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Historical Museum – Gorna Oryahovitsa with a jubilee exhibition for the emblematic fortress
A nomad’s skeleton, luxurious medieval vessels and… a Belgian pistol – the jubilee exhibition with which the Historical Museum – Gorna Oryahovitsa marks the 10th anniversary of the renewed excavations of Ryahovets Fortress offers intriguing finds and real mysteries.
A Cuman's grave
Situated between the last hills near Tarnovo and the Danube Plain, in the Middle Ages Ryahovets was one of the fortresses guarding the approaches to the capital of the Second Bulgarian Kingdom. Excavations carried out over the past ten years by the Historical Museum – Gorna Oryahovitsa, however, revealed the site's far richer past. A special jubilee exhibition displays the most interesting finds discovered by local archaeologists and volunteer high-schoolers between 2015 and 2025.
The journey back in time begins around 3000 BC, when there was a prehistoric settlement at the fiture fortress's site. Centuries later, in the Hellenistic Period, it grew into an important trading centre. How do we know this? From the numerous amphora handles with which olive oil and wine arrived at Ryahovets. This is the largest collection of non-inscribed amphora handles from the Bulgarian lands.
Amphora handle
Life around Ryahovets continued during the Roman period – a wealthy citizen built a comfortable villa nearby. Parts of its underfloor heating are now displayed in the museum's lapidarium.
A pot designed for nomadic lifestyle
In the Middle Ages, the site began to attract some of the barbarian peoples, who crossed the Danube in waves and settled in the region. The exhibition presents intriguing evidence of the presence of Pechenegs and Cumans – such as distinctive nomadic ceramic vessels and the grave of an individual buried according to a non-Christian ritual.
Fragments of bone object found during the excavations of the Medieval necropolis
Due to its proximity to the capital Tarnovo, Ryahovets experienced its heyday during the Second Bulgarian Empire. Luxury ceramic vessels, a necropolis and remains of a church uncovered during the excavations confirm this.
Bronze cross that served as a relic holder
And the Belgian pistol that opens the exhibition? No one knows how, when or why this rusted, time-worn weapon ended up in one of the fortress's embankments. A mystery of the past that may never be solved – and that is exactly what makes it so fascinating.
Historical Museum – Gorna Oryahovitsa is on 1 Antim I St
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