The Poster Exhibition “National Archaeological Museum – the Treasury of Bulgaria” in the Art Gallery «Methodi Meta Petrov» – Tsaribrod, Serbia

On December 16th, Monday, 2024, from 5 pm, in the art gallery “Metodi Meta Petrov”, Tsaribrod, Serbia, will happen the official opening of the poster exhibition “National Archaeological Museum – the Treasury of Bulgaria” (17.12.2024 – 08.01.2025).

With a history of more than 130 years, the National Archaeological Museum is one of the oldest institutions in Bulgaria. It symbolizes the struggle to preserve the state’s rich archaeological heritage. The exhibition “National Archaeological Museum—The Treasury of Bulgaria” presents this impressive history and the museum's role in preserving and popularizing the national memory. The concept of an “all-Bulgarian museum” was implemented immediately after Bulgaria‘s Liberation from the Ottoman Empire in 1878. The first step was taken the following year when the newly established Public Library was assigned a museum collection, which soon grew into a museum department. In 1892, the museum department was separated from the Library and established as an independent institution with a dedicated staff. The remarkable building of the Buyuk Mosque in the center of Sofia was chosen as its home. The first objects entered into the museum‘s collection in 1880. During the following decades, the collection grew considerably. It consists of objects from all historical periods – prehistory, Antiquity, the Middle Ages, and the Bulgarian National Revival period. The items are diverse: treasures, fine vessels, ornaments, coins, statues, church utensils, wall paintings, tools, weapons, and many other objects that reveal the past of the Bulgarian lands through the millennia. The museum has undergone significant changes in its name and structure during its long history. Nowadays, known as the “National Archaeological Institute with Museum”, it holds one of Southeast Europe's most representative archaeological collections. It plays a crucial role in studying and conserving Bulgaria‘s archaeological heritage and contributes to developing museum conservation and restoration within the country.

The exhibition comprises 16 large-format posters in Bulgarian and English, narrating through text and images the history of the Archaeological Museum at Sofia and the accents in its permanent exhibition. It was created by a team of NAIM-BAS within the National Scientific Program “Development and Recognition of Bulgarian Studies Abroad” (“NSP Bulgarian Studies”). The authors of the posters are Assistant Professors Kaloyan Pramatarov, Miglena Stamberova, Nataliya Ivanova, Galina Grozdanova, and Philip Kolev. The photographs are by Assistant Professor Miglena Raykovska and Krasimir Georgiev. The poster design is by Studio Frank.