Regional Historical Museum of Vratsa

The museum & the collection

The Regional Historical Museum guides its visitors through the illustrious history of the Vratsa region in Bulgaria. This immersive experience unfolds through captivating exhibitions housed in diverse galleries, providing a nuanced and engaging exploration of the region’s cultural heritage.

Meyvaert was engaged to supply showcases for the Thracian Treasures Gallery. We ensured a safe and aesthetic setting for valuable and illuminating gold, silver and bronze jewellery, lamps, vessels, and ornaments from Antiquity, the Middle Ages, and the National Revival (17th-19th century).

The assignment & the challenges

The largest and most demanding aspect of our scope involved a pentagon-shaped, wall-mounted showcase, spanning over 18m in length. The passageways leading from the unloading area to the gallery posed an additional challenge, presenting a restricted clearance of 1,8m in height and 1,2m in width. To add to the complexity, we also had to navigate a dozen stairs going up and down, to move between the unloading area and the gallery.

This showcase is called “Horizon”, a name embodied by the remarkable smooth colour transition, shifting from a cold blue to a warm red on the internal panels, another unique challenge with which our team was tasked.

The solutions & the result

The “Horizon” showcase was designed with the flexibility to be divided into small modules, each manageable for two people to carry by hand through the narrow passageway and up the stairs. The development process of this case involved meticulous planning, including the establishment of numerous adjustment points at each angle to facilitate the installation process.

To achieve the gradient effect of the colours on the internal panels, a unique approach was employed. Rather than painting the panels, the colour was printed onto them and then protected with additional layers of varnish.

Entering the museum’s exhibition space offers an enchanting experience, created by the specially shaped and impressive showcase that spans the entire room. The room is subtly lit, with illumination emanating solely from the interiors of the showcases, directing the visitor’s gaze towards the beautifully presented artifacts. In this immersive environment, it becomes effortless to lose oneself in the captivating narrative of Vratsa, leaving the outside world behind.