The smallest ethno museum in the world.
Simeon Zlatev is an architect who dedicated his whole life to collecting, exploring and preserving the cultural heritage of the Balkans. By collecting valuable items for already 30 years now Simeon has created the world’s smallest ethnological museum in the village Džepčište situated near the city of Tetovo. This smallest ethnological museum in the world covers the surface of only 7.2 square meters, fits just one person and is open to the public during the summer.
In the beginning Simeon shared his collection only with his friends, but as the number of people who wanted to visit the museum grew, he decided to open the museum to the public. Since that moment about 15 000 people visited the museum. Most of the time the visits are arranged in advanced. In the meantime the museum’s everyday visitors are local children from the village who enjoy spending time with Simeon and listening to his stories.
The beautifully arranged garden, interior and the collection of valuable items that this man has gathered show just how much a person can do when he or she is honest, hardworking, passionate and dedicated. This little museum will remain a great cultural gem of this territory and its traditions.
