The construction of the Seto Museum building started in 1994 and the museum was opened in 1998. In 2004, a unique Setu teahouse was built next to the museum as part of the Phare project (funded by the European Union).
.The Setu (Seto, Pskov Chud) are a small Finno-Ugric people who live in the Pechora District of Pskov Oblast and adjacent areas of southern Estonia, which was part of the Pskov Province until 1920.
The historical area where this people live is called Setumaa (Setu land). The Setuki are an extremely interesting people, with their own customs, traditions, culture, famous for their chanting and handicrafts.
Setomaa has many different festivals, the most interesting one being the election of the king of the land of Setu. This holiday is held every year on the first weekend of August. According to legends, the king of Setu is the deity Peko, who sleeps forever in a cave, so the Setu people choose their king every year.
The selection of the king is done by voting. In order to participate in this election, you must stand behind the candidate you are voting for. The candidate with the longest queue will win. The elected king reigns for the whole year, taking part in Setomaa events.
At the museum's exhibition, one can see Seto architecture from the late 19th and early 20th centuries, as well as a collection of handicrafts and old tools. The Seto Museum exposition includes the following buildings: a dwelling house, a barn for clothes, grain and food, a semi-enclosed courtyard, a workshop, a stable with a hayloft, sheds, a pottery workshop, a blacksmith's factory, a black bath, a threshing floor and a tea house. Most of these buildings are authentic, brought from North Setomaa.
.In the museum you can not only admire the exposition, but also plunge into this atmosphere by taking part in the events organised in the Setu Museum. Many festivals are celebrated here: Seto Lace Day, Christmas and other festivals of the folk calendar.
Visitors to the museum can try their hand by ordering Seto needlework lessons, of which there are a myriad: weaving, coloured lace, belts, stockings, etc. Besides, you can order a Seto wedding programme, take part in farm work: it can be blacksmithing, pottery, bread baking. And of course, as a souvenir of the Seto Museum, you can buy all kinds of souvenirs, handicraft items, printed Seto publications.
