World War One Sites - The NETWORLD Database

Naval Museum in Varna, Bulgaria

The  Naval Museum in Varna preserves collections of maritime weapons – mines, coastal and marine artillery; of uniforms and decorations, of ship models, large number of photographs, etc. The fund of the museum is classified in 15 collections in conformity with the type of the objects or in accordance with the activity that they present or result from, including with origin from the WWI.

Hall 1 on the second floor of the museum is dedicated to the participation of the Navy in the Balkan War (1912 - 1913) and World War I (1914 - 1918). Personal belongings and honours of officers and regular sailors testify to the worthy manifestations of the sea in both wars. The successful nocturnal action of the Bulgarian battalion torpedoes against the superior enemy - the Turkish cruiser "Hamidie" on November 8, 1912 was highlighted. Exhibits and illustrative material show the beginning of the Bulgarian underwater sailing and of the waterborne aviation during the First World War. Bulgarian maritime victory is the plunge of the Russian squadron mine-layer Lieutenant Pushchin in 1916, reminding of which are the objects discovered in the sea south of Varna.

One of the prominent figures in Bulgarian naval history was Rear Admiral Ivan Varicklechkov. He is the first Bulgarian officer with an admiral's title obtained during actual military service. His uniform and personal belongings are located on the second floor of the Museum.

Bulgaria, Varna, Bulgaria

Type of WWI-heritage

  • Non-Military Site of World War One Relevance

Dimensions

The Naval Museum is located in a two-storey building on 2 Primorski Blvd., Varna comprising of 11 exposition halls and an open exposition area - a park. On over 3700 sq.m. of the Naval Museum there are collections of mines, anchors, ships and shore guns, two helicopters, the Drazki Ship Museum, and others. The Bust-monument of Captain I rang Dimitar Dobrev, the 240 mm caliber cannon and the 1

State of repair/preservation

The Naval Museum is well preserved. After the building’s repaire in 2012, the  museum permanent exhibition was completely renovated.

Historical WWI Context

The beginning of the Naval Museum is laid in the Danube city of Russe in 1883.In the same city in 1879 it was created the military fleet of the newly liberated Bulgarian Principality.

In 1885 for curator of the museum maritime collection was appointed the engineer Pavel Kuzminski. The first exponents are mostly models of armaments and technical appliances. From that time there is a preserved personal arms and belongings.

The idea about a Naval Museum in the fleet was in process of development. At the end of the First World War in Varna had arisen real preconditions for its opening to visitors: exponents were collected, the launched initiative found supporters, premises were provided. The opening of the museum was preceded by a decision of the Board of directors of the Bulgarian National Marine Agreement from August 1921 that specified the museum collection to be moved from Russe to Varna.

The official opening and consecration of the Maritime museum (as it was called then) took place on May 20, 1923, by that it could be defined as the first public maritime museum in Bulgaria.

By Ministerial order N. 46/April 10, 1955 the Maritime museum entered into the Ministry of National Defence under the name Naval Museum as a branch of the Central Museum of the National Army (today National Museum of Military History). It is situated in the building on 2 “Primorski” Blvd. 

State of legal protection

Protected

Owner

The Naval Musem is  a state museum, a branch of the National Museum of Military History.

Kind of cultural use of WWI

The Naval Museum in Varna is opened both for individual visits and for guided tours.

 

Other museums and  cultural places, suitable for  touristic use:

Museum of History of Medicine – phone: +359 52 639 729, live.varna.bg/bg/show-places/muze-istoriq-na-medicinata.html , 7 Paraskeva Nikolou Str., 9000 Varna, Bulgaria, GPS: 43.199720, 27.920642
History Museum of Varna - phone: +359 52 632 677, visit.varna.bg/bg/museums/preview/10.html, 12-14  8th of November Str., 9000 Varna, Bulgaria , GPS: 43.198703, 27.918089

Museum Old Varna - phone: +359 52 654 065, visit.varna.bg/bg/museums/preview/114.html, 5 Tsar Kaloyan Str., 9000 Varna, Bulgaria, GPS: 43.200823, 27.917745

Museum of Revival - phone: +359 52 658 891revival.museumvarna.com ,21 Dr. Ludovik Zamenhof Str., 9000 Varna, Bulgaria, GPS: 43.201125, 27.912859

Ethnographic Museum - phone: +359 52 630 588, visit.varna.bg/bg/museums/preview/8.html, 22 Panagjurishte Str., 9000 Varna, Bulgaria, GPS: 43.201023, 27.913428

Archaeological Museum of Varna – phone: + 359 52 68103, www.archaeo.museumvarna.com/en/, 41 Maria Luiza Blvd., 9000 Varna, Bulgaria, GPS: 43.207188, 27.914512

Varna Aquarium - phone: + 359 052 632 066, ifrvarna.comhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PDBygg18Jx0, 4 Primorski Blvd., 9000 Varna, Bulgaria, GPS: 43.201362, 27.922294

Small Roman Baths - 8    8th of November Str., 9000 Varna, Bulgaria, GPS: 43.198289, 27.917831

Roman Baths - phone: + 359 52 600 059, www.archaeo.museumvarna.com/en/other2/list/id/1, San Stefano Str., 9000 Varna, Bulgaria, GPS: 43.200236, 27.918003

Informational Centre Varna – address Varna 9000, St. St. Kiril and Metodij” Square,  phone: +359 52 820690, work hours: 9:00-19:00

Varna Tourism Chamber – Varna 9005, Residential area Chayka, Block 128, phone: +359 52 612809, work hours 9:00 – 19:00

Palace of Culture and Sports – Varna (http://palaceofvarna.com/)

Dolphinarium – Varna (the only Dolphinarium on the Balkan Peninsula) ( http://dolphinarium.festa.bg/en)

The Monument of Pantheon Varna (https://bg.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D0%9F%D0%B0%D0%BD%D1%82%D0%B5%D0%BE%D0%BD_(%D0%92%D0%B0%D1%80%D0%BD%D0%B0))

Fountain of Varna - drone video (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YatSjvrZEpo&feature=youtu.be)

People's Astronomical Observatory and Planetarium "Nikolay Copernicus" (https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g295392-d6854829-Reviews-Astronomical_Observatory_and_Planetarium_Copernicus-Varna_Varna_Province.html)

City Art Gallery Varna  (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UKC8UASP5io)

Best Retro Museum of Socialism  (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6yiaDbXLM6s)

Museum of Natural History (nature.museumvarna.com/en/)

Varna Zoo  (http://varna-zoo.com/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nwhL2MoFNX4)

Varna Assumption Cathedral  (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TX4KImYsxSY)

Opening

 

Winter working time

(1 November to 31 March)

from 09.30 to 17.30.

Holiday days: Sunday and Monday

 

Summer time

(31 March to 1 November)

from 10.00 to 18.00.

Holiday days: Monday

 

Entrance Fee

TICKET PRICES Children under the age of 7 are exempt from paying an entrance ticket. For students, students and pensioners and people with disabilities - BGN 2 For servicemen - BGN 4 For adults - 5 leva Family ticket - 10 leva Visit to Drazki Ship Museum

Information regarding cities, villages, other touristic attractions (non-WWI) nearby

Varna is a port city and seaside resort on Bulgaria's Black Sea, adjacent to the coastal resorts of Golden Sands, St. Konstantin and Albena. It's famous for the "Gold of Varna," 6,000-year-old Thracian jewelry discovered in a necropolis. The jewelry's displayed inside the Archaeological Museum, along with Greek, Roman and Ottoman antiquities. A bar-lined waterfront promenade fronts 19th-century Primorski Park - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DDaEjT9Mw-0

Varna – information for hotels, restaurants, things to do, etc - https://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Tourism-g295392-Varna_Varna_Province-Vacations.html

Varna Municipality official web-site - http://www.varna.bg/en/index.html

Accomodation

Hotel Panorama - panoramabg.com , phone: + 359 52 687 300, 31Primorski Blvd, 9000  Varna, Bulgaria, GPS: 43.198254, 27.919661

Hotel Akropolis - www.hotelacropolis.net/,  phone: 052/ 603 108, м.тел.:0898 506 505, 13 Tsar Ivan Shishman Str., 9000 Varna, Bulgaria, GPS: 43.199130, 27.920606

Hotel Modus - modushotel.com , phone: + 359 52 660 910, 46 Stefan Stamboliev Str., 9000 Varna, Bulgaria, GPS: 43.203353, 27.921550

Hotel Best Western Prima - bestwesternvarna.com , phone: + 359 52 609 809, 5 Tsar Samuil Str., 9000 Varna, Bulgaria, GPS: 43.202509, 27.920563

Hotel Relax - hotelrelax-varna.com , phone: + 359 89 789 3432, 16-22 Stefan Karadja Str., 9002 Varna, Bulgaria, GPS: 43.205167, 27.921614

Hotel Plaza - hotelplazabg.com , phone: + 359 052 684 060, 10 Slivnitsa Blvd, 9002 Varna, Bulgaria, GPS: 43.204854, 27.921228

Hotel Cherno more - chernomorebg.com , phone: + 359 52 612 235, 33 Slivnitsa Blvd., 9000 Varna, Bulgaria,  GPS:43.204972, 27.919482

Hotel Grafiti   - graffithotel.com , phone: + 359 52 989 900, 65 Knyaz Boris I Blvd., 9000 Varna, Bulgaria,GPS: 43.207639, 27.922550

Hotel Odesos - odessos-bg.com , phone: + 359 52 640 300, 1 Slivnitsa Blvd., 9000 Varna, Bulgaria, GPS: 43.203994, 27.921604

Hotel Kapitol - capitol.bg , phone: + 359 52 688 000, 40 Petko Karawelow Str., 9002  Varna, Bulgaria, GPS: 43.207543, 27.923478

Public Transport

Bus № 17а, 20

For further information see: www.varnatraffic.com/en

Further information sources

NAVAL MUSEUM VARNA - CONTACT  DETAILS:

 

Address: Varna, 2, Primorski Blvd

E-mail: mus_maritime@abv.bg

Phone / Fax: +359 52/731 523

Director - Dr. Mariana Krasteva

 

Public Relations:

E-mail: vmmvarna.pr@gmail.com

Phone: +359 52/731 523

Ms. Daniela Georgieva

 

 

 

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Location

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