Neolithic Dwellings Museum

Two of the oldest preserved buildings on Earth — 8,000-year-old Neolithic houses discovered right in the city centre

Address 2 Arsenalski Blvd, Stara Zagora

The Neolithic Dwellings Museum preserves two houses from a settlement that stood here around 6000 BCE, making them among the oldest surviving building remains in Europe. When the site was uncovered during construction in 1968, archaeologists found the floor plans intact along with pottery, stone tools, weaving equipment, and stores of grain — a remarkably complete snapshot of daily life in the earliest farming communities of Thrace.

The museum building was constructed around the ruins, which are now viewable at ground level in their original positions. The presentation is straightforward but effective: you walk around the remains and see exactly where the hearth was, where the grain was stored, where the tools were left. For a site that is eight millennia old, the tangibility of the remains is genuinely striking. Allow thirty minutes to an hour. The museum is small and central, easy to combine with a walk through the nearby Roman ruins.

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A story
The Neolithic settlement was discovered in 1968 during construction work in the city centre — workers broke through the roof of one of the houses. Archaeological excavation revealed two dwellings from around 6000 BCE, complete with storage vessels, tools, and the remains of grain. The site is considered one of the best-preserved Neolithic settlements in Europe, notable for the intact floor plans and finds still in their original positions.