Tourist route "Windmills in Gagauzia"
5 hours
37 km
Transport
Tourist route “Windmills in Gagauzia” includes tourist sites of 4 settlements, namely Beşalma village, Congaz village, Baurci village and Gaidar village.
The route is presented in 3 languages (in Russian, English and Turkish) and is accompanied by a QR code, with which you can go to the electronic version of the route with a description of tourist sites and the necessary contacts, as well as the ability to create a route from any location using google maps.
National Gagauz History and Ethnographic Museum
The National Gagauz Historical and Ethnographic Museum of Dmitry Kara Choban in the village of Beshalma was opened on September 16, 1966. A monument to its founder, who was also a poet, playwright, sculptor and documentary filmmaker, was erected in front of the entrance to the museum.
This is the only Gagauz historical and ethnographic museum in the world, which has a unique collection of exhibits reflecting the culture and life of the Gagauz people. Their total number is about 15 thousand units of the main auxiliary fund and copies. Museum employees proudly present the most exclusive of them at various exhibitions in Moldova, as well as in the near and far abroad.
The village of Beshalma is included in its periodic bulletin by UNESCO as a unique center of Gagauz culture.
Windmill of Besalma village
The windmill is located in the eastern part of Besalma village. The foundation of the mill is made of stone, while the base and blades are made of wood. Inside the mill were mechanisms that set the millstones in motion.
Today, it does not operate like a real mill, but instead it is an intriguing tourist attraction.
Ethno-touristic complex “Gagauz Sofrası”
Ethno-touristic complex “Gagauz Sofrası” is a unique opportunity to comprehensively get acquainted with how the traditional Gagauz people lived.
The complex is a real Gagauz courtyard with guest houses made of environmentally friendly materials, a museum, a tavern, a mini-hotel, a terrace and a banquet hall. During a tour of the complex, guests can be offered to dress up in national clothes and feel like real Gagauz people.
The local restaurant with the traditional cuisine of the southern people of Moldova is considered one of the best in the region, where visitors will find a fragrant table with all kinds of dishes, as well as Gagauzia wines, pickles, delicious preparations for the winter, pastries.
Art object «Hoş geldiniz Baurçuya» ("Welcome to Baurchi")
Great place to stop for a few selfies.
In 2021, in the village of Baurchi, a young Moldovan artist, Nicolae Curu, and an initiative group of the village created an art object on a 70-meter wall – “Hoş geldiniz Baurçuya”, which means “Welcome to Baurchi”.
They transferred fragments from the life of local residents of the village to the gray wall and it turned out very authentic.
Museum of carpet weaving, Gaidar village
Handmade carpets have always been the pride of the Gaidar village.
In 2013 in the rural house of culture a museum of carpet weaving was opened.
Since this year, workshops have been held to teach children carpet weaving and the regional carpet festival “Gagauz Kilimneri” is held annually, where you can see ancient and modern carpets, learn the history of carpet weaving, and also buy a woven carpet.
The museum of carpet weaving in the village of Gaidar is included in the top ten most unusual museums in the Republic of Moldova.
Here you can see how weavers work and try your hand at this art. In addition to the history of this craft, in the museum you can get lessons on how to make first a thread from sheep’s wool, and then from these threads - real carpets, exactly the same as those woven by ancestors 150 years ago.
The museum is located in the building of the House of Culture in the village of Gaidar.
The windmill of Gaidar village
The windmill of Gaidar village, built at the end of the 19th century, is a symbol of the hard-working nature of the Gagauz people.
It is made entirely of wood, including the mechanisms that process flour. The whole structure can rotate around its axis by 360 degrees. The uniqueness of the mill lies in the fact that one person can manage all the processes.
The Gaidar mill, which has a history of more than 100 years, is one of the two that have survived in the region. This is a real monument of history, which was once vital for people and helped them survive.
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