Burgas Province (also Burgas Region) is the largest by area of
the 28 regions of Bulgaria. It is located in Southeastern
Bulgaria. It borders the Black Sea to the east, Sliven and
Yambol regions to the west, Varna and Shumen regions to the
north, and Turkey to the south. Burgas Region occupies an area
of 7,748.1 km2 and has a population of 380,286 people according
to official data from the 2021 census.
The administrative
center of the district is the city of Burgas. Its vehicle code
is A. The postal codes of the settlements in the Burgas region
are from 8000 (for the city of Burgas) to 8599.
Maritime, cultural
and ecological tourism is developing in the Burgas region.
Burgas Region officially has 13 municipalities as of February 2023:
Aytos, Burgas, Kameno, Karnobat, Malko Tarnovo, Nessebar, Pomorie,
Primorsko, Rouen, Sozopol, Sredets, Sungurlare and Tsarevo.
At
the end of February 2021, a local referendum was held on the separation
of the town of Obzor and 6 more villages from the municipality of
Nessebar into an independent municipality of Obzor. Voter turnout was
76%. Of all those who participated, 1193 people or 73% voted for
secession. The majority is formed by the votes of Obzor and the villages
of Priseltsi and Rakovskovo. Against secession are 404 people or 27%,
most from the villages of Banya, Koznitsa, Panitsovo and Emona, where
they are the majority. These four villages do not accept the general
vote, some of them gather at a protest in the square in the village of
Banya and organize a petition not to secede. Nevertheless, the Council
of Ministers takes decision No. 253 of 24.03.2021 on the separation of
Obzor and the six villages into a new municipality based on the February
referendum. Two days after that, the mayor of Obzor, Hristo Yanev
(GERB), went to Sofia personally to thank Prime Minister Boyko Borisov
for the quick decision on the separation of Obzor. However, on the same
day, in a presentation to President Rumen Radev, the residents of the
four villages asked not to issue a decree on the creation of a new
municipality. The mayor of the municipality of Nessebar Nikolay Dimitrov
filed an appeal against decision No. 253 of the Council of Ministers on
the separation to the Supreme Administrative Court, which left it
without consideration with Decision No. 7914 of 01.07.2021. At the
beginning of July 2021, the four villages held a counter-referendum with
a result stay in the municipality of Nessebar. However, the Ministry of
Regional Development and Public Works replies to them that there are no
grounds for reconsidering the decision of the former Council of
Ministers to separate Obzor and 6 other villages into an independent
municipality. However, in a presentation to the president, the residents
of the four villages in the area around the town of Obzor insist that
the head of state not issue a decree for their separation into a new
municipality. They want to stay towards Nessebar. Therefore, in
connection with the population census in September - October 2021,
despite the decision of the Council of Ministers to make Obzor the
center of a new municipality, until the census, no presidential decree
on the establishment of the Obzor municipality and its composition
followed. After that, residents of Obzor wrote letters of protest to the
president not to delay the decree on the separation of Obzor and the 6
villages into an independent municipality, despite the reluctance of 4
of the villages. The municipality of Nessebar reports that during the
secession referendum there were many legal violations, one of which is
that the form on which the signatures for the referendum were collected
was without the questions to be voted on. Therefore, on January 11,
2022, the municipality of Nessebar submitted a request to the Council of
Ministers to cancel the government decision of March 24, 2021, but did
not receive a response. For this reason, the municipality of Nessebar
appeals to the president "not to finalize a process of questionable
legality". The press office of the president reports that some of the
formal and legal conditions for the establishment of the Obzor
municipality remain unclear and the head of state will announce his
decision after the fulfillment of the legal requirements and the
circumstances of the specific case have been clarified.
Aytos Municipality
Aytos, Dryankovets, Zetivo, Karageorgievo,
Karanovo, Lyaskovo, Malka Polyana, Muglen, Peshtersko, Pirne, Polyanovo,
Raklinovo, Sadievo, Topolitsa, Cherna Mogila, Chernograd, Chukarka
Burgas municipality
Bratovo, Bryastovets, Burgas, Bulgarovo,
Dimchevo, Draganovo, Izvor, Izvorishte, Marinka, Mirolyubovo, Ravnets,
Tvarditsa
Kameno Municipality
Vinarsko, Vratitsa, Zhelyazovo,
Kameno, Konstantinovo, Krastina, Livada, Polski izvor, Rusokastro,
Svoboda, Troyanovo, Trastikovo, Cherni vrah
Municipality of
Karnobat
Asparuhovo, Venets, Glumche, Devetak, Devetinci, Detelina,
Dobrinovo, Dragantsi, Dragovo, Exarch Antimovo, Zheleznik, Zytosvyat,
Zimen, Iskra, Karnobat, Klikach, Kozare, Krumovo Gradishte, Krushovo,
Mudrino, Nevestino, Ognen, Raklitsa, San- Stefano, Sigman, Smolnik,
Sokolovo, Sarnevo, Hadjiite, Tserkovski, Tserkovo
Municipality of
Malko Tarnovo
Bliznak, Ivy, Byala Voda, Vizitsa, Gramatikovo,
Evrenozovo, Zabernovo, Zvezdets, Kalovo, Malko Tarnovo, Mladezh,
Slivarovo, Stoilovo
Municipality of Nessebar
Gyulovtsa,
Kosharitsa, Nessebar, Orizare, Ravda, Sveti Vlas, Sunny Beach, Tankovo,
Obzor, Priseltsi, Rakovskovo; Banya, Emona, Koznitsa, Panitsovo
Municipality of Pomorie
Alexandrovo, Aheloy, Bata, Belodol, Gaberovo,
Gorica, Galabets, Dabnik, Kableshkovo, Kozichino, Kosovets, Laka,
Medovo, Pomorie, Poroy, Stracin
Municipality of Primorsko
Veselie, Kiten, Novo Panicharevo, Pismenovo, Primorsko, Yasna Polyana
Municipality of Rouen
Herb, Vishna, Vresovo, Dobra Polyana,
Dobromir, Dropla, Daskotna, Quince, Zaimchevo, Zaichar, Zvezda,
Kamenyak, Karavelovo, Listets, Lilyakovo, Mrezhichko, Planinitsa,
Podgorets, Preobrazhentsi, Pripek, Prosenik, Robbyna, Rechitsa, Rozden,
Rudina .
Municipality of Sozopol
Atia, Varshilo, Gabar,
Zidarovo, Indje Voivoda, Krushevets, Prisad, Ravadinovo, Ravna Gora,
Rosen, Sozopol, Chernomorets
Municipality of Sredets
Belevren,
Belila, Bistrets, Bogdanovo, Varovnik, Valchanovo, Golyamo Bukovo, Gorno
Yablkovo, Granitets, Granicar, Debelt, Dolno Yablkovo, Draka, Drachevo,
Dyulevo, Zagortsi, Zornitsa, Kirovo, Kubadin, Malina, Momina Church,
Orlintsi, Prohod, Panchevo, Radoynovo, Rosenovo, Svetlina, Sinio kamene,
Slivovo, Sredets, Suhodol, Trakiitsi, Fakia
Sungurlare
Municipality
Beronovo, Bosilkovo, Vedrovo, Vezenkovo, Velislav,
Valchin, Gorovo, Grozden, Dabovitsa, Esen, Zavet, Kamchia, Klimash,
Kosten, Lozarevo, Lozitsa, Manolich, Podvis, Prilep, Pchelin, Sadovo,
Skala, Slavyantsi, Sungurlare, Saedeninie, Terziysko, Chernitsa, Chubra
Municipality of Tsarevo
Ahtopol, Brodilovo, Bulgari, Varvara,
Velika, Izgrev, Kondolovo, Kosti, Lozenets, Rezovo, Sinemorets,
Fazanovo, Tsarevo
Conditions for development
Over 40% of mass tourism in the country
takes place on the territory of the Burgas region. It is visited by the
majority of foreign and Bulgarian tourists. Burgas region is a region
with an exceptional diversity of natural, anthropogenic and cultural
tourist resources.
The geographical
location of the district is extremely favorable. It includes the
attractive parts of the Eastern Stara Planina, the northern branches of
the Strandzha Planina, the Strandzha National Park, the eastern parts of
the Upper Thracian Plain, the Burgas Plain and others. To the east it
includes the Southern Black Sea coast. The waters of the Black Sea are
slightly salty, the temperature of the sea water allows sea bathing from
April to November, which makes the Southern Black Sea extremely
attractive for the development of sea holiday tourism. In the region of
Burgas, there is a unique combination of sea, lakes, mountains and
rivers, exotic vegetation and a variety of animal and plant species.
Bays
The beaches along the Southern Black Sea coast, cliffs and
bays are extremely attractive. The district includes the largest bay of
the Black Sea - Burgas, as well as numerous small, sheltered bays along
the coast - Sozopolski, Kavatsite, Sveta Paraskeva, Zigra, Stomopolu,
Diavolski and others.
Lakes
The city of Burgas is surrounded
by three different lakes - Atanasovsko, Vaya (known as Burgas lake) and
Mandra. Together with Lake Pomorie, they form the largest complex of
natural wetlands in Bulgaria, with a total area of 9,500 ha. Only here
in Bulgaria and the Black Sea basin are the two lagoons that have been
converted into traditional salt pans - those of Lake Atanasovsko and
Lake Pomorie. 340 of all 400 species of birds described for the
territory of Bulgaria are found in the lakes. Due to their uniqueness,
the four lakes were declared Ramsar sites in 2002.
Several climatic influences are combined on the territory of the region,
the most pronounced being the transitional-continental climate. The
influence of the Black Sea and the Mediterranean is palpable.
Transport, infrastructure and material base
Transportation to the
main tourist sites in the area is fully provided through the Burgas
International Airport, ports, railway station, bus stations and
well-built road access.
The Black Sea municipalities have the
greatest potential for the development of tourism, and for this reason
the built specialized tourist infrastructure serving visitors is
concentrated precisely on their territory.
The material base of
tourism is mainly concentrated in the settlement areas and resorts along
the coast. This is a consequence of both the natural urbanization
processes of the territory and a purposeful planning policy. Resort
complexes, private housing stock, family boarding houses and rest
centers predominate along the coast.
While the private housing
stock is relatively new and somewhat adapted to the needs of individual
recreation, the so-called "light holiday base", which includes the
campsites, is morally and physically worn out. The reasons are mainly in
the unclear ownership and the lack of initial capital in the restituted
properties.
Resort villages and towns
Obzor, Elenite, Sveti Vlas, Sunny Beach,
Nessebar, Ravda, Aheloy, Pomorie, Burgas, Chernomorets, Sozopol, Duni,
Primorsko, Kiten, Lozenets, Arkutino, Ahtopol, Tsarevo.
Campsites
and localities
Campsites "Europe", "Zora", "Gardina", "Goldfish",
"Fig", "South", "Oasis", "Arapya", "Nestinarka", "Dolphin", "Coral",
"Kavatsite"; localities Otmanli, Silistar and others;
Bicycle routes
Route No. 1: Burgas - Lugata (Lake Atanasovo) -
Ancient and medieval port and fortress (Sarafovo quarter) - Heroon
Thracian tomb (Cape Europe). Total duration: 5.5 hours;
Route No.
2: Burgas city - Lugata (Atanasovo lake) - Bird watching point
(Atanasovo lake) - Thracian sanctuary (Banevo district) - Ancient and
medieval city "Akve Kalide - Thermopolis" (Vetren district, Burgas
mineral baths ) – Bird watching shelter (Atanasovsko lake) – Burgas
city. Total duration: 8 hours;
Route No. 3: - Burgas - Lake Vaya
- Mount Shiloto - Thracian Sanctuary - Monastery "Holy Mother of God" -
Rusokastron Fortress and Rusina Dupka Sanctuary (Rusokastro village) -
Ancient and Medieval City of Deultum (Debelt village) - Ustieto
Monastery on the river Izvorska" - the city of Burgas. Total duration:
10 hours;
Route No. 4: Burgas city - Debelt village - Vaya lake -
"Mouth of the Izvorska River" ZM - Mladezhka river springs - Kosti
village - Veleka mouth through Veleka ZM - Paroria ZM - Stoilovo village
- Dokuzak waterfall - Petrova Niva - Kamenska Barchina - Indipasha -
Gramatikovo village - Vlahov dol - Bulgari village - "Marina Reka"
chapel - "St. Elijah". Total duration: 4 days;
Route No. 5: The
mouth of the Veleka River - the mouth of the Rezovska River - the town
of Malko Tarnovo through the Silistar ZM - the village of Kosti - the
chapel of "St. Ilia" - sanctuary "St. Marina" - Vlahov dol - Slivarovo
village - Indipasha - Kamenska Burchina. Total duration: 3 days;
Route No. 6: town of Malko Tarnovo - village of Brashlyan - village of
Stoilovo - Bakarlaka - Poda - town of Burgas through Propada - Mishkova
Niva - Dokuzak waterfall - ZM Veleka - ZM Petrova - ZM Paroria. Total
duration: 4 days;
Route No. 7: Burgas - Poda - Sozopol - Alepu -
Arkutino - Velov Vir - Ropotamo River Mouth - Begliktash - Tsarevo -
Ahtopol - Veleka Mouth - "Silistar" ZM - Rezovska River Mouth. Total
duration: 4 days;
Rural tourism
In many of the villages in the
Burgas region, traditional country houses with a yard are available.
Thanks to the increased demand for this type of accommodation in recent
years, rural tourism is experiencing a real renaissance. It is practiced
both by Bulgarian tourists, mostly looking for tranquility away from the
big city, and by many foreign tourists living in countries with very
different infrastructure, architecture and way of life;
Cultural
Tourism
The direct contact with the beautiful areas, crossed by
ancient roads and dotted with ruins of fortresses and monasteries,
enables the development of cultural tourism at a very good level.
Resources for its development are objects such as prehistoric settlement
mounds, Thracian tombs and burial mounds, as well as archaeological
finds from Roman and Byzantine times;
Next to Lake
Pomorie, the first "Salt Museum" was built in Eastern Europe, where
tourists can observe the process of salt extraction, carried out to this
day according to a method preserved from 2000 years ago. The lake has
been a protected area since 2001. Because of its unique location, it is
an important place of national importance. Its greatest value is its
ornithological wealth. The lake welcomes the first autumn migrants along
the "Via Pontica", and pelicans and storks flying over the sea can be
observed from the dikes. It is home to several endangered species of
birds and plants included in the "Red Book" of Bulgaria. Among them are
toyna (here is the largest deposit in the country), Tatar milkweed and
sea wormwood.
A specific existing tourist practice is the offered
boat trips on the Ropotamo River, the Veleka River, Lake Vaya.
The regions of Strandzha Planina and Eastern Stara Planina offer many
opportunities for a walk in nature;
Health tourism
Climate and
sea therapy
The region offers extremely favorable conditions for
their development in all settlements along the Black Sea coast.
The town of Malko Tarnovo has been declared a climatic resort of
national importance since 1967, thanks to the extremely clean air and
favorable climate of the Strandzha mountain. It is recommended for
pulmonary calculi.
In the resort town of Saint Vlas, the presence
of air currents between the Black Sea and the mountain gorge of Stara
Planina causes a remarkable natural phenomenon and cleans the air of all
kinds of dust and other irritants. The natural aerosol of the sea
combined with the crystal clear mountain air are a natural given with a
powerful curative effect on bronchial asthma and other chronic lung
diseases;
An important resource for tourism in the region are the mineral
springs near the city of Burgas, around which spa resorts have
developed:
Burgas mineral baths - the spa resort is near the
village of Banevo, with a flow rate of 36 l/s and a temperature of 41
°C. It is recommended for diseases of the musculoskeletal system,
neurological, gynecological, thrombophlebitis and other diseases.
The medicinal mud from the Atanasovo Lake is also used.
Balneotourism is also developing in Pomorie. A material and technical
base has been built, which includes spas, rest stations, swimming pools.
In the southern part of Lake Pomorie, healing mud is mined for the
sanatoriums in the city.
Burgas is a regional city and the fourth largest in the country. It has an extremely strategic location, it has an international airport, a port and a large railway station. The Burgas region, for its part, is among the most important economic and industrial centers in Bulgaria. There are many hotels on its territory, equipped with the necessary rooms and equipment for this type of tourism. The presence of all these important factors are a prerequisite for increasingly dynamically developing congress and business tourism in the region;
Hunting
In the Gramatikovo State Hunting Farm, Strandzha palnina -
the object of hunting in its area are representatives of the following
animal species: red deer, wild boar, roe deer, wolf, fox, jackal, wild
cat, wood snipe.
Fishing
There are a number of bodies of water
in the region: the Black Sea, rivers, swamps and many dams. All of them
provide ideal opportunities for sport fishing and camping.
Dams
on the territory of the Burgas region: Aheloy Dam, also known as Batski
Dam (carp, flounder, maple, white carp and catfish), Mandra Dam
(babushka, kaarkuda, perch, bream, sunfish, redfin, carp, pike and white
fish), Kamchiya dam (babushka, carp, perch, morunash, bream, catfish,
uklei, carp, redfin), Poroi dam (bighead, carp, carp, roach, whiting,
redfin).
Fishing is also practiced in Vaya Lake (Burgas Lake) -
carp is the most common here, also in the Black Sea, rivers and swamps
in the territory of the Burgas region.
Burgas region is one of the largest in Bulgaria - about 7,750 sq. km and has about 430,000 inhabitants. Within its framework are 13 municipalities, the largest of which are Burgas, Sozopol, Primorsko, Nessebar, Malko Tarnovo, Pomorie, Aytos and Karnobat. What distinguishes the Burgas region is its location along the Black Sea coast. The geographical location of the Burgas region is favorable for the development of tourism. The main tourist season is summer.
The Burgas lowland, the Black Sea coast, the eastern parts of Stara
Planina and the Bulgarian part of Strandzha Planina characterize the
topography of the area. The Black Sea coast is indented, with
promontories and peninsulas that protrude strongly into the sea,
picturesque beaches and long and calm bays.
Among the most famous
geographical points in this part are Cape Emine, Cape Maslen, Nessebar
and Pomorie peninsulas. To the north, on the southern slopes of Stara
Planina, rises the highest peak Kaleto. Precambrian and Paleozoic
metamorphic rocks, different types of limestones, calcareous clay
sediments are revealed within the boundaries of the district. Minerals
are diverse: copper, iron and titanium ores, marbles, limestones,
bulgarites, brown coals and clays.
The climate along the coast,
as well as about 20 km inland, is influenced by the Black Sea. It is
characterized by a mild winter, with positive average monthly
temperatures in January - about 3.2˚ C. Snow cover rarely forms, and if
there is, it lasts for about 4-5 days. Summer is warm with little
rainfall, with average July temperatures around 22˚-24˚ C. Influenced by
the sea, autumn is warm and usually characterized by higher temperatures
than spring, which is in turn cool.
The Black Sea is not polluted
unlike other sea basins in Europe, its waters are not so salty and there
are no dangerous animal species and plants in them.
5.22% of the country's gross domestic product is formed in Burgas
region. In the economy of the Burgas region, the leading place is
occupied by industry.
A characteristic feature of the regional
economy, which clearly distinguishes it from other regions in the
country, is the well-developed infrastructure, including the
international airport, several port complexes and a nodal railway area.
This provides a basis for the development of transport and
warehousing services, as well as from parts of trade, concentration of
the oil refining industry, a highly represented processing industry that
provides not only higher employment compared to the national average,
but also enables the construction and the activity of accompanying
productions and services, carried out mainly in small and medium-sized
enterprises.
The structure of exports mainly includes the
production of the chemical and oil refining industry, plant breeding,
wood mining and wood processing, fishing, sewing, cable industry, as
well as the production of wines and spirits.
The Burgas region is also characterized by a rich cultural and historical heritage. During the age of antiquity, 4 main economic, political and cultural centers developed along the coast - Mesembria (Nessebar), Anchialo (Ahtopol), Debelt and Apollonia (Sozopol). Even today, these are one of the most picturesque and well-preserved historical corners of Bulgaria.
It has bioclimatic and balneotherapy resources, forest resources,
sandy beaches and dunes for the development of recreational activities.
4 of the nature reserves of international importance are located here -
Uzunbojak, Silkosia, Ropotamo and Atanasovsko lake. Among the natural
attractions is the Gulf of Aleppo. For the protected areas, the mouth of
the river Veleka, Lake Vaya and Poda, which are points for bird
watching, have been designated. The district includes the architectural
reserve in the village of Brashlyan and the folklore reserve - the
village of Bulgari. The place is also interesting with remains of an
ancient Roman settlement.
20 km north of Burgas is Pomorie Lake,
which is surrounded by salt pans and balneo-sanatoriums. Atanasovo Lake
is also north of the city. It is home to many wading and seabirds that
migrate from Gibraltar and the Bosphorus. Pelicans, ibises and herons
nest in Lake Burgas. 10 km south of Burgas is Mandren lake, which is an
important ornithological reserve.
A scenic reserve has been
created along the Ropotamo River, where many interesting animal and
plant species can be seen. There are also many cultural monuments of
interest in the area - the preserved ancient church, which is located on
the island of "St. Anastasia", 3 nautical miles from Burgas, the Pyrgos
fortress in the village of Kraimorie, south of Burgas and the "Otmanli"
park. near Cape Chokalia.
All this makes the Burgas region one of
the most attractive places in Bulgaria for recreation.