Katun

Orlovačko jezero, Zelengora, Bosnia. Highland pastures like these were in the past used by shepherds to graze their flocks during summer months. 

During the summer shepherds lived in camps called "katun" in shacks which had stone base, wooden log cabin or double and wattle walls and roofs either constructed from wooden panels or thatch. 

This is another "katun" shepherd summer camp from Bosnia. This one is next to the Prokoško Lake under Vranica Mountain. Apparently these and many other katun huts are now rented to hikers...

Flocks were moved to the highland pastures around Djudjevdan (St George's day, beginning of May, beginning of summer) and were moved down from the highlands around Mitrovdan (St Demetrios day, beginning of November, beginning of winter). These two dates separated the Solar year into two parts: White part (summer) between Djurdjevdan and Mitrovdan and Black part (Winter) between Mitrovdan and Djurdjevdan. This is the same year division also found in Gaelic calendar...

You can read about this calendar in my post "Two crosses"

This is a great recent picture of one of the "katun" shepherd summer huts from Montenegro. Incredible place... 

 

Another, now abandoned "katun" shepherd summer hut from Montenegro. Kuči mountains, Montenegro. 

In Serbia these shepherds huts are called bačija. 

This is one of the bačija  shepherd huts from Rudno on mountain Golija in Serbia. 

Here is another one from mountain Kopaonik, Serbia

And another one from Pester highlands in Serbia