Museum of Natural History Varna

About

Nestled in the northern part of Varna’s beautiful Sea Garden, the Museum of Natural History offers a captivating journey through the geology, paleontology, flora, and fauna of the Black Sea and Bulgaria’s coastal region. Housed in a historic building constructed in 1917–1918 as a border troop headquarters, the museum officially opened in 1962. Its collections emphasize the rich biodiversity and ancient history of Northeastern Bulgaria. With just over 1,000 exhibits displayed across six halls, the museum provides an accessible overview of evolution and local ecosystems. Highlights include 72 mineral and rock specimens, 67 fossils, herbarium plants, and hundreds of invertebrate and vertebrate animals. The Geology and Paleontology section fascinates visitors with fossils from the Mesozoic and Cenozoic eras found along the Black Sea coast. Star attractions include impressive teeth and jaws of giant prehistoric mammals like mammoths, mastodons, and rhinoceroses, plus fossil fish, sea urchins, ammonites, and belemnites. Two unique treasures draw particular attention: the only lower jaw of Deinotherium giganteum discovered in Bulgaria (near Aksakovo) — belonging to one of the largest land mammals ever to roam the planet — and the first and only European find of teeth from the prehistoric elephant genus Protanancus, previously known only from Asia and Africa.

Varna Bulgaria

Location

The Museum of Natural History in Varna is right inside the famous Sea Garden, the big seaside park that everyone in Varna loves. The address is Morska Gradina, Sea Garden, Primorski Park, 9002 Varna, Bulgaria, near the sports grounds and opposite the Palace of Culture and Sports underpass. You just enter the park and follow the alleys, it is a pleasant five minute walk from the main entrance. It is a small but very nice museum about the nature of the Black Sea coast – plants, animals, fossils and geology – perfect for a short break from the beach. Because you are in the Sea Garden, you have a lot of other attractions all around you. Right next door are the Naval Museum with the Drazki torpedo boat, the Aquarium, the Dolphinarium and the Copernicus Observatory and Planetarium. If you walk back toward the city center you quickly reach the Archaeological Museum with the oldest gold treasure, the Ethnographic Museum, the Roman Baths and the Museum of National Revival. From the park you also have direct access to the beach promenade, the Summer Theatre and the Zoo, so you can easily combine nature, history and sea in one relaxed afternoon.