zenica), the Herzegovina hoe (a spiked hoe), and the eastern Bosnia hoe (a spiked hoe);(34)
- articles used in the preparation of food: sač sets(35) and tepsije (roasting/baking tins);
- horseshoes and shoes for oxen;
- miscellaneous articles: various wedges and spikes for use in forestry.
In addition to these, the following wares were being produced in 1967: ploughshares(36), pick-axes, spades, shovels, draw hoes, picks, mattocks, coulters, roasting tins, frying pans, cheese strainers, milk pans, wash basins, boilers, harrow spikes, large spikes, cramps, wedges for pulling logs, window bars and grilles, trivets, tongs, various hammers, and all the tools needed for working in the smithy(37).
3. Legal status to date
The majdans in Očevlje were listed by the Institute for the Protection of the Cultural and Natural Heritage of Bosnia and Herzegovina.
4. Research and conservation-restoration works
There is no available information on any conservation-restoration works on the majdans in Oćevija.
5. Current condition of the property
Most of the buildings in the majdans are in very poor condition, particularly those built of wood. The worst problems are with the roofs, which are leaking, and the wooden walls (in the case of buildings made of planks and beams) where they are in contact with the ground, which is rotting the foundation beams. Left to their own devices, despite the majdans being recorded previously as heritage, the owners have resolve these problems on an ad hoc basis, using cheap methods and modern materials. Some roofs have been clad with metal from barrels, and others with asbestos board. Metal from barrels has also been used to clad the exterior of some buildings.
According to the owners of the majdans, majdan owner Jozeljić received funds for repairs from the Federal Ministry of Tourism and the Environment, which he used to cover the roof, using steel sheet, which has not been used on the other buildings, suggesting that the absence of a repair and maintenance project for their majdans is compromising their authenticity.
III – CONCLUSION
Applying the Criteria for the adoption of a decision on proclaiming an item of property a national monument (Official Gazette of BiH nos. 33/02 and 15/03), the Commission has enacted the Decision cited above designating the historic site of the forges (majdans) in the village of Očevlje in Vareš Municipality as a national monument.
The Decision was based on the following criteria:
A. Time frame
B. Historical value
D. Clarity (documentary, scientific and educational value)
D.i. material evidence of a lesser known historical era
D.ii. evidence of historical change
D.iv. evidence of a particular type, style or regional manner
D.v. evidence of a typical way of life at a specific period
E. Symbolic value
E.iii. traditional value
E.v. significance for the identity of a group of people
G. Authenticity
G.i. form and design
G.ii. material and content
G.iii. use and function
G.iv. traditions and techniques
H. Rarity and representativity
H.i. unique or rare example of a certain type or style
I. Completeness
I.i. physical coherence
I.ii. homogeneity
I.iii. completeness
The following documents form an integral part of this Decision:
- Ownership documentation
- Copy of cadastral plan, c.p. 28, c.m. Očevlje, plan no. 2, scale 1:1000, issued on 20 October 2010 by the Department of Geodetics, Vareš Municipality, Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bosnia and Herzegovina;
- Copy of cadastral plan, c.p. 19, c.m. Očevlje, scale 1:1000, issued on 20 October 2010 by the Department of Geodetics, Vareš Municipality, Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bosnia and Herzegovina;
- Copy of cadastral plan, c.p. 73, c.m. Očevlje, plan nos. 2 and 3, scale 1:1000, issued on 20 October 2010 by the Department of Geodetics, Vareš Municipality, Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bosnia and Herzegovina;
- Land Register entry for plot no. 263, entry no. 121, NAR and RZ no. 004468, Vareš Municipality, cadastral municipality SP Očevlje, issued on 19 October 2010 by the Land Registry office of the Municipal Court in Visoko, Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bosnia and Herzegovina;
- Land Register entry for plot no. 259, entry no.213, NAR and RZ no. 004481, Vareš Municipality, cadastral municipality SP Očevlje, issued on 19 October 2010 by the Land Registry office of the Municipal Court in Visoko, Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bosnia and Herzegovina;
- Land Register entry for plot no. 260, entry no. 20y, NAR and RZ no. 004482, Vareš Municipality, cadastral municipality SP Očevlje, issued on 19 October 2010 by the Land Registry office of the Municipal Court in Visoko, Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bosnia and Herzegovina;
- Land Register entry for plot nos. 95, 213/2, 94/1, 94/5, 94/6, entry no. 280, NAR and RZ no. 004483, Vareš Municipality, cadastral municipality SP Očevlje, issued on 19 October 2010 by the Land Registry office of the Municipal Court in Visoko, Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bosnia and Herzegovina;
- Photodocumentation
- Photographs of the historic site of the forges in the village of Očevlje, Vareš Municipality, taken on 11 December 2003 by Slobodanka Nikolić using Canon PowerShot G3 digital camera;
- Photographs of the historic site of the majdans in the village of Očevlje, Vareš Municipality, taken on 21 October 2010 by Tarik Jazvin and Aleksandra Bunčić using Canon PowerShot SX 10 IS digital camera;
- Photographs of the historic site of the majdans in the village of Očevlje, Vareš Municipality, taken on 19 August 2011 by Slobodanka Nikolić and Mirzah Fočo using Canon EOS D-60 digital camera;
- Technical documentation
- Technical drawing of the, by architect Tarik Jazvin.
Bibliography
During the procedure to designate the historic site of the forges (majdans) in the village of Očevlje, Vareš Municipality as a national monument, the following works were consulted:
1897 Fiala, Franjo. “Nekropola ravnih grobova kod Sanskog mosta” (The necropolis of flat graves at Sanski Most), in Glasnik Zemaljskog muzeja, IX, no. 2. Sarajevo: National Museum, 1897, 281-307
1933 Latal, E. “Stari željezni majdani u okolini Ljubije” (Old iron majdans in the Ljubije area), in Glasnik Zemaljskog muzeja, XLV, vol. 1, natural history. Sarajevo: National Museum, 1933, 165-180
1943 Kreševljakvović, Hamdija. “Vareš kao glavno središte gvozdenog obrta u Bosni i Hercegovini do 1891” (Vareš as the main iron-working centre in Bosnia and Herzegovina to 1891) in Glasnik zemaljskog muzeja, yr. 1942. Sarajevo: 1943, 409-460
1967 Hadžidedić, Nedžad. “Majdani ili samokovi u Oćeviji” (Forges in Oćevije) in Glasnik Zemaljskog muzeja, Ethnology (new series), vol. XXII. Sarajevo: 1967, 177-195
1980 Karamehmedović, A. Muhamed. Umjetnička obrada metala (The art of metal-working). Sarajevo: Biblioteka Kulturno Nasljeđe, Veselin Masleša, 1980
1989 Hadrović, Ahmet. “Očevijski majdani juče, danas, sutra” (The forges of Očevije yesterday, today, tomorrow) in Naše starine. Sarajevo: Journal of the Institute for the protection of the Cultural and Natural Heritage of Bosnia and Herzegovina, XVIII – XIX, 1989, 159-167
1999 Klicić, Josip. “Kratak historijat razvoja rudnika i željezare Vareš” (A brief history of the development of the Vareš mines and iron works), in papers from a symposium on mining and metallurgy in Bosnia and Herzegovina from prehistory to the early 20th century: Zenica: Zenica Museum, 1999, 437- 453
1999 Ramović, Mehmed. “Nalazišta ruda zlata, bakra, kalaja, željeza, srebra, olova, žive, antimona i arsena u SR BiH” (Deposits of gold, copper, tin, iron, silver, lead, mercury, antimony and arsenic ores in SR BiH) in papers from a symposium on mining and metallurgy in Bosnia and Herzegovina from prehistory to the early 20th century. Zenica: Zenica Museum, 1999, 9-20
1999 Gostiša, Nikola. “Dosadašnja istraživanja razvitka metalurške tehnologije u BiH” (Research to date into the development of metallurgical technology in BiH) in papers from a symposium on mining and metallurgy in Bosnia and Herzegovina from prehistory to the early 20th century. Zenica: Zenica Museum, 1999, 21-44
2004 Klajić, Bratoljub. Rječnik stranih riječi (Dictionary of foreign loan-words). Zagreb: Nakladni zavod MH, 2004
For English translation: http://www.brhoward.com/hay_creek_trip_hammer.html *
(1) Iron ore is to be found in the belt extending from Čajniče, through Goražde, Foča and Prača and on through central Bosnia, where there are known deposits around Vareš, Fojnica, Mt. Radovan, Kreševo, Dusina, Novi Travnik, and on towards Sinjakovo near Jajce, and in the north-west around Prijedor, Sana and Ljubija (Mehmed Ramović, “Nalazišta ruda zlata, bakra, kalaja, željeza, srebra, olova, žive, antimona i arsena u SR BiH,” Radovi sa simpozijuma rudarstvo i metalurgija Bosne i Hercegovine od prahistorije do početka XX vijeka, Zenica: Muzej Grada Zenice, 1999, 11)
(2) Slag, or šljaka as it is known in Bosnian, is a by-product of metal smelting. As it cools, the slag creates solid mineral alloys, which are used in the production of industrial cement, in agriculture (as fertilizer), and in road building. (Bratoljub Klajić, Rječnik stranih riječi, Zagreb: Nakladni zavod MH, 2004, 1299). A šljačište is a slag heap.
(3) The furnace has been dated to the 5th and 4th centuries BCE.
(4) Franjo Fiala, “Nekropola ravnih grobova kod Sanskog mosta,” in Glasnik Zemaljskog muzeja u Sarajevu, IX, br 2, Sarajevo: 1897, 281-307
(5) The world’s first mining schools were founded in Freiberg, Saxony, in 1766, Ščavnica (Slovakia) in 1770, and Petrovgrad in 1773. (Nikola Gostiša, “Dosadašnja istraživanja razvitka metalurške tehnologije u BiH,” Radovi sa simpozijuma rudarstvo i metalurgija Bosne i Hercegovine od prahistorije do početka XX vijeka, Zenica: Muzej Grada Zenice, 1999, 39)
(6) A copy of the third, 1657 edition of this work is kept in the Franciscan monastery in Kreševo. A manual of mining and metallurgy, it is in 12 volumes, and was a source of basic information on mining and metallurgy for the miners and metalworkers of Kreševo.
(7) Valturci – those who purchased ore from the miners.
(8) In 1878, 187 forges and smelting furnaces were recorded, but by 1940 there were only three samokov [waterwheels and hammers] in Vareš, with another six in Očevlje and two in Kreševo. (Nikola Gostiša, op.cit, 1999, 40)
(9) Nedžad Hadžidedić, “Majdani ili samokovi u Oćeviji” in Glasnik Zemaljskog muzeja, ns etnologija, vol. XXII, Sarajevo: Zemaljski muzej u Sarajevu, 1967, 179
(10) Iron was being produced in the village of Doboštica, near Vareš, in the first half of the 15th century. Legend has it that the first residents of Vareš came there from Duboštica, and tradition relates that the imperial commissioner in Duboštica was so harsh that the villagers killed him. As a result, some of the villagers were killed and the rest were exiled. Hamdija Kreševljaković, “Vareš kao glavno središte gvozdenog obrta u Bosni i Hercegovini do 1891. godine,” in Glasnik hrvatskih zemaljskih muzeja, Sarajevo: National Museum, 1942, 412).
(11) This is the spelling used in the cadastral records, but it is also commonly known as Očevije and Oćevije.
(12) Franciscan, historian and theologian, living between 1700 and 1783.
(13) Bishop and writer, living between 1797 and 1863.
(14) Hadrović, “Očevijski majdani juče, danas, sutra,” in Naše starine, Sarajevo: Annual of the Institute for the Protection of the Cultural and Natural Heritage of BiH, XVIII – XIX, 1989, 159
(15) The word majdan is of Arabic origin [from m’adan, a mine, lode, metal or mineral, via the Turkish máden], a mine. However, during the Ottoman period the word was adopted in Bosnia and came to mean not only the place where ore was extracted, but also the furnaces in which the ore was smelted and the smithies where iron wares were made. The terms viganj (in the Vareš area) and duganja (in the Kreševo area) were also used to denote smithies where small iron goods were handmade (Hamdija Kreševljaković, op.cit., 1942, 424.) The blacksmiths of Očevlje call their forges majdans, and themselves majdandžije, and this decision designating the properties as a national monument therefore uses the terms to designate forges and blacksmiths.
(16) Hamdija Kreševljaković, op.cit., 1942, 423.
(17) Ahmet Hadrović, op.cit., 1989, 159.
(18) Ahmet Hadrović, op.cit., 1989, 162.
(19) Since the Barkić and Jakić families have given up working their forges. (Nedžad Hadžidedić, op.cit., 1967, 181)
(20) The River Očevica neither dries up in summer nor floods in spring.
(21) Translator’s note: the term used in the original literally means “crude [or rough] unforging.” I assume that what is meant here is the process of drawing out blooms made from wrought iron into more workable bar iron using the trip hammer. The term pulc in the preceding paragraph has defeated me. This brief description of a water-powered trip hammer forge in Pennsylvania could, it seems, equally well apply to the majdans of Očevlje, and may therefore be helpful: “The Hay Creek facility was a trip hammer forge erected in 1740 by iron master William Bird (1706-1761) in Birdsboro, Berks County, Pennsylvania. …. The Hay Creek Forge consisted of a stone building with an arched brick forge at one end. At the opposite end of the structure there was a trip hammer, anvil, water wheel shaft and gearing. The trip hammer, one of the few remaining in the country, was raised by a large cast iron gear. This was attached to the water driven wooden shaft; as the gear rotated, the hammer was “tripped” or dropped upon heated iron stock or “pigs” that had been placed upon the anvil to produce malleable iron.” From http://www.brhoward.com/hay_creek_trip_hammer.html, accessed 30 August 2011.
(22) Charcoal is burned mainly from oak wood, but also from beech or hazel. The majdandžije purchased the wood, and the charcoal-burners burned it for them. (E. Latal, “Stari željezni majdani u okolini Ljubije” in Glasnik Zemaljskog muzeja, vol.1, natural history, yr. XLV, Sarajevo: National Museum in Sarajevo, Sarajevo, 1933, 169). According to majdandžije Jozeljić, Brkić and Vijakčić, burning charcoal is now a problem. There are still two charcoal-burners in Očevlje, both over 80 and no longer working and who have not passed on their trade to anyone. The majdandžije now usually hire a charcoal-burner from the Busovača to burn the charcoal for them. [Translator’s note: charcoal has to be used as fuel because impurities in any mineral fuel would affect the quality of the iron.]
(23) Ahmet Hadrović, op.cit., 1989, 160-162.
(24) Once people began using electric heaters and kitchen appliances this power plant was no longer able to meet demand, and soon went out of production. The energy supply for the village is now provided by power transmission lines.
(25) According to Mijo Jozeljić, this was when water from the River Očevica was diverted for the mains water in Vareš. This hammer cannot be used to make sač and tepsija, but only for heavy pieces, usually used to make forestry tools.
(26) Hadžidedić says that in 1967, when he wrote his article about them, the majdandžije usually purchased their raw materials in summer, when transportation was easier (Nedžad Hadžidedić, op.cit., 1967, 184). This is no longer the case – raw materials are purchased all year round, as needed.
(27) This building contains a charcoal store.
(28) The brothers take it in turns every seven days at the market in Čapljina.
(29) Alojzije Vijakčić says that he buys the raw material for making hoes in Zenica, and for horseshoes, in Kiseljak.
(30) Translator’s note: this word has also defeated me.
(31) Nedžad Hadžidedić, op. cit., 1967, 183-184.
(32) Majdandžije say the reason for this is that it is colder, and consequently easier to do the heavy physical work at the hearth, as well as the fact that there is more demand for their wares in spring and summer.
(33) Mijo Gogić says they hardly ever go to the majdan in summer, but put the finishing touches to their wares – sharpening, grinding, drilling and so on – on a workshop close to home. Other majdandžije do not do this. Majdandžije Vijakčić and Jozeljić were in their majdans during our visit.
(34) In 1967 Hadžidedić stated that eight different types of hoe were made in Očevlje, in two weights: the Herzegovina hoe (1 and 2 kg), the large-headed Herzegovina hoe (1.5 and 2.5 kg), the Doboj hoe (0.7-0.9 and 0.9-1.2 kg), the Visoko hoe (0.6-.08 and 0.8-1 kg), the Tuzla hoe (0.5 and 0.7 kg), the Zenica hoe (0.7 and 1 kg), the Slavonic vineyard hoe (2.0 and 2.5 kg) and the Tuzla or Spreča hoe (0.6 and 0.8 kg). (Nedžad Hadžidedić, op.cit., 1967, 186)
(35) a sač set consists of a round tepsija, a sač (metal cover), a ring and a coal shovel.
(36) the Kostajnica plough, also known as the Ferhatović ploughshare after an earlier manufacturer, 2.4 to 2.7 kg), the Zenica or Verosta ploughshare (also named after a manufacturer, 2 to 2.2 kg), the Zvornik ploughshare (a two-piece ploughshare, each piece weighing 2.0 kg), and the pointed or Swabian ploughshare (about 2 kg) (Nedžad Hadžidedić, op. cit., 1967,186)
(37) Nedžad Hadžidedić, op. cit., 1967, p. 188.
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