Dudutki

Dudutki was set up in the 1990s as a museum of traditional crafts and rural technology, and its distinction is that the workshops work: a smith forges at the anvil, potters throw and fire, a woodturner and a weaver work their trades, a wooden post mill of 1903 relocated here grinds grain, and a dairy makes cheese and butter. A distillery produces samahonka, the home-distilled spirit, under licence, and tastings of it with bread, cheese and salted pork are part of the standard visit. Horses, an old car collection and a chapel fill out the site. It is the most visited attraction of its kind near Minsk and is busy at weekends and with tour groups.

What you actually see

• The working smithy - forging demonstrated at the anvil.
• The windmill - the relocated 1903 post mill grinding grain.
• The distillery - samahonka production and the tasting.
• Pottery and weaving - the other craft workshops in operation.

When to go

May to September for the fullest programme; winter opening is reduced and some workshops close. Weekends are busy with families and tour groups. Weekday mornings are quieter.

Honest expectations

The site is a commercial attraction rather than a preserved village. Tastings include spirits and are part of most tickets. Weekend and group crowding is heavy. Some workshops only run at set times.

Nearby

Minsk lies north; Strochitsy is west of the city.