MUSÉE TERRE ET HOMMES

In Cyrillic: Национален музей "Земята и хората". Evening museum of earth and man. A beautiful, bright and spacious hall-like building houses this national Earth and Man museum dedicated to geology, which features a rich mineral collection, particularly notable for its giant crystals. These were donated to Bulgaria in 1987 by Ilyia Delev (1921-2012), a Bulgarian mineral collector who had made his fortune in Brazil. This enthusiast, who holds an honorary doctorate from Sofia's St. Ivan Rilski University of Geology, had also donated 80 exceptional pieces to the Paris Natural History Museum in 1983. His wish was that the giant crystals should not be split up, so that they could be seen in their entirety by future generations. Schedule a guided tour of the museum to learn more about this amazing story. Alternatively, presentations of the collections in English enrich your visit. You'll also learn about Bulgaria's distinctive relief and geology. The journey among the incredibly varied mineral giants from every continent illustrates the natural richness of our geology. A museum that will delight mineral enthusiasts, but not so much others!

The building, constructed at the end of the 19th century as part of the Sofia Arsenal complex, is one of the country's first monolithic reinforced concrete buildings with earthquake-resistant walls.