Architectural complex of Ograzhden-Maleshevo type

The Ograzhden-Maleshevo House is a type of Renaissance house built in the villages lying on the slopes of Ograzhden and Maleshevo Mountains. As an architectural type, it bears influence from the Rhodope House and the Western House. The first is presented through the existence of a fireplace in each living premise, the non-plastered stone walls and the wider porches, while the second one is seen in the stairs under the eaves.

The houses have two floors, either single or duple. On the lower floor, they usually kept the animals and the cellars, while the upper one contained 1 or 2 living premises called ‘Kashti’ by the local people. Later on, they started to add 1 or 2 more premises to the original design. The covered space in front of the house is called ‘Chardak’ when on the floor and ‘Trem’ when on the ground. An interesting feature present the barns with porches next to the main building and connected to it by a bridge serving as both storage space and summer bedroom – called ‘Koliba’.

The earliest houses have no attic or windows, the lighting and ventilation being provided through the door, the fireplace or the ‘Vratitsa’. The latter is typical for the Ograzhden-Maleshevo House and is a narrower and quite smaller door located on one of the side walls, serving for both ventilation and escape in case of danger. There is almost no architectural decoration, with the exception being the houses of the wealthier citizen. From a construction point of view, the Ograzhden-Maleshevo House is quite typical and resembles a Medieval stone tower. It has massive stone walls on mud basis, with a filling of mud-plastered adobe. It is covered with tiles.