Etar is an ethnographic open-air museum park located near the town of Gabrovo. The lifestyle and old Gabrovo crafts from the Bulgarian National Revival period (18th-19th century) have been brought back to life here. The teacher Lazar Donkov collected rich documentary material, chose the place and embarked on its construction in the 1960s. Two-storey buildings, the exact replicas of the homes of the old local masters, sprang up next to a run-down water mill near the river. The upper floor houses the living quarters, the ground floor contains the small workshops and shops. A genuine crafts and trade street came into being. Enthusiastic artisans revived the original skills of the forgotten past. Using authentic tools and primitive technologies they fashion articles which any visitor can take back home with him as a memento: colourful ceramics, leather articles, gold and silver jewellery, cooper vessels, fabrics, knives, wooden musical instruments, etc. The traditional confectionary craft has not been forgotten either. The smell of delicious pastries prepared according to old recipes drifts from the bakery, accompanied by the waft of Turkish coffee from the coffee shop where it is served with sweet jam.

     The multitude of colours, shapes, sounds and aromas, forgotten or unknown in our dynamic present is an unusual and exciting experience for any visitor.

Museums in Gabrovo:
Home of Humour and Satire;
National Museum of Education;
History Museum;
Art Gallery;
Sokolski Monastery – 14 km far from Gabrovo.