The Kostojčinoski fulling mill and gristmill is a

fulling mill Fulling, also known as tucking or walking ( Scots: ''waukin'', hence often spelt waulking in Scottish English), is a step in woollen clothmaking which involves the cleansing of woven cloth (particularly wool) to eliminate (lanolin) oils, dirt, ...

and

gristmill A gristmill (also: grist mill, corn mill, flour mill, feed mill or feedmill) grinds cereal grain into flour and Wheat middlings, middlings. The term can refer to either the grinding mechanism or the building that holds it. Grist is grain that h ...

in the village of

Vevčani Vevčani () is a village in North Macedonia. It is the only settlement and seat of Vevčani Municipality. Geography The village of Vevčani is found in the southwestern range at the foot of the Jablanica (mountain range), Jablanica mountain ...

Vevčani Municipality Vevčani () is a municipality in western North Macedonia. ''Vevčani'' is also the name of the municipal seat and the only settlement of the municipality. This municipality is part of the Southwestern Statistical Region. Geography The municipali ...

North Macedonia North Macedonia, officially the Republic of North Macedonia, is a landlocked country in Southeast Europe. It shares land borders with Greece to the south, Albania to the west, Bulgaria to the east, Kosovo to the northwest and Serbia to the n ...

. The site belongs to the Kostojčinoski family and the complex is registered as a

Cultural Heritage of North Macedonia Culture ( ) is a concept that encompasses the social behavior, institutions, and Social norm, norms found in human societies, as well as the knowledge, beliefs, arts, laws, Social norm, customs, capabilities, Attitude (psychology), attitudes ...

Description

General description

The complex consists of a water-based

(, ''vir''), a dry-based fulling mill (, ''valavica'') and a water-based

(, ''vodenica''). All of them receive water from the Vevčanska River and for each building there is a separate trough for the inflow of water. The troughs are actually hollowed out trunks with an open or covered top and the water flows through them. The old original troughs have been preserved. To regulate the water, there is an obstacle called ''gječme'', which regulates the inflow, that is, the amount of water for the needs of the work of the water-powered fulling mill and the gristmill. The water-powered and dry-based fulling mill operated actively until the 1970s/80s, while the gristmill continued to operate.

Water-based fulling mill

On the initiative of the owner Marjan Kostojčinoski, with his funds and funds from the

Ministry of Environment An environmental ministry is a national or subnational government agency politically responsible for the environment and/or natural resources. Various other names are commonly used to identify such agencies, such as Ministry of the Environment, ...

, the water-based

was completely restored in 2007. It was rebuilt after the example of the old one which was in a very ruined condition. It has the appearance of an inverted

cone In geometry, a cone is a three-dimensional figure that tapers smoothly from a flat base (typically a circle) to a point not contained in the base, called the '' apex'' or '' vertex''. A cone is formed by a set of line segments, half-lines ...

. The opening in the ground is lined with stones – dry masonry and is called ''džis''. Here, sticks are arranged in a circle next to each other, tightened with wooden hoops, fastened in the lower part, and in the upper part rounded and with elliptical recesses for water drainage. The depth of the whirlpool is about 2.70 meters. Nowadays, as in the past, it is used for washing

wool Wool is the textile fiber obtained from sheep and other mammals, especially goats, rabbits, and camelids. The term may also refer to inorganic materials, such as mineral wool and glass wool, that have some properties similar to animal w ...

en fabrics, most commonly long pile blankets. Long wooden forks were used for spinning the fabrics, and for hanging and drying the fabrics – pegs called ''kljukači''.

Dry-based fulling mill

The dry-based

(in local , ''valajca'') or as well as the water-based fulling mill was built at the beginning of the 20th century. In the beginning of the 2010s, it was in the phase of restoration. The drive part is original and consists of a spindle and on it pegs with fins called ''kutlici'', all made of wood. This part is in a very bad condition and needs to be restored. The interior processing section goes under the owners' house and has been almost entirely restored. Foams are made of wood (in the form of large jagged hammers) that are hung on the part called the old man with the help of beams that are also called needles. There is also a part made of boards called ''plešti'' and the lower part is also made of boards – a chest where the folded wool fabric is placed for finishing, i.e. rolling with constant soaking of the fabrics with cold water. The reconstruction was made according to the example of the valavici in the village of Virovo,

Demir Hisar Municipality Demir Hisar ( ) is a municipality in the southwestern part of North Macedonia. '' Demir Hisar'', which means "iron fortress" in Turkish, is also the name of the town where the municipal seat is located. The Demir Hisar Municipality is part of th ...

, that is, of the type of dry-based fulling mills with a ''starec'', and not with a loom which was probably more characteristic of this region. Since 2007, restoration has been started. It remained to make a new one or to preserve and rebuild the outer part: the spindle, the peg, the balls and the metal part on which the spindle turns. The dry-based fulling mill was used for finishing the

en ''klašna'', that is, for refining the coarse woolen fabrics. With the help of the action of water they were washed, dirt and excess grease was removed. The wool fibers spread out, the base is no longer known and the fabric becomes thick, but at the same time it acquires softness, elasticity, even shine.

Water-based grist mill

The water-based

grist mill A gristmill (also: grist mill, corn mill, flour mill, feed mill or feedmill) grinds cereal grain into flour and Wheat middlings, middlings. The term can refer to either the grinding mechanism or the building that holds it. Grist is grain that h ...

was built by Boris Kostojčinoski in 1940–1941. It is built of

stone In geology, rock (or stone) is any naturally occurring solid mass or aggregate of minerals or mineraloid matter. It is categorized by the minerals included, its Chemical compound, chemical composition, and the way in which it is formed. Rocks ...

and covered with

tile Tiles are usually thin, square or rectangular coverings manufactured from hard-wearing material such as ceramic, Rock (geology), stone, metal, baked clay, or even glass. They are generally fixed in place in an array to cover roofs, floors, wal ...

s. The outer wall part was restored due to damage in 2007–2008. It consists of a drive and processing part. Water receives through a special trough which is narrowed at the end and is called a siphon. The stake is wooden and there are fins on it. It turns the spindle, and to stop the work of the mill, that is, on the water, there is a long wooden part called stavyalo. The inner processing part has been preserved with all the original parts: a wooden basket for placing the grain for grinding, a pestle that shakes the grain falling into the grinding stone, upper and lower millstones for grinding the grain, an old man for regulating the work on the stones, a floor of wooden boards where the flour falls, ''kutlica'' – a shovel for scooping out grain or flour. The mill continues to work today, but on a smaller scale – it grinds grain for flour or fodder for

goods In economics, goods are anything that is good, usually in the sense that it provides welfare or utility to someone. Alan V. Deardorff, 2006. ''Terms Of Trade: Glossary of International Economics'', World Scientific. Online version: Deardorffs ...

but only for closer people.

References

{{coord missing, Albania, North Macedonia Buildings and structures in Vevčani Cultural heritage of North Macedonia History of clothing Laundry places Textile treatments Grinding mills