Turija. Death and the Big House.

DaireQuinlan

Serbia has always had this thing where people go off and work abroad, typically Switzerland, Italy, Germany, and send money back to build houses. It's a weird scene though, typically they're in a constant state of being built, and the owners might only ever come back for a few weeks over summer to flash the cash, drive expensive cars around the place, have big christenings and weddings to which everyone gets invited.

A lot of these houses are quite large. 300/400 sq. metres wouldn't be uncommon, 3/4/5 stories, and a lot of them are quite restrained and sensible houses. Some however, are not. One example of this is in Turija.

Guy worked in Switzerland, has spent the last 5 years or more building this house. It's extraordinary to see it. A lot of people apparently quietly grumble about these sort of houses, I think they just lack imagination. If I had a big wad of cash at my disposal, and no time constraints, I'd like to think I'd build something like this.





Unfortunately, and rather poignantly, he died recently without finishing it. When someone dies they get a death notice pinned to the outside of the house.



This leads neatly to the other notable aspect of Turija (of which, it must be said, it does not have many). There is no graveyard in the village. People have spent the last 20 or 30 years just putting graveyards everywhere. Every hill overlooking the village is festooned with them. Ljiljana's theory is that it's to stop the extended family from selling on the land once you die. THEY might be living it up in Switzerland, but damnit if you bury yourself on the family land they won't be selling it on anytime soon...





One of the smaller cottages in the village. Note the ubiquitous satellite dish, and of course the obligatory graveyard on the hill behind it. Probably the family plot.



I wouldn't think too much of it normally, but some of the graveyards were in orchards and the like. I couldn't help but wonder if they got bumper crops in the years after interring another family member. Then I started wondering if that was actually macabre or actually a bit cool. Who wouldn't like to come back as an apple ?

Logie-1

Good post Daire,

Its always good to see into other peoples culture.

"Then I started wondering if that was actually macabre or actually a bit cool. Who wouldn't like to come back as an apple ?"

Well, that depends on who picks and eats you. I would probably fall of the tree and get ate by an old goat or left for the maggots