Description of the attraction
Varna Museum of Theater Puppets is a unique museum of this kind in the Balkans, as well as one of the smallest museums in Europe. It was opened in 1985 at the initiative of the playwright Byrnev.
The exposition includes more than 120 theatrical puppets and elements of various decorations from the most successful performances that took place in the Varna Puppet Theater from 1952 to 1995. Here you can see numerous international theater awards. The exposition reflects the stages of not only the development of scenography in Bulgaria, but also the improvement in the design of theatrical puppets.
Along with traditional dolls, the museum presents marionettes, mask dolls, parsley and old "harpsichord" dolls. The complex and unique mechanism of such dolls was invented more than 50 years ago by George Saravanov, the founder of the Varna Puppet Theater. They are somewhat reminiscent of puppets, but thanks to a special method of fastening, they move when the keys are pressed.
Among others, in the museum you can see dolls that were used in such children's performances as "Buratino", "Sleeping Beauty" and in a play based on biblical stories. Some puppets took part in performances for teenagers (for example, in the play about Baron Munchausen). There are puppets here that “played” in performances for adults: “Love, Love”, “The Queen of Spades”, “Birds”.
Some exhibits of the Puppet Museum took part in the XII International Puppet Theater Festival in Tolos (Spain) in 1994.
