Located 9km away from the city of Gabrovo Габрово, Etara Етъра, is an ethnographic complex that showcases Bulgarian culture and customs. The open-air museum features Bulgarian revival houses, craftsmen workshops and many water-driven "devices" like water mills, among others.
This was a mid-route stop from Burgas to Veliko Tarnovo but a necessary one. Not just because of the route itself but also because it was important to get a look into the history and culture of Bulgaria. Would be a little silly to leave Bulgaria after spending a week here and not knowing anything about it.
Perhaps Etara could provide some insights to that...
The album cover features the Fulling Mill which was built in the mid 19th-century. It's used for the mechanical fulling processing of home-woven woolen textiles to thicken it. Picked this instead of the more iconic Water Mill "Dolapkinya".
The Mosaic composition stands tall, just outside the complex itself. If you look carefully, you'll see Etar on the bottom left. Doesn't come across immediately as alphabets, but it's in Bulgarian, so you still do see Етър.
A little hut just opposite the Balkan plank house (Renaissance Tavern) which is now a restaurant, that also features the traditional bread baking oven and mechanical spits equipments.
One of 2 nap-raising mills around the complex. People would use these mills for their woolen blankets, fleece rugs etc. After the nap-raising process, the woollen textile softens up and has a smoother surface. The nap-raising equipments were also used for washing carpets and coverings.
Here's my family seeing the nap-raising mill in action.
Helping myself to some washing now. The water flow is really quite fast and it's no surprise then that the washing process is said to take about 20 minutes or so. That's faster than your modern day washing machine. Is it possible?
After walking past the outdoor exposition and the clock tower, you'll come to the two-vaulted bridge. After crossing the bridge, you'll see a huge difference in the houses. The first you'll see is Sakov's House, which is now a shop selling souvenirs and works by the Etara craftsmen.
The Crafts Bazaar Street. Perhaps the busiest street in all of Etara. But don't mistake this busy for the metropolitan type of busy. It just means there are more people walking about and appreciating the fine works that are crafted by the carvers here.
Water-mill "Dolapkinya" is often used as the icon of Etara but I've only featured the close-up of the water wheel with the water pouring out. The wheel's name is "Dolap" and hence the water mill is named as such.
I'm really quite an aquaphile as you can see. When there's a waterfall or fountain around, I'm never far away from it. When it's an iconic water mill, you can bet I'll be playing with water here!
Here's the one-vaulted bridge on the way back to the Crafts Bazaar Street. You'll also see 2 houses, one is a house from the Gachevtsi village (right) and the other is one with a tannery. What's not seen here is the Church St Epiphany which used to serve as a school.
Traditionally baked bread comes from the oven below this chimney seen here. Already had my fair share of the bread at lunch but the smell of freshly baked bread was really quite tempting.
Etara was established in 1964 to showcase the cultural highlights of 18th and 19th century Bulgaria within the complex. So, to say that it has always been like that would not be right. But the beauty of it is that it brings together the many Bulgarian traditions and preserves it here. It's therefore a very popular place for the locals who truly value their traditions.
For me, it was an educational tour, sort of like a learning journey, where I got to see a little bit of traditional Bulgaria and its culture, up close and personal. Pretty apt, since it was Racial Harmony Day back in Singapore then.
Headed next for the capital of the 2nd Bulgarian Empire - Veliko Tarnovo!
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