History Museum — a journey through the millennia
From the Neolithic settlers through ancient Dionysopolis to the present day — more than 20,000 exhibits telling the story of Balchik.
Millennia of history in one building
The History Museum in Balchik preserves more than 20,000 archival units telling the story of the town from the Neolithic to the 20th century. Housed in a beautiful 1907 building, the museum leads the visitor through millennia of civilisation on the Black Sea coast.
The first exhibition was created in 1961 on the initiative of the 'Paisiy Hilendarski' community centre, with Klara Petkova as its founder. In 2013, with help from the 'America for Bulgaria' Foundation, the exhibition gained a new, modern look.
The city of the god of wine
Balchik was founded by Greek colonists more than 26 centuries ago. Its first name, Krini, is linked to the karst springs of the area, and later the city became Dionysopolis — the city of Dionysus, god of wine.
The coins minted in the ancient city point to farming and viticulture as the leading trades, while anchors found in Balchik Bay testify to active sea trade. In the Roman period the city reached its greatest flourishing — here a 2nd-century tomb of a Roman physician with bronze surgical instruments was discovered.
What you will see
The exhibition covers prehistory, antiquity, the Middle Ages and ethnography. Stone axes and flint scrapers from the New Stone Age prove a settlement on the territory of Balchik as early as 8,000 years ago.
Among the most significant finds are the Roman two-wheeled chariot with bronze decorations, the tomb of the Roman physician and the marble monuments from the temple of Cybele — the 'discovery of the century' according to archaeologists.
Prehistory
Stone and flint tools from the New Stone Age.
Temple of Cybele
Marble sculptures and inscriptions from the mother goddess's temple.
Roman chariot
A two-wheeled chariot with bronze decorations from Roman times.
| Address | 2 Dimitar Zhelev St., Balchik |
|---|---|
| Phone | +359 896 632 963 |
| Exhibition | Prehistory, antiquity, Middle Ages, ethnography |
| Key finds | Roman chariot, Roman physician's tomb, temple of Cybele |
Gallery
