Vladislav Varnenchik museum, Memorial museum in Varna, Bulgaria.
The Vladislav Varnenchik museum is a history museum in Varna, Bulgaria, dedicated to the memory of the 1444 Battle of Varna. It holds a collection of medieval weapons, armor, and documents, all displayed on grounds that also contain ancient burial mounds.
The park-museum was created in 1924 on the site of the 1444 Battle of Varna, where the Polish-Lithuanian-Hungarian king Władysław III led a crusade against the Ottoman advance and was killed. The mausoleum, built into an abandoned Thracian burial mound, was opened in 1935 by Tsar Boris III. A museum exhibition was added for the 520th anniversary of the battle.
The park-museum is a branch of Bulgaria's National Museum of Military History. Its exhibition, opened for the 520th anniversary of the 1444 battle, displays paintings, sculptures, knightly armour and swords, coats of arms and banners, chain mail, maces, bombards, halberds, bows and crossbows, many donated by military history museums in Warsaw, Budapest, Prague, Bucharest and Belgrade.
The grounds can be explored on foot, with paths connecting the outdoor areas, though some sections have uneven terrain. Comfortable shoes are a good idea, and a visit in dry weather makes walking around the outdoor parts much easier.
The memorial is a cenotaph, not a tomb: Władysław III's body was never recovered after the 1444 battle. It was created by transforming one of two Thracian burial mounds from the 4th century BC that stood on the battlefield, and it was inaugurated by Tsar Boris III on 4 August 1935.
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