Vidin Regional History Museum

The Yearbook of the Regional Museum of History – Vidin is a new scholarly publication created to present the most significant and engaging research related to the history and cultural heritage of the Vidin region. It combines academic rigor with accessible language and is intended both for specialists and for all readers interested in the region’s past.

The first volume (2025) is dedicated to the scientific conference “Archaeological and Historical Studies of Vidin and the Vidin Region” and includes selected papers by established scholars, museum professionals, and early-career researchers from across the country. The volume publishes studies in archaeology, history, and ethnography, revealing new evidence about the ancient and more recent past of Northwestern Bulgaria.

The authors include representatives of the Regional Museum of History – Vidin, the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, Sofia University “St. Kliment Ohridski,” as well as specialists from other museums and research institutions. The articles cover a wide thematic range—from prehistory and antiquity to the Middle Ages and the National Revival period—along with issues related to museum practice and the preservation of cultural heritage.

With the publication of the Yearbook, the Museum establishes a long-term platform for sharing knowledge, aimed at preserving and promoting scholarly research on the Vidin region and making it accessible to a broader audience.

Publishing Information

Volume 1 of the Yearbook of the Regional Museum of History – Vidin is published with the financial support of the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Bulgaria, under Contract No. RD 11-00-176 / 17.09.2025.

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Scientific Editor: Prof. Dr. Georgi N. Nikolov
Reviewers: Prof. Dr. Nadya Manolova-Nikolova; Assoc. Prof. Dr. Ivo Topalilov

Contents

Greetings to the Conference

• Greeting by Mr. Marian Bachev, Minister of Culture of the Republic of Bulgaria — p. 7
• Address from the Municipality of Vidin — p. 8
• Greeting by Ms. Ani Arutyunyan, Regional Governor of Vidin — p. 9
• Greeting by Dr. Hristina Kirilova, Director of the Regional Museum of History – Vidin — p. 10

Foreword — p. 11

I. One Hundred Years Since the Birth of Yordana Atanasova

• Vanya Stavreva — Yordana Atanasova (1925–2004) — p. 15
• Yordanka Kostova — The Personal Archival Collection of Yordana Atanasova in the State Archives – Vidin — p. 35

II. Archaeological Studies of Vidin and the Vidin Region

• Bilyana Torbatova — Cult Sites from the Roman Period Near Springs in Northwestern Bulgaria — p. 45
• Sergey Torbatov — The Late Roman Roadside Complex Near the Village of Granichak, Belogradchik Area: Problems of Interpretation — p. 55
• Kalin Videnov — Comparative Analysis of Coin Circulation in the Period 491–578 (Based on Materials from the Regional Museums of History in Blagoevgrad and Vidin) — p. 65
• Vladislav Zhivkov — The Eastern Bank of the Skamlya River: An Archaeological Overview — p. 81
• Vanya Stavreva — Is the “Austrian Tower” of Baba Vida Really Austrian? A Contribution to the Historical Topography of Vidin during the Habsburg Period (1689–1690) — p. 93
• Olenka Milanova — Following the Traces of a Legend. Preliminary Results of the Rescue Archaeological Excavations at the “Krastata Kazarma” Site, Vidin (June–October 2012) — p. 115
• Chavdar Kirilov — Felix Kanitz’s “Fictitious Village” Smorden: A Contribution to the Historical Geography and Cartography of Northwestern Bulgaria — p. 145

III. Historical and Ethnological Studies

• Plamen Petkov — The Military-Political Influence of the Scordisci up to the Oskios River — p. 159
• Georgi N. Nikolov — Once Again on the Bishop of Voden in the Charter of Basil II (1020) — p. 179
• Denitsa Petrova — The Note of Dragan and Rayko in Medieval Studies — p. 189
• Raya Zaimova, Margarita Dobreva — Newly Discovered Evidence on the Hungarian Emigration and Lajos Kossuth in Vidin in 1849 — p. 195
• Diyana Tsenkova — A Historical Document on the Uprising of 1850 Preserved in the Collection of the Regional Museum of History – Vidin — p. 203
• Polina Petrova — Museum Practice in Vidin (1910–1944) — p. 219
• Sashka Bizeranova — “A Forged Necklace on a White Neck, a Silver Belt on a Slender Waist,” or Ornaments from the Collection of the Ethnography Department of the Regional Museum of History – Vidin — p. 243

Appendices

• Abbreviations — p. 254
• Authors in This Volume — p. 255
• Photographs from the Conference — p. 257