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Welcome to Sliven Art Gallery and more precisely to the hall dedicated to the wonderful Sliven-born artist Sirak Skitnik. What was his real name and who are the other famous Bulgarian artists whose paintings are hidden in the gallery? You can discover all these and…

The Golden Mask from Dalakova Mogila is covered in mystery. It is strikingly reminiscent of the famous golden mask of Agamemnon of Mycenae, although there are more than 5 centuries between them. It was found during archaeological excavations of the grave of an Odrysian ruler. The buried body has been dismembered, which is a typical practice of the Orpheism and its mysteries. The funeral mask is made of a natural alloy of gold and silver called ‘electron’. The wide-open eyes are a symbol of the inner vision possessed by those initiated into the secrets of the royal institution. The look speaks of the king's divine wisdom. The ruler was considered all- seeing (omnivident) like the sun. The wide-open eyes show that the king possesses secret knowledge inaccessible to others, through which he is able to see into the beyond.

The beautiful old house, once home to Dobri Zhelyazkov’s son – the first factory owner in Bulgaria, houses an exceptional collection of artefacts from different centuries and eras. The numerous priceless works of the Thracian mastery can make any world museum proud. We learn about…