Hisarya Archaeological Museum

Hisarya, Bulgaria, Bulgaria

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The Hisarya Archaeological Museum is the main archaeological and cultural museum in the town of Hisarya, located in central Bulgaria, known from ancient times as a wealthy Roman spa town called Diocletianopolis.

It is housed in a purpose-adapted building in the town center, with a P-shaped layout that includes an exposition courtyard and a lapidarium displaying stone inscriptions and monuments. The museum’s collection, though relatively small with around 4,000 items, covers the material and spiritual culture of Hisarya and its region from the New Stone Age (5th millennium BC) through the Thracian, Roman, and Byzantine periods up to the Bulgarian Renaissance, featuring pottery, columns, marble plaques, statues, and gold, silver, and bronze coins and objects that illustrate the long history of the area.

In addition to its archaeological displays, the museum maintains a permanent ethnographic exhibition that shows everyday life, customs, and livelihoods in the Hisarya region from the Renaissance to the late 20th century, including local tools, household items, and distinctive Kukeri masks and costumes from one of the town’s quarters. The museum also serves as the administrative center for the National Archaeological Reserve “Hisarya,” which includes the town’s Roman fortification walls, ancient baths.

A Roman tomb with a well-preserved mosaic, and other monuments, and it offers guided talks and tours in Bulgarian, English, and Russian as well as augmented reality applications for visitors to explore both the museum and the reserve. Listed as one of Bulgaria’s 100 National Tourist Sites, the museum is a key point for understanding the town’s role as an important Roman health and resort center and its continuous development through later historical periods.