As for the museum itself – it is located in two galleries of the "Old Mines," and the underground tour spans 630 meters. The exhibition traces the history of coal mining in Bulgaria – from manual labor using chisels and hammers, and transporting coal with wooden carts and stretchers, through the use of horse-drawn wagons, to Siemens electric locomotives and fully mechanized mining systems.

“It’s the only museum of its kind on the Balkan Peninsula. There are such museums in Europe – in Belgium, France, Germany – but none of them are in actual mining galleries. Our museum is located in the first gallery of the State Mine in Pernik dating to 1891. That’s what makes our mining museum unique – you can literally walk in the footsteps of the miners, see the first tools, the machines, and how mining developed over time. The mining industry is represented in 34 exhibition niches. During every school holiday, we host ‘Vacation in the Museum’. We want our children to learn the history of Pernik. You can’t study, say, the French Sun King and not know who Krakra of Pernik was. That’s our mission – to help children know their own history,” says Silvia Noteva, curator of Modern and Contemporary History at the Regional History Museum in Pernik.

The mines in Pernik functioned like a state within a state – they had their own police force, fire department, and more. Over the years, more than 12,000 people worked there. This is largely what led to the rapid development of Pernik.

"The mine in Pernik is the black jewel of the beautiful Bulgarian land," wrote Tsar Boris III in 1924. His speech was long, but ended with the words: "God be with you!" These same words were placed above the entrance to every mine.

The exhibition is not only authentic, but also interactive, allowing visitors to quite literally "step into the shoes" of the miners who worked there until the late 1970s, when the mine was shut down.

“That’s the uniqueness of this underground museum – it shows the full coal extraction process from the end of the 19th century to the late 1970s. We tried to use sound and light to recreate the reality – how coal was mined by hand, how canaries were used to detect methane gas (grisou – a colorless, suffocating gas), warning miners to evacuate,” explains Milan Milanov, director of the Pernik Museum.

Today, there is no grisou – for the peace of mind of anyone wanting to visit the museum. Still, since this is a former real mine, a specialist performs daily safety checks, despite the presence of a modern ventilation system.

And while Pernik is known as Bulgaria’s mining capital, today the town no longer depends on coal mining for its livelihood. On the contrary – there are hardly any functioning mines left, and many residents now work in nearby Sofia.

“It’s a painful topic,” says Milanov. “Pernik was known as the industrial heart of Bulgaria – not only for brown coal mining, but also for its engineering industry. There were large machine-building plants, and a major metallurgical complex (Stomana Pernik). Unfortunately, after 1989 and the fall of Socialist, most of the enterprises were shut down. Today, there are no more underground mines in the country. Over 25,000 people commute to Sofia every day. There is still some open-pit coal mining in Pernik, but from 12,000-15,000 workers in the past, now only about 1,500–1,600 remain. In the large metallurgical complex, after it was acquired by a Greek company, only around 1,200 people still work there. The machine-building factories are completely gone – they no longer exist.”

And despite the reduced local industry, the jokes, and myths surrounding Pernik, the town remains a wonderful destination just half an hour from Sofia. It is full of life and young people, offering hope for its future. As for the unique mining museum – people of all ages from near and far can visit it every day. 

In Pernik, one can also see other interesting sites – such as the Krakra Fortress, one of the largest medieval Bulgarian strongholds, as well as the exhibition of the town’s historical museum.