The museum contains a rich history of many centuries of the city Pleven and the establishments from the adjacent area, which dates back from 50 – 45000 BC. It is situated in a central location in the plain of the Danube, typical for the region and it has a rich geological past. There are found proofs of paleontologic existence from 70 million of years.
The rich history and the conserved ruins of castles and ancient gardens, challenged since early times the interest of the enthusiasts for the study of Pleven. In 1903 it was founded the Archeology Society, which has the purpose of creating a museum and it was started the search and the study of the historical monuments of the city and of the region. In the month of May 1905 under the command of Yurdan Kantardhiev, the company organized and developed the first archeological diggings of the citadel “Storgozia” Kailuka, near Pleven.
The materials found about the past of Pleven allow the archeological company to present in 1911 the collection of the museum. Later on (after 1923) this work continues and there are transferred the collected materials being set the foundation of a museum. But, the most significant development of the Pleven museum is after 1953, at the creation of a State History Museum.
Through the decree no. 153 of the Cabinet of the Republic of Bulgaria until the date of the 1st of July 2000 the museum was transformed into a Regional History Museum – the application field being Pleven, the activities from the territory of Pleven and from the region Loveci.
Starting with 1984 the museum is placed in an impressive artistic dimension of architectural and historical construction with two floors – a cultural monument of national importance, built in 1884 – 1888 as an Italian project of barrack.
As a result of the altruistic patriotic work of three generations of workers, today the History Museum from the city of Pleven has one of the best and the richest exhibits between the museums from Bulgaria, with a fund of over 180 000 copies and numerous museum values – documentaries and historical proof materials, material and spiritual culture of the nature animated and non-animated nature, which are an integrating part of our national patrimony. With a high value of the artistic, historical and natural science, they are extremely valuable proofs, not only for the Bulgaria history and culture, but also for the paleontologic and anthropology history of the city and of the region Pleven, but, also, and for the history of the different cultures and people, which left long term traces in our country and in the European cultural space.
The exhibit is situated in 24 rooms with over 6000 museum values, organized in five sections – archeology, the ottoman domination and the Renaissance, the Ethnography, the Modern and Contemporary History and the Nature. They present the history, the culture, the flora and the fauna from Pleven and from the region, from the oldest times until present.
The museum’s exhibit is very memorable. It is built on the thematic – chronological principle and it is one of the richest ones from within the museums from Bulgaria.
The numismatics collection comprises over 25.000 coins and it is one of the most important museum collections.