Regional History Museum

Regional History Museum Shumen is one of Bulgaria’s richest regional museums, a place where the story of the Shumen Plateau, the First Bulgarian Empire and centuries of local life unfolds under one roof. Founded in 1904, it has grown into a modern institution with more than 150,000 artefacts, many of them uncovered in the nearby Madara and Shumen Fortress archaeological zones. Inside, the museum’s most captivating section is the prehistoric hall, where visitors can see tools and ceramics dating back thousands of years. The medieval galleries are equally impressive: they display weapons, jewellery and everyday objects from the era when Shumen was a major centre of the Bulgarian state. One highlight is the collection of stone relief fragments linked to the famous Madara Horseman, offering a rare close look at motifs normally seen only on the cliff face. The ethnographic floor recreates 19th‑century urban life with traditional clothing, guild artefacts and beautifully arranged household interiors. The numismatic collection is another treasure, spanning ancient Greek coins to Ottoman issues that once circulated through the region’s markets. Throughout the museum, detailed dioramas and models help visitors visualise how Shumen evolved across millennia.