On 1 July, the travelling exhibition “Swift, Accurate, On Time!” opened at the Historical Museum in Strelcha. The date was carefully chosen, as it marks the anniversary of the establishment of telegraph and postal communications in the Principality of Bulgaria on 1 July 1879.

“We at the Regional Ethnographic Museum – Plovdiv are proud to preserve the richest collection in Bulgaria dedicated to the history and development of communications in the country. This collection was made possible thanks to the generous donation of BTC Plc.,” commented the Museum’s Director, Associate Professor Dr Angel Yankov.

Richly illustrated with photographs and informative texts, the exhibition traces the most significant events and milestones in the history of communications in the Bulgarian lands—from the Ottoman period, when the Tatar mounted postal service and specially established relay stations (menzils) operated, to the introduction of the telegraph in Bulgaria in 1855 and its subsequent development. Among the exhibition’s most valuable artefacts is a Morse telegraph apparatus dating from 1857.

Visitors can also admire a remarkable selection of authentic exhibits, including some of the first telephone sets used in Bulgaria in the late nineteenth century in municipal offices and the homes of affluent families. Highlights include telephones manufactured by Berliner, Western Electric and Siemens & Halske, featuring dual handsets for conference calls, as well as one of the earliest Ericsson coin-operated telephones.

Collectors and enthusiasts of vintage postcards and philately will have the opportunity to explore a collection of Bulgarian postage stamps, featuring examples from the country’s first issues—the “centimes” stamps of 1879—through to the 1980s.

“Swift, Accurate, On Time!” will remain on display in Strelcha until the end of September.