Stari Han: A 19th-Century Caravanserai in Serbia
Site at a Glance
- Popularity
- Low
- Country
- Serbia
- Primary era
- Modern
- Eras represented
- Modern
- Civilizations
- Ottoman
- Site type
- Economic
- Remains
- Caravanserai
On this page4 sections
History
Trade-route lodging
Stari Han is a caravanserai, a roadside lodging for travellers, in Kremna, Serbia. It was in existence by the first decades of the 19th century, although its exact construction date is uncertain. The building is a rare Serbian example of a house in the Herzegovinian tradition, a regional vernacular style associated with Herzegovina, a historical region of the western Balkans chiefly in present-day Bosnia and Herzegovina. Stari Han served travellers on the route between Užice and Višegrad, a major link between Bosnia and Serbia.
Ownership and conservation
By the middle of the 19th century, the Moljković family, who had moved from Herzegovina, owned the han. The building changed over time. Conservation work carried out in 1978 did not compromise its original form, while later conservation work threatened its characteristic features. On 28 June 1983, Stari Han was designated a Cultural Monument of Exceptional Importance in Serbia.
Remains
Standing on sloping ground, Stari Han has a rectangular footprint. A stone storage space occupies the lower part of the building. The upper storey contains rooms for travellers and has a timber frame filled with wattle and daub, woven branches coated with earth.
Opposite the entrance, a corridor ends at a section of the building that projects toward the road. This projecting feature is characteristic of Balkan architecture. The roof, covered with wooden shingles, slopes down on all sides, and the building has distinctive tall chimneys.
