Български
English
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 in Vratsa 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 in Vratsa. 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 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-pleated 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.
Availability for visits: Paid, all year round, available guide, with access for people with disabilities
Transport accessibility: yes, in at the centre of Vratsa town
Tourist infrastructure: hotel, restaurants. Museum curators provide services to tourists. Lectures are given in Bulgarian, French, Russian, and Greek.
