Museum of Folk Crafts and Trades

About museum

On May 18, 2007 the Museum of Folk Crafts and Trades was opened. It is located in a building erected by Alexander Nikolaevich Zausaylov in the Art Nouveau style. The façade is decorated with majolica tiles and a panel featuring a pelican — a symbol of motherhood and childhood. The museum's purpose is to preserve crafts and trades that are on the verge of disappearing, as well as to promote their development and revival and to increase interest in culture and folk art. The museum showcases leatherworking, blacksmithing, pottery and felting crafts, the Yelets 'royal harmonica' (a local type of free‑reed instrument), wickerwork, woodcarving, weaving, embroidery, bast‑shoe (lapti) weaving, and more. The Yelets lace hall is especially popular, where visitors can watch lace patterns being created. Visitors can also learn weaving techniques, beadwork, patchwork sewing, rag‑doll making, pressed‑flower art, and hear the sound of the Yelets 'royal harmonica'.