Ethnographic Area Complex

Zlatograd Ethnographic Complex is the first and until the present moment, the only private Ethnography Complex. It was opened in 2001 with the help of Municipality of Zlatograd, on 24th May, which is a date of a special Bulgarian holiday, devoted to Bulgarian culture, education and Slavic writing.

Zlatograd Ethnographic Areal Complex lies in the heart of the town. It is an open-air museum which is also part of the everyday life of local people. The complex comprises an ethnographic museum, workshops and an exhibition of water equipment.

The tour around the complex starts from the museum in order for visitors to become acquainted with the history of the region before they move on. The museum consists of an archaeological collection, an exhibition telling about the occupations of local people in the past, costume collections, adornments and ritual items.

The tour continues with a visit to the workshops. All of them are functioning and the visitors can see skilled masters who craft different objects offered for sale there.

The tailor’s shop provides information about the traditions of this craft by showing interesting collections of old photographs, sewing machines, irons, scissors, and yardsticks. Original costumes from all parts of Bulgaria are sold there.

Machines used for the production of woolen braids can be seen in the braid shop. The braids are woolen cords used for the decoration of clothes.

The next workshop includes three different varieties of one and the same craft – saddle-making (production of saddles and packsaddles), harness-making (production of straps used for harnessing), and upholstery (sewing pads into saddles).

In the cutler’s shop visitors can get a better look at the making of blank weapons, while at the goldsmith’s they can see a collection of ores and crystals from Zlatograd Region and watch the master-jeweler work.

The brazier’s shop introduces the craft related to the production of copper vessels, while the wood-carvers demonstrate how to decorate wooden objects in their shop.

The pottery shop attracts tourists with its various colourful clay vessels. The weaver’s shop comes last –traditional woven and knitted products can be seen there.

One of the attractions of the complex is the three pieces of water equipment that still work even today: the tucking-mill, the fulling-mill, and the water-mill. They are located in a building known as Vuntsov’s Mill. The tucking-mill is used for washing, the fulling-mill is used for the processing of woolen fabrics, and the water-mill is used for flour grinding.