Varna

VARNA - a district town, situated on Varna Bay on the Black Sea, 469 km north-east of Sofia; a seaside resort. Population of 301 000. Third in population after Sofia and Plovdiv, called the seaside capital of Bulgaria. Terminal station on the railway lines Sofia-Varna and Rouse-Varna, a sea port, an international airport, second in traffic after Sofia.

Long sand-covered beach strips.

The earliest archaeological finds on the territory of the town refer to the Varna Eneolithic necropolis, uncovered on the northern bank of Varna Lake. In the investigated 280 graves there have been uncovered 3010 golden objects of overall weight of more than 6 kg, dated as the oldest golden find in Europe (second half of the 5th millennium B.C.). Around 560 B.C. in the place of an ancient Thracian settlement the ancient town Odessos appears. It is an important trade, crafts and agrarian centre. The town mints its own coins (drachmas). Strengthened with fortified walls in the 4th C. B.C. and later, after being conquered by the Romans - in the 1st C. B.C. and the 4th C. A.D. Bishop's seat. Roman thermae, basilicas, mosaics have been uncovered there.

Towards the end of the 8th C. Varna is included in the territory of the Bulgarian state. After the conversion to Christianity (864) it becomes a centre of the newly adopted creed. Towards 971 the town falls under Byzantine rule, in 1201 it is liberated by Tsar Kaloyan's troops. In the 13th C. and the 14th C. it is a strong fortress and a significant commercial port, used by ships from Venice and Genoa. In 1389 Varna falls under Ottoman rule and 10 years later it is devastated by the Tatars.

Near the town the battle between the united Christian troops led by King Ladislaus III Jagiello and the Ottoman Turks is held (1444). The army of Ladislaus III suffers defeat.

In the Middle Ages Varna is the strongest fortress on the western Black Sea coast. During the Russo-Turkish War of 1828-1829, after a three-month siege, the town is taken by the Russian troops, but under the Odrin Peace Treaty it is given back to Turkey and a part of the Christian population flees to Bessarabia and South Russia.

During the Crimean War (1853-1856) the town is a military base of the English and French troops that fight against Russia. In 1878 the Russians liberate the town.

The architectural outline of the town is accomplished at the end of the 19th C. and the beginning of the 20th C. The older architecture is represented by a clock tower in the city centre and the Church of the Holy Virgin (1602) with an iconostasis (1896) by a master artist belonging to the School of Debur, and valuable icons (the oldest dating back to 1646).

In Varna there are 4 higher educational institutes, a theatre, an opera theatre, art galleries, a historical arts museum.

Annual International Festival of Music "Varna Summer", International Ballet Competition, Festival of the Bulgarian Feature Film.

Roman thermae - the biggest Bulgarian find so far. Built at the end of the 2nd C. and the beginning of the 3rd C. Covering an area of 7000 sq.m. Numerous rooms, typical of such buildings (frigidarium, tepidarium, caldarium with 3 swimming pools, reception halls, etc.). A museum compound.

Seaside Park - the biggest park of Varna, situated by the beach. Its construction begins in 1878. Within the park area one can find the Seaside Baths, the Navy Museum, the Museum of Natural History, the Aquarium (unique exposition of water organisms - Black Sea, freshwater, tropical fishes), the Astronomical Observatory and the Planetarium which organizes observation seances for visitors, Dolphinarium with an amusing show, etc. The Church of the Assumption - this church is second in scale after St. Alexander Nevsky Cathedral in Sofia. Erected in 1884-1886 by the master builder Gencho Kunev in honour of the Liberation from Ottoman yoke. Modern Byzantine architecture. Spacious interior, woodcarved iconostasis by masters belonging to the school of Debur, stained glass. The church is painted in 1949-1950. Declared monument of culture.

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