The Hrgova Homestead

Description

When feudal peasants were exempted from the land rent and became the owner of their land, the Pover farm stood in the village of Vitomarci, on the left bank of the brook. It was approximately 55 jutro’s (old square measure) large and owned a »gornik« house (today called the family Hrga homestead), as well as a few  eighbouring houses and a vineyard. It was occasionally inhabited by the farmer after passing the farm over to his heirs or by »gorniks - viničars«, poor winemakers. The family Hrga homestead stands on the top of the ridge settlement of Vitomarci and represents a type of a stretched Pannonian home. It consists of a house and an outbuilding.

Both buildings are tipically nailed together with wooden logs that are protected by clay plaster and whitened with lime. The homestead reveals a tipical Pannonian house; under thatched gable roof it is followed by a small outbuilding – a wine cellar. The low wooden residential building is covered by straw, it has small windows, wide roof overhang, decoratively carved wooden ventilated gable, preserved »black« kitchen, bread oven in »hiša« and wooden mesh doors of the wine cellar; wooden ceiling beam in »hiša« has a date 1808. The inside of the house is traditional.

In the central axis are a vestibule and a »black« kitchen, on the right is a »hiša« (central living space), on the left is a »mala hiška«. Among the more interesting building details are the mesh cellar doors with the year 1811 in the wooden rectangular portal. The wooden ground floor outbuilding, which is also covered by a thatched gable roof, is standing in the yard rectangular to the residential house. It is composed of a stable with a wheelwright workshop, of a room for a waggon, and for storage of various farm equipment and tools. The family Hrga homestead is an exceptional monument of folk architecture from the beginning of the 19th century. It also belongs to rarely preserved examples of rural ambiences which in their own way testify to the way of life of a small farmer. Due to its ethnological value, it was proclaimed a monument of local importance; today, it is managed by the municipality and used for tourist purpose.