Today I will take you for a walk to a very interesting place in my small country Bulgaria and in particular our sea capital Varna. I'm talking about the Retro Museum, which is located on the first floor of one of the city's major shopping centers.
For a considerable period in the 20th century, Bulgaria was a socialist country. To this day, disputes remain as to whether the communist regime and life from that period was better than today. No matter which side you occupy, it is interesting to get to know the daily life and lifestyle of the people who lived during that period. And the right place to do it is the retro museum.
The museum includes hundreds of objects from the period 1944-1989, through which you seem to go back in time. Without a doubt, however, the biggest attraction is the large collection of over 50 cars. All of them are of brands, classics of their time, produced in socialist countries and have been magnificently restored. Any car lover can easily spend hours there. But even if you are not a fan of cars, you cannot remain indifferent to the magnificence of these machines. I won't lie, I wish I had a classic like that in my garage.
The "pearl in the crown" of the car collection is the Chaika GAZ-13, which is emblematic of the period. Owning one was a luxury and admired by others. Such a limousine was used by most of the ruling and high-ranking personalities of the Bulgarian Communist Party. Todor Zhivkov himself rode in such a Chaika, holding all the leading positions over the years and ruling Bulgaria during a large part of the communist regime.
Secretly, I also envy him for driving such a car 😄 It is difficult to show you all the cars on display, but among them there are those from the brands "Volga", "Moskvich", "Skoda", "Trabant" and others. All of them - emblematic of the time. There are mirrors placed under most of them. So people can not only enjoy the perfectly restored exterior and interior, but also understand what is hidden under the hood.
Another car that made a huge impression on me was the Warburg. Anyone interested in cars has heard of him. For those who don't know, Warburg is a brand of German cars. Although not produced in a socialist country, they were very fashionable in our country and only high society could drive the latest Warburg model. The one in the museum was so magnificently restored as if it had just left the factory. I was really captivated and spent a lot of time admiring it.
In addition to the great cars, some iconic motorcycles of the time, Simson and Balkan, were also on display. Everyone born at that time in Bulgaria remembers from their childhood how their father or grandfather drove one.
Of course, there is no way to miss a part related to Russia. However, Bulgaria's relations with it were quite close and to a large extent Russia was the state that dictated and determined the governance model. It's no secret how close Todor Zhivkov and Leonid Brezhnev, the Prime Minister of Russia, were. In this section, there is a wax figure of Vladimir Putin, as well as huge portraits of the iconic figures of Russia, Lenin and Stalin.
And here is a statue of Lyudmila Zhivkova, the daughter of Todor Zhivkov. Interestingly, she died very young, only 38 years old. To this day, the exact cause of her death is not clear. Some claim that the cause was a sudden cerebral hemorrhage and her death was natural. However, others believe that death is not natural and there is an external intervention. Conspiracies and theories are a lot and are an interesting topic for another post.
Various signs are located throughout the museum. The inscriptions are very diverse. Some of them are "model home" , "stop first then clean" , "please clean your shoes thoroughly" and what not. It may seem crazy and very strange to you, but these signs have been everywhere and are truly iconic. Even every single house had at least one such sign.
In addition to the incredible collection of cars, the museum also has many other exhibits with different purposes. You can find anything you want from Bulgarian unfiltered cigarettes, Russian vacuum cleaners, household goods, Polish cosmetics, TVs, typewriters to traditional food and drinks and children's toys. Everyone can find what they are interested in and there is something for everyone. In fact, if you stop and look at every single thing, the tour will take you hours.
some drinks and foods
cigarettes
vacuum cleaners and washing machines
cosmetics
other stuff from dailylife
This is just a part of the dozens of exhibits in the museum. The place is truly unique. People who lived at that time go back in time, and those from other countries get to know something completely new. It is also suitable for small children as there are many things that will be interesting for them. The price is also quite acceptable - 12 BGN (about 6 euros) for an adult and 6 BGN (about 3 euros) for children. All this makes the place perfect for a family visit and getting to know the culture and way of life during socialism. Thank you for your attention and see you soon! 👋💗
