Podcast in English
Text size
Bulgarian National Radio © 2024 All Rights Reserved

The colorful world of Bulgarian embroidery exhibited in Samokov

Photo: НИМ

In the middle of summer, the mountain resort of Borovets welcomes its guests with its well-marked paths that lead to the secrets of the Rila Mountains. But if you want to combine your mountain vacation with cultural tourism, we recommend visiting the town of Samokov, situated 10 km away from the resort.


A few days ago, an interesting exhibition of the National Museum of History in Sofia opened in the "Prof. Vasil Zahariev" art gallery in Samokov. The exhibition makes visitors acquainted with the colorful world of Bulgarian traditional embroidery. It presents 32 pieces of redesigned textiles from the beginning of the XX century, including tablecloths, pillows, bags and others, characterized by the rich embroidery typical of different ethnographic regions of Bulgaria – Samokov, Dupnitsa, Sofia, Pleven, and the region of Macedonia.

The creation of the so-called redesigned textile on the basis of second-hand elements that were part of authentic folk clothing was part of the European style of Art Nouveau. This trend entered Bulgaria at the beginning of the twentieth century, which is evident in the presented textile works containing original embroidery elements from older times.


Visitors can see tablecloths from Samokov and Dupnitsa. Some of them are related to the family of Hadzhi Valcho from Bansko, who was a benefactor of the Zografski and Hilendarski monasteries. A tablecloth made of 25 sleeves of women's shirts from the Sofia region, which came to the museum from the royal palace, is also very attractive to guests.


The exhibition "Folk Embroidery Art" will stay in the Art Gallery "Prof. Vasil Zahariev" in Samokov until the end of August.

Compiled by: Veneta Nikolova

Photos: National Museum of History

English: Allexander Markov



Последвайте ни и в Google News Showcase, за да научите най-важното от деня!
Listen to the daily news from Bulgaria presented in "Bulgaria Today" podcast, available in Spotify.

More from category

Participants of the International Folklore Festival in Veliko Tarnovo will go on parade

Nearly 340 participants from countries on different continents will take the stage at the Summer Theatre in Marno Pole Park in Veliko Tarnovo to present the their folklore traditions.  The start is today, 20 July, when the traditional..

published on 7/20/24 6:15 AM

The Regional Ethnographic Museum in Plovdiv helps to revive the ancient craft of felting

Products made of wool inspire the feeling of inner comfort and warmth in the visitors of the Plovdiv Regional Ethnographic Museum. The exhibition "Bulgarian felts - a message from antiquity" presents an ancient craft, which is..

published on 7/13/24 8:30 PM

Esther Willems - choreographer from The Hague who believes that the Bulgarian soul is encoded in the dances

The Hague, a city in the south of the Netherlands, the administrative centre and the place where the Queen lives and works...  Hardly anyone associates this city with Bulgarian folklore and traditions. But the fact is that the interest in..

published on 7/4/24 8:12 PM