The beginning of the museum from Vratsa is set in the dawn of the Bulgarian Renaissance. It is associated with the ordination of the Bishop Saint Sofronii from Vratsa and his mission as spiritual and political pastor of the population alongside the north – west of the Bulgarian territory. He is the creator of the first collection of antiques from Vratsa, and he reached the volume of collecting the museum with public significance with the help of the rich businessman from Vratsa, Hadji Tosho Tzenov. With certainty, it is enriched by his son, Dimitraki Hadzhitoshev – a prominent fighter for the religious and for the national independence. His days of glory, despite all of these, are once touched with the collection executed by his successor, Todoraki Hadjiski and with its importance, bringing the admiration of the Hungarian traveler Felix Kanitz. In 1894, the same message was sent to the National Library and to the National Museum from Sofia.
The idea of creating a great museum came at the middle of the years 20 of the XXth century. In the year 1925 the based of the collection of the museum from Vratsa were set at the High School of the “Tsar Boris the IIIrd”. At a short time after this assay, there was tried the creation of a museum exhibit in the company the “Development”. In 1939 – 1940, together with the construction of a new building of the company, both the collections are united, but the Anglo – American bombardments from the 24th of January the year 1944 affect the building and the museum auditorium, destroying a parts of the exhibits.
Following the political changes, the museum was moved, renovated and adapted for exhibit. Following the Decree 1608 of 1951, in 1953, in the district Vratsa was created a popular museum. Three years later, in the Tower Meshchiite was opened the first exhibit and a part of it was declared an art gallery. Step by step, – until the end of the years ’60 and the beginning of the years ’70 – it is built and it is modeled the structure of the museum being created all of its departments with practical measures for offering a sufficient working space for the college.
On the occasion of the 100th commemoration from the death of Hristo Botev in 1975 it was finalized and it was opened the ethnographic complex, Renaissance “Nikola Volyvodov” in Vratsa. In the years ’70 the curators created a number of museum collections in the community centers, schools and celebrity houses. According to the number of meetings, Vratsa District is among the first places from the country. In the year 1977, in the museum was also founded the scientific group.
In the following year, the bringing into effect of the decision of the second Congress of the culture, according to the Museum of Regional History it is structured the management of the “cultural patrimony”, which is integrated administratively and it administers the museum, the art gallery, the event the “Botev Path”, the historical museum from the city, the art gallery from the city, the museum collections from the county and all the unities which are directly connected with the cultural patrimony from the region. In a natural way, the museum assumes its principal role within the Direction.
In 1980 there were finalized and there were opened new exhibits in the new building of the museum, being a separate part of the Palace of the culture complex from the city Vratsa. This building is one of the few buildings from the country (at that moment), which is especially conceived and built especially for the need and in pursuance with the vision of a modern, contemporary museum.
In the year 1987, the Museum of Regional History advances with new buildings from another district – there are opened for visits the renaissance ethnographic complex “Sy. Sofronius Vratsa”, which incorporates the house of the Ascension School, the house “Ivan Zambin” the house “Grigorie Naidenov”, “The Holy Ascension of God” with means of transportation, the hand-made workshops and a shelter for agricultural cars.
On the occasion of the discovery of the fortune from Rogozen, in 1999 it was built and opened especially a room. The windows were acquired from Germany, the special equipments from Canada. The room has temperature and humidity conditions according with the newest requests of science.
The next year, the space is formed and separated for the long waited Lapidarium. This thing allowed the valuable exhibits a mosaic with Gallatin, the funeral stars, the columns and other architectural details, stone sculptures and epigraphic monuments which are about to be organized and posted in an outdoor exhibit, which is associated and connected with other exhibits of the central museum building.
In the year 2000, the History Museum with the Art gallery has been transformed into the Museum of Regional History. It is given a new quality, the museum being appreciated not only for the institution, but also for the city, for the generations of professionals of the museums who work here, for the cultural and historical patrimony of the region of Vratsa, and the contribution of the museum to the growing and to the development of the municipality led to the constructions of wonderful facilities.
