To most people, Velingrad is known for its fame as a spa center, one of the most popular in the country. And she is well deserved. But the idea of him would be incomplete if he did not visit his historical museum.
Founded in 1951, for four decades it bore the name of the 22-year-old partisan Vela Peeva, who in March 1944 committed suicide in order not to be caught by the police. Since 1991, it has been called simply a historical museum.
The settlement itself also gets its name from Vela Peeva. In 1948, the three villages that had almost merged – Ladzhene, Kamenitsa and Chepino – were united and thus Velingrad was born.
Its location in the Chepin Valley predetermines an exceptional abundance and variety of mineral water sources. The largest karst spring “Kleptuza” with a flow rate of 1,200 liters per second also gushes here.
This real wealth is properly presented in the permanent exposition of the museum “The Mountain – a hospitable home”. Photos and inscriptions on stone present the oldest working baths in Bulgaria.
Visitors to the museum can learn a lot about the history and unique folklore of this area, which has been inhabited since ancient times. Legend claims that it was here that the mythical Orpheus used to conquer the wild animals and even the wind with his music. Again, many researchers are looking for the temple of Dionysius, about which the historians Herodotus Thucydides wrote.
In the funds and expositions of the museum: “Archaeology”, “Ethnography”, “Revival”, “New and latest history” and the department “Art”, more than 17,000 archaeological finds, household items, icons, old printed books, photos, personal belongings and archives of famous people. For example, the exhibits reflecting the life and work of one of the greatest opera singers in the world, bass Nikolai Gyaurov. On display are original costumes from his notable roles, a die of a coin with his face minted in Austria, scores, gramophone records of his performances, photos.
A suitable place in the expositions is given to the participation of the Chepin population in the national liberation struggles and in the Renaissance.
Work time:
Monday – Saturday: 09:00 – 17:00 hours
Day off: Sunday
Entrance fees:
Adults – BGN 4.00.
Students and pensioners – BGN 2.00.
SPEECH FEE in Bulgarian, English and Russian – BGN 10.00.
Contacts:
Address: Velingrad, Vlado Chernozemski St. No. 4
Tel: +359 359 5 25 91
