Aviation Museums › Air Force & Military Aviation
Bulgaria's only functional aviation museum, operating since 2005 as a branch of the National Museum of Military History (Sofia). It opened on 21 September 1991, realizing an idea dating back to 1919 to preserve Bulgaria's early aircraft after an earlier collection at Bojurishte Airfield (opened 1934) was lost at the start of WWII. The museum sits adjacent to Plovdiv Airport / the 24th Helicopter Air Base and holds a large collection of Bulgarian military and civil aircraft, engines, armament and related artifacts.
Notable Exhibits
- Arado 196 A-3 "Shark" — A WWII-era seaplane described by the museum as the only preserved example of its type in the world.
- Georgi Bojinov aircraft (1912) — Built by Bulgarian constructor Georgi Bojinov and patented in France in 1912.
- MiG-21 — Delta-wing, Mach 2+ capable jet fighter, one of Bulgaria's most mass-produced aircraft types.
- Laz-7M — Designed by Professor Tsvetan Lazarov; Bulgaria built 310 of this type up to 1954.
- IL-28 — The only jet bomber type Bulgaria operated, later repurposed for research/investigative aviation.
The museum describes its own founding story as "an idea that lived for 73 years" — from the 1919 concept to the 1991 opening.
It has been an official branch of Bulgaria's National Museum of Military History since 2005.
Verified 2026-10-16 · History of the museum, Aircraft collection, Plovdiv Airport