
Vratsa Regional History Museum
The town of Vratsa is located in Northern Bulgaria, 110 km north of Sofia. The first museum collection in the town was associated with the name of Hadji Tosho Tsenov (1749 – 1836) – a wealthy merchant from Vratsa. Later on his son Dimitraki Hadjitoshev (1780 – 1824) added to it. In 1953, a Regional National Museum was set up and in 1956 its first exhibition was opened in the Meshchii Tower when part of it was declared an art gallery.
In 1976, Nikola Voyvodov Ethnographic-Revival Complex was opened. Today it comprises the exhibition at Nikola Voyvodov House-Museum (that tells about the life and work of Nikola Voyvodov (1842 – 1867) who dedicated his life to the liberation of Bulgaria from the Ottoman rule) and the Urban Life Exhibition in Kapitanskata House (the Captain’s House) that displays authentic objects and household items of a restored urban home of a middle-class family from the beginning of the 20th century).
In 1987 the buildings that housed St. Sophronius of Vratsa Ethnographic-Revival Complex were added to the Regional History Museum. The complex consists of several sites: The Ascension School, The House of the Hadji, Ivan Zambin House, Grigoriy Naydenov House, The Church of the Holy Ascension, the exhibition of transportation vehicles, craftsmen’s workshops, and the exhibition of farming equipment.
The main building of the museum houses several exhibitions. The Archaeology Section is spread around the Prehistory Hall, the Antiquity Hall, the Middle Ages Hall, the Thracian Treasures Hall, the Rogozen Treasure Hall, and the Lapidarium.
The Prehistory Hall presents the development and the achievements of human societies from the most ancient times until the Roman Age. Among the exhibits, visitors will find pottery, items, tools, and weapons typical of the different historical periods.
In the Antiquity Hall artefacts that date back to the Roman and the early Byzantine Ages (1st – 6th centuries) are displayed. The Roman bronze diploma, the religious clay vessel, the collection of stone sculptures, the bronze medical tools, and the bone amulet exhibited there are remarkable.
The Middle Ages Hall illustrates the cultural and historical heritage of the Vratsa Region in medieval Bulgaria (7th – 14th centuries). The typical Old Bulgarian adornments, the bone icons-amulets, the silver reliquary, the everyday items and the tools are of interest to visitors.
The finds discovered at Mogilanska Tumulus are displayed in the Thracian Treasures Hall: gold wreath and earrings, a unique gold-plated silver greave, etc. The treasures of Moesia (Bukyovtsi) and Galiche can also be found there. They comprise silver, gold-plated and gold ritual vessels, applications and plates depicting the Mother Goddess and the Thracian Horseman.
In 1999, a specially equipped hall was constructed and opened for the Rogozen Treasure – the biggest Thracian treasure that was ever discovered on the territory of Bulgaria. It comprises a family dinner set of 165 gold-pleated items made of silver that belonged to a Thracian royal dynasty. It dates back to the end of the 6th and the 4th centuries BC.
The open-air exhibition lapidarium includes the mosaic of Galatin Village, funeral stelae, columns, stone sculptures, epigraphic monuments, and other valuable exhibits.
The History of Bulgaria 15th – 19th Centuries Hall preserves valuable examples of the Vratsa Literary, Icon-Painting, and Goldsmithery School.
Botev’s Hall is dedicated to the legendary detachment of poet and revolutionary Hristo Botev (1848 – 1876) whose heroism marked the epilogue of the April Uprising of 1876 against the Ottoman rule. Among the exhibits visitors will find original photographs and archive materials, the Manifesto for the Declaration of the Russo-Turkish War of 1877-1878, volunteer force orders, medals, weapons, etc.
An exhibition consisting of 1000 mineral (precious and semiprecious stones), rock and fossil (phytoliths and zooliths) specimens is displayed in the Stone Rainbow Hall. The majority of the items were discovered in Bulgaria, but there are also exhibits from Europe, America, Asia, and Africa. Some of the minerals displayed are new to the world and were found in Vratsa Ore Region.
The exhibition at the New History Hall follows the development of Vratsa Region up to 1918. It demonstrates the economic, political, and cultural characteristics of the town of the Vratsa and the region.
Information materials, guidebooks, and souvenirs are sold at the Museum.
Opening hours
Opening hours of the exhibitions
Main building:
Monday – Friday: 9.00 am – 5.30 pm.
Saturday, Sunday and on official holidays: 9.00 am – 12.00 m; 1.00 pm – 5.30 pm.
In the period between 12.00 am and 1.00 pm (open upon request in advance)
Closed on 1 January
Free-admission day: Monday
Admission:
Adults – BGN 3;
Students and Senior Citizens – BGN 1;
Children under 7 years of age and People with Disabilities – free admission
Lectures given in Bulgarian, French, Greek, and Russian: BGN 10.
St. Sophronius of Vratsa Complex:
Admission:
Adults – BGN 2;
Students and Senior Citizens – BGN 1;
Children under 7 years of age and People with Disabilities – free admission
Lectures: BGN 10.
Combined (two-site) ticket
Adults – BGN 4.
Nikola Voyvodov Complex is currently under repair and is closed for visitors.
Contacts
Vratsa Regional History Museum
The main building is located at 2 Hristo Botev Str.;
Tel: +359 92 620373;
Tel: +359 92 624457
St. Sophronius of Vratsa Complex –
2 David Todorov Str.
Tel: +359 92 624573
Nikola Voyvodov Complex –
6A Nikola Voyvodov Str.
Tel: +359 92 665094
e-mail: [email protected]
Website: www.vratsamuseum.com
Museum curators provide services to tourists. Lectures are given in Bulgarian, French, Russian, and Greek.
TOURIST INFORMATION CENTER – VARSHETS
Contacts
Tel: +359 9527 3156
Tel: +359 886 985858
Tel: +359 886 095676
e-mail: [email protected]
Website: www.varshets.bg
90A, Republika Blvd., town of Varshets, 3540
Services
The Tourist Information Center offers detailed information about accommodation places and catering establishments, sports installation and balneological services, tourism and entertainment options.
Tourists can purchase souvenirs or postcards, rent a bike, tent or fishing rod, hire a mountain guide or participate in an entertainment event organized by the TIC.
TOURIST INFORMATION CENTER – SOFIA
Contacts
Tel: +359 2 4918344
Tel: +359 2 4918345
e-mail: [email protected]nfo-sofia.bg
Website: www.info-sofia.bg
Sofia City, the underpass of Sofia University “St. Kliment Ohridski”
Services
The basic task of the Tourist Information Center department is:
Information and advertising activity, aiming to popularize the tourist destination of Sofia by means of:
providing free information and advertising materials about Sofia City to Bulgarian and foreign tourists
providing up-to-date and detailed information about current and upcoming events of the cultural and business life of the city
collecting, processing and providing general and specialized tourist information, which facilitates the orientation of the city guests and assisting their choice of places for relaxation, tourism or entertainment.
development and distribution of image and product advertising materials
maintenance and updating of the information and the advertising applications, installed at the public kiosks, located in the Cultural and Information Center – Sofia.
playing of advertising movies about Sofia on a video board, installed at the window of the information center
Virtual map
Pictures
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