History:
The city of Varna is about thousand years
old. Due to its favorable geographic
location, the place was first inhabited by
an ancient Thracian tribe, Corbisi, which
had a small fishermen settlement there. In
the 6th century BC a Greek polis, named
Odessos, emerged there. The town became
fishing and farming colony, which soon
turned into commercial hub. The town fell
under the siege of Alexander of Macedonia's
troops in the 4th century BC, but after the
siege did not succeed to subject it, the
town was given autonomy within the limits of
his Empire. Up to the 1st century BC it was
an independent polis, which minted its own
coins with the image of its god. Later on,
conquered by Mark Lukulus' legions, it
became a Roman centre though gradually it
lost supremacy in the region. In the 9th
century it was already called Varna.
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The town was included in the territory of
Bulgaria in the beginning of the 13lh
century during the reign of King Kaloyan.
Despite its strong defence system, the town
was conquered by the Turks in 1391 which
gradually transformed it into an oriental
city with konaks (town-halls), Turkish baths
and mosques. In 1878 Varna was finally
liberated from Ottoman rule and became the
most important Bulgarian seaport. Even if
the city was industrialised, it also
developed into a seaside resort, and a
favourite holiday place for the Bulgarian
cultural elite. The city carried the name of
Stalin for a short time, but after 1956 it
returned the name of Varna.
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Places of
Interest:
In the city: A restored Roman
spa built in the 2nd century during
the reign of Antony Pii and a Roman
Bath dating back to the 3rd century
can be found in the downtown. The
Holy Virgin Cathedral, considered to
be the most impressive monument of
the city, rises in the very centre
of the city. The cathedral's
construction started in the second
half of the 19th century but it was
not sanctified until 1910. Another
church, the St. Nikola Church is
located near the Sea Garden Park and
dates back to 1866. The Clock Tower,
built in 1880, rises just across the
cathedral. The Theatre of Drama,
where the first-ever Bulgarian
theatre performance was held, is
also a must-see place in the city
centre. It was built nearly a
century ago and resembles Vienna
buildings of that time. It houses a
theatre, an opera and philharmonic
halls and stages performances during
the entire summer season. |
Not far away from the
Theatre of Drama is the Puppet Theatre,
where the Golden Dolphin Festival of puppets
takes place each year. The city also has a
number of museums, including the
Archaeological Museum, the Museum of
National Renaissance, the Naval Museum, the
Vladislav Varnenchik Park-Museum, the
Ethnographic Museum, the Museum of Nature
and Science, the Aquarium and the Black Sea
Museum, the Museum of Medicine and the
Museum of Art and History of Varna.
The latter has a particularly rich
collection including the Gold Treasure of
Varna, dating back 6,000 years ago, weighing
some 6kg and containing the oldest gold
works found in the world. Besides, the
city's Art Gallery, opened in 1950, exhibits
paintings of outstanding Bulgarian artists
as well as works of a number of foreign
artists, donated to the gallery by private
persons. There are about ten cinemas
functioning in Varna with the best ones
being in the city centre, including the
Mustang Cinema. |
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The Sea Garden is another favourite place
of visitors of Varna. The garden, finally
completed in 1908, shelters an amphitheatre,
an astronomic site with an observatory,
planetarium and a tower, children
playgrounds, and a small channel, where one
can practice rowing, a pool with water
wheels and a zoo.
The beach, where one can find mud and water
therapy complexes, two quays, numerous
restaurants and disco clubs, is also just
beneath the Sea Garden Park. The
Dolphinarium is one of the favourite
attractions for children and guests of Varna
for its regular performances of talented
dolphin artists. The Festival Complex can be
found just opposite the entrance of the Sea
Garden Park. It is a modern building of
aluminum, stone and glass and has several
stages, conference-halls, and a big bazaar.
Another noteworthy place is the Asparouh
Bridge (named after the founder of the
Bulgarian state, Asparouh), which connects
the city centre with the residential
quarters of Asparouhovo and Galata. It is
the longest bridge in Bulgaria and
risklovers can even try a dreadful Bunji
jump here. |
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Outside the city:
The famous village of Vinitsa,
inhabited by so-called Gagaouzi
people, is situated 10 km north-east
of Varna. The Gagaouzi are
Christians who speak an ancient
Turkish dialect and have very
interesting traditions. Besides, the
Galata Cape is attractive to
naturelovers for its meadows,
groves, natural water springs with
drinking water, and rocks convenient
for fishing. Remians of the rampart
of Khan Asparuh can be seen close to
the famous Asparuh Bridge situated
at the Varna lake.
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The founder of the Bulgarian state
built the rampart 13 centuries ago
in order to resist the raids of the
Byzantine fleet. One can also visit
the Dzhanavar Hill, located to the
south of the lake of Varna and
sheltering a basilica from the early
Christian times. Another place of
interest close to the city is
Pobitite Kamuni (Rammed Stones), 18
km west of the city. The stone
figures were formed by erosion about
50 million years ago and hold in
various forms of fossils. Many of
them were used as places of worship
during Thracian, Slavonic, and
ancient Bulgarian times.
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The nearby industrial town of Devnya
holds the remains of the ancient
town of Marcianopolis, the second
biggest town in ancient Bulgaria
after Philippopolis (the latter
currently named Plovdiv and being
the second largest city in the
state). These include defence walls,
a rampart, turrets, and a forum. The
Petrich Kale (Petrich Fortress)
rises just opposite the railway
station of Razdelna close to the
city. The fortress was built in the
5th century, but was rebuilt in the
13-14th century following its
destruction. The rocks near the
fortress are perfect for
mountaineering.
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