Source: Reneta, OLS Community Manager
The Ethnographic Outdoor Museum "Etar" is one of the most authentic places in Bulgaria where you can get acquainted with Bulgarian craft and culture, preserved from times gone by until today. The museum is located in central Bulgaria, at the foot of the Balkan Mountains, near the town of Gabrovo, among a beautiful forest landscape.
The history of Etara
Etar is the ancient name of the Yantra River, which runs through the town of Gabrovo. It was chosen as the name of the museum as a symbol of the connection between water and the development of crafts in the region.
The museum opened in 1964 as the Ethnographic Park Museum. The idea for the museum was work of Lazar Dimitrov from Gabrovo, who wanted to preserve authentic Bulgarian crafts and culture. The museum contains 50 places and objects bearing the spirit of the past, including architectural samples of houses, craft workshops, buildings and facilities revealing the ancient techniques, livelihoods, lifestyle and spiritual culture of the population living in the central parts of the Balkan Mountains from the late 18th to the early 20th century AD.
Crafts in Etara
Source: Reneta, OLS Community Manager
The crafts at Etara take us back to the Bulgarian Renaissance of the 18th and 19th centuries: engraving, border-cutting, blacksmithing, egg-scrambling, brocade, weaving and many others.
The main street of the town is called Craftsmen's Charshchia. There lie 19th-century buildings, which house active craft workshops, stores, cafés and the homes of craftsmen and tradesmen. The ensemble of houses includes recreations of original architectural examples that existed in Gabrovo and its surroundings.
Visitors can immerse themselves in local crafts and make various products with their hands, walk along the cobbled streets, sample Bulgarian delicacies and learn more about Bulgarian history. Every year in September, the town hosts the International Fair of Traditional Crafts.
Reneta, OLS Community Manager – Bulgarian
Source: Reneta, OLS Community Manager