Traditional Crafts: Incentive of Sustainable Rural Development. The Contribution of the ASTRA Museum

Abstract

Abstract Although there is a renewed interest in contemporary society in the simple and natural life in rural areas, the rural intangible heritage, including the traditional crafts, is slowly disappearing. Craftsmen get old and the younger generations seem not to be too open to continuing the craftsmanship. Therefore, stimuli of various types are necessary to action for the revival of traditional crafts. The present contribution presents the strategy of ASTRA Museum, one of the most important open-air museums in Romania, regarding the sustainable development of traditional crafts. It argues how a museum could educate and stimulate cultural tourism through crafts, but also determine and support entrepreneurship in the domain of traditional crafts.