Museums, Sibiu

The Tailors' Tower (Baba Novac Street / Stefan cel Mare Square) is part of the second fortified precinct of the walls system and of the fortifications of the city, built in the first half of 15th century and continued until the 17th century. It was built on the South-Eastern corner of the city defence wall, after 1405, following the privileges keyed by King Sigismund of Luxemburg. The first confirmed documents date 1457, from the time of King Matia Corvin. The administration of the Tower was entrusted to the most powerful guilds of the town – the tailors' guild. Over time, the Tower was devastated several times (1551-1553, 1601, 1627, and 1707). The actual shape is given by the last big reconstruction from 1709-1711, made by the Austrians, out of over 150 stone wagons. The Tower has renewed again in 1956-1957 when they attempted the opening of a history museum of the city of Cluj, a project forbidden by the communist authorities in 1959. http://www.visitclujnapoca.ro/en/atractii-turistice/monumente-si-complexe-arhitectonice/page/4/the-tailors-tower.html

Founded in 1922 by professor Romulus Voia, the Ethnographic Museum of Transylvania entered the elite of the Romanian ethnographic museums, due to the exceptional quality of its patrimony. It is currently composed of over 41.000 traditional peasant objects from 17th-20th centuries and a documentary fund of over 80.000 items. The museum has two sections: the Pavilion Section and „Romulus Vuia” ethnographic Park (the open-air section). The Pavilion Section functions in „Reduta” Palace – a historical monument that dates since the 16th century. The current pavilion exhibition, vernished on 16th of December and called „Traditional folk culture from Transylvania in the 18th-20th centuries”, rebuilds, with talent, the way in which the Transylvanian peasantry lived two centuries ago. As testimonies remained simple tools or ingenious equipment used in domestic activities, culminating with rich folk suits, which showed not only the stage of the life but also the social position of the one who wore them. There are also presented traditional costumes of the life cycle, the calendar ones and the peasant costumes, with an essential role in highlighting the regional and ethnic identity. Curiosities: With a history of more than 80 years, the museum is the greatest of this kind in Romania and among the most prestigious in Europe (the sixth). The museum functions in „Reduta” building, which housed during 1848-1865 the Transylvanian Diet. The famous trial of the authors of the Transylvanian Memorandum took place in this building in 1894-1895. It has 50.000 photos, 5.000 diapositives, 12.000 specialised magazines. http://www.visitclujnapoca.ro/en/atractii-turistice/best-of-cluj-napoca/the-ethnographic-museum-of-transylvania.html

The Art Museum of Cluj-Napoca is a public institution of a culture whose mission is to preserve, research and put forward the real and virtual patrimony of Romanian and universal art. With a collection of over 12,000 paintings, sculptures, graphic arts and decorative pieces, it is considered one of the most important museums in Romania. Founded as an institution in 1951, the museum has been operating since 1956 in the Banffy Palace – a baroque building which was built based on the plans of the architect J.E. Blaumann during the years 1774-1785, its destination being that of residence for the governor of Transylvania. It is the most important baroque edifice in Cluj-Napoca and one of reference for the 18th-century Romanian architecture. A series of sculptures with remarkable artistic value made by Anton Schuchbauer were added to the building in order to complete its stone architectural decorations. http://www.visitclujnapoca.ro/en/atractii-turistice/muzee/the-art-museum-of-clujnapoca.html

The “Emil Racoviţă” Speleology Museum was established in 1998, and it is the only museum in Romania dedicated to the scientist Emil Racoviţă and to the cave science. Emil Racoviţă is the founder of biospeleology and of the first Speleology institute in the world, which was opened in Cluj-Napoca in 1920. The results of the biospeleology program initiated by E. Racoviţă were exceptional: 1,200 explored caves throughout Europe and Africa, a collection of 50,000 copies of cave fauna, 66 scientific studies adding up to approximately 6,000 pages. Racoviţă reached the peak of his scientific career when he elaborated an original theory regarding evolution. The museum also includes The Emil Racoviţă Collection with numerous varied exhibition pieces like a notebook from the period when Racoviţă was a student at the Paris-Sorbonne University (1886-1891), the Zeiss microscope and the Linhof photo device which he used in his “Belgica” Antarctic expedition (1897-1899), the projector and slides he used when teaching his General Biology course at the Science University in Cluj, original drawings illustrated in his scientific works, personal desk objects. The building in which the museum operates is an old medieval prison (from the 14th century up to the 19th century) and it is considered a national historical monument dating back to 1376. http://www.visitclujnapoca.ro/en/atractii-turistice/muzee/the-emil-racovita-speleology-museum.html

The Matthias Corvinus House (or Mehffy House) is a stylish building in gothic style from the 15th century (today, Art and Design University of Cluj Napoca). In this house, which was the city’s inn in past, was born on 23rd of February 1443 Matia Corvin, the son of the vaivode of Transylvania, John Hunyadi (Ioan de Hunedoara). Matia Corvin was the greatest king of Hungary (1458-1490), he was learned, patron of arts, wise and just, being mentioned in songs and legends even today. In 1467, he acquited the owners of the house in which he was born from paying taxes and fees to the city. This privilege was enforced by the next kings and princes. The house served as different institutions. It was a college but was also home for the ethnographic collections of the Transylvanian Carpathian Society. Over time, the building has suffered various changes, adapted to the new architectural styles. The basement and some platband of windows and doors that have lintels in the oblique section are characteristic of the gothic style. During the first half of the 16th century appeared the first elements of the Renaissance: some platbands from Renaissance on the facade, with denticles, together with gothic elements, as well as the portal in a broken arch. The original arches were chiefly replaced. During the 18th century, the building was made a hospital and the yard had suffered a few baroque changes. At the end of the 19th century, the building was in an advanced state of degradation and it was restored. Many elements of Art Nouveau, Secession were introduced, being in fashion at that time. In the ’50s of the last century, the modifications of Art Nouveau were removed, being incompatible with the architecture of the building, which gained the present appearance. http://www.visitclujnapoca.ro/en/atractii-turistice/best-of-cluj-napoca/the-matthias-corvinus-house.html

The National Ethnographic Vuia, established in 1929, bears the name of its founder and first museum manager, Professor Romulus Vuia. The exhibited pieces are in fact old traditional buildings, grouped according to their regional establishments, folk architecture monuments, folk installations, craftsman workshops, wells, gateways, big wooden crosses and indoor textiles. Interesting facts: •The Ethnographic Museum is the oldest from Romania; •The oldest exhibit pieces date back from 1678; •The church from Cizer-Salaj, at the construction of which contributed Nicola Ursu (Horea), just before the 1784 uprising, is one of the most beautiful wooden churches in Transylvania; weddings are still being officiated in this architectural monument; •It hosts annual fairs and traditional cultural manifestations. http://www.visitclujnapoca.ro/en/atractii-turistice/muzee/the-romulus-vuia-national-ethnographic-park.html

The Art Museum of Craiova is located in Jean Mihail palace – built in late XIX century https://romaniadacia.wordpress.com/2013/08/13/art-museum-in-craiova-jean-mihail-palace/

The museum hosts an exhibition held on 900 square meters, which exhibits over 1,000 samples of minerals, rocks and fossils. There are other 15,000 pieces in the institution's warehouses. The Museum of Mineralogy in Baia Mare is the largest regional museum in Europe, many of the exhibits being considered unique in the world and heritage values. The unofficial, cultural name par excellence and unanimously used is the Museum of Mine Flowers. except for some component crystals, which totally make the piece well individualized compared to the others ”(Victor Gorduza - director of the institution). On the ground floor, the basic exhibition presents the geological composition of North-West Romania, the systematics of hydrothermal minerals and non-ferrous metal deposits on the southern frame of the Oaș-Gutâi mountains, as well as in Țibleș and the Borșa-Vişeu area. Upstairs, the exhibition space includes the most impressive pieces, full of poetry and colour, wrapped in ambient music that creates an image-melodic syncretism conducive to high-profile cultural events - here is the annual awards ceremony " Books of the Year ”, organized by the county branch of the Romanian Writers' Union. https://www.baiamare.ro/ro/Descopera-Baia-Mare/Obiective-turistice-si-atractii/Muzee/Muzeul-de-Mineralogie/

Village Museum in Bucharest is an open-air exhibit for tourists who want to learn more about rural life in Romania. It is so fine that you might want to move into it. That was a joke. You wouldn’t want to leave in underground houses or in the same house with your parents, like people in Romania used to do and still do, do you? The Village Museum in Bucharest is a great history lesson for all the people all around the world about the life in South-Eastern Europe, under the Russian influence, Turkish influence and also, ancient and medieval influences. The first try to create a museum dedicated to the country life in Romania was attempted in 1867 at the Paris Universal Exhibition. Romanian rural constructions were exhibited there. Then, a sociologist, Dimitrie Gusti sent students and volunteers to target and rebuild old houses from all Romanian provinces and villages. In 1936, King Carol II opened the new museum which housed 33 authentic houses from Maramures, Moldavia, Transylvania and Muntenia and also churches. The Village Museum became in 1940 after Bucovina was taken by the Soviet Union, house for refugees and many of the buildings were damaged. In 1948, the Museum opened its gates again. 233 constructions could be visited. Nowadays in Village Museum Bucharest, the tourists can visit 338 monuments brought from Transylvania, Banat, Muntenia, Oltenia, Dobrogea and Moldavia and also popular art artefacts. https://bucharest-travel.com/village-museum/

The Contemporary Art Museum in Bucharest houses a great collection called Seeing the history from 1947 to 2007, which is an exhibition about the communist period, the progress of the Eastern European civilization, about the life of people in this period, including the Romanian Revolution in 1989 and the process of modernization of the country after the communists and the integration in the Euro-Atlantic civilization. Of course, the most important pieces of the collection are the art masterpieces exhibited, but the social, political and economical contexts are also explained on the first floor of the museum. There are also events organized here, like the recent one called The art condition in Russia and Eastern Europe in postmodern society, by an art historian Yunnia Yang from Taiwan. An impressive collection of photos made after masterpieces signed by great artists is also housed by the Museum. We are talking about 3 millions of copies in a digital archive. https://bucharest-travel.com/bucharest-contemporary-art-museum/

If you are an art lover you should not miss this place. They have a permanent collection exhibiting historical artefacts and they always have a temporary exhibition bringing new items. Housed in the neoclassical Sutu Palace(1834), the museum features some 300,000 artefacts, from coins, books, maps, engravings, paintings, arms and furniture to old traditional costumes. Among the most valuable exhibits are the document attesting for the first time the name of the city of Bucharest, issued by Vlad Tepes in 1459. https://www.likealocalguide.com/bucharest/bucharest-history-art-museum

Theodor Pallady Museum is an interesting landmark for two reasons: it is housed by one of the oldest dwelling buildings in Bucharest, Malic House and here you can see the collection of more than 1700 items, valuable paintings but not only. Theodor Pallady, one of the greatest Romanian painters, was born in 1871. He will study the Polytechnics in Dresda but soon will realize he was made for painting. In 1892 Theodor Pallady enters Gustave Moreau’s workroom in Paris where he will also meet Henri Matisse. It is in Paris where Pallady will become the friend of Gheorghe Raut whose guest will be a few years and who will also donate his collection, including Pallady’s works to the Romanian State. This happened in 1970. https://bucharest-travel.com/pallady-museum-bucharest/

THE STATE THEATRE dominates Ferdinand Square with its imposing features. Situated in the center of a true architectural museum, this building in eclectic style imposes with exceptional craftsmanship. The construction, so avidly desired by the municipality of the age, was entrusted to renowned Viennese construction firm Fellner and Helmer. http://oradea.travel/en/?p=1873&nggpage=2

The Fortress of Arad is a solid fortification system which was built in the 18th century at the orders of, and with the funding from, the Habsburg Empress, Maria Theresa. The cost to complete and erect the fortress reached 3 million Gulden (the currency used by the Habsburg Monarchy at the time). The fortress was built as an inner fortification system to protect the outer region of the Habsburg empire from conflicts in the area. The main conflicts at the time were the ongoing wars between the Habsburgs and the Turkish Ottomans. The location for the fortress was chosen strategically to be at the crossroads of two very important trade routes of the day. It lies in the middle of the trade routes that led from the West to the Transylvania Region, and from the North, Oradea, and Satu Mare, to Timisoara, and down to the Danube waterway. http://roamingromania.com/fortress-of-arad/

The Water Tower is a building in the city of Arad, which resembles a medieval fortress donjon. The Water Tower has 35 m height and was opened in 1896. At the time of construction, it was the tallest building in the city. It is a massive stone and brick building, which is characterized by the decoration of balconies and windows. On the top floor, there is a water tank with a capacity of 400 tons, which you can get using the scale. http://www.uvisitromania.com/tourist-attractions/arad/water-tower-id546

Having functioned continuously as an educational institution since its establishment in 1538, the college is the cradle of Hungarian civilization. Designated as a national monument in 2013, it also features a museum that has permanent exhibits displaying the school’s history, student life, and the religious art of the Reformed Church in the Trans-Tisza Region. Your visit here will help you understand why Debrecen became the most important bastion of the Reformed faith in Hungary. Bedecked with majestic murals, the building’s stairwell leads to the entrance of the gigantic library storing more than 600,000 volumes, the Csokonai Room and the Oratory that housed Hungary’s National Assembly in 1849. https://www.debrecen.hu/en/tourist/places/debrecen-reformed-college

The Déri Museum is most famous for being the home of the greatest works of one of Hungary’s most famous and celebrated artists, Mihály Munkácsy, as well as the huge collection of other items, brought together by Frigyes Déri. Munkácsy’s awe-inspiring Christ Trilogy is housed here, the first of the trilogy, entitled front of Pilate was painted in 1882, followed by Golgotha in 1884. The trilogy was completed with Ecce Homo in 1896. In addition to its exhibits of local cultural interest, the Déri Museum has become renowned for Frigyes Déri’s collection of weapons. The weapons collection is particularly fine, comprising of three parts. Weapons from Christian Europe, from the 15-18th. The second part is comprised of classic Muslim weapons from the territory of the Ottoman Empire and Persia. The third part, although the smallest is the finest part, is the weapons collection from the Far East. The Japanese collection is of commonly used items made in the Edo era and is undoubtedly the best in Hungary. https://visitdebrecen.com/see-do/deri-museum/

This remarkable construction (1906-1925), built in flamboyant neogothic style, stands partly on the ruins of a medieval royal court mentioned in documents dating from 1434. Today, the 365-room palace houses the Gheorghe Asachi Library and four of the city's museums: the Moldavian History Museum, the Ethnographic Museum, the Museum of Art and the Museum of Science and Technology http://romaniatourism.com/iasi.html#museums

Proudly bearing its title of UNESCO World Heritage Site, Hortobágy National Park is the perfect archetype of pristine natural landscapes. This is the place where everyone longs to find refuge from the monotony of modern human existence. The feeling of unfettered freedom, encapsulated in the spectacle of the endless horizon, mirages, grazing herds of cattle and horses, and sweep-pole wells, will capture your imagination and soul during a horse-and-carriage ride or “puszta” safari. A picturesque trip to the fishponds on the small narrow-gauge train, combined with some birdwatching, will serve unique experiences to both young and older adventurers. Here the breeze wafts the scent of fragrant chamomile, mint, and artemisia from wild fields, gently touching your nose just like the waves of the ocean rhythmically splashing on the shore. It is a place where you will reinterpret the meaning of silence. It is a place where you might even reach celestial bodies during the special night treks in Starry Sky Park. In Hungary’s oldest and largest national park, awarded the European Destinations of Excellence (EDEN) prize, hundred-year-old herdsman’s traditions are still part of people’s means of subsistence and not mere promotional gimmicks. https://visitdebrecen.com/see-do/hortobagy/

The Secessionist building at No. 42, built in the 1920s as a bank, was converted several years ago into the Zepter Museum, a vault of 20th-century and contemporary art. http://www.serbia.com/36-hours-belgrade/

Situated not far from Ivano-Frankivsk, the ancient town Kolomyya is notable for its vivid history and inimitable colour. However, it is mostly associated with the unique Pysanka Museum – the only museum in the world, whose exposition is devoted to the art of painting Easter eggs. Ukraine has an age-old tradition of decorating eggs with the plot or ornamental patterns using wax and special dyes, however, it is the Hutsul region where this tradition is especially honoured. The locals even create legends about this ancient art. One of them states that a terrible beast is chained to a high rock in the Carpathian Mountains. Each year it carefully watches that people don’t forget the custom of painting Easter eggs. If there are just a few pysanka (painted Easter eggs), the beast spreads evil on the earth, but, if there are enough painted eggs, love and good defeat evil, and the chains squeeze the evil monster with deadly force. https://discover-ukraine.info/places/western-ukraine/ivano-frankivsk/1089

Multimedia visitor centre “Tsarevgrad Tarnov” is located near Tsarevets hill. Notable sculptures and paintings present historical figures and events of the Second Bulgarian Kingdom. It recreates lives of different social layer in medieval bulgarian society – monarchs, clergy, boyars and warriors, craftsmen. Visitors will experience the rich history of Tsarevgrad as a symbol of royalty, glory and spiritual power. http://www.velikoturnovo.info/en/info/i113/Multimedia-visitor-centre-Tsarevgrad-Tarnov.html

The Archaeological museum which housed the exposition “Veliko Tarnovo – the capital of Bulgaria XII – XIV c.” is situated westward to the square of “Saedinenie”. The thousand year old history and culture of the region of Tarnovo is traced out there. The accent is on the period of the Second Bulgarian kingdom. The prehistory is presented in the first hall. You can see some archaeological findings from the tumulus of Samovodene (5700-5000 BC), the settlement in the area of “Kachitsa”, V.Tarnovo (5300-3800 BC), Djulyunitsa (4800-4000 BC), tumuli of the village of Hotnitsa, the waterfall near Hotnitsa (3600 BC), the Thracian village on the hill of Tsarevec. The point is on the golden treasure of Hotnitsa that dates back to about 4100 BC. It is worth to see the golden objects from the cave of the village of Emen and a piece with signs of proto-writing system. http://www.velikoturnovo.info/en/museums/i1/Archaeological-museum.html

Ivano-Frankivsk Regional Studies Museum (Івано-Франківський краєзнавчий музей; Ivano-Frankivskyi kraieznavchyi muzei). Regional studies museum founded in Stanislav (now Ivano-Frankivsk) in 1940 on the basis of several existing collections, including the Zhabie ‘Hutsulshchyna’ Museum. http://www.encyclopediaofukraine.com/display.asp?linkpath=pages%5CI%5CV%5CIvano6FrankivskRegionalStudiesMuseum.htm

Having absorbed baroque and renaissance traits, the building of the parish Church of Virgin Mary is among the most beautiful and most valuable architectural monuments in Ivano-Frankivsk. https://discover-ukraine.info/places/western-ukraine/ivano-frankivsk/786

The National Art Gallery is the largest and the most representative museum of the Bulgarian fine arts in the country. It is housed in the building of the former royal palace (declared a cultural monument in 1978), together with the National Ethnographic Museum. The beginning of the collection was set in 1892 when the art department of the National Archaeological Museum was established. In 1948 by resolution of the Council of Ministers, the National Art Gallery was established as an independent institution. The exposition of orthodox arts is presented in the crypt of the monumental temple “St. Alexander Nevski” in Sofia. The collection of works of art covers a large period of time – from the adoption of Christianity as an official religion in the Roman Empire in the 4th century to the Age of Bulgarian Revival (18th – 19th century), and it mainly consists of icons. The collections of contemporary and modern Bulgarian art of the museum – from the Liberation of Bulgaria from the Ottoman Dominion (1878) to the 1990s, contain more than 30,000 works of art, and they are divided into three basic expositions – high quality paintings, graphics and sculptures. https://www.bulgariatravel.org/en/Article/Details/262/National%20Art%20Gallery#map=6/42.750/25.380

Danube Delta History Museum- is located at 32 Progresului St (Tel: (240) 515.866) and is a good introduction to the region's flora and fauna plus the traditional way of life of the Danube Delta's fishermen. http://www.tulcea.com/

The Numismatic Department of Plovdiv Regional Archaeological Museum boasts a collection of 60,000 coins, dated VI c. B. C. - XX c. A. D. The department is constantly enriching its fund either through acquisition from various archaeological excavations or by buying out coins from private collectors. A substantial part of the numismatic treasure of the Archaeological Museum is comprised of coins minted in the period of I - V c. A. D. Philippopolis was the first town in the inner part of Thrace that began to mint the so-called "pseudo-autonomous" bronze coins. The Emperors Domicianus (81 - 96), Trajan (98 - 117) and Hadrian (117 - 138) gave permission to the town to issue coins without the mediation of the Roman legates, temporarily governing Thrace. Alongside with the coins, the Museum collection holds a considerable amount of medallions, issued as commemorative signs to eminent representatives of the Emperor in the province or to town notables. In some periods they were also used as legal tender. The Museum boasts one of the richest collections of 100.000 exhibits of artefacts related to the history of Plovdiv and its region. Plovdiv is the heir to one of the biggest and most famous ancient towns in the Balkan Penninsula - Philippopolis. http://www.visitplovdiv.com/en/node/840

Plovdiv Regional Ethnographic museum is the second largest specialized museum of this type in Bulgaria. It is an acknowledged scientific-educational institution and an attractive center for cultural tourism. The museum was established in 1917 and since 1938 it has been located in Kuyumdzhieva house, a cultural monument of national significance. Plovdiv Regional Ethnographic museum provides coordinative, qualification and expert-consulting activities for all museums and collections of artifacts with ethnographic character on the territory of Plovdiv and the region. In addition, the museum lends its methodical support to the municipal and private museums.The museum is a co-organizer and a host of popular traditional festivals such as Festival the Annual Festival of Chamber Music, The Festival of Classic Guitar, etc., as well as concerts, biennials, fashion shows, theatrical plays, book presenting and performances. The demonstration of traditional crafts is another type of tourist attraction. http://www.visitplovdiv.com/en/node/844

The building was erected as an officers club in 1895. In the period 1905-1923 it was Peoples Home, which housed workers theatre, brass band and evening classes. In 1951 the building was turned into a Museum of the History of Capitalism, Working Class Movement and Socialist Construction. Nowadays it accommodates the Museum Centre of Modern History with a large, fully equipped hall, which allows the arrangement of art and photographic exhibitions, presentations, seminars and other public events. http://www.visitplovdiv.com/en/node/846

On the territory to the East and Northeast of the Forum (Agora) of Philippopolis in the years of Early Christianity were formed neighborhoods where several Christian churches were built. In the same area were found also the ruins of a synagogue - a unique building from that period. The ruins of the Small Early Christian basilica were found during the construction works of "Maria Louisa" Blvd. The Small basilica is situated in the eastern outskirts of the Ancient city, next to the fortification wall with a tower from 2nd - 4th century AD. The basilica has a central nave, flanked by two aisles. It is with one apse and with a narthex. A small chapel was built to the South and a baptistery is erected just next to the Northern aisle. The overall length of the basilica, including the apse, is 20 meters, and the width is 13 meters. The basilica was built in the second half of 5th century AD with rich architectural decorations – marble colonnades separating the aisles, marble altar wall, pulpit and synthronos. The floors were covered with rich multicolour mosaic with geometrical motifs. The mosaic includes a panel with donor inscription. Remnants of an altar table were found. http://www.visitplovdiv.com/en/node/675

The Art gallery of Balchik was found in the thirties. At the beginning the gallery works together with the town museum. In 1961 a new museum collection was found. At the beginning there were only 76 works of art, donated by the National Art Gallery and by local people. The nowadays art gallery was unveiled in 1987. It is settled in reconstructed former high school. The gallery occupies territory of 800 sq. meters. At the first floor there are four halls for temporary and visiting exhibitions and at the second floor there is constant exhibition. Nowadays the fund of the gallery is 1200 works. There can be seen all kind of paint art. Annually there are exhibitions, feasts. At the second floor, where is the constant exhibition, can be seen old and new Bulgarian art of painting and hall of graphic and sculpture. In this hall can be seen works from the “golden fund” of the Balchik Art gallery. Most of those works were exposed at the unveiling of the gallery. http://bgglobe.net/art-galleries/town-of-balchik/art-gallery--balchik-4988

The Archaeological Museum of Varna was established in 1887 by the brothers Karel and Herman Shkorpil (archaeologists and scientists of Czech and Bulgarian origin, founders of the Bulgarian archaeology and museum activity). The archaeological museum shows original finds from the Paleolithic Age /about 100 000 years BC/ to the Middle Ages /7th – 8th/ century, many of which are of great significance to the archaeology of Europe and the world. The largest Mesolithic collection of flint tools in South-East Europe, the largest collections of ancient terracotta, tombstone reliefs, lamps and glass vessels in Bulgaria are placed here. Unique exponents of the Hellenistic age, the Roman age and the Late Antiquity are presented; as well as rare premonetary forms, more than 2000 golden, silver, bronze and copper antic and middle age coins. Stone inscriptions from the history of the Bulgarian state are also presented; and also the largest in the country collections of early Bulgarian belt decorations and jewels dating from the Second Bulgarian Empire (1185 – 1393). http://visit.varna.bg/en/museums/preview/4.html