TODAY, museums up and down the country will be celebrating. It is International Museum Day.
Throughout the day concerts will be organised at five museums around Sofia, and a retrospective look at some of the best exhibits ever done will take place. Guests at the Earth and Man Museum experienced a concert commemorating the Museum last week.
A charity concert tonight in the National History Museum will hopefully enable a purchase of some current temporary exhibitions, so that they will become permanent ones. A cocktail party will wrap up the evening with the most popular Bulgarian songs from throughout history.
Today highlights the places where the rich history of Bulgaria is stored. These places, have minimal entrance fees and contain many hidden treasures.
The Earth and Man Museum was founded in 1986 in the heart of Sofia and occupies a refurbished building – a monument of culture, built in the end of the 19th century (1896-1898).
More than 20,000 exhibits from around the world are being kept in this unique mineralogical sanctuary and are divided into six separate sections: Minerals of the Earth, Industrial Minerals, Raw Material Sources of Bulgaria, Gems and New Materials.
The central place, occupied by the collection of Giant crystals, consists of unique creations of nature from amethyst, citrine, rose and smoked quartz, mountain crystal, morion, beryl and tour-maline.
The exposition Precious Stones contains about 1,500 exhibits. Along with the classic precious stones – diamonds, rubies, sapphires and emeralds, there are some extremely rare purple amethysts from South America, orange red topazes from Ukraine, and noble black opals from Australia, as well as some unusual, exotic gems like evklaz and datolit.
The section called Minerals of the Earth demonstrates the beauty of the mineral kingdom. More than 1,155 kinds of minerals have been gathered from the 3,700 or so kinds existing in the earth’s crust. Some of them are extremely rare, being known to exist only in one location.
The exposition Materials presents our knowledge and skills in utilising mineral resources – in both past and future lights. Visitors can look at mono-crystals used for optics and electronics, biomaterials and superconductors. There are minerals concerning the preservation of the environment – minerals for cleaning oil products and radioactive isotope soiling as well as pollution from scrap sources like ashes from heat.
In the exposition Minerals of Bulgaria, deposits of mineral association and thematic collections of mineral samples are shown. Here you’ll find samples of newly discovered mineral types that have been found in Bulgaria – donchevit from Narechen, strashimirit from the Zapachitza deposit, balcanit from the Sedmochislenitzi deposit and orpheit from the Madjarovo deposit.
The museum also hosts temporary art exhibitions and classical music evenings, details of which are listed in The Echo’s weekly supplement, Culture Shock.
Earth Day on April 22 was a day of large celebration this year. A great variety of minerals and private collections were opened and an international competition for musicians and composers was held. On June 5 there will be an event dedicated to the World Day of the Protection of the Environment, and on June 19 the museum marks Donor’s Day.
About 70 per cent of the displayed works in the museum belong to private individuals who have donated them.
The interior was designed by the architect Ivan Radev and the original frescos in the hall were done by Teofan Sokerov. The museum comprises exhibition halls, laboratories, a video hall, and a conference hall. They occupy an area of 4,000 square metres.
The National Museum of Natural Science is situated very near to the Parliament building, on Tsar Osvoboditel Boulevard. It was founded in 1889 and opened to visitors in 1907. Today the museum has three major sections: Geology, Zoology and Botany. Apart from several meteorites, the ‘Earth and Space’ exhibition features unique lunar samples and an impressive dinosaur skeleton. A special exhibition shows live pythons, crocodiles, and iguanas giving a taste for virgin nature and savannas in the capital’s centre.
The Alexander Nevski Crypt Museum has existed since the mid-20th century and contains items from the very beginnings of Bulgarian iconography (the end of the 9th century) until the end of the 19th century. All stages of the Bulgarian iconography school are represented in a collection of 1,500 items. Its entrance is to the side of the famous Alexander Nevski Cathedral situated behind the Parliament accessible on weekdays. It is currently being restored but should be opening soon.
The National History Museum was founded in April 1973 by a Decree of the Council of Ministers.
An excursion through its two-storey building at the foot of the Vitosha Mountain would testify to the fact that there is no substitute for experiencing cultural treasures in the original.
This museum holds nearly 530,000 objects of fine art, archaeology, ethnography, representing the great world cultures from 60,000 years ago to the present day. Men in Time (Anthropological Reconstruction of Eminent Bulgarians), Thracian Treasures, Masterpieces of the Christian Art in Bulgaria are some of the displayed themes in the museum.
The exhibits are displayed on two floors, over a surface of about 10,000 sq.m. Hall numbers correspond to the chronological dating of the exhibits, except for the central halls (one to eight), which contain the museum’s best-known possessions.
Guide Nadya Harizanova told The Echo: “The earliest monument of wood-carving art ever found on Bulgarian soil is on show in the central hall. Parts of it date from the 13th century. Its composition is a mixture of religious and fantastic-apocalyptic elements. Executed in flat bas-relief, the ornamentation is typical for the symbolic-decorative style of the Orthodox ornamentions.”
Welcoming you at the hall entrances are some material manifestations of the main beliefs of ancient farmers and shepherds: the cult of the Mother-Goddess, of the ancestors, and animal-totems.
“The cult of the Sun, Moon and natural elements was the most significant one for the Proto-Bulgarian people. Evidence of this cult are the solar symbols on altars, loom weights, clay vessels, and most of all the cult scene from near the village of Ovcharovo, Turgovishte district, which represents a model of a solar temple,” Harizanova:
One of the exhibits the National History Museum is proudest of is the only preserved Mediaeval chronicle in Bulgaria, A History by Ioannes Scylitzes – an essential source of information about the First Bulgarian Kingdom (681-1018).
The National History Museum is at 16 Vitoshko Lale in Boyana, closed at weekends. You can take minibus No. 24 (from Boulevard Patriarch Evtimii) directly to it.
Throughout the day concerts will be organised at five museums around Sofia, and a retrospective look at some of the best exhibits ever done will take place. Guests at the Earth and Man Museum experienced a concert commemorating the Museum last week.
A charity concert tonight in the National History Museum will hopefully enable a purchase of some current temporary exhibitions, so that they will become permanent ones. A cocktail party will wrap up the evening with the most popular Bulgarian songs from throughout history.
Today highlights the places where the rich history of Bulgaria is stored. These places, have minimal entrance fees and contain many hidden treasures.
The Earth and Man Museum was founded in 1986 in the heart of Sofia and occupies a refurbished building – a monument of culture, built in the end of the 19th century (1896-1898).
More than 20,000 exhibits from around the world are being kept in this unique mineralogical sanctuary and are divided into six separate sections: Minerals of the Earth, Industrial Minerals, Raw Material Sources of Bulgaria, Gems and New Materials.
The central place, occupied by the collection of Giant crystals, consists of unique creations of nature from amethyst, citrine, rose and smoked quartz, mountain crystal, morion, beryl and tour-maline.
The exposition Precious Stones contains about 1,500 exhibits. Along with the classic precious stones – diamonds, rubies, sapphires and emeralds, there are some extremely rare purple amethysts from South America, orange red topazes from Ukraine, and noble black opals from Australia, as well as some unusual, exotic gems like evklaz and datolit.
The section called Minerals of the Earth demonstrates the beauty of the mineral kingdom. More than 1,155 kinds of minerals have been gathered from the 3,700 or so kinds existing in the earth’s crust. Some of them are extremely rare, being known to exist only in one location.
The exposition Materials presents our knowledge and skills in utilising mineral resources – in both past and future lights. Visitors can look at mono-crystals used for optics and electronics, biomaterials and superconductors. There are minerals concerning the preservation of the environment – minerals for cleaning oil products and radioactive isotope soiling as well as pollution from scrap sources like ashes from heat.
In the exposition Minerals of Bulgaria, deposits of mineral association and thematic collections of mineral samples are shown. Here you’ll find samples of newly discovered mineral types that have been found in Bulgaria – donchevit from Narechen, strashimirit from the Zapachitza deposit, balcanit from the Sedmochislenitzi deposit and orpheit from the Madjarovo deposit.
The museum also hosts temporary art exhibitions and classical music evenings, details of which are listed in The Echo’s weekly supplement, Culture Shock.
Earth Day on April 22 was a day of large celebration this year. A great variety of minerals and private collections were opened and an international competition for musicians and composers was held. On June 5 there will be an event dedicated to the World Day of the Protection of the Environment, and on June 19 the museum marks Donor’s Day.
About 70 per cent of the displayed works in the museum belong to private individuals who have donated them.
The interior was designed by the architect Ivan Radev and the original frescos in the hall were done by Teofan Sokerov. The museum comprises exhibition halls, laboratories, a video hall, and a conference hall. They occupy an area of 4,000 square metres.
The National Museum of Natural Science is situated very near to the Parliament building, on Tsar Osvoboditel Boulevard. It was founded in 1889 and opened to visitors in 1907. Today the museum has three major sections: Geology, Zoology and Botany. Apart from several meteorites, the ‘Earth and Space’ exhibition features unique lunar samples and an impressive dinosaur skeleton. A special exhibition shows live pythons, crocodiles, and iguanas giving a taste for virgin nature and savannas in the capital’s centre.
The Alexander Nevski Crypt Museum has existed since the mid-20th century and contains items from the very beginnings of Bulgarian iconography (the end of the 9th century) until the end of the 19th century. All stages of the Bulgarian iconography school are represented in a collection of 1,500 items. Its entrance is to the side of the famous Alexander Nevski Cathedral situated behind the Parliament accessible on weekdays. It is currently being restored but should be opening soon.
The National History Museum was founded in April 1973 by a Decree of the Council of Ministers.
An excursion through its two-storey building at the foot of the Vitosha Mountain would testify to the fact that there is no substitute for experiencing cultural treasures in the original.
This museum holds nearly 530,000 objects of fine art, archaeology, ethnography, representing the great world cultures from 60,000 years ago to the present day. Men in Time (Anthropological Reconstruction of Eminent Bulgarians), Thracian Treasures, Masterpieces of the Christian Art in Bulgaria are some of the displayed themes in the museum.
The exhibits are displayed on two floors, over a surface of about 10,000 sq.m. Hall numbers correspond to the chronological dating of the exhibits, except for the central halls (one to eight), which contain the museum’s best-known possessions.
Guide Nadya Harizanova told The Echo: “The earliest monument of wood-carving art ever found on Bulgarian soil is on show in the central hall. Parts of it date from the 13th century. Its composition is a mixture of religious and fantastic-apocalyptic elements. Executed in flat bas-relief, the ornamentation is typical for the symbolic-decorative style of the Orthodox ornamentions.”
Welcoming you at the hall entrances are some material manifestations of the main beliefs of ancient farmers and shepherds: the cult of the Mother-Goddess, of the ancestors, and animal-totems.
“The cult of the Sun, Moon and natural elements was the most significant one for the Proto-Bulgarian people. Evidence of this cult are the solar symbols on altars, loom weights, clay vessels, and most of all the cult scene from near the village of Ovcharovo, Turgovishte district, which represents a model of a solar temple,” Harizanova:
One of the exhibits the National History Museum is proudest of is the only preserved Mediaeval chronicle in Bulgaria, A History by Ioannes Scylitzes – an essential source of information about the First Bulgarian Kingdom (681-1018).
The National History Museum is at 16 Vitoshko Lale in Boyana, closed at weekends. You can take minibus No. 24 (from Boulevard Patriarch Evtimii) directly to it.
