A lot of love and desire to preserve the primordial Macedonian cultural heritage

Goce Stojanovski, retired journalist and lover of old architecture

Goce Stojanovski is a retired journalist and editor of RTV Kratovo, a television cameraman and editor, who has been rationally using retirement days to implement the projects of multiple hobbies he has carried with him for years. Numerous projects could not be implemented in the days with many work responsibilities, but when he became a pensioner, with fewer commitments and engagements, one after the other he saw daylight. Guided by great love and desire, and with an innate art talent, he manages to dig it from the domestic archives in Macedonia and to preserve the valuable primordial Macedonian cultural heritage, especially what about Kratovo and Kratovo. As a result of his persistence, the following books came out: « Old Town Macedonian Architecture », « Book for Kratovo: Kratovo Timeline », « Monograph for the 30-Year’s existence of the House of Culture » Lazar Sofia « in Kratovo », as well as several books.
– As a former journalist and editor of Radio Kratovo, and today a pensioner, I can say that I had no time to devote myself to any of my hobbies – began the conversation colleague Stojanovski on the terrace of the Kratis Hotel in Kratovo, from where I had the opportunity to see Kratovo, and I have the opportunity to see. He stopped taking a little breath and raising the thought he has been wearing for decades.
– To be honest in front of my colleague and to the readership of the daily newspaper « Nova Makedonija ». For decades I have been a correspondent from Kratovo, but I am very sorry that I did not do what I was doing many years ago, because very important cultural and historical buildings, due to carelessness, no longer exist-says my colleague Stojanovski.
He adds that the journalist’s profession requires full engagement, and the missed cannot be offset.

– Part of the hobby projects started realizing them when I stopped actively with the journalistic profession, since 2006, when I retired. It was a difficult time for journalists because of poor legal solutions and the transformation of local radios and televisions, which caused the majority to stop working. At that time my professional engagement was directed at the NGO Sector, in which I already had projects in the field of ecology and NGOs for the protection of cultural heritage. My main activity was projects, applying for calls and competitions for environmental projects. A particular field of interest was my rich cultural and historical heritage. Most of the activities I devoted to the Old Town architecture of Kratovo. My three-decade experience in journalism has served to gather a large photo-material, which I used to make mosaics in a 3D technique for about twenty old Kratovo city houses. It was my first hobby that I turned into an interesting and unique project – promoting the book entitled « Let’s preserve the old -fashioned Macedonian architecture » – adds our interlocutor. He points out that changing the journalistic profession with artwork has enabled him to open new visions that he is trying to preserve the authenticity of Kratovo’s Old Town Architecture and other cities in our country.
– From journalism I will carry fond memories forever, and while I provided a decent existence for the family, I educated and involved the children in the small family business. Inspired by the specific old Macedonian architecture in my hometown of Kratovo and in the cities of Ohrid, Berovo, Kriva Palanka, Veles… I decided to immortalize the old buildings, which are slowly disappearing in a unique way. In fact, I started making paintings in a 3D technique as models of traditional architecture. The figure of these specific works I have made is about 50, and with them I participated in several exhibitions, fairs and events. My works are exhibited in the family souvenir « Kratiscara » in Kratovo. With these crafts I hope that I have been able to immortalize some buildings that, unfortunately, no longer exist or are before complete destruction, I have managed to get them away from oblivion. I will continue to cultivate this hobby, to perpetuate as many buildings as possible in Kratovo, as one of the oldest and most unique cities in the Balkans and beyond.

Macedonian old houses – authentic, unique…

« In Macedonia, the old city settlements such as Ohrid, Bitola, Kratovo, Veles, Berovo, Kriva Palanka, somewhat Krushevo, Tetovo, Stip, have recently abounded with a large number of old city houses. Although more or less they are, they are really authentic. The facade and the like.

Excerpt from the proverb of the book « Old Town Macedonian Architecture » by the author Goce Stojanovski.

Grafting in a traditional way

You have another interesting hobby that has nothing to do with art. Is it grafting fruit, something you have been practicing in recent years?
– From my youth, as a first -year student at the Mitko Pendzukliski Gymnasium, I often followed my uncle Trajcho, who collected coils during the months of March and April, then put them in the sand and made a « Kalemari wax » with which he coated the coils. So I started to kick in two old traditional ways known as in the first year on the head and on the leaf. Today I have over a dozen new grafting techniques, I usually make it on fruit trees: wild pear, wild cherry, wild apples, a wild quince coils. Interestingly, young people have expressed interest in refining wild trees and therefore I decided to conduct training on grafting fruit trees of all kinds – says Stojanovski.