“Memory for the Future” presents some of the most intriguing artifacts acquired in 2025 and offers a richly deserved tribute to the Museum’s donors – heirs of figures connected to Bulgarian history, as well as individuals who had chosen to share their private collections. The NMMH launches 2026, the year of our 110th anniversary, with this gesture of appreciation for all those, who for over a century, enrich the Museum’s collection and choose to hand over a piece of history, so it would become a shared heritage.
The exhibition space features more than 1,100 movable items received as donations, 583 of which became part of the Sofia structure’s collection. They complement the image of our common past, making it richer, more comprehensive, and more personal.
Among the notable donations is that from the granddaughter of Lt. Gen. Vicho Dikov. It includes an Ottoman trophy flag, preserved by the general with respect for the defeated enemy, photographs, postcards, and everyday objects. The memory of our collective history is further enriched by the personal belongings of one of the prominent military leaders, Lt. Gen. Todor Kantardzhiev, as well as a uniform and decorations of one of the defenders of Sofia’s skies during the WWII bombings – Maj. Gen. Stoyan Stoyanov, the ace who won the most aerial victories. Alongside effects of well-known commanders, the exhibition displays objects, memoirs, certificates, diplomas, photographs, etc., of lesser-known participants in the wars, whose personal stories rarely appear in textbooks, yet without whom the puzzle of our past would be incomplete.
Through its focused systematic collecting efforts, the Museum has also acquired the exceptionally rare commemorative medallion for the election of Alexander of Battenberg as Knyaz of Bulgaria; the first issue of the honorary Red Cross badge; a medal for the election of Ferdinand as Knyaz of Bulgaria, 1887, a medal “For Bulgaria’s Entry in the First World War, 1915”; a French medal “For the Signing of the Salonica Armistice, 1918”; faulty issues of the silver and bronze “For Merit”, a badge “For Diligent Service in Temporary Labour Duty”, honorary badge “Member of the Parliament”, and many more. The exhibition also presents a wealth of priceless archival materials and photographs, as well as two original caricatures by the prominent artists Alexander Bozhinov and Stoyan Venev.
