The Archaeological museum

The Archaeological Museum of Nessebar is housed in a modern building specifically designed to showcase the layers of civilization discovered on the peninsula. The experience begins in the lobby, where the official UNESCO World Heritage certificate is displayed, before leading you through four chronologically arranged halls. In the first hall, "Mesembria and the Thracians," you can see the earliest traces of life, including 12th-century BC stone anchors and a unique 3rd-century BC marble decree honoring the Thracian dynast Sadalas. The second hall, dedicated to the Greek "Pontic Polis," features rare bronze hydriai used as funeral urns and a stunning collection of gold jewelry, alongside marble statues of Apollo and Tyche. The third hall captures the city’s transition through the Roman and Byzantine eras, highlighted by the marble pedestal of Emperor Claudius and the 15th-century tombstone of Princess Mataisa Kantakouzene Palaiologina. Finally, the journey concludes in the Icon Hall, a specialized gallery housing a priceless collection of over 250 icons from the 13th to the 19th centuries, representing the distinctive artistic style of the local Nessebar icon-painting school.