The Ivan Vazov House Museum is the writer’s home in central Sofia, on the corner of Rakovski and Ivan Vazov streets, with the entrance on the latter. It opened on 26 November 1926 as Bulgaria’s first literary museum and is now part of the National Literary Museum.
On the first floor is Vazov’s study — his desk, his personal library, belongings, paintings and portraits. A door links it to the bedroom, where a small case holds his clothes. The drawing room and the room of his mother, Saba Vazova, are on the same floor.
On the ground floor is the family dining room, where Vazov sat on the chair now marked with a black ribbon at his last lunch. A neighbouring room shows gifts and awards from his two jubilees, in 1895 and 1920. Along the banister of the wooden staircase hang congratulatory addresses with original signatures by Prof. Ivan Shishmanov, Adriana Budevska, Jan Mrkvička, Elin Pelin and others.
Vazov had the house built in 1895, after his return from Russia, on a plot owned by his brother Kiril. He lived and wrote here longer than anywhere else. The museum’s first curator was the writer Elin Pelin.
The museum is run by the National Literary Museum; check its website for current opening hours before you go.
Accessibility: the upper floor with the study and bedroom is reached only by a wooden staircase.
Combine with: the National Literary Museum also runs the Peyo Yavorov, Nikola Vaptsarov and Dimitar Dimov house museums in Sofia.
Ivan Vazov House Museum (Sofia) is located in Sofia City, Bulgaria.
Ivan Vazov House Museum (Sofia) is most easily reached by car. Use the coordinates above to navigate, or open the location in OpenStreetMap or your preferred maps app for turn-by-turn directions. Public transport options vary by region — for remote destinations a rental car gives the most flexibility.
Ivan Vazov House Museum (Sofia) can be visited year-round. Verify current opening hours directly with the museum before your visit, as schedules change seasonally and on public holidays.
Opening hours and admission fees vary, and most Bulgarian museums close one day per week (commonly Monday). Verify current schedules and prices directly with the museum or the local tourist information office before visiting Ivan Vazov House Museum (Sofia), especially on public holidays.
