iskra historical museum

Well worth a visit. It's a twofer, an art museum of local and national Bulgarian painters and sculptors as well as a local history museum (thousands of years in the making). The pieces are well-captioned in English, not just Bulgarian; and organized in a way that allows the visitor to focus on ancient (Thracians) or the more recent history (through the local industry of musical instrument making). I spent a few hours in the museum and would recommend it as a stopping place for anyone visiting the town of Kazanlak.

Pleasant and informative two hours. Easy to find. Well curated museum and art gallery. Information about museum exhibits clearly and concisely presented. The gold artefacts spectacular - the mask phial and wreath particularly. Art exhibits clearly labelled in both Bulgarian and English. Knew about significance of rose cultivation before visiting, but not about the importance of musical instrument making and textile related industries.

These were 2 of the most pleasant hours I spent in Kazanlak. The guide from the museum was very nice and well informed and practically showed us everything we wanted to see and answered all our questions! Here some more info about the museum:Iskra Museum is one of the oldest regional museums in Bulgaria. More than 50 000 original exponents are kept there. They present the material and spiritual culture of the region. Represents the historical heritage of the region, including all Thracian tombs from the Valley of Thracian kings. Permanent expositions - Archaeology, Revival, New History, Etnography and Newest History. Y