Exhibition ‘The Unification and Its Figures’

The exhibition ‘The Unification and Its Figures’ is dedicated to the 140th anniversary of the Unification of Eastern Rumelia with the Principality of Bulgaria. It presents the story of the most active participants who played a key role in the events of 1885. The exhibition features 12 vinyl panels and cultural artefacts from the museum’s collections.

In addition to the panels that present the artists behind the historical paintings and statesmen such as Prince Alexander Battenberg and Stefan Stambolov, visitors can also see rare photographs of the young Chardafon the Great and his wife Nedyalka Shileva.

The exhibition also displays the weapons of the heroes. Among the exhibits is the Smith & Wesson revolver of Petar Shilev, deputy chairman of the secret revolutionary committee in Goliamo Konare. Displayed next to it are the personal belongings of another active participant — Ivan Andonov. One of the showcases features the jacket worn by Major Raycho Nikolov on 6 September.

A central place in the exhibition is occupied by the fourth issue of the newspaper Borba. This was the newspaper that stirred the spirits in Eastern Rumelia. The first issue appeared on 28 May 1885, edited and written by Zahari Stoyanov — the man who led this great cause.

Paintings created by students and dedicated to the 140th anniversary of Bulgaria’s Unification hold a special place in the exhibition. Inspired by the spirit of history and the legacy of the Unification, students from the National High School of Arts ‘Tsanko Lavrenov’ created impressive artworks and posters.

The paintings were created during an plain-air workshop held on 11 June at the Regional History Museum – Plovdiv.