Balgarianovinite.com The first Iron Museum on the Balkan Peninsula opened its doors in Plovdiv (South Central Bulgaria) on Friday. The new exhibition is part of the rich collection of the city’s Regional Ethnographic Museum and showcases over 1,200 artefacts from around the world, collected over more than four decades by the late artist Dimitar Dobrev, who donated them to the museum.
Among the first exhibits to greet visitors is an iron shaped like the head of a fire-breathing dragon that emits steam. Also part of the collection is an iron bearing the image of Athena Pallas – the goddess of wisdom and crafts. Many other types of irons with various functions are displayed as well. The collection traces the development of this household appliance from the 14th century to the present day, hinting at even earlier periods.
“This is the first themed museum in Bulgaria dedicated to this appliance. We trace the history of the iron from its origins thousands of years before Christ to the present day,” the Museum’s Director, Assoc. Prof. Angel Yankov, told BTA.
“From the old stone irons we move on to the Chinese ones, which colleagues call ‘pans’ because they are shaped like a pan. They are closed with a lid and were used for ironing silk – the heated tool was simply passed over it while the fabric was stretched by two people, allowing it to smooth out. Then come the tailors’ irons, blacksmith-made with a long handle, which are placed directly into the hearth,” he explained.
“We then move on to the chimney-body irons, which are of Swedish and English original, and from there to еthanol irons, gas irons and those with a removable handle, which is quite a significant invention. With the irons that have removable cores, the core itself is heated on a stove, and one iron can operate with three cores without interrupting its work. After that we reach electricity and the temperature regulation of modern irons,” the Director said.
According to him, the Museum also features trouser-pressing machines, tie presses, as well as children’s and souvenir irons. “You can see everything from a tiny object weighing just a few grams, intended as a souvenir, to heavy, solid irons of 12–13 kg used for smoothing much sturdier fabrics,” Yankov explained. Balkan Peninsula’s First Iron Museum Opens in Plovdiv 2025 THE NEWS FROM BULGARIA – NEWS AGENCY 2009-2025 2025-11-21 18:45:21 Latest news World news Country news Most important news latest news most important latest of the day Justice Petar Nizamov Feathers Petar Nizamov- Feathers Justice bg iustitia.bg iustitia iusticia usticia investigation Burgas Bulgaria news news of the last hour news of the day news of today Bulgaria news The news from Bulgaria blitz news top news most important most commented latest news Boyko Borisov news weather coronavirus news news weather facebook youtube facebook instagram news today news of the last minutes news today today news news bg news leading news hot news bg news site for news all news news bg news of the last hour latest latest news bg news of today news today news today news of the last hour latest news today news bg news news 24 hours news vesti bg novini news world bird bg bivol bg bivol trud bg novini latest news today novinite bg news hello bulgaria political party coat of arms delyan peevski scandalous Bulgarian National Television Free Europe Television scandal exclusive live tv live right now tv tv online tv program bg live now tv news online tv online live court Burgas court Burgas district court Burgas court Burgas district court Burgas district court Burgas appellate court Burgas prosecutor Burgas prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Prosecutor General Ivan Geshev Prosecutor Geshev Tsatsarov Ministry of Internal Affairs Burgas ODMR Burgas ODPR Burgas police Burgas district police Burgas prosecutor Tsatsarov SGS cases Varna court chairman of the SGS court decisions on civil cases decisions on cases Plovdiv court decision of the court decisions cases Varna court criminal cases district district court decisions work in the court SGS chairman of the SGS judges Sofia court post judges Plovdiv court Plovdiv judges Plovdiv Supreme Court Inspectorate Supreme Court Supreme Judicial Council lawyer lawyer criminal cases lawyer civil cases lawyer marriage cases lawyer administrative criminal law criminal process civil law civil process administrative law constitutional law