Rediscovered National Treasure: Bulgarian Kilims Exhibition Opens in Veliko Tarnovo

In the Winter Garden of the Ethnographic Museum with the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, Jacob van Beelen and his Bulgarian Kilim Foundation presented five new acquisitions - all rare finds - which are considered valuable artefacts of the Bulgarian cultural heritage, Sofia, March 10, 2026 (BTA Photo/Vladimir Shokov)

Sofia,

12.05.2026 10:40

(BTA)

An exhibition celebrating Bulgaria’s rich heritage of the flat-weave "kilim" carpets, will open on May 20 at the Revival Museum in Veliko Tarnovo, said the Bulgarian Kilim Foundation. Organized by the Regional Museum of History in Veliko Tarnovo and the Bulgarian Kilim Foundation, the exhibition will run until May 31, 2026.

For the first time, visitors will have the opportunity to see nine rare masterpieces from the collection of Jacob van Beelen and the Bulgarian Kilim Foundation. Dating from the 17th to the 19th century, they are among the earliest known examples of Bulgarian kilim art.

Van Beelen owns the richest private collection of over 1,000 authentic century-old kilims from various parts of Bulgaria and has been dedicated to preserving and popularizing the Bulgarian tradition in making flat-weave carpets, or kilims. Van Beelen said in a BTA interview that his kilims are “a feast for the eye” that must be shared with others. In 2025, he launched a foundation dedicated to preserving and promoting Bulgaria’s rich kilim tradition. The foundation aims to build, maintain, and document a national collection of Bulgarian kilims, while also researching the full scope of the country’s weaving heritage

Four of the exhibits in the Veliko Tarnovo exhibition have already been recognized as "national treasure" by the Institute of Ethnology and Folklore Studies with the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences. These include the oldest known Bulgarian carpet, dated before 1688, a Bakamski (Garibalda) kilim from 1730–1770, a "Surovaknitsi" kilim from Kotel dated 1869, and a "Curly Stars" kilim from Sliven from the late 19th century.

As part of the exhibition, visitors will also be able to see the "Trees with Fruits" kilim from Bulgaria’s Parliament building in Sofia, dating from the 1950–1975 period.

The exhibition invites guests to discover the stories woven into Bulgaria’s oldest carpets - works of art that preserve the craftsmanship and cultural memory of generations.

In early March, the Institute of Ethnology and Folklore Studies and the Bulgarian Kilim Foundation signed a partnership agreement under which a total of 81 kilims from the foundation’s collection will be studied and identified.

/NF/