Multicellular sheepfolds (mrgari) as monumental shepherds’ dry stone wall architecture: A Cres-Lošinj archipelago case study

• Published in: Studia ethnologica Croatica
• Main Authors: Kremenić, Tanja, Varotto, Mauro, Andlar, Goran
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: 2021
• Subjects: dry stone wall heritage; multicellular sheepfolds; mrgari; traditional sheep breeding; Cres-Lošinj archipelago; Croatian Adriatic; suhozidna baština; višeprostorne ovčare; tradicijsko ovčarstvo; cresko-lošinjsko otočje; hrvatski Jadran; Iceland; Islanda
• Online Access: https://hrcak.srce.hr/268257; https://hrcak.srce.hr/file/414683

Multicellular sheepfolds form part of the dry stone wall pastoral heritage in the UK, Switzerland, Iceland, and Croatia. Abandonment, and the marginal appearance of the ones on the islands of Cres and Lošinj (locally: mrgari) in the literature propelled this study, which aims at a more comprehensive research approach, starting from the premise of their cultural value. Site exploration was based on a literature review, cartographic analysis, interviews with the local inhabitants, and field observations. Finally, multicellular sheepfolds are inventoried, described, and assessed within a brief evaluation model that supported a selection of those that are currently most representative and/or those most appropriate for renewal Višeprostorne ovčare dio su suhozidne pastirske baštine Ujedinjenoga Kraljevstva, Švicarske, Islanda i Hrvatske. Primjeri s otoka Cresa i Lošinja (lokalnoga naziva: mrgari) u procesu su napuštanja, a u literaturi tek parcijalno obrađeni, zbog čega je cilj ovoga rada objedinjavanje i dopuna spoznaja, polazeći od premise o njihovoj kulturnoj vrijednosti. Istraživanje se temeljilo na pregledu literature i kartografskih podataka, ali ponajviše na razgovorima s lokalnim stanovništvom te terenskim obilascima. Ovim je radom većina otočnih višeprostornih mrgara zabilježena i opisana te vrednovana unutar modela kojim su izdvojeni oni najreprezentativniji i/ili prikladni za obnovu.