The National Museum of Military History (Bulgarian: Национален военноисторически музей) is a museum in Sofia, Bulgaria, dedicated to military history. Located just minutes from the city center, it features a vast 2.5-hectare outdoor exhibition park with over 280 units of heavy military equipment, including tanks, aircraft, and missile systems, alongside a rich indoor collection preserving weapons, uniforms, battle flags, rare documents, awards, and unique personal relics dating from Antiquity to the present day.
History The establishment of the museum began with Decree No. 39 of 1 August 1914 by Tsar Ferdinand I, which created a Military History Agency within the Bulgarian Army Headquarters. Shortly after, its structure was formally defined to include a museum, archives, and a library. On 4 July 1916, Order No. 391 of the Commander-in-Chief of the Active Army officially initiated the systematic collection of artifacts documenting Bulgaria's military history. The Military Museum thus became the third national museum institution in the country, following the split of the National Museum into the Archaeological and Ethnographic Museums in 1906.
The museum's first permanent public exhibition was opened on 12 May 1937 at 15 Moskovska Str. in Sofia, in a building leased from the Sofia Officers' Assembly. In 1949, the institution was renamed the Central People's Army Museum and relocated to 23 Gen. Skobelev Blvd., where a new exhibition opened in 1952.
During the second half of the 20th century, the institution expanded its scope and operations:
In 1956, the Naval Museum in Varna became a branch of the museum, and the first conservation and restoration workshop was established.
Following a 1967 intergovernmental agreement between Bulgaria and Hungary, the museum team created the Museum of the First Bulgarian Army in Hungary—the only Bulgarian military museum on foreign soil.
In 1968, a decree of the Council of Ministers granted the institution national status, officially renaming it the National Museum of Military History (NMMH). The Naval Museum and the Park-Museum of Military Friendship "Vladislav Varnenchik" in Varna were incorporated as its branches.
The museum also developed an academic publishing program, launching the scholarly journal ''Bulletin of the National Museum of Military History'' in 1973, followed by the ''Annual of the Naval Museum'' in 2001.
Outdoor exhibition An incomplete list of equipment on display.
Artillery
10.5 cm leFH 16 7.7 cm FK 96 n.A. 10 cm K 14 6-duim mortar M1876 8-duim mortar 7.5 cm Pak 40 10 cm schwere Kanone 18 10.5 cm leFH 18 15 cm sFH 18 Jagdpanzer IV Sturmgeschütz III 76 mm divisional gun M1942 (ZiS-3) 100 mm field gun M1944 (BS-3) 122 mm gun M1931/37 (A-19) 152 mm howitzer M1943 (D-1) Katyusha rocket launcher SU-76 SU-100 122 mm howitzer M1938 (M-30) 37 mm automatic air defense gun M1939 (61-K) ZU-23-2 KS-19 RM-51 BM-21 BM-24 2S3 Akatsiya FN 4RM
Missiles
9K52 Luna-M R-17 Elbrus OTR-23 Oka S-75 Dvina 2K11 Krug
Military vehicles
AT-S artillery tractor BTM ditching machine MTU-12 bridge-layer TMM bridge-layer BTR-152 BTR-60 BTR-60PAU MT-LB MT-LBu ZIS-5 truck BMP-23 BMP-30
Tanks
Fahrpanzer LT-35 Hotchkiss H35 Panzer IV T-34-76 T-34-85 T-54/55 T-72
Aircraft
Aero L-29 Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-15 Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-17 Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-19 Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-21 Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-23 Panavia Tornado Mil Mi-2 Mil Mi-8 Mil Mi-24
Other Spasov M1944 Trigun
References
External links
Official website Bulgarian prototype weapons at the National Museum of Military History