A resident of the town of Kostinbrod, near the capital Sofia, discovered a bust of Bulgaria's national hero, Vasil Levski, in a recycling facility.

Led by patriotic motives, the man bought the sculpture and called the "Quick Reaction" task team from the National History Museum, (NHM), the Museum's press office announced Thursday.

Levski's bust is made of bronze and depicts the national hero wearing the uniform of a revolutionary from the Belgrade Legion.

The statue bears the signature of the renowned Bulgarian sculptor, Petar Balabanov, and, most likely, dates between the 20s and the 40s of the 20th century.

It is still unknown where the bust has been stolen from, but the NHM Director, Bozhidar Dimitrov, stated the Museum had no intentions of returning the sculpture to its owner(s).

"Institutions that fail in safeguarding their national treasures do not deserve to own them," Dimitrov said.