Berisha Family Kulla, Kramovik

The Berisha family kulla (tower house) is located in the village of Kramovik in the Municipality of Rahovec. The kulla is a rare example of a tower house built with combined materials. The ground floor is built of stone, while the upper floor is built of adobe bricks reinforced with timber lacing (hatulla).
It has a rectangular plan, built with a ground floor and an upper floor. The front façade stands out with its dyshekllëk (overhang), which projects as a console and contains four windows with semicircular openings. At the corners of the front façade there are also circular decorations made of adobe. The roof of the kulla is hipped, with a timber structure; it was originally covered with stone slabs, typical for this part of Kosovo, and over time the slabs were replaced with clay tiles.
The interior organisation of the kulla is presumed to have been usual for such towers: the ground floor was used for livestock and for farm or storage spaces, while the upper floor of the kulla was used for living. No part of the interior has been preserved because of the condition of the building.
The kulla is in a severe physical state, with a considerable part of the structure in ruins. At the mercy of time and without the necessary care, the kulla will collapse if there is no very prompt intervention to save this architectural pearl of the village, the municipality and the region.
Examples of traditional residential architecture of the 18th and 19th centuries are an endangered category, especially in the more remote rural areas. Considering this fact, preserving the remaining examples of traditional residential architecture is of great importance for our cultural heritage.