The Regional Historical Museum – Plovdiv was established in 1951 as a scientific and cultural organization for the exploration, study, preservation, and presentation of cultural values from the past of Plovdiv and the Plovdiv region from the 15th to the 20th century. Its collection includes over 60,000 exhibits, including unique collections of cold and firearms, orders and medals, military equipment, personal items, printed publications, clothing and household items, photographs, and documents. The Regional Historical Museum – Plovdiv has four exhibitions: “Bulgarian Revival,” “Publishing in Bulgaria in the Second Half of the 19th and Early 20th Century,” “Unification of Bulgaria in 1885,” and the Museum Center for Contemporary History. The museum also manages the Memorial Complex “Fraternity Mound,” open to visitors. The Regional Historical Museum – Plovdiv offers various activities and services. Museum specialists provide short historical references on topics related to the history of Plovdiv and the Plovdiv region. You can access the rich documentary and photographic archive of the museum by ordering the necessary image or document, which will be provided to you scanned. The museum halls can be rented for presentations, book launches, celebrations, or other events that do not contradict the institution’s activities. A full list of our activities and services can be found at: historymuseumplovdiv.org.

The National Memorial Exhibition “Unification of Bulgaria in 1885” tells the story of the brightest event in our recent history. It is located in the building of the Regional Assembly of Eastern Rumelia. The building was designed by the architect Pietro Montani and is one of his most significant creative achievements. The exhibition covers the period from the signing of the Berlin Treaty in 1878, which divided the lands inhabited by Bulgarians into five parts, to the Serbo-Bulgarian War of 1885. The main focus is on the establishment and development of Eastern Rumelia as the second Bulgarian state, and the preparation and realization of the Unification with the Principality of Bulgaria on September 6, 1885.

Square “Unification” № 1 4000 Plovdiv Phone: 032/629409

The exhibition “Bulgarian Revival” is arranged in one of the most beautiful and emblematic houses in Old Plovdiv – that of Dimitar Georgiadi. The building is a typical Plovdiv Renaissance house from the 19th century with a spacious courtyard, ground floor, three floors, brightly painted walls, masterfully carved ceilings, and the characteristic decorative niches called “alafrangi.” The exhibition traces the history of the city of Plovdiv from the 15th to the 19th century. The artistic arrangement of the exhibits does not detract from the interior architecture of the house and immerses visitors in times of foreign rule, but also times of defending the national identity of Bulgarians.

Tsanko Lavrenov Street № 1 4000 Plovdiv Phone: 032/623378

The exhibition “Publishing in Bulgaria in the Second Half of the 19th and Early 20th Century” is arranged in the house of the founder of modern Bulgarian publishing, Hristo G. Danov. The house is a representative of Bulgarian Renaissance architecture, with painted walls, decorative portrait painting in places, and a ceiling adorned with carved compositions. The exhibition showcases the role of Plovdiv as a center of Bulgarian education and culture in the second half of the 19th and early 20th centuries. The stages in the development of educational work and the activities of prominent writers and educators are traced. Among the exhibits are unique specimens of Renaissance printed books, publications, teaching aids, as well as household items, personal belongings, and correspondence of Hristo Danov and his publishing house.

Metropolitan Paisius Street № 2 4000 Plovdiv Phone: 032/629405

The Museum Center for Contemporary History has a spacious, modernly equipped hall that allows for the presentation of historical, artistic, and photographic exhibitions, as well as other public events. There is a permanent exhibition titled “The Soul of the Japanese Doll” – a result of cooperation between the Regional Historical Museum – Plovdiv and the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA). From ancient times to the present, the Japanese have regarded their dolls as living beings. Many of their customary festivals are associated with these dolls. Five showcases, located in a special corner, display some of the most common sets of Japanese dolls, each created based on the story of an old legend.

Angel Bukoreshtliev Street № 14 4000 Plovdiv Phone: 032/628886

In the 1950s of the 20th century, the Municipal People’s Council decided to build the “Fraternity Mound” in Plovdiv, where the memory and heroism of those who died for the freedom and independence of Bulgaria, as well as those who died in the struggle to eliminate social-class inequalities, would be perpetuated. In 1967, a project by a team led by architect Lyubomir Shinkov was approved. It was decided that from a human perspective, the steel-concrete structure of the memorial would resemble a Thracian mound, and from a bird’s eye view, it would look like a stylized stone wreath. Architect Shinkov was assisted by architect Vladimir Rangelov in architectural solutions, while the monumental sculptures were entrusted to sculptors Petar Petrov, Ana Dalcheva, and Prof. Lyubomir Dalchev, who played a leading role in making and implementing creative decisions. The sculptural composition of the “Fraternity Mound” in Plovdiv is 90 meters long, and the different thematic belts are dedicated to Turkish slavery, the April Uprising, the defense of Shipka, the reception of the Russian liberators in 1878, the Unification of Bulgaria, the struggle of the strikers in the early 20th century, the anti-fascist resistance, etc. The Memorial Complex “Fraternity Mound” was opened in 1974. Currently, public discussions and debates are ongoing about its present and future.