In 1834, the first cloth factory, owned by Dobri Zhelyazkov, was opened. It became the first enterprise of that level in Bulgaria. By decree of the Sultan of the Ottoman Empire Mahmud II, the Turks provided the Bulgarian merchant with looms and all the necessary equipment. For his part, the owner of the factory had to carry out regular supplies of wool at prescribed rates to all sanjaks of the Empire. This contract marked the beginning of the history of the development of the textile industry not only in Sliven but in the whole of Bulgaria.

A little over a hundred years later, the small Bulgarian town turned into an important centre of the country’s textile industry. The city’s factories and mills were producing not only wool fabrics but also cotton and silks. Perhaps, Zhelyazkov’s factory would never have ceased its operations if it wasn’t for a major fire in 1904 that almost demolished all of its workshops.

For many years, the building of the oldest factory in Bulgaria belonged to local authorities. Up until the end of the Second World War in the mid-twentieth century, it was used as a town jail and torture chamber. Subsequently, the magnificent architectural landmark of the 19th century has been restored, the old factory workshops, looms and equipment were reinstated, and in 1984, the opening of the National Museum of Textile Industry, which was founded by the National Polytechnical Museum of Sofia, took place.

The grand opening of the museum was held in conjunction with the 150th anniversary of the development of the textile industry of Bulgaria. Over 3 thousand artefacts are displayed across the area of 550 square meters. Three gorgeous exhibitions tell guests of the museum about the evolution of textile handicrafts, of manual and automated production. Eighteen spacious halls display various tools starting from ancient times up to the present day.

The fascinating tour of Sliven’s museums can be prolonged with a visit to the nearby House Museum of the Old Sliven and Dobri Chintulov House Museum where the famous Bulgarian poet and educator lived and worked.