Description of the attraction
The House of Satire and Humor is a unique and essentially the only museum dedicated to humor. Opened in Gabrovo in 1972 on April Fool's Day.
We can say that this museum continues and develops the role of Gabrovo folklore humor, its traditional merry carnivals. After all, Gabrovo is the recognized capital of Bulgarian humor. In unison with this, the motto invented by the museum workers sounds: "The world has survived, because he knew how to laugh!"
In the place where the building of the House of Humor and Satire is now located, a tannery was formerly located. The house of satire and humor was built after the plant was demolished. The total area of the museum is 8 thousand square meters; there are 10 exhibition halls on this territory. Thus, the House of Satire and Humor can be attributed to one of the largest museums in Bulgaria.
The permanent exhibition, The Roots of Gabrovo Humor, features a variety of exhibits, including famous local anecdotes illustrated by Boris Dimovsky, a renowned cartoonist. It is from here that the acquaintance with the exhibits of the museum begins.
Before entering the exhibition, all visitors are greeted by a tailless black cat - the symbol of Gabrovo. According to one of the local jokes, the residents of Gabrovo used to chop the tails of cats so that they could pass through the open door as soon as possible, thereby saving heat in the frosty season. But of course, this is nothing more than a joke - not a single inhabitant of the city even thought about depriving a pet of its tail.
Another humorous allusion to the excessive frugality of the Gabrovo people in the form of a picture occupies the main place in the museum. This is the work of Radi Nedelchev's brush - a large egg with a faucet, which, by the way, is also another symbol of the city. The picture hints that local housewives on weekdays do not use a whole egg for fueling dinners, only on holidays.
The museum has a specially equipped children's room, where children can play a lot and even touch the exhibits with their hands. Also in the House of Satire and Humor there is a unique "Bank of Jokes", where everyone can leave their favorite anecdote or joke.
Every year on April 1, a special festive program is held in the museum.
