National History Museum of History – Sofia City
The National Museum of History was established on 5 May 1973 by Decree No. 90 of the Council of Ministers. On 2 March 1984, the new representative exhibition was opened in the building of the Court of Justice on the occasion of the 1300-th anniversary of the Bulgarian state. Read More...
It is one of the largest and richest history museums on the Balkan Peninsula. More than 700,000 cultural monuments are preserved inside it, representing the history of the present Bulgarian lands from the period 8,000 years ago to the present day. Only 10% of all these valuables and monuments are exhibited in the museum halls.
The main museum exhibition is presented in five halls: Prehistory, Ancient Thrace, and the Middle Ages – First (7th-11th century) and Second Bulgarian Empire (12th - 14th century), the Bulgarian lands in the 15th - 19th century and the Third Bulgarian Empire (1878 to the present day).
The collection, dedicated to Prehistory (7th – 2nd millennium BC) presents various bone and flint tools, idol statues, ornaments and pottery.
Another hall of the museum presents the unique treasures from Thracian times. The museum also preserves the worldwide famous Panagursko, Rogozensko and Letnishko treasures along with the treasure, discovered near the village of Duvanlii.
Bulgarians medieval history is presented in a saoarate hall. There are items from the ages of the First and the Second Bulgarian Empires – jewelry, coins, decorative pottery, icons, reliquaries, etc. The exhibition in another hall tells the story of the Bulgarian lands during the period of the Ottoman Dominion (1396 – 1878).
The development of the new Bulgarian State is illustrated with more than 600 exhibits. Special attention is paid to the Bulgarian monarchs – items, which used to belong to the royal family, as long with many physical evidences since the revival of the Bulgarian State (1878 – 1946), can be seen exhibited in the museum.
The antique coins are exhibited in a separate hall – coins from the time of tsar Ivan Asen the 2nd (1218 – 1241) and tsar Ivan Alexander (1331 – 1371), Byzantine coins, etc. are among the valuable exhibits.
The ethnographic collection of the museum shows a reconstruction of a Renaissance school.
A rich collection of stone columns and monuments from various periods (Greek, Roman, Byzantine), are situated in the courtyard of the museum.
