GEOLOGICAL-CULTURAL CAMP - MARBLE LAKE

Moto: In the footsteps of Prilep marble - natural and cultural heritage

   Five years ago, interesting information sounded in the media about the blue/turquoise lake that appeared among the giant marble blocks in the marble excavation in the Prilep village of Belovodica, RN. Macedonia.  The lake between the giant marble walls completes the beautiful natural/geological landscape and complements the historical, cultural, and traditional components related to the marble of this place. As we have been committed to the green agenda for years, proud of our cultural and natural heritage, this information resonated strongly in our minds. In 2019, our scout group "Phoenix", which included children aged 14-18, entered the "time machine" and with great passion started the explore mission for the cultural and natural heritage of the Pelagonia region. The marble is the phenomenon that leads us through the labyrinth of exploring the cultural and natural heritage in Pelagonia.

  The marble mining company, Uni Marble, as a socially responsible company, has agreed to cooperate with us in order to create a cultural and educational platform for youth. This is how the Geological-cultural camp "Marble Lake" was born, which we set up under the open sky within the marble locality in the village Belovodica in Prilep. We dedicated the first activity to exploring the geology of this unique place. We learned about the creation of marble, the use of marble in the past and today, and the fascinating story that tells us about the Geologist Vasko Dameski, the manager of the excavation Uni Marble. 

  Many ideas and questions came to our minds about researching the cultural heritage related to Prilep marble. Following in the footsteps of the marble, the scouts went to explore the Archaeological Museum in Prilep. They were fascinated by the skills of our stone carving ancestors who carved our cultural heritage into marble monuments that weave beautiful stories of our history, culture, and tradition. They learned about the ornamentation and symbols of the sculptures, about the life and customs of our ancestors, and about the food and agricultural products that they measured in a very interesting marble scale.

At the museum, the scouts were curious to explore the locations where archaeological artifacts made from Prilep marble were found and were then inspired to make a map mapping the sites rich in Prilep marble monuments.

  Inspired by the skills of our ancestor’s stone carvings, at our camp located at the Marble Lake, in 2019, we produced our first artwork - a mosaic of recycled marble with a chamomile-herb motif that adorns the biodiversity of this locality and the herbal heritage in our tradition. We placed the mosaic on a large marble block near the marble lake, which will remind the connection between our heritage and today. We have started to create our outdoor art design gallery.   

  The next camp which took place in 2020, was dedicated to exploring the botanical world of the Marble Lake site.  The scouts photographed the herbs, flora, and fauna, and researched the Latin and folk names of herbs, that аre a real treasure in our national tradition and culture. Аnd again, from the recycled marble stones, we designed a small botanical garden in which we gardened local plants.

That day, the specialty of the kitchen was the preparation of mountain and thyme tea, our herbs of national pride.

   In 2021/22, our MARBLE LAKE Geological-Cultural Camp project was supported by the Slovak Development Program Slovak AID.  The members of the Slovak Embassy in R.N. Macedonia, great lovers of nature and Macedonian cultural heritage, were actively involved in the implementation of the project. They were fascinated by the old mosaic-making technique and actively worked on the mosaic we were preparing for our camp at Marble Lake. Motivated by our traditional ornaments and symbols, in our camp we made another mosaic with motifs - braid and butterfly, which are deeply present in our cultural and traditional heritage. Ambassador Henrik Markusch, a passionate cyclist, together with the Prilep cycling association Che, did a bike tour to our camp geological cultural camp and had a long discussion with us about this wonderful geological site and the cultural heritage associated with marble. He and his wife also planted trees in our garden. The girls were motivated and braided their hair and talked about the hair-braiding skills they inherited from their mothers and grandmothers.

  On the occasion of the European Days of Cultural Heritage, we made a video clip in which we incorporated the story of the Marble Lake project with all our heart and soul. The video footage from the Marble Lake project was shown at the Gathering of Scouts of the Republic of North Macedonia that took place from July 18-22, 2022, in Ohrid.

The competition for young European heritage creators gives children and young people the opportunity to think about and share the cultural heritage they think is important and interpret it through the visual arts. Our geological cultural misión continúes