The exhibition “Everyday Life and Style: Urban Ethnography” was opened at the Regional Open-Air Ethnographic Museum “Etar.” It is a joint project of the Regional Ethnographic Museum – Plovdiv and the Regional Historical Museum – Ruse.

The exhibition features more than 200 artefacts, accompanied by informational posters that illustrate the Europeanization of everyday life in Bulgarian cities and the transition to Modernity at the end of the 19th century.

During this period, Plovdiv and Ruse were the main economic drivers of the young Bulgarian state, and the prosperity they generated influenced the lifestyles of their residents. Fashion trends, introduced to Bulgaria through the imperial styles of Vienna and Constantinople, shaped the unique atmosphere of these cities and paved the way for various cultural and technological innovations, many of which happened in Bulgaria for the first time.

The emergence of luxury as a social status triggered significant changes in urban architecture, home interiors, dining habits, music culture, clothing, and fashion accessories.

Visitors to the exhibition can admire luxurious dining sets, candlesticks, fruit stands, and oil lamps, as well as dresses and lingerie from the late 19th and early 20th centuries, once seen only in family photo albums. The exhibition also presents intriguing male grooming accessories such as a Solingen steel razor, a porcelain jar for shaving powder, and silver snuffboxes.

Other fascinating exhibits include an old miniature film projector, which illuminates the film strip with a candle, a stereoscope that brings postcards to life, and an early 20th-century French wall telephone.

A cast-iron pressure cooker, hand mixers, and serving trays for eggs are just some of the nostalgic kitchen attractions from the past.

On the first floor, visitors can explore ala-franga paintings from the Revival-era houses of Old Plovdiv, which serve as authentic decorative elements recreating the interiors of modern homes from the mid-to-late 19th century.

For the most curious visitors, interactive displays will answer questions such as “What is ‘kef’?” or “In which city is the main street called Alexandrovskaya?”. As visitors take a walk through this historical passage, they will also enjoy Viennese waltzes, which once marked Europe’s musical influence in Bulgaria.

The exhibition is open to visitors until August 11, 2025.