Abstract: The popularization activities and the relations with audiences are among the main functions of the museum institution. They transform the museum from an “ordinary” keeper of treasures into an institution with responsibilities towards the local community with a specific attitude towards the distribution of knowledge for the past. The problems of communication with the audiences, registered first by Western specialists during the third quarter of the 20th century, have their manifestations in Bulgaria, but in a different time and within differing conditions. The current article examines several examples of feedback from visitors of permanent exhibitions in Bulgaria, dedicated to the National Revival period. Relying on more classical means – like the Books for Impressions, but also on rather contemporary approaches, delivered by social media and e-communication, receiving a more diverse (and therefore complete) feedback is more reachable. The analysis of the feedback displays a general satisfaction among the audiences from the permanent museum exhibition in Bulgaria in their current state. Demanding towards the narratives for other periods and topics, the visitors reveal a high level of tolerance for the methods of representing the National Revival period, which can generally be referred to the means of Classical Museology. There, the construction is revolving around the museum artifact and the narrative follows only a single direction – from the author of the exhibition to its visitor, without any opportunity for dialogue or interaction. Keeping these conditions in mind, the approval of the audiences for this anachronous approach could only be justified with the association of the topic with the National Narrative and its significance for identity – factors, that cause the reception of knowledge through emotions, that occur within an environment, filled with widely affirmed images of heritage from the National Revival.

Keywords: National Revival, museum, permanent exhibition, museum studies, museum audiences

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