Sozopol Ethnographic Museum

The Ethnographic Museum of Sozopol is located in the Kurtidi House (also known as the Thracian Inn) — an architectural monument of culture of local significance dating from the 19th century — in the Old Town of Sozopol, at 34 Cyril and Methodius Street, in Sozopol Municipality, Burgas Region. The building, which is more than 200 years old and stands in close proximity to the sea, has been restored to its authentic appearance and offers a view of the picturesque Sozopol Bay. Its architecture is typical of the Bulgarian National Revival coastal dwelling of the period. The house takes its name from its first known owner, a Greek by the name of Kurdilis. After being nationalised it served at various points as a facility of the Council of Ministers, a children's centre, and a restaurant, before being repurposed as a museum. The Ethnographic Museum was opened in 2005 by the initiative of Sozopol Municipality, with Sozopol Foundation as a project partner, under the project "Sozopol — Preserved Cultural Heritage and Cultural Identity Through the Centuries," financed by Programme BG08 "Cultural Heritage and Contemporary Arts" of the Financial Mechanism of the European Economic Area (2009–2014). All exhibits were collected and donated by the local population of Sozopol — a detail that gives the museum a particularly intimate, community-rooted character. The exhibition is spread over two floors and covers the crafts, traditions, and everyday life that have defined the culture of the Apollonia–Sozopol polity for millennia: fishing — the central occupation of the historic town, represented through old nets, boats, and equipment; wine and salt production; metalworking and metallurgy; woodworking; pottery; textiles and traditional costumes. Among the objects that most impress visitors is the palamarka — a traditional harvesting tool, exhibited in children's, women's, and men's versions, since the whole family took part in the harvest — which museum staff demonstrate in use. Also exhibited are traditional costumes, including a Thracian costume characteristic of the inhabitants of the newer part of Sozopol who were refugees from Aegean (Odrinian) Thrace and settled in the town in the early 19th century. The upper floor houses an exhibition that recreates the atmosphere of old Sozopol homes through period photographs and documents. A separate collection presents old icons and works of pictorial art depicting Sozopol from the early 20th century to more recent times. The museum also organises exhibitions of traditional applied arts and workshops for children, with its most important annual event linked to the Apollonia Arts Festival.