Malovista – tradition that lasts

Old crafts bring profit again 

Malovista is a true example how local inhabitants can use the authentic cultural and natural heritage with common efforts for their own local development. According to the vision of the Malovista inhabitants, the village’s development is directed to opening small businesses inspired by the local tradition and attracting tourists who will enjoy what the mountain and people offer. 

If you have not visited Malovista yet, this weekend “hit the road” to Pelister. You will face a real revelation. Malovista will welcome you with its endless freshness and peace of the green mountain slopes and an astonishing cultural tradition. Not only with the traditional craftsmanship, but also with the specific architecture, gallery of valuable icons and the marvellous iconostasis in the village church, ranked among St. Spas and St. Jovan Bigorski.

Malovista is the only village within the borders of the National Park Pelister. You can get there along the main road Bitola-Ohrid and after the 18th km you turn to the village of Kazani. An asphalt road leads to Malovista, all along the mountain. Somewhere halfway, there is the village, curved and the view is particularly beautiful in winter, when everything is white.
 

Vision for local development
 

Malovista is a true example how local inhabitants can use the authentic cultural and natural heritage with common efforts for their own local development. During our last visit to this beautiful village, local inhabitants celebrated two important events – opening an exhibition of the local craft works and putting into use the village water supply. The exhibition was a closing manifestation of the project “Malovista – tradition that lasts”, whose objective was to impel local development reviving some traditional skills – weaving with wool and goat’s fibre and work on wood. The project was carried out as part of the program “Live heritage”, financed by King Bouduen Foundation from Belgium and the Open Society Institute Macedonia Foundation. The water supply was donated by the US Embassy in the Republic of Macedonia.  

Local inhabitants consider these projects to be an impulse for the development of the village. And the development, according to their vision, is directed towards opening small businesses inspired by their local tradition, attracting visitors who will enjoy the beauties of the surrounding nature, the kindness of the local inhabitants and everything that the mountain and people have to offer: peace, quiet, fresh air, healthy food that local inhabitants prepare in many delicious ways, meeting the local cultural tradition and many other things.

Local people realise this vision step by step, supported by “Eke”, the Association for sustainable development of Malovista and the villages under Pelister. This association is registered in Bitola, but its members are the inhabitants of Malovista. Many of them call themselves like this, although they live in Bitola. Emigration from Malovista is a trend that slowly ceases – some of the young inhabitants see their future in the village, especially after a few successfully realised projects.

Malovista used to be a rich and advanced place, where caravan roads used to cross and there was trade, there was a city life. Nowadays, it has a population of about 300 people, but in summer this figure is higher – almost doubled. A lot of people who come from Malovista spend their summer holiday here, with their families, mending their old grandfathers’ homes. “The Bitola people from Malovista” try to provide an opportunity for sustainable local development through various projects and donations. Through the PHARE program there is a plan prepared for development of the village; building sewerage and some buildings in function of village tourism is considered, renovation of houses and their accommodation for guests, promotion of local skills, production and sale of crafts products, and some people became interested in this after the exhibition.
 

Preserving the tradition
 

The inhabitants say that they see local development by using cultural resources. Risto Paligora, one the great enthusiast for the future of Malovista and a member of the association “Eke” says that the program “Live heritage” has contributed a lot to strengthening people’s confidence and encouraged the awareness about the value of authentic heritage.

In the center of the village, in the public building built in a traditional style, from stone, is the exhibition of fabrics, covers, carpets, rugs and other products made by the local women. We can see manual weaving, on a loom. Women say that a lot of young people have been trained to weave traditionally, from twisted wool to goat’s fibre. The training has provoked great interest, and a part of the products has been sold. Especially interested are the foreigners who hear about Malovista more and more and visit it.

From the center of the village, there is a path paved with cobblestones that leads to the village church St. Petka, built in 1856. Its greatness and grandeur is a witness of the one-time economic welfare and cultural prosperity of inhabitants. In the churchyard, in one of the rooms of the former lodgings there is a workshop where young people from Malovista learn to work on wood. Children’s woodcarvings are real pride to the inhabitants and they are exposed for sale. All the people from Malovista are proud of the church. Its iconostasis, as they call it “a symphony in wood” has been made in deep woodcarving and in spite of the fact that some experts have estimated it to be a piece of top artistic and crafts value, it has not been protected by the state. In the church there is also a collection of hundreds of beautiful icons made by famous icon-painters, some rare old books and other church objects and relics.

The walk through the village itself and its surroundings is a real experience and refreshment. Houses of stone, with nice gardens full of flowers, fresh climate created by the mountain, nature with rich vegetation, nearby monastery St. Ana (in whose lodgings you can stay overnight), inhabitants’ smiles who are always ready for a chat, traditional Vlach pie, baklava and other specialties, will make your stay in Malovista more than pleasant. And they will make you come back.


Tradition

Festival of Vlach culture

The EKE association has been organizing the traditional Balkans festival of Vlach culture for several years in August. Last year several cultural-artistic associations, actors, poets and other authors from Macedonia, Greece, Albania, Bulgaria, Romania and Serbia took part in the festival and they presented the rich treasury of Vlach songs, dances, literary works...

The festival will be held this year, too, and for more detailed information you can ask the association EKE, eke1@freemail.com.mk, or visit the web-site www.malovista-eke.org.mk.