Help Bring the Village of Sunsets Back to Life
Zalaz is the Montenegrin word for sunset. For nearly a hundred years, this village has stood silent. Help us end that silence.
Mali Zalazi is a not-for-profit restoration project, bringing an abandoned mountain village 820 metres above the Bay of Kotor back into a living, breathing cultural home. Read the story of how we got here.
What Your Support Makes Possible
The proof is still cut into the stone. Dates from 1898, 1921 and 1930, left by the people who built a life up here. A village that was lived in, worked in, and loved.
This is a project built by people, for people. Local craftspeople trained in traditional dry stone techniques. Families with roots in Zalazi finding their way back to the village. More than 200 artifacts documented, preserved and shared. A wider diaspora brought back into the story, with more than a hundred family names to be inscribed within five years.
We are committed to honouring that history with care and clarity. Mali Zalazi is a registered non-profit under Montenegrin law. Every euro goes to conservation, restoration and community use. Long-term agreements are in place with local families. The project sits within the UNESCO World Heritage buffer zone, supported by local cultural and municipal partners, with annual activity and financial updates shared with supporters.
Support the Restoration
€25 | The Fig Tree
Plant a tree that will still be bearing fruit in fifty years, on the same terraces families tended a hundred years ago. A small thing, and a long one.
€50 | The Mason
A full day of dry stone work by a local craftsperson. No mortar, no shortcuts. The same walls, built the same way they were built the first time.
€100 | The Fountain
The fountain was the first thing anyone reached at the top of the climb. Help us bring the water back.
€500 | The Stone House
A full week of restoration on one of the historic houses. From 2027, a small number of heritage guest rooms will open. Donors at this level will be first in line to wake up in one.
€1,000 | The Diaspora Wall
Your family name engraved permanently in the village courtyard. A place for your children and their children to come back to. Includes priority access to future stays.
€5,000+ | The Patron
Restore an entire room or structure, with permanent recognition within the project. Please be in touch so we can talk properly.
Ways to support
