Gačanka Otočac

The Gačanka association has been active in making of Lika's traditional folk costumes and holding workshops of traditional crafts since 2004. The program activities of Gačanka are directed toward preservations and touristic valorization of the available culture and nature resources; toward raising consciousness on the importance of history, nature and cultural heritage in both the natives and tourists; toward preservation and revival of forgotten crafts, abilities and skills of wool processing and their touristic valorization. The Gačanka association is very active in preservation of the traditional, cultural and historical heritage of Lika. It is active in organization of collecting and buying of sheep wool and linen at touristic fairs and exhibitions in Croatia and foreign countries, and in revival of small workshops. The association has its permanent exhibition collection and a traditional workshop for wool processing in the Traditional craft center in Otočac. Having participated and organized several EU-funded projects, the members of the association are educated for mentorship in the program for product making.

The Gačanka association has added on the palette of souvenir products with its work and thus enriched the touristic supply of the area. Having participated in the „Original souvenir“ project, organized by the County Chamber of Otočac, the association has won the Originality mark for 5 products. The Lika cap is a distinguishable item, and the association makes it manually in the traditional manner, as a practical item and as a souvenir. The Lika bag is made in several variants in the traditional manner, using the knitting technique called kličanje, which is characteristic to this area. The association wishes to thus accomplish that the patterns of this knitting technique become distinguishable in designer bags, as well.