The Regional Archaeological Museum in Plovdiv is one of the first Bulgarian cultural institutions, officially opened in 1882. Originally set up as an archaeological and numismatic office, it gradually earned the status of Archaeological Museum during the 1920s.
     Its funds initially consisted of a numismatic collection of 1,500 coins, ethnographic and historical documents, church plates, and incunabula from the VIII - XVII c., as well as 300 icons and paintings by some of the most famous Bulgarian painters Stanislav Dospevski, Ivan Lazarov, Tzanko Lavrenov, Nikolay Rainov, Zlatju Boiadjiev, and many others. The museum boasts one of the richest collections of 100.000 exhibits of artifacts related to the history of Plovdiv and its region.