Traditional gates in the Pirot area villages: Relationship to the architectonic heritage

Gates represent the first architectonic element visually encountered in a rural household, and that, to a great extent, defines perception of a rural environment. Most often they are simply made, with or without decorative elements, made from the locally available materials, serving the elementary needs of a rural household. However, their position provides them with a multidimensional character, not only physical, but also symbolical. In this way, they become an important segment of architectonic heritage whose existence testifies the diversity of vernacular tradition and characteristics of an area. This paper analyses the appearance, function, materialization and structural design of old traditional gates in the Pirot area villages, in an attempt to emphasize the need to preserve them as testaments of cultural-historical identity of this area.