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

"Come down, Dzherman, and dine!" – the lost magic of Christmas Eve

Christmas Eve, once called Budnik, Little Christmas or Neyadka, was considered part of a dark, frightening period, charged with the potential to influence the entire upcoming year. For this reason, the night before Christmas was associated with..

published on 12/24/24 5:30 AM

A gift for a gift – ritual breads and an odd number of dishes on Christmas Eve

Nowadays, as in the past, households are bustling with a festive hustle from the early morning of the day of Christmas eve (Badni vecher in Bulgarian) with preparations for the most important dinner of the year. The dinner in anticipation of Christmas..

published on 12/24/24 4:05 AM

St Ignatius' Day - awaiting the Young God and the Sun reborn

It's Ignazhden! On St Ignatius' Day, 20 December, we honour the memory of St Ignatius the Theophorus. In the Bulgarian calendar St Ignatius' Day (Ignazhden) is not only a religious but also a folklore holiday. According to national tradition, it is..

published on 12/20/24 6:30 AM