Hotels in Sofia
Ethnographic Sofia Museum
The National Ethnographic Museum in Sofia harbours one of the richest collections on the Balkan Peninsula. The museum is also a popular cultural and educational center. The museum was opened as one section of the National Museum in 1892. However, it became independent in 1906. The museum is located at the Battenberg Square in Sofia and it is one of the famous museums amongst the three big museums in Bulgaria’s capital city. Opposite to the Ethnographic Sofia Museum in diagonal rises the imposing building of the Bulgarian National Bank. Immediately next to it, a former Turkish mosque built on top of the ruins of a Christian Church destroyed by the Ottomans, houses today’s Archaeological Museum. Sofia Ethnographic Museum was qualified as one of the richest on the Balkan Peninsula in the first decades of the 20th century.
Exhibitions:
The National Ethnographic Museum exhibits astounding collections of authentic national costumes, handmade and art works from Bulgarian people’s daily life, wood cuttings, tools dating from three or four centuries ago, jewellery, tissues, embroidery, musical instruments and other articles of typical national folk art. . There are preserved more than 50 000 artifacts in the museum from 17th -20th century. In other words, the Ethnographic museum represents the traditions, arts, crafts and lifestyle of the Bulgarian people from the 17th to the 20th century.The exhibits include scale models of Bulgarian houses and life amenities in them, masks and costumes of the festive Bulgarian calendar rites from different ethnographic regions of the country. Being the National Ethnographic Museum, the artifacts and artistic items in the museum exhibit the cultural heritage of Bulgaria. Other exhibitions are often displayed in the building of the former royal palace, to fill in the vacant spaces of the impressive place.
Additionally, one will find in the museum a small craft shop, which sells lots of craft works, costumes and musical instruments from all over Bulgaria so that when the visitor goes back home, they will bring with them a small piece of Bulgaria and its cultural value.
History of the museum in brief:
The National ethnographic museum was found in 1892 as a part of the National museum. In 1906 the museum became independent museum with a collection from the Bulgarian traditional crafts, suits, woven, decorations, musician instruments.
Since 1949 the Ethnographic museum is affiliated to the BAS (Bulgarian Academy of Sciences) system. In 1969 the National Ethnographic Museum was settled in the building of the former Royal palace, a cultural monument from 19th century.
At the end of the 1892 the ethnographic section of the museum was enriched with priceless and original collection from different Bulgarian regions.
Bulgaria reveals its traditional and cultural possessions to the whole world through the priceless collections of National Ethnographic Museum.
Bulgarian Folk Costumes-the brightest exhibition in the National Ethnographic Museum
The fund “Bulgarian Folk Costumes” is one of the richest museum repositories in the country.
The preserved Bulgaria’s treasure /typical houses, costumes, craftwork, tools/ is the biggest source which reveals in full the opulent Bulgarian culture.
The fund in question represents and the geographical characteristics of the traditional Bulgarian folk wear (the male, the female and the child wear). It represents in details its structure and composition, and describes the attitude and its function in the public life of the Bulgarians, whether it is for festive events or work. The majority of museum models dates from the period 19th-20th century, but there are also some folk costumes from the Medieval period.
It is interesting to know that Bulgarian traditional folk costumes are mainly hand and homemade. However, the composition and structure of the Bulgarian folk wearing is complicated.
Ethnographic Museum on the map of Sofia
Other museums in Sofia
Hotels in Sofia
- Anel Hotel
- Arena di Serdika Boutique Hotel
- Grand Hotel Sofia
- Hilton Sofia Hotel
- Holiday Inn hotel
- Hyatt Regency Sofia Hotel
- Intercontinental Sofia (ex Radisson Blu Grand Hotel)
- Sofia Hotel Balkan a Luxury Collection Hotel (ex Sheraton Hotel)
- Best Western Hotel Europe
- Best Western Premier Sofia Airport
- Central Hotel
- City Hotel
- Crystal Palace Hotel
- Downtown Hotel
- Festa Sofia Hotel
- Geneva Hotel
- Gloria Palace Hotel
- Hill Hotel
- Hotel Coop
- Les Fleurs Hotel
- Metropolitan hotel
- Novotel Sofia
- Ramada by Wyndham Sofia City Center
- Rodina Hotel
- Rosslyn Central Park Hotel
- Rosslyn Thracia Hotel
- Salt Palace Hotel
- Sveta Sofia Hotel
- The Stay Hotel Expo Center
- VEGA Hotel Sofia
- Vitosha Park Hotel
- Akord Hotel
- Aleksander Palace - Advi
- Arte Hotel
- Best Western Losenets Hotel
- Best Western Plus Bristol
- Brod Hotel
- Budapest hotel
- Earth and People hotel
- Hemus Hotel
- Legends hotel
- Light hotel
- Lion Hotel
- Maxim Hotel
- Meg-Lozenets Hotel
- Montecito Hotel
- Park Hotel Moskva
- Rocentro /ex Renaissance Hotel/
- Slavyanska Beseda Hotel
- Sofia Place Hotel
- Medic Hotel
Upcoming events in Sofia
- Sofia Dance Week 2010
- Art festival in Sofia city
- Scorpions in Sofia city 2010
- International Feline Show in Sofia
- Paco De Lucia performs in Bulgaria
- Drumset Competition 2010- Sofia Drum Day
- TOP 100 DJs party Monarchy performs in Bulgaria
- Chris Norman performs in Bulgaria 2010
- Harlem Gospel Choir performs in Bulgara
- Yann Tiersen's concert for Students Holiday
- Disco Legends Boney M concert in Bulgaria
- Legendary Firewind performs in Sofia
- Barclay James Harvest performs in Bulgaria
- Vaya Con Dios in Bulgaria
- 15th Sofia International Film Festival
- Absent Minded
- Concert of the queen of fado Marisa in Sofia, Bulgaria
- Guano Apes in Bulgaria
- Toto Cutugno in Bulgaria
- Manu Chao in Sofia city
- Children of Bodom in Bulgaria
- Alphaville in Sofia
- Rosalia de Souza in Bulgaria
- Vassil Vassilev and Chambao
- 100 Gypsy Violins in Bulgaria
- Raul Midon in Bulgaria
- Omega- the most successful Hungarian Rock Band gigs in Bulgaria
- Joe Cocker
- Roxette in Sofia, Bulgaria 2011
- Isthar in Sofia city
- Sting in Bulgaria
- CINDERELLA & MR.BIG in Bulgaria
- Dragana Mircovich and Vesna Zmijanac gig in Bulgaria
- Michel Legrand in Bulgaria
- Linkin Park in Bulgaria
- Mellow Music Festival
- Omara Portuondo and Buena Vista Social Club in Bulgaria
- ARASH feat. Rebecca concert in Bulgaria
- Mor Karbasi’s concert in Bulgaria
- Alice Russel in Sofia city
- Gipsy Kings gig in Bulgaria
- Jean Michel Jarre in Bulgaria
- Eric Sardinas concert
- Pooh gigs in Bulgaria
- Manhattan Transfer's concert in Bulgaria
- Hindi Zahra’s concert in Bulgaria
- Amon Amarth concert in Bulgaria
- Sade gigs in Bulgaria in November
- Genesis gigs in Bulgaria
- Julio Iglesias concert
- Sofia Rocks festival 2012
- Jennifer Lopez- concert in Bulgaria
- Depeche Mode performs in Bulgaria in May 2013
Places to go in Sofia
- St. Alexander Nevski Cathedral
- Boyana Church
- National Museum of History
- Alexander Nevsky Crypt Icon museum
- Vitosha Nature Park
- “Ivan Vazov” National Theatre
- The St. Petka Samardjiska Church /St. Petka of the Saddlers/
- Borisova Gradina Park (Central Park)
- Bulgarian National Gallery for Foreign Art
- St. George Rotunda-the oldest Eastern European Orthodox church
- Bulgarian National Gallery of Arts
- National Archaeological Museum
- Fountains in Sofia
- Public gardens and green areas
- St. Sofia church- ancient Eastern Orthodox church in Sofia
- St. Nikolay Russian church
- Sofia botanical garden
- Church of the Holy Seven
- Sofia Zoo
- Bulgarian Natural History Museum
- Sofia City Art Gallery
- Pancharevo lake
- Ethnographic Museum
- St. Nedelya church
- Museum of Earth and Man
- Sofia University Botanic Garden
- Cathedral of St Joseph
- Independence Square
- Boyana waterfall
- Alexander Nevski Square
- King Alexander Battenberg Square
- National Assembly's building in Sofia
- Tsar Osvoboditel Boulevard
- Vitosha Boulevard
- St. Paraskeva Church
- Eagle's Bridge
- Atanas Burov Square
- St. 40 Martyrs Church
- Oborishte street
- Rila monastery
- Slaveikov square
- National Palace of Culture
- National Library St. St. Cyril and Metodius
- Banya Bashi Mosque
- Jewish synagogue in Sofia
- Lion's bridge
- Law Courts
Deals & discounts in Sofia
News from Sofia
- Bulgaria’s National history museum included in the EU project “Museums present Europe”
- International Festival of the Masquerade Games in Pernik town, Bulgaria
- Ice Bar in Sofia city
- Burgas, Varna, Sofia – included in 100 Global Cities Destination Ranking
- Skiing in Vitosha mountain
- Sofia hotels in top 10 capital cities worldwide
- Festival “Skiing and snowboarding in the city” is held in Sofia
- Days of challenges in Sofia city
- Bon Jovi visits Bulgaria in 2013
- No restored ski equipment at Vitosha Mountain
- New cultural and historic route Sveta Gora
- International kids folklore festival in Sofia city
- Low cost flights from Sofia airport to Budapest
- Ski competition at Vetrovala in Vitosha Mountain today
- 16th International Sofia Movie festival
- Sofia is the cheapest holiday destination in Europe
- Christmas traditions will be presented in Ethnographic museum in Sofia
- Central Mineral bath in Sofia becomes a museum and SPA centre
- Sofia is the cheapest holiday destination in Europe
- 3 Airline Carriers Stop Winter Flights to Sofia
- A growth of 6,6% of passengers at Sofia airport
- Tourist information centre opened at Sofia Airport
- Gipsy Kings performance is postponed
- French Movie Festival in Sofia city
- Cheapest hotels in Sofia city