National History Museum, Sofia

The National History Museum stands as one of the largest and most affluent historical museums in the Balkan Peninsula. It houses over 700,000 cultural artifacts that chronicle the history of present-day Bulgarian territories, spanning from 8,000 years ago to the contemporary era.

Established in 1973, the museum inaugurated its first exhibition at the Sofia Court building in 1984 to commemorate Bulgaria's 1300th statehood anniversary. Since the year 2000, the museum has found its home in the former government residence building No 1, situated in the Boyana residential area of Sofia.

The primary museum exhibition is divided across five distinct halls, each dedicated to different historical periods. These include Prehistory, Ancient Thrace, the Middle Ages, the Bulgarian lands from the 15th to the 19th century, and the Third Bulgarian Empire, spanning from 1878 to the present.

The Prehistory collection, which spans from the 7th to the 2nd millennium BC, showcases an array of bone and flint tools, idol statues, ornamental items, and pottery.

Another hall within the museum is dedicated to Thracian antiquities, including renowned treasures like Panagursko, Rogozensko, Letnishko, and discoveries near the village of Duvanlii. Furthermore, the museum displays burial gifts unearthed during mound excavations across the country.

A separate hall exhibits ancient coins, including those from Tsar Ivan Asen II (1218-1241) and Tsar Ivan Alexander (1331-1371), as well as Byzantine coins. Additionally, the museum boasts an ethnographic collection that includes a reconstruction of a Renaissance-era school.

In the museum's courtyard, visitors can explore a diverse assortment of stone columns and monuments hailing from Greek, Roman, and Byzantine epochs. Furthermore, the museum offers a selection of souvenirs, informational materials, and specialized literature for sale, in addition to providing a library for visitors.