Regional Ethnographic Museum – Plovdiv

The idea for establishing an ethnographic museum dates back to the end of 1891. A quarter of a century later, following a proposal by Stoyu Shishkov – a teacher, researcher, journalist, and publisher – the local administration decided to establish a District Museum. Its main purpose was to collect materials related to the past and present of the Plovdiv region in terms of history, economy, art, and everyday life. The beginning was marked on January 22, 1917, when a meeting was convened at the District Hall (today’s Plovdiv Municipality), where it was decided “to establish a District Museum under the Permanent Commission.” The museum’s regulations were approved on July 20 of the same year, and according to them, the museum began work with a director – Yordan P. Georgiev, and a secretary – Stoyu N. Shishkov.

This was followed by a period of collecting, photography, and promotional activities. By 1930, the museum collection numbered over 500 items. In 1931–32, despite Stoyu Shishkov’s well-argued opposition, the administration, for budgetary reasons, transferred this modest collection to the National Library and Museum – Plovdiv. In 1938, on the initiative of Mayor Bozhidar Zdravkov, the second founding of the modern museum took place: the most representative house of the Bulgarian National Revival in Plovdiv – the Kuyumdjiev House – was designated as a Municipal House-Museum.

On October 14, 1943, the museum’s new home was opened to the public. In 1949, the Municipal House-Museum was renamed the National Ethnographic Museum. In 1952, a permanent exhibition was opened, which was fully updated in 1962. Today, the museum’s collection includes over 40,000 exhibits, divided into six sections: Agriculture, Crafts, Textiles and Clothing, Furniture and Interior, Musical Instruments and Ritual Items, and Fine Art. A photo archive, scientific archive, and library have also been established.