site.btaDigital Exhibition of Traditional Bulgarian Weapons Visits Croatia

A digital exhibition has opened at Trakoscan Castle, near Zagreb, as part of a project titled “Digital Twins of Old-Time Crafts” by Bulgaria’s only open-air Ethnographic Museum, Etar. The exhibition showcases the craftsmanship of Bulgarian weapon makers from the 18th and 19th centuries.

The digital exhibition, curated by Rositsa Bineva, coordinated by Bistra Dimova, and advised by Desislava Pingelova, is featured in Croatia as part of the Trakoscan Castle display “The Soldiers of Count Josip Kazimir Draskovic.”

The event was officially inaugurated by Ivan Mravlincic, senior curator and deputy director of the castle museum, and from the Bulgarian side by chief curator Rositsa Bineva and Bulgarian Ambassador Iva Kruleva.

Presented in an interactive format, the exhibition highlights the nearly forgotten craft of Bulgarian weapons masters, which combines the skills of both blacksmiths and goldsmiths. It demonstrates the handmade production and decoration of weapons in Bulgaria during the 18th and 19th centuries.

The event was met with great interest from visitors, who, with the help of three-dimensional models and guidance from consultant Desislava Pingelova, could virtually step into the workshops of historical weapons makers, learn about the techniques for creating antique pistols and rifles, and even handle replicas to examine them up close.