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 Historical Museum - Smolyan
3 " Bulgaria" square
tel. 0301/27028
e-mail: museum@sm.unacs.bg
Opening hours: every day from 9.00 to 12.00 and from 13.00 to 17.00 ÷.
Monday - sanitary day, works on request in advance.
Founded in 1935 by the renowned Rhodope enlightener, man of letters and researcher Stoyou Nedelev Shishkov. Since 1983 it has been in a specially designed museum building with a built-up area of 2 085 sq. m in the new centre of the town of Smolyan. Over 150 000 museum items are stored in the museum. It has a rich numismatic collection,  an arms collection and works dedicated to various themes from the Rhodopes by famous Bulgarian painters. There is also a unique collection "Phaleristics, Heraldry and Numismatics", donated to the museum by Retired Colonel Raicho Peev Harbaliev. |
 Memorial Museum Collection “Laslo Nagi” - Smolyan
"Raikovo" district, "Chechitska" street
Works on request on tel. 0301/27028.
Opened on 30.X.1981 in Gyorjevata Kashta (a house in the "Raikovo" district), a monument of Rhodope architecture of c. 19. It has 200 sq. m of exhibition area, a multifunctional building with 50 seats and a projection booth.
The collection presents Laslo Nagi (1925-1978), an eminent Hungarian poet, publicist, translator of Bulgarian folk songs and poetry, a painter, a winner of the International Botev's Award (1976), an honorary citizen of Smolyan (1976). A bronze bas-relief by Yanosh Oros - The Poet with a Flower - is fitted at the entrance of the house. It is a gift from the Hungarian Embassy, with whose cooperation more exhibits were acquired and a traditional village room form Laslo Nagi's homeland was furnished.
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Memorial Museum Collection “Kiril Majarov” - Smolyan
"Oustovo" district
Works on request on tel. 0301/27028.
Dedicated to the poet and antifascist Kiril Majarov and is displayed in his native house in the "Oustovo" district. A historical cultural monument of national significance. It was opened to celebrate the 70th anniversary of the poet's birth (16.II.1984). There is a bas-relief memorial plaque placed at the entrance of the house.
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 Memorial House-Museum “Prof. Konstantin Chilov” - village of Slaveino
Works on request - in the village's cultural club
Dedicated to the world-famous Bulgarian physician-internist Corresponding Member Prof. Dr. Konstantin Chilov (1898-1955), an author of scientific works and a member of European medical academies. It displayed in Prof. Dr. Chilov's native house. It consist of over 3 500 exhibits - medical equipment, Bulgarian and foreign medical literature, personal correspondence, objects, photographs of Prof. Dr. Chilov, etc which show his various activities as a scholar, a physician-clinicist, a tutor.
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General Historical Museum Collection with a Picture Gallery - village of Momchilovtsi
Founded in 1981 in a specially built building in the centre of the village. It shows the village of Momchilovtsi's history from the time of its first settlers to our days. The traditional local crafts - frieze-weaving, tailoring, masonry and stone-cutting, etc., constituting the chief source of livelihood of the local population up to the middle of c. 20 are displayed with priority.
The picture gallery attached to the collection displays works on Rhodope themes by eminent Bulgarian masters of the brush, including Prof. Mihail Karapaounov, who was born in the village of Momchilovtsi. The picture A Wedding in Momchilovtsi by Ivan Markvichka, drawn during his sojourn in the village, is unique for the gallery.
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Ethnographic Museum Collection - village of Shiroka Laka
Opened in 1947. After moving several times, it is now displayed in one of the village's most remarkable buildings - Zgouroviya Konak. It shows the basics of the life and culture of the local population - weaving and dairy-farming, and also a traditional sitting room and guestroom of a Shiroka Laka house.
Each year on the first Sunday of March the village of Shiroka Laka turns into a living museum of the Bulgarian carnival masks. Mummer groups from the whole of South Bulgaria gather here and together with the local group Pesyatsite organize the traditional folk holiday Pesponedelnik (Dogs' Monday)
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The Srednogorets summit
It is connected with the epic battles of the 21st Sredna Gora infantry regiment under the command of Colonel Vladimir Serafimov, which led to the liberation of the Middle Rhodopes from the Ottoman oppression during the Balkan War in 1912.
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 The Rozhen area
A Karst no-drainage hollow connecting the Perelik and the Prespa parts of the Rhodopes. Altitude above sea level - 1 400-1 480m, area - 108 hectares. The area is historically connected with the Russian troops passing through it during the Russian Turkish War, with the protection of the population from the Ottoman oppression by the Rhodope rebels up to the region's liberation and especially with the activities of Captain Petko Voivoda. In 1878, the boundary line between Eastern Roumelia and the Ottoman Empire passed through Rozhen. It remained in Bulgaria as a border zone in 1912.
The famous Rozhen Festival has taken place at Rozhen for more than 100 years. It started as a religious celebration, gradually expanded and in the middle of c. 20 it became an affirmed festival- singing competition of folk ensembles from the region. In 1993, it was proclaimed a National Festival-Singing competition, which takes place every 4 years. In 2000, it was proclaimed al-Bulgarian under the aegis of the President of the Republic of Bulgaria Petar Stoyanov. It is attended by many Bulgarians living abroad.
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The Historical Area Haidoushki Polyani (Rebels' Meadows)
It is 15 km northeastwards of the village of Slaveino. In the period of 1903-1908, it was the seat of the mixed Ahchachelebi detachment with a leader Peyou Shishmanov. It was then called Imaret Dere and was within the boundaries of the liberated Bulgarian territory. A majestic monument dedicated to the struggles for national liberation in the region was unveiled in 1963.
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 Architectural and Ethnographic Complex Agoushevi Konatsi - village of Mogilitsa
Opening hours: every day from 9.00 to 12.00 and from 13.00 to 17.00
An architectural and art monument of national importance. One of the largest and most interesting feudal housing ensembles in Europe. It consists of two residential and several farm buildings. It was built from 1820 to 1842. It contains both the traits of the feudal aristocratic dwelling and some features typical of the National Revival manner of the Rhodope master builders.
The museum exhibition "The Traditional folk Weaving in the Middle Rhodopes" is housed in the most impressive part of the architectural ensemble. A special attention is allocated to the primary processing of the basic materials, the preparation for weaving and the whole weaving process in its consecutive stages, and also of antique weaving techniques - knitting and half-weaving. Through the rich interior of this unique ensemble are shown the most typical in terms of composition, ornaments and colours fleecy rugs, pillowcases and other fabrics for domestic use from the basic ethnographic sub-regions of the Middle Rhodopes - Mogilitsa, Startsevo, Dospat, Zabardo and Shiroka Laka. Tools connected with the main sources of livelihood of the Middle Rhodope population - sheep-breeding and agriculture - are displayed in the covered part of the yard.
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 Architectural Reservation - village of Shiroka Laka
This is one of the best-preserved villages in the middle Rhodopes - not only the houses are preserved, but also the street network is almost intact. The houses are naturally grouped into several neigbourhoods - ensembles: Zgourovski Ensemble, Tsarkoven (Church) Ensemble, Charchiiska Oulitsa ( Market Street), Koupishteto (the Pile) and Karovski Ensemble. Separate architectural monuments also exist outside the ensembles - houses, bridges, a church and chapels. The earliest houses are Captain Nikola's House(1802) and Vladishkata Kashta (the Bishop's House) (1829). Most of the others were built in the second half of c. 19 and the beginning if c. 20.
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 Architectural monuments in the town of Smolyan
Over 100 buildings possessing the merits of architectural monuments have been declared in the town of Smolyan. They are concentrated into several sections - an architectural complex in the "Dolno Raykovo" district, a National Revival architectural unit in the "" district and Tibolska Mahala in the "Dolno Raykovo" district.
Besides, there are separate architectural and art monuments in the town: the houses Panagalovata Kashta (an architectural monument of national importance), Alibeeviyat Konak - the "Raykovo" district, Kelevskata Kashta and Vidrovata Kashta, the churches "Sveta Bogoroditsa" (St. Godmother) and "Sveti Nikola" (St. Nicolas) - the "Oustovo" district, etc.
The architectural complex in the "Dolno Raykovo" district consists of three subdivisions: Cheshitska Mahala, Radeva Mahala and the houses forming the outward silhouette of the district. The Cheshitska Mahala neighbourhood is the National-Revival pride of Old Raikovo. (The National Revival in Bulgaria was a rough equivalent to the Renaissance.)
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