The National Museum of Military History in Bulgaria will open an exhibition titled “Created in War, Preserved through Art” on May 5, marking the Day of Bravery and the Bulgarian Armed Forces as well as the museum’s 110th anniversary. The exhibition transports visitors to 1916, during World War I, when the museum was founded to preserve the memory of the Bulgarian Army, and highlights how Bulgarian artists participated in an international exhibition in Berlin that year, with many of their war-inspired works later acquired by the Ministry of War to form a major art collection.
This exhibition matters because it underscores the intersection of art and military history, showing how creative expression can emerge from conflict and become a vital part of national heritage. By linking the founding of the museum with the acquisition of wartime art, the exhibition also emphasizes the role of cultural institutions in preserving collective memory and identity, while offering the public free access and engaging activities that connect history with contemporary experience.