Developed especially for the 110th anniversary of the National Museum of Military History, the Kaleidoscope of Memory exhibition offers a surprising take on the richness of the Museum’s holdings. It showcases little-known relics from the collections of the NMMH – items that attest to their breadth and reveal the unexpected face of an institution that goes well beyond the traditional notion of a military museum.
The exhibition introduces the public to artefacts that had rarely – or never before – been on display. Among them: unique examples of the highest decorations of Bulgaria; personal weapons; archive documents and photographs; elegant court and officers’ household items; jewellery pieces by the leading late 19–early 20c European workshops; rare coins; navigation instruments; technical devices; and dozens and dozens of sources on the history of Bulgaria and Europe. Of special interest are: the Media collection – with the cine-cameras and audio recording equipment, used for documentation and reporting on the activities of the Bulgarian Army; engineering equipment – with the pre-digital era measuring instruments; the “Musical Instruments” collection – which combines the art of war with that of music.
Even the well-known Flags collection will be presented with little-known elements of the Army’s battle flags – symbols that say “We” instead of “I”.
Each of the exhibits on display tells its own story, but brought together reveal the different faces of an institution, that, for 110 years now, gathers, preserves, and studies the memory of Bulgarian statehood, army, and society.
For this exhibition we created a special app with 110 select exhibits from the Museum’s holdings. In the app visitors can explore details about the exhibits, as well as rank their favourites.
