Bolu Museum

Bolu Museum is an archaeological and ethnographic museum located in Bolu, a city in northwestern Turkey that was once a center of the ancient Bithynian kingdom. Established in 1981, the museum houses significant collections spanning from the Neolithic period through the Ottoman era. Its holdings include notable sculptures from regional excavations and a substantial ethnographic archive, making it an important repository for the cultural heritage of the Bolu province.

The museum opened on 14 November 1981. It suffered damage during the 1999 Düzce earthquake, a major seismic event that affected northwestern Turkey. Following a restoration period, the museum was reopened to the public on 18 May 2006. In 2021, scholarly analysis identified a painted female head statue, originally discovered in the 1970s, as representing the goddess Artemis, adding to the museum's ongoing research significance.

The museum is organized into two principal sections. The archaeology section, located on the ground floor, presents material from the Neolithic through the Byzantine period, including marble, glass, metallic, and terracotta objects. It also contains a coin collection spanning from ancient Greek to Ottoman times. The ethnography section on the upper floor displays items from the 19th and 20th centuries, including religious works, weapons, ornaments, clothing, and metal tools. A portion of this section recreates a typical Bolu domestic interior. The archaeology section holds 1,678 items, while the ethnography section contains 1,680 pieces.

Among the museum's most significant archaeological pieces are sculptures of Asklepios, Hygeia, and Telesphorus from the Seben Çeltikdere excavations, and a Herakles sculpture from Bolu itself. Other important works include a bust of Hermes and a gladiator stele. The museum also displays a replica of a Roman tomb with its skeleton and grave goods. Larger architectural and sculptural elements, sarcophagi, inscribed stones, and stelae are exhibited in the museum garden. The ethnographic collections feature embroidery from the Mudurnu region, clothing from Kıbrısçık, and items related to the henna night tradition.

Bolu Museum is situated in the city of Bolu, capital of the province of the same name in Turkey. The museum's location within a municipal cultural complex reflects its role as a public institution dedicated to preserving and presenting regional heritage.