The Earth and Man National Museum: a testament to its donors

The Earth and Man National Museum in Sofia was founded in 1986 thanks to donations from 90 Bulgarian and foreign scientists, intellectuals and collectors, as well as 65 companies and institutions. Its origins date back a year earlier, when Ilia Delev, a Bulgarian émigré in Brazil who assembled one of the world's largest collections of giant crystals, donated 53 specimens on the condition that they remain in Bulgaria. On Aug. 3, 2026, Bulgaria marks the 106th anniversary of Delev's birth.

“This collection is something unique on its own,” says Petko Petrov from the Earth and Man Museum. “In fact it has been split in two – the first part went to Paris after a trade deal and the second came to Sofia. That’s it – there are no more collections of giant crystals worldwide, no matter the wealth of the state or its museums. You can see a crystal, or two, or three at many museums, but nearly 100, as in this museum – this is exceptional.”

The collection of donor Petar Tranteev is one of the most precious possessions of the museum and it is a story of the life of cave pearls, presented in mineral samples.

“Petar Tranteev is a legend of Bulgarian speleology. Moreover – he has actually established modern speleology. Since the very beginning he and his colleagues created a cave register with exact mapping and at a very high scientific level. We also keep the notes, diaries, maps and the whole deed of Bulgarian speleologists,” Petko Petrov says.

Since 1987, the museum has marked Donors' Day on June 19. Each year it opens its New Acquisitions exhibition and holds a ceremony at which certificates of appreciation are presented to the museum's donors.

“These large black stones are the first thing that attracts the attention – actually those are meteorites. We didn’t have such a collection before - our samples were as tiny as a thumbnail. Now we have this donation by Georgi Penev and we are proud to host such a beautiful collection. Only 5 – 6 meteorites have fallen in Bulgaria and so those are samples from abroad, but excellent ones,” Petko Petrov explains.

The hyalophane from the Busovaca field in Bosnia and Herzegovina is yet another interesting exhibit. It has been gifted by amateur collector Branislav Pasalic from Serbia. “This is one of the best hyalophane samples. Branislav often participates in the mineral exchange organized by the museum. Our good relations have resulted in a sample at a global level from the locality with the best hyalophane,” Petko Petrov says.

Igor Pekov from Moscow is another really respected donor at the Earth and Man Museum. He is world famous with some 200 new minerals discovered.

“Whenever he has more than just a tiny piece of the mineral, Igor Pekov gifts samples to the Fersman Mineralogical Museum and the Vernadsky State Geological Museum in Moscow, and also to our museum. This places us next to the best ones globally and it makes us happy. Every time he visits us he carries 10 – 20 new minerals – samples from the type field which are worth much more than just a new mineral.”

“It is not a coincidence that the Earth and Man National Museum has always been called ‘a temple of donations’,” Petko Petrov is proud to say. “Many people have put a lot of efforts, in order for the place to become what it is today.” The number of donators is now nearly 1,000 and the exhibits have been getting more and more.

“We have this entire showcase with Facebook friends of the museum. Only a handful of people used to collect minerals before, but now we have several Facebook clubs which are proud to say that their samples have been gifted to the museum. We maintain very good contacts with those people. Of course, these samples are all from Bulgaria and we are proud to show the beauty of our mountains as well,” Petko Petrov says in conclusion.

English version: Zhivko Stanchev