The National Museum of Textile Industry in Sliven is the only museum in Bulgaria devoted to textile production from antiquity to today. It stands at 3 Stoil Voyvoda Square, in the former Textile School building of 1906, a cultural monument.
The permanent exhibition follows textile production from the 7th millennium BC to the second half of the 20th century — the main textile activities and the technical changes over the centuries. On show are machines, devices and tools, some of which run and show visitors how production works, as well as archaeological and ethnographic objects.
A special place is given to Dobri Zhelyazkov – the Factory Man, who founded the first textile factory in the Bulgarian lands in 1834. The "Knitting Technique" section was added in 2000, for the 200th anniversary of his birth.
The museum was founded in 1986 as a branch of the National Polytechnic Museum, to mark 150 years of Bulgarian textile industry.
Check the opening hours before you go.
With children: since 2009 the museum has a textile laboratory where children and students test the properties of textile materials through experiments and special equipment, and it runs education programmes on traditional textile crafts.
Parking: on Stoil Voyvoda Square and on Velikoknyazhevska Street.
Sliven region
0.8 km away
Sliven region
1.0 km away
National Museum of Textile Industry is located in Sliven, Bulgaria.
National Museum of Textile Industry 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.
National Museum of Textile Industry 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 National Museum of Textile Industry, especially on public holidays.
