The Natural Science Museum – Kotel

The Natural Science Museum in Kotel was founded by the teacher Vasil Georgiev. For more than half a century he collected samples of animate and inanimate nature, traveling around the eastern parts of the Balkan Mountains. After decades of a hard work, in 1951, the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences learned about the huge collection of Vasil Georgiev and his dream came true. There was a proposal to establish a museum where the wealth collected over the years can be presented to society. One of the richest and most interesting museums in Bulgaria opened doors. It is located in the “Izvorite” park – a favorite restoration spot for the locals. It is a two-storey building with an area of ​​1000 square meters. There are several halls, showing the great natural wealth of the Eastern Balkan Mountains. The museum contains more than 30 000 exhibits, divided into different categories and groups. On the first floor there is a collection of invertebrate fossils, and on the second – plants, insects, reptiles, amphibians, fishes, birds and mammals. The decorations in the museum are very impressive. Exhibits are shown in their natural environment – different scenes from the habitats of the animals are recreated. The atmosphere, together with the various animal sounds in each room, creates the illusion that this is really their natural environment. Photos of the remarkable natural phenomena near Kotel can be seen on the walls of the museum.