Archaeological Open-Air Museum

It is our goal to build a 9th century monastery with contemporary Carolingian tools and materials only. To this end the “Plan of St. Gall”, the earliest European architectural document, is put to reality in a wooded area near Lake Constance in Southern Germany, only 40 kilometres from the place of its origin...

A small settlement with five pit houses, which gives the impression that their inhabitants are on their way to the field. The weaver has set up the loom, dyed wool and clothes hang dry on the leash, and the potter has a half-finished pot on the potter’s table, in the sacred grove small sacrifices are laid down, and at the smithy the fire place still smokes. Times are peaceful, the weapons and the chain shirt are cleared away in the warrior's house. In all the pit houses one can see what was important for family life about 1000 years ago.

It is called the Ancient Ceramic Centre near Pavlikeni - a town in Northern Bulgaria. The site was made an open-air museum in the 70-es of 20th century by its first excavator - Bogdan Sultov. There you can see in situ exposed Roman kilns and buildings. An archaeological campus made of shards of Roman bricks, tiles, slag, is the only one of this kind. There is also a part for experimental archaeology with a reconstruction of potter's workshop and kilns. A museum building at the same site shows artefacts, found during the excavations.

Krivolik shows the development of human history, from the advent of modern man (Homo sapiens sapiens) (36,000 BC) up to the Early Middle Ages (900 AD). It goes about the main parts of our history – the culture of mammoth hunters, the transition to agriculture (Neolithic Revolution) and the beginning of metal processing. At the end of prehistory we have the first written report on our territory; we know the first names of the tribes and the rulers of some events.

The village prospered and counted at a certain time one hundred brick-built houses, a mill, a brewery and a gothic church. The village best days were around 1465, also the Golden Age of Flanders. In 1489, nearby Ostend was plundered: the start of the downfall of the region. By 1628 all what remained was the church tower.

The Village regularly hosts art exhibitions as well as live stage performances at the sandstone amphitheatre. Here are also traditional dance and music competitions sure-casing local talent in cultural music by school children and community groups. The art gallery boasts work of local artists and a permanent photographic exhibition of the building process of the village and litem' art in the Eastern Free State.

In Yalutorovskiy Ostrog you can plunge into the world of peasant life, feel and enjoy the traditions of Russian culture. On the territory of the prison you will find crafts’ houses where the following crafts are demonstrated: patchwork, carpet weaving, pottery, weaving and painting on wood. There is also a smithy, a well-crane and shooting range. The exhibition hall shows products of Yalutorov masters as well as information on the first settlers.