"Stoyu Shishkov" Regional History Museum — Attraction in Smolian

It was a good museum, and still is if you're new to this region so I do recommend it, but everything is basically unchanged from 10 years ago. If you wander the woods around the Smolyan region and know a little bit of history you'd know the place is filthy rich with history and treasures, but somehow the museum and the Archeological departments have no money to do new research and new digs. The pictures in the museum of Archeological digsites look like they were made in the 80s. Furthermore they work with this system where there are plasticised texts in different languages, but they're free to take, and we are in Bulgaria after all, so most of them are missing. So if you want to know about the culture in the eighteen hundreds in English, good luck! Anyways, it's pretty meagre and running on old glory. Most finds are far away, chepelare, hvojna, nothing to very little from the nearby region, which is bizarre because the place was practically crawling with Thracians and Romans. I hope in 10 years to see something new because these places here are packed...

The exposition is presenting valuable knowledge. I learned for the first time that people from German origin have inhabited those places in ancient times. They were engaged in iron processing which is a traditional industry.

The local colors of textile have unique designer touch, the craftsmanship of Rodopa mountain culture.

Don't miss ringing the Rodopa mountain bells and listening to a cosmic sound! There isn't any better sound exhibit I've seen worldwide! After all Rodopa is Orpheus's birthplace.

Visiting the museum is best in all seasons except winter because it's cold in the...

One of the most interesting regional museums I have ever visited in Bulgaria because of the variety of topics covered - archeology, customs, architecture, nature, military mail (postcards) & the way they are organised. Although the exhibits info is primarily in Bulgarian, the absolutely nice people working there will give you great directions that, in my view, would be sufficient for you to grasp how the various historical periods (Smolyan went through) looked like!!!

(!) Plus, do not skip visiting the amazing art gallery (its entrance is right in front of the entrance to...