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| The beginning of the Varna Archaeological
Museum was laid by a group of public men and teachers from the Varna
High School for Boys whose love for the historic past made them gather
a small collection of archaeological monuments. Although this collection
existed for quite a short period /1888 – 1892/ it was regarded as
the outset of substantial interest to the past of Varna and the Varna
Region. The inauguration of the Museum and its onwards development is closely connected with the names of the two brothers Herman and Karel Shkorpil, Czechs by origin, who after the Liberation of Bulgaria from the Turkish Yoke came to help with the education and culture of the sister Slavonic nation. In 1894 they permanently settled in Varna. As a result of the active cooperation of Karel Shkorpil the Museum collection was restored. On 12 December 1901 a group of public men and teachers established the Varna Archaeological Society which from then on for decades was the basic motive power for the interest and the study of the past of Varna, the Varna Region and Northeast Bulgaria. The inauguration of an archaeological museum was a task of prime importance for the Society. The idea came true as a result of the energetic collection and investigation activities. On 11 June 1906 the exhibition of the Museum was officially inaugurated in a room of the Girls' High School /now the Archaeological Museum/. For a director of the Museum was elected the acknowledged investigator of the past of Northeast Bulgaria Karel Shkorpil who remained on that post till his death in 1944. In 1945 the Varna Archaeological Museum was declared a state property. Its director then became Mr. M. Mirtchev. In 1952 a school building on 5, Sheinovo St. was specially granted and the exhibition was moved into it. The rich collections of the Museum, the rich traditions in the investigation and collective work proved to be the main basis for creating some other museums in the town, such as the Navy Museum, the Ethnographic Museum, the Museum of the Bulgarian Revival, etc. From 3 March 1983 the Museum is situated in the present building, which is the only one offering complete possibilities for exhibiting and preserving its riches. During the whole period of its existence which is more than 120 years the Varna Archaeological Museum has constantly carried out archaeological investigations and excavations on various sites all over Northeast Bulgaria thus enriching its funds. They now compose the Museum exhibition. The Varna Archaeological Museum keeps more than 100 000 objects – monuments of past epochs from Varna, the Region and Northeast Bulgaria. The most important of them /one tenth of the whole Museum collection/ are represented in the Museum exhibition halls. |
| А r c h e a e o l o g i c a l m u s e u m V a r n a |
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