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The Way of Life in Katuns

Living conditions in katuns are completely different compared to rural areas. In katuns there is no running water in the huts, no electricity, no infrastructure that is common for urban areas and villages. Dirt roads have reached most of the katuns today, and that is practically all infrastructure that is available here. And primary mission of staying in katun is taking care of livestock. These two conditions have shaped the overall way of life in katuns.

Movement of farmers to katuns happens in spring, the date differs from katun to katun, depending on its altitude and vegetation times. There is also something that is called spring katun, at a bit lower altitude where snow melts earlier so they are accessible earlier. Some farmers move twice, once to spring katun, and then to real mountain katun, at higher altitudes. Farmers from the same katun usually move there together, and they return to their villages together. They go to katuns on foot, and only some members of the family remain in the village in order to care for arable land, orchards and meadows. Men usually go to katuns a few days before the rest of the family, to fix whatever the snow and winds have ruined. They bring from the village everything that that they need for simple, herders’ life in katun. And every member of the family has a role in the distribution of work. What they all have in common is the incredible hospitality, authentic and not trained but natural and inherited from generation to generation.