The Krastata Kazarma is one of the most impressive historical buildings in Vidin and a cultural monument. Built in 1801, it served the needs of Ottoman troops and was functionally connected to a nearby weapons workshop. After the Liberation, the building continued its active life as a courthouse and a barracks for the Bulgarian army.

Architecturally, the Krastata Kazarma is a massive two-storey structure in the shape of an equal-armed cross, with a built-up area of 1,260 sq. m. Its spacious interior impresses with a sense of monumentality, stability, and solemnity—qualities that highlight its importance both as a military and public center throughout different historical periods.

Between 1965 and 1967, the building was restored and adapted for museum purposes, and since 1969 it has housed an ethnographic exhibition dedicated to the traditional culture of the population of the Vidin region. The exhibition covers the period from the late 19th century to the 1920s and presents the richness and diversity of local everyday life.

Visitors can learn about the main agricultural activities—ploughing, sowing, harvesting, threshing, and haymaking—as well as the traditions of viticulture and winemaking, which are of particular importance to the region. Fishing along the Danube River also holds a significant place, presented through authentic tools and everyday objects used by Danube fishermen.

Among domestic crafts, weaving is featured, with tools for processing wool, hemp, and cotton, a horizontal loom, and characteristic checkered and striped textiles. Folk artistic crafts are richly represented through tools and articles from goldsmithing, coppersmithing, pottery, woodcarving, tailoring, furriery, felt-making, blacksmithing, and cart-making.

Particularly impressive is the collection of women’s and men’s traditional folk costumes—two-apron, cloth and white-dress costumes —as well as exquisite embroidery that reveals the high aesthetic culture of the local population. Exhibits from urban life and clothing illustrate Vidin’s active cultural and trade connections with Europe.

“The Combat Path of the 3rd Infantry “Bdin” Regiment and the 15th Infantry Lom Regiment” is a powerful documentary narrative of the heroism, sacrifice, and military honor of the men from the Vidin region during the First World War. The exhibition traces the participation of both regiments in key battles and reveals the human face of war through the destinies of ordinary soldiers and officers.

“The Combat Path of the 3rd Infantry “Bdin” Regiment and the 15th Infantry Lom Regiment” is not just an exhibition, but a tribute to the memory of the fallen and a mark of respect for the deeds of the soldiers, whose names and lives are an inseparable part of the history of Vidin and Bulgaria.

The Krastata Kazarma is not merely a museum, but a living space where the history, traditions, and cultural memory of the Vidin region come to life before the visitor.