Only on the Day of Bravery and Holiday of the Bulgarian Army (May 6), we will provide our visitors with the opportunity to enter three of perhaps the most interesting machines from our outdoor exhibition. This does not happen every day, but only on special occasions like today! So, the museum guests will have the opportunity to enter the cockpits of two helicopters – Mi-2 and Mi-8, as well as the 2K 52 Frog "Luna – M" missile complex. This is what the director of "Public Relations" at the National Museum of Military History in Sofia, Slaveya Surcheva, told Radio Bulgaria and added:

"This is aimed primarily at children, because it is extremely interesting for them, but the truth is that on such days parents also enter them because they are also curious. The military attractions continue throughout the day. At 12 o'clock there will be something that I am often asked about, as many parents call us with the question: ‘When will bean soup be prepared by a real military chef?’. Now, thanks to the Logistic Support Command, visitors will have the opportunity to try exactly such a soup today, as well as to see a modern field kitchen of the Bulgarian Army. It is much different and more modern than the ones we have seen in the movies. The representative brass band of the Land Forces will take care of our good mood. They always make our visitors very happy."

Along with the specially prepared program for the holiday, visitors will have the opportunity to see some of the most remarkable symbols of the Bulgarian Army, such as the military order "For Bravery", established by Prince Alexander I Battenberg in 1880, as well as those from 1937, when during a magnificent parade Tsar Boris III personally presented the regiments with the new battle flags, hammering a golden nail into their handles and uttering the following words: "Keep them bright and undefiled and cover them with glory and honour, so that they may always be a true shield, support of the homeland and pride of the Bulgarian people!"

"This was an extremely solemn moment! In fact, the golden hammer and a golden nail can still be seen in the museum's permanent exhibition today, as well as models of the battle flags from that parade. These are some of the exhibits that our visitors most often ask about. 1937 was also the first year when ceremonial fireworks were held. After that it became an integral part of the army's ceremonial and accompanied every holiday of national importance."

The museum's curators have special rooms for the youngest visitors and regularly conduct history training. They are also working on a project to expand the exhibition and very soon many new exhibits related to historical figures and their stories will be included. Slaveya Surcheva says that this would further increase the interest of visitors and added that on the occasion of the holiday today, the branches of the National Military History Museum: the Park-Museum of Military Friendship "Vladislav Varnenchik" (Varna), the Naval Museum (Varna) and the Aviation Museum (Krumovo) are also having an Open Day on May 6 and are working with a special program.

Publication in English: Al. Markov

Photos: militarymuseum.bg, Facebook /National Museum of Military History, airmuseum-bg.com