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Sozopol |
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Location |
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Information |
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 Located
34 kilometers south of Bourgas on a scenic rocky peninsula, this fishing
village/tourist resort/art colony is arguably the most charming place on the
Black Sea coast and one of Bulgaria's crown jewels.
Founded in 610 b.c. by Ionian Greeks from Miletus and named Apollonia in
honor of their most adored god, this was the first coastal Greek colony
to be established. It was a thriving and important place, trading with parent
Miletus, Athens, and the Isle of Rhodes. The Apollonians acted as middlemen
between the Greek world and the indigenous Thracians from whom they acquired
copper, honey, grain, and wood in exchange for wine, salt, and textiles.
The colony reached its zenith during the 5th century b.c., which coincided
with the height of power of the Thracian Odrisae tribe - many of whom gradually
came to achieve rank and status in the Greek state. Apollonia in turn founded
its own colony of Anchialo (present-day Pomorie) in order to prevent the
powerful rival Dorian colony of Messembria (Nessebur) from penetrating into
Bourgas bay.
Apollonia was also an active arts and cultural center. A temple was built
to Apollo, "the sun god and healer," and a ten-meter-high bronze
statue of the god, made by the Greek sculptor Calamis during the 5th century
b.c., guarded the harbor. When Roman legions sacked the town in the first
century, the 13-ton statue was carted off to Rome and displayed on the Capitoline
hill from where it later disappeared into antiquity.
Under the Romans, Apollonia declined in significance. Its colony Anchialo,
however, became the most important town on the Black Sea. The name Sozopol
first appears as an inscription on a 4th-century Roman column, probably
in connection with the patron Apollo as many ancient Greek towns called
Apollonia later changed their names to Sozopolis (City of Salvation) when
they accepted Christianity.
When Sozopol was incorporated into the First Bulgarian Kingdom in 812 under
Khan Krum it developed into a large and wealthy town. The 12th-century relief
icon "St George and St Dimitur on Horseback," one of the country's
oldest and most significant, was originally displayed in Sozopol's St. Bogoroditsa
(Holy Virgin) church.
Sozopol was one of the last holdouts to Ottoman domination, falling in 1453.
Under the Ottomans, who renamed the town Suseboly, numerous churches and
monasteries were razed; only their names remain, gracing the area's capes
and isles (St. Ivan and St. Thomas). The National Revival period saw the
building of typical Black Sea houses; ground floors of stone - generally
used for storage - supported overhanging upper stories of wood, with protruding
bay windows and sheltered eaves. Clustered along the narrow peninsula's
cobblestone streets and alleys, some 45 houses are classified as cultural
monuments.
Today the area is a favored haunt of artists, writers, and other contemplative
types. It also serves as a regular stop-over for tour groups from the large
beach resorts as well as being a favored playground for Bulgarians. Consequently,
it can get quite crowded and hectic during July and August. Seemingly every
square meter of space is given over to tourist-oriented establishments or
street hawkers (elderly women selling handmade lace are omnipresent) as
residents attempt to make enough in the short summer season to tide them
over the rest of the year. The small harbor is an interesting place to while
away some time watching local fishermen bring in their small catches of
popcheta, karagyoz, safrid and tsatsa, which they off-load to waiting buyers
from area restaurants. The old town beach, nestled in a protected, horseshoe-shaped
bay, generally offers shallower bathing and more amenities than the new
town beach situated a kilometer or so to the south on the other side of
the Harmanite (threshing floor) headland.
Saint Kirik (Cyril) Island is where the Miletians first established their
colony of Apollonia. It was joined by a narrow breakwater to the peninsula
in 1926. Now a naval base, it is closed to the general public. The nearby
island of Saint Ivan, Bulgaria's largest, contains the remains of a fortress
and a 13th century monastery. Formerly a military installation it too is
off-limits, at least in theory as local fishermen regularly stop off there;
tourists willing to pay for the trip should have little trouble finding
a ride over. Just east of St. Ivan is the small island of Saint George.
Both islands serve as a scenic backdrop for patrons at the many restaurants
and cafes which line the peninsula's rocky northern shoreline.
What to See and Do
Archaeological Museum - (off the main square between the bus station and
port area, tel 226) Housed in a stylish building erected in 1977 by the
Army Corps of Engineers, this small museum definitely deserves a look-see,
even though a few of the items appear neglected (some amphorae, for instance,
look as if they're about to tumble off their display-case shelves) and exhibits
are not captioned (explanatory wall plaques are in Bulgarian only; tour
guides have foreign-language texts). Much of the collection consists of
ceramic vessels and sculpted marble grave stellae; one relief from 600 b.c.
- depicting Deines, son of Anaksamandar - is among the most valuable representations
of Hellenistic culture ever found in Bulgaria. The one here, however, is
a copy; the original is in the national museum in Sofia. There is also a
large array of stone anchors dating as far back as the fourth millennium
b.c. Perhaps the most unique items, displayed on the second floor balcony,
are detailed replicas of eight ships representing some of the different
peoples who sailed into the harbor over the ages, ranging from Bronze-Age
Phoenicians, Cypriots, and Carians to later Egyptians, Greeks, and Romans.
Coins with the identifying head of Medusa on one side and an anchor, crab
and the letter "A" on the other, and ceramics bearing the stamp
of local craftsmen (each workshop had its own identifying insignia) provide
evidence of the wide-reaching influence of ancient Apollonia. Samples have
been found as far afield as Romania in the north, the Isle of Rhodes and
Athens in the south, and Plovdiv in the west.
Sveta Bogoroditsa (Holy Virgin) Church (#5 Anaksamandar) It's easy to walk
right past this church - it was built half-buried in the earth during the
17th century so as not to offend the ruling Ottomans. Although supposedly
open to visitors during the summer, a sign on the locked gate in the surrounding
stone wall says the church is opened only for tour groups, so either find
one to join up with or inquire at the museum. The wood-carved iconostasis
and bishop's throne are representative examples of one of the country's
foremost art schools in Debur (now located in Macedonia).
Saints Kiril and Metodi (across from the summer theater) No longer a working
church, the large white structure is part of the Archaeology Museum and
used for art exhibitions during Apollonia days. Just to the south within
the wooded confines of the park is the sandstone Sveti Zosim Chapel honoring
the patron saint of seafarers.
Sveta Nedelya Chapel (corner of Phoenix and Glarus) The door to this very
small chapel is tied shut with a rope; simply untie it and enter. Inside
are icons and candles. There are several other small neighborhood chapels
like this around Sozopol.
Art Gallery (#70 Kiril and Metodi, tel 202, 8: 30am-6: 30 pm daily) Located
in the former town high school, the gallery - which opened in 1986 - has
an enviable setting atop a bluff on the extreme southeastern tip of the
peninsula. The unobstructed sea views are as inspirational for art lovers
as they must have been a distraction for schoolkids. Unfortunately, a collapsed
roof in the spring of 1997 necessitated extensive repairs and a rearranging
of exhibits. The main floor galleries feature changing exhibitions of Bulgarian
sculptures and paintings, mainly of works with sea motifs. Representative
works by foreign artists created during a month-long "plain air"
exposition are also displayed. Faced with financial hardship, the museum
is hard-pressed to conduct building repairs, let alone continue to fund
future "plain air" expositions - but its gregarious curator/painter,
Ivan Bahchevanov, is upbeat nonetheless.
Events and Festivals
Apollonia Arts Festival - Named in honor of Apollo, god of music and poetry,
this annual ten-day arts festival is held in early September. A half-dozen
venues around town stage nightly performances featuring a variety of music,
theatre, dance, cinema and other events, attracting both national and international
talent.
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| , Keith Williams |
| Rest in Bulgaria since 2005, have toured almost the entire coast. I note that this is a very nice holiday country, with well-developed resorts, new hotels, for different wealth, nice friendly people, relatively low prices in restaurants, cafes, shops, souvenir shops. About Sozopol can say the following - a small, friendly town, very picturesque, distinctive, full bell flair. I was there 6 times and each visit was discovering something new about this city, and was leaving with sadness and a desire to go back there. |
| , Svetlana S. |
| In Bulgaria, a very thin cats. Very, very. At night, males fight. Barking dogs seldom. Bulgarians are good. The Turks are not similar. Compared not with anyone. They are special - do their thing and no one else watching. Such people are in themselves. Only in Bulgaria the following question: - These flip flops are seven leva? Bulgarian proudly answers: - Six! Very proud to respond. Sozopol - a small very old city on the two peninsulas, it can be avoided during the day. Converted to part with wooden black houses a rather large and there are still people live, hanging laundry, run skinny cats and kittens skinny and wild. Sun in Sozopol soft sand on the beaches of the two soft, black sea with big waves almost always near the shore to a maximum of neck of water, but mostly on the belt. Food is simple, nothing special, very tasty - an incredible and diverse black grapes, melons, spinach puffs of 1.2 leva in the beginning of the old city in a tent, milk Vereya delicious sausages from 6.8 leva and above the wholesale market, the cognac Pliska (first once tasted in my life!), cognac funky, and still tasty take a piece of cake in a cafe in the old town and a cup of coffee and sit in an armchair and screw up one's eyes on the passing of Bulgarians. Was in two churches. In a little at the park, and great in the old town. Bought a cross, now wearing. On Sunday, an old grandmother neat begging for a big church (in general the poor have not seen all week) and I was left with a two-day 20 BGN - two bills, gave her 10, since it is so quickly kissed my hand, that ... Oops! Uh oh . I was just in Sozopol, on the big resorts such as Golden Sands, I did not want to - there is also some tourists. |
| , pammie |
| We have been to sozopol 4 times now. And we are getting ready to go again in the next few weeks. Its is such a relaxing place. The old town in wonderful with its cobbled streets and old houses. There are lots of fantastic views and little places to sit and watch the world go by. And we have never had a bad meal in any of the restaurants. We stay at the hotel selena. And that is a great hotel the staff are very friendly and they never stop cleaning. If you want a quite holiday to get away from it all. This is the place. I cannot wait to be back. |
| Sozopol, Chris Harrison |
| We like Sozopol so much that we have bought a place there. The restaurants are excellent and the Festival great fun. |
| SoZoPol, jayne |
I love Bulgaria. I have been in lots of places there, but Sozopol is my favourite one. The food is fantastic and so cheap.
Lots of people there speak English, so I didn`t have problem with that. |
| Sozopol rules!!!, Enesa & Dragan |
| Been in Sozopol twice so far, and have already booked lodging for 2006. This is our 5th time in Bulgaria, we have been in Nessebar and Sunny Beach, but it is too much crowd. Sozopol is nice and quiet, but still has so much to offer. The quality of food and accommodation is not less than in other towns, except - less expensive. Holiday in Sozopol is a must-do thing. |
| sozopol exxxttttrrrraaaaaa, sashe&DANCE from Skopje |
| I HAWE BEEN WHITH MY WIFE IN SOZOPOL 5 AMAZING TIME 2001, 2002, 2003, 2OO4 AND 2005. AM A MACEDONIAN FROM MACEDONIA, BUT WE ARE LIKE AT HOME IN SOZOPOL, WE KNOW ALL TOWN, AND THAT IS THE MOST BEAUTIFULE AND ROMANTIC PLACE FOR AS. LAST 2005 I PROPOSE GERLL DANCE TO BE MY WIFE AND NOW WE ARE A MERID. |
| crap, hornyxgemxx |
| I thought sozopol was a very smelly place when i went there at late October. Not many things to do for children and little activity in the nite time not very good if you have got children at all. |
| Sozopol, Mike +Carol |
| Sozopol is great much better than sunny beach ,much cheaper,far more pretty where can you sit on the cliff top and enjoy a good meal with a fantastic view for as little as £7 with drinks for two not many places in this world |
| THE GREATE PLACE, LAZAROS |
| I SPENT MY HOLIDAYS WITH MY FRIENDS IN SOZOPLI (OLD CITY IS THE BEST) AND I HOPE THAT I'LL COME BACK VERY SONE! THE BEST PLACE IN BLACK SEA! ENJOY YOUR HOLIDAY!!! JUST DO IT...! |
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Sozopol weather
Light snow
-9°C / 16°F
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