History Museum in Kardzhali is located in a building built in the early XX century. Originally it was intended for madrasah, but never took on this role. The Museum is surrounded by a Park in which there are representative for Bulgaria (and used only here) species.

From 1934 until 1947, the building was used for military purposes. After became an official branch of the University of Plovdiv and at the same time school. The Museum building was converted in the 1980-ies. In 2005 the building was declared an architectural monument at the national level by order of the Minister of culture.

Total area of exhibition halls – 1300 sq. m. the First floor is occupied nine rooms, which are presented in chronological order the life of the region from the VI Millennium BC to the Medieval period. Of special interest is reconstructed mound Neolithic "Celesta grave", as well as photographs of the shrines, the rock tombs. Here are the Roman ceramics, quitrent plates, ornaments and jewels from the necropolis, and more.

The second floor is divided into four rooms and it recreates the natural features of the Eastern part of the Rhodopes. Among other things, you can see fossils – fossils of sea urchins, molluscs and stars, trees and corals, and fish. In addition, the Museum has photos of unique rock shapes ("Stone mushrooms", "Elephant", "Broken mountain", "the Petrified forest" and other) and the collection of ore minerals and herbs.

The third floor is devoted to ethnographic exposition, which is located in ten halls. The exhibits included in the exhibit belong to the XIX-XX centuries. Specialists have reconstructed typical regional crafts: agriculture, Metalworking, farming, shoemaking, and other. Homemade crafts represented by the skill of the spinners and knitters.