Regional Historical Museum "Academician Yordan Ivanov"

The Academician Yordan Ivanov Regional Historical Museum in Kyustendil was found in 1897. It is one of the oldest ones in Bulgaria and it has an extremely rich stock and collections from all historical periods.

Its role was to promote cultural and education activities on the territories of Kyustendil, Pernik, Blagoevgrad. The Kyustendil museum has collections regarding general history and has the following divisions: Archeology, Numismatics, Ethnology, Folklore, Bulgarian History (XV-XIX century), Contemporary History, Cultural Monuments, Library, Scientific Archive, Conservation and Restoration studios, Photographic studio, and Publishing group.

Museum expositions:

Archeological exposition – it is set up in the exposition hall of Asklepius. It includes exhibits from the whole region of Kyustendil. The presented exhibitions and their wide chronological frame give the visitor the opportunity to get information on the cultural-historical development of the region and to get deep back into the centuries – from 7th – 6th century BC till 14th century.

Numismatic Hall – it is set up in the exposition hall of Asklepius and presents a significant part of the museum’s numismatic wealth. The information given by the exhibited coins is complemented by the exposed maps and photos illustrating the coin circulation within the region of Kyustendil.

The museum has over 100,000 exhibits. Among the major collections are prehistoric utensils and idol sculptures, unique finds from Thracian mound funerals, collection of ancient bronze and marble sculptures, ornaments, numismatics collection, traditional costumes and textile, prints, handwritten and old printed books. The museum has four permanent expositions: archeological, national liberation fights (XVIII-XIX century), ethnographic (Town lifestyle at the end of XIX century and the beginning of XX century), the house-museum “Dimitur Peshev”- an exposition on the saving of the Bulgarian Jews.