site.btaEtar Open-Air Museum to Host 19th International Fair of Traditional Crafts from September 6 to 8

The 19th International Fair of Traditional Crafts will take place at the Etar Regional Ethnographic Open-Air Museum in Gabrovo from September 6 to 8, Tihomir Tsarov, PR expert at the museum, said on Thursday.

The fair will open on September 6 with an official ceremony, which will be attended by National Assembly Chair Nataliya Kiselova, Culture Minister Marian Bachev, Gabrovo Mayor Tanya Hristova, Gabrovo Regional Governor Maria Basheva, as well as ambassadors of countries represented at the fair.

During the fair, visitors will see an exhibition entitled "The New Precious: Contemporary Craft Art from Bulgaria". The exhibition includes masters from the Homo Faber catalog of the International Michelangelo Foundation, based in Switzerland. Two of the masters will give demonstrations on September 6, 7 and 8.

In addition, a scientific forum dedicated to intangible cultural heritage will be organized during the fair as well. A special guest is a professor from South Korea, who chairs the Folkart and Crafts cluster of the UNESCO Creative Cities Network. 

The Etar Regional Ethnographic Open-Air Museum in Gabrovo was created by Lazar Donkov and opened its doors in 1964 as an ethnographic park-museum. Today, the institution is a centre for studying the traditional culture of the Balkan people from pre-industrial society to modern times. The museum restores customs and traditions from the Bulgarian calendar, and a team of 70 specialists works to preserve and promote them.