Textile Museum
The Textile Museum in Strojkovce is the only museum of this kind in Serbia. It is located in a watermill that was built in the second half of the 19th century. Concerning its size and living premises within it, was owned by wealthy Turks. In 1884, the enterprising people of Leskovac opened the first braid factory in it, which is considered the beginning of the textile industry in Serbia.
The building is a type of “crnotravska dunđerska kuća “. The water mill is located on the left wing, while the living premises are on the right, on the ground floor and upstairs. There is an arcade terrace above the entrance section on the ground floor.
In 1959 the water mill was purchased from its former owners and restored. The building has preserved the specific beauty of the architecture, typical for the time it was built, and the interior is equipped with authentic furniture and objects from the everyday life of millers. The original objects which represent a braid producing process were displayed in it.
The museum was reconstructed in 2011, when the building was restored to its old splendour, and the former, authentic way of braid producing was put back in operation. A water-flowing canal was also restored, whose power drove the mechanism for turning the “čarks” and twisting the braid.
The Textile Museum in Strojkovce was declared as a cultural property in 1980 – a cultural monument.
