The Kars Cheese Museum, established in the historic Cavalry Bastion, offers visitors an insight into the production of various cheeses, including the region's famed gravyer cheese. The museum, which showcases the traditional highland lifestyle, is home to several exhibits related to the art of cheese-making. Among the museum's most notable attractions is a 120-year-old hand-operated milk extraction machine, which continues to draw attention from visitors.
Kars, where many types of cheese are produced, including gravyer, çeçil and kaşar, was designated as the 18th Cheese Route in the world in 2020 as part of the "Future in Tourism" project, carried out in partnership with the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, the United Nations Development Programme and Anadolu Efes.
The Kars Cheese Museum, located in the historic bastion, features exhibits on endemic plants consumed by livestock, barns, milk-filled pitchers, life in the highlands and the cheese production process. One of the key highlights of the museum is the Skoda cast-iron milk extraction machine, which transports visitors back in time to experience the tools and methods used in the past.
Yeşim Koç, the museum's director, shared that it has quickly become an important destination for both local and international tourists. Koç explained that visitors not only learn about the cheese-making process but also have the opportunity to see tools from different periods.
"Our museum opened in 2022. It is Türkiye's only thematic cheese museum and in terms of space, it is the largest cheese museum in the world. In addition to models, the museum displays numerous old tools, including wire stirrers used for cutting gravyer cheese and grating machines. These are antique items and their historical value has attracted significant interest," Koç said.
The museum houses many century-old items, including the 120-year-old milk machine. This machine, made entirely of cast iron, has been well-preserved and is a prime example of agricultural machinery from a bygone era. The machine was manufactured by Skoda, a Czech brand better known for its automobiles but that originally produced agricultural machinery. Cream separators were in high demand during that time and Skoda produced such machines before shifting to bicycles and later automobiles. By the 1990s, the company returned to car manufacturing.
"Today, cream machines like this one are still in use. In rural areas and highlands, both manual and electric models are used. The cream separator on display in our museum is made entirely of cast iron and is very heavy," Koç added.
