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Burgas is the largest city in Southeastern Bulgaria and the
second largest on the Bulgarian Black Sea coast, and with its land
of 253,644 km, it is the second largest city in Bulgaria (after
Sofia). According to the latest census
of the NSI as of December 31, 2019, the population is 203,299
inhabitants and thus continues to be the fourth largest city in the
country (after Sofia, Plovdiv and Varna). Burgas is the most
important cultural, economic, transport, management, tourist and
educational center in Southeastern Bulgaria. The city is the
administrative center of the municipality and district of the same
name, as well as the seat of regional and national institutions.
The Black Sea Fishing Fleet, part of the Bulgarian Navy and the
Coast Guard are located in Burgas.
The several nature reserves and protected areas, ancient and
medieval settlements, the Black Sea and the annual festivals attract
many tourists. Burgas Cathedral, named after the Slavic educators,
the holy brothers Cyril and Methodius; and the protected area Poda
are among the 100 national tourist sites. The monastery of St.
Anastasia on the island of the same name in the waters of the Burgas
Bay is the only preserved medieval island monastery in the Black
Sea.
Centre – the nightlife, hotels and sights are
located here, bus station, train station, shopping area
Bratya
Miladinovi – living area close to the city centre
Lazur – living
area with hotels, close to the beach and the nightlife in summer
Vazrazhdane – residential area relatively close to the city centre
Zornitza – living area, close to the beach and the Atanasovko lake
Izgrev – residential area, not interesting for tourists, close to
the Atanasovsko lake
Slaveikov – residential area, not
interesting for tourists, the Asen Zlatarov University buildings are
in this district
Meden Rudnik – residential area, not interesting
for tourists, no beach there, but close to Vaya and Mandrensko lakes
Sarafovo – formerly a village, now it is district of Burgas, close
to the beach, close to the airport, far from the city center
Kraimorie – formerly a village, now it is district of Burgas, close
to the beach, far from the city center
Dolno Ezerovo – formerly a
village, now it is district of Burgas, far from the city center,
close to the Vaya (Burgasko) lake - at its North bench
Gorno
Ezerovo – formerly a village, now it is district of Burgas, far from
the city center, close to the Vaya (Burgasko) lake - at its South
bench
Lozovo – formerly a village, now it is district of Burgas,
far from the city center
Akatziite – mostly industrial region
Pobeda – mostly industrial region
5th Kilometer – the district is
getting bigger as some big retail chains build their stores in this
region.
Since the end of the 19th century, Burgas has been one of the
fastest growing Bulgarian cities economically and spiritually. 264
buildings in various European architectural styles and Bulgarian
traditions have been declared cultural monuments. Most of the
cultural monuments are located near the pedestrian zone of the city.
The oldest buildings in Burgas are the baths built by Suleiman I
(1520 - 1566) and the monastery "Saint Anastasia", which is located
on the island of the same name, 6 km into the sea. As a cultural
monument of national importance, it is the only island and the best
preserved sea monastery on the Bulgarian Black Sea coast.
Nowadays, Burgas is a modern city. Along with modern architecture,
preserved buildings from the beginning of the 19th century can also
be found. Burgas is home to famous people related to culture and
art. Songs were sung about the sea, about the city and its famous
evenings, which are undoubtedly cool in the summer and extremely
pleasant for walks around the city. The streets are landscaped and
the parks are well maintained and beautiful. One of the popular
sights of the city are the Sea Garden with the Sea Casino and the
Burgas Bridge (promenade pier), reconstructed in the 80s of the 20th
century. Unlike other large Bulgarian cities, where in recent years
the rapid construction of new buildings has destroyed a lot of green
areas, the green areas in Burgas have remained almost intact during
the same period of time.
Ancient and medieval
Thracian
ritual complexes at Manastirsko Tepe near Banevo and on Mount
Shiloto
The remains of the ancient city of Deultum are located
west of Burgas, near the village of Debelt. Founded during the reign
of the Roman emperor Vespasian, the colony for veterans of the VIII
Augustan Legion is the only colony of free Roman citizens on the
territory of Bulgaria. In the following centuries, the colony became
one of the richest cities in the Roman province of Hemimontus. The
first archaeological studies were conducted by the first
professionals in the field of ancient history, such as K. Ireček and
the Shkorpil brothers, who gave its first scientific descriptions
from the end of the 19th century. The first excavations were carried
out in 1925, and large-scale excavations began in the 80s of the XX
century and continue actively. The necropolis, the baths, parts of
the ancient and medieval fortress wall, a medieval customs station,
as well as numerous coins, statues, inscriptions and ceramics were
discovered. A large part of the findings are exhibited in the Burgas
Archaeological Museum. In 1965 Deultum was declared an architectural
and historical monument, and in 1980 the area was declared a
national archaeological reserve Deultum-Debelt. Since the 1980s, a
small museum has been built near the main excavation site.
The port of the large center Deultum was located on the outflow of
Lake Mandren, which was guarded by the double fortress of Burgos.
The Pudiso road station is also located there, marked on the
Peutinger map, and under the name Poro (strait) or Poros present in
the old Italian and Catalan maps of the XIII and XIV centuries. It
is this fortress, today called Poros or Foros, and its port, which
some authors consider to be the historical predecessor and symbol of
the city of Burgas. In 1453, the fortress was captured along with
the entire Black Sea coast, and the Ottoman conquerors valued the
protected port of Pyrgos and used it actively in the following
centuries. For the needs of shipping, a lighthouse was built on the
highest part of the coast, which gives the name of the Foros
peninsula near today's Kraimorie district. The remains of the
fortress are located in the Poda area and on the peninsula. For many
years, the territory of Cape Foros has been inaccessible due to the
presence of a military base, so it has not yet been fully explored.
During the first archaeological surveys in the area at the end of
2008, parts of the southeastern and northwestern fortress walls were
discovered. The masonry is from the IV century and with a thickness
of 2.10 m to 4.20 m. At the highest point of the area, the remains
of a monastery from the XIII century were found, which some
historians associate with the monastery "St. George" (V-XIII century
), described by Byzantine chroniclers and whose founders were
members of the Byzantine imperial family. Among the artifacts found,
exhibited in the Archaeological Museum of Burgas, is an ancient
Greek inscription of the Roman emperor Gordian III.
The
remains of the ancient and medieval fortress Akve Kalide -
Thermopolis are located in the area of today's Burgas mineral baths
in the Banevo district, at the foot of Stara Planina. Under the name
of Acqua calide, later Thermopolis, this great balneological center
flourished for centuries. It was visited by Philip II of Macedon,
the Byzantine emperors Justinian I and Constantine IV Pogonatus, the
Bulgarian Khan Tervel. In 1206, the Latin knights of the Fourth
Crusade under the leadership of Henry II of Flanders burned the city
and destroyed it. After this fire, Thermopolis was never able to
recover. In the following years, the baths were rebuilt, but not the
city. The first excavations of Akve Kalide were carried out in 1910
under the leadership of Bogdan Filov. Since 2008, large-scale
archaeological excavations have been carried out, which in 2010
revealed an area of 3,800 m², including the ancient baths, the
northern gate and a part of the fortress walls with a thickness of 5
m. In July 2011, the ancient and medieval city and area of 36,000 m²
have been declared an archaeological reserve of Akwe Kalide -
Thermopolis. In 2012, a new stage of the project for archaeological
excavations, conservation, restoration and socialization of the
ancient city began.
Erkesia is a proto-Bulgarian border
facility (a rampart with a ditch at its southern foot). It marked
the border between Bulgaria and Byzantium, established with the
signing of the peace treaty between Khan Omurtag and Emperor Leo V
the Armenian in 815 or 816. The facility connected the Black Sea
coast with the Maritsa river valley. The total length of the
facility from the shore of Lake Burgas (south of today's Gorno
Ezerovo district), through Rusokastron and Deultum to the left bank
of the Sazliyka River, opposite the village of Kalugerovo, is 142
km. Today it is a cultural monument of national importance, with a
well-preserved part located between Gorno Ezerovo and the
archaeological reserve Deultum.
Scafida and Rusokastron
fortresses are also located near Burgas. In the prehistoric
settlement from the Early Eneolithic era in the city of Burgas, 3
species of wild birds have been identified by paleornithologist
Prof. Zlatozar Boev on the basis of bone remains, the object of
hunting - a small white-fronted goose (Anser erythropus), an
undetermined species of goose (Anser sp. /cf. A . anser), white
stork (Ciconia ciconia) and coot (Fulica atra). The latter was
represented by a subspecies that disappeared during the Holocene,
described and known only from Bulgaria - Pontic (Black Sea) coot
(Fulica atra pontica).
Many parks and green areas have been built in the city. The Sea
Garden is the lung of the city and a monument of national
importance. It is one of the largest parks in the city and was
created with the first development plan of Burgas in 1891. The sea
garden extends along the continuation of the city beach, is about 5
km long and occupies an area of about 600 decares. A significant
contribution to the development of the park in the center of Burgas
was made by Georgi Duhtev, appointed in 1910 as manager of the Sea
Garden and future manager of the Boris Garden in Sofia. It is
planted with decorative trees and bushes, and among them there are
sculptures and busts of famous Bulgarian and foreign revivalists,
freedom fighters, writers, actors and personalities, created mainly
during the Summer Plein Air Sculptures in Burgas. From the garden
there is a wide view of Burgas Bay, as well as Pomorie in the
northern part of the bay and Sozopol and the northern slopes of
Strandzha Mountain in the southern part of the bay.
The Sea
Casino, the 2,000-seat "Summer Theater" with a movable roof and the
summer stage "Snail" were built in the Sea Garden. Events such as
the International Folklore Festival, Jazz Festival, opera and
theater performances, concerts of pop and rock artists are held
there in the summer. Every year at the end of April, the National
Flower Exhibition with international participation "Flora Burgas"
takes place. Near the exhibition grounds is the "Pantheon" monument
- an ossuary monument to those who died in the wars. It was opened
in 1981 and its author is the sculptor Valentin Starchev, and the
urban planner is the architect Vladimir Milkov. Georgi Duhtev's
house is also preserved in the park, which is today a cultural
monument.
In the central part of the city there is also
Boris's Garden, also called Prince Boris's Garden. It is located in
today's "Vazrazhdane" district and is closed by "William Gladstone",
"Alexander Stamboliyski", "Knyaz Boris I" and "Tsar Kaloyan"
streets. The park is named after Prince Boris I and has a
rectangular shape, and the avenues are built in the shape of an
anchor. In the northern part of the park is the Youth Home, and in
the southern part – a tennis court and a football field. Near the
park is the house museum of the poetess Petya Dubarova.
In
addition to the Sea and Boris Gardens, Burgas also has other large
parks: Rosenets Park, Izgrev Park and Slaveykov Park in the
Slaveykov complex; Veleka park in the Izgrev complex; Sarafovo Park
in the neighborhood of the same name, which is a natural
continuation of the Sea Garden; Kapcheto park (87 hectares) on the
eastern slope of the Varli bryag ridge; Kraimorie Park (412.6
hectares) along the Black Sea coast in the neighborhood of the same
name; Bryastovets-Draganovo-Izvorishte Park (818.3 decares) on the
southern slopes of Stara Planina; Health Park at the Burgas Mineral
Baths; the Lake park north of the Sea Garden, which is also its
natural extension, between the Atanasovsko Lake and the Izgrev and
Zornitsa residential complexes. In Rosenets Park (obsolete
Otmanlii), located south of the city on the northern slopes of the
Strandzha mountain and on the Black Sea coast, are the tourist lodge
Strandzha, the fishing village of Chengene skele and the villa
village of Alatepe.
The Sea Casino is located in the Sea Garden, and the Burgas Bridge is
east of it. The first pier, or better known among Burgasians as the
bridge, is of metal construction and was built in 1936 next to the new
public sea baths. A stone staircase was built from the bridge and the
coastal promenade, which to this day leads to the promenades of the Sea
Garden and the Sea Casino. The casino was built according to the plans
of architect Victoria Angelova and opened in 1938, and its opening was
one of the most important events of the year in the Kingdom of Bulgaria.
In the 1980s, the old iron bridge was replaced with a reinforced
concrete one, and two platforms were built at its end. Its official
height is 22 m at the mushroom, on the 1st floor – 6.19 m, on the 2nd
floor – 15.3 m on one of the platforms. From the other platform, tourist
boats depart to the island of St. Anastasia and the monastery of the
same name. In the winter of 2010/11, the Sea Casino was completely
renovated and turned into a cultural center with exhibition and meeting
rooms. The building of the renovated casino won the "Building of the
Year" award of the Chamber of Bulgarian Architects for 2011. In 2007,
the "Sailor's Monument" was opened in the immediate vicinity of the
casino. The monument represents a sailor's knot, and the staircase
leading from it to the bridge is shaped like an anchor. The project is
by sculptor Mihail Nikolov and architect Yordan Ivanov.
The city
beach of Burgas is divided into three strips. The central beach is
located in the central part of the city along the Sea Garden. It is
divided into northern and southern. The northern part of Burgas beach is
characterized by dark black sand, and the southern part by fine white
sand. Other beaches are located in the districts of Sarafovo, Pobeda and
Kraimorie.
The building of the Regional Customs is a national architectural
monument of culture in Burgas. It was built in 1911, as one of the last
administrative buildings on the new port square. The building was built
by the architect Georgi Fingov, but the project was the work of the
famous Austrian architect Weinstein. The building combines the styles of
neoclassicism and eclecticism from the beginning of the 20th century. In
2005, the building was renovated and completely restored. The Burgas
Municipality building was also built in the neoclassical style in 1927.
A competition was organized for it, which was won by a team composed of
arch. Ovcharov and arch. Popov. On the site where the Municipality of
Burgas was built, the building of the City Library was previously
housed, which burned to the ground in an accident. The building has been
preserved in its original form to this day and has been declared a
cultural monument.
With the construction of the Party House of
the Bulgarian Communist Party, the Monument to the Soviet Army and the
House of Petrochemicals (NHC), the new layout of the central square
"Pazarniy" begins. Until then, the square was used as a market center.
On this square, the independence of Bulgaria was announced for the
citizens of Burgas on September 22, 1908. In 1934, a tall pillar with 3
lighting fixtures was erected in the center of the square, which gave it
its current name - the Troika. After the democratic changes, the former
party house, which has several meeting rooms, originally housed the
newly established Burgas Free University. The university moved in 2004
to a new building, chosen the same year by the Bulgarian Chamber of
Architects as the Building of the Year and the special award for modern
adaptation and implementation of a university building in Bulgaria, and
the building on Troikata Square was turned into a courthouse.
The
monument to the Soviet Army, also known as Alyosha, was built between
1952 and 1953. It represents a Soviet warrior on an 18-meter plinth with
his left hand raised. At the base of the foundation, on both sides,
there are bronze reliefs dedicated to the struggle of the Red Army in
the Second World War. The authors of the project are architect Mikhail
Milkov and sculptors Vasil Radoslavov and Anna Milkova. The building of
the Trade and Administrative Center Tria, which in 2005 won the
"Building of the Audience" award at the "Building of the Year"
competition, and the building of the Helikon bookstore, which is a
cultural monument, are also located on Troikata Square.
The radio
relay and television station Burgas (RRTS Burgas) is located at 1 Dunav
St., next to the Mechanical Engineering School. It was built in 1993 and
is 72 meters high. The architectural appearance of the Radio and
Television Tower resembles the Eiffel Tower in Paris, which is why it is
also called the Eiffel Tower on concrete legs.
The Navel of
Burgas is a work of the sculptor Radostin Damaskov, placed in the middle
of the Zero Kilometer of the city, marking its exact coordinates. The
work resembles a shield on which the symbols of the city are depicted.
The symbols depicted on the copper disk are a trident (Ψ), symbolizing
the staff of Neptune; three fish as a symbol of Jesus Christ; the ship
of the Argonauts as a symbol of the port and Black Sea shipping; and the
laurel wreath as a symbol of the rich history of Burgas. The work was
placed during the renovation of the central part of the city in 2011 and
is located at the intersection of St. St. Cyril and Methodius" and
"Alexandrovska" in the central pedestrian area.
The historical museum is located on "Gen. Alexander Lermontov" 31,
opposite the First Regional Department of the Ministry of Internal
Affairs. The museum was established in 1925 and has expositions related
to the new and recent history of Burgas, a collection of ancient coins
and an icon gallery with works from southern Bulgaria and northern
Turkey.
The Ethnographic Museum in Burgas is located in the
former house of the merchant Dimitar Brakalov. The Renaissance house,
preserved in its original form, was built in 1873 and is located near
the cathedral "St. St. Cyril and Methodius". The collections of
Bulgarian costumes and ornaments, characteristic of the population of
Burgas, are housed there. A large part of the exhibition is the costumes
typical of the homelands of the many refugees from Greece and Turkey.
In the Archaeological Museum there are expositions related to the
city, the region and the maritime theme from ancient times, antiquity to
the fall of the region under Ottoman rule. The finds from the
archaeological excavations in the region, which have intensified in
recent years, are also exhibited here. The central exhibition hall of
the museum is located on Alexander Bogoridi Street in the pedestrian
zone. The museum was founded in 1912 as the Debelt Archaeological
Society.
The diversity of the flora and fauna of Burgas and the
region is gathered in the Natural History Museum in the three permanent
exhibitions "The Magical World of the Stone", "Flora and Fauna of
Strandzha Mountain", "Bird Resources of the Burgas Wetlands". The newest
museum is the House Museum of the poetess Petya Dubarova. It was founded
in 1995 and is the organizer of the annual Petya Dubarova National
Literary Competition.
Burgas has a drama, children's and puppet theatre, an opera house, a
concert hall and many art galleries. The sea city is one of the few
cities in Bulgaria that has a Theater for Drama, Opera and Ballet
(Burgas Opera), located near the pedestrian zone in the central part of
the city. In 2000, the Burgas State Opera and Philharmonic were united
in one institution. The Burgas Philharmonic was established as a state
institution in 1947, but its beginnings were made in 1910 with the
founding of the Musical Society "Native Sounds" in Burgas, with the
composer Georgi Shagunov among the founders. Today, the Philharmonic
uses both its concert hall "Prof. Ivan Vulpe", as well as the stage of
the Burgas Opera House. The State Children's Puppet Theater of Burgas,
which was established in 1954, is also located in the opera house. The
Adriana Budevska Drama Theater is located next to the Old Court (today
the "Registration Agency") in the preserved old part of the city. The
beginning of theatrical work in Burgas was laid in 1882 with the
production of Malakova by the writer Petko Slaveykov, but it was not
until 1914 that the Municipal Council decided to build a drama theater,
which today bears the name of the Bulgarian actress Adriana Budevska.
Burgas is one of the few Bulgarian cities where a Youth Cultural
Center operates. It is also used by the Professional Folk Ensemble
"Stranja". The ensemble, which was founded in 1965, consists of a choir,
an orchestra and a dance formation. In 2011, the old maritime casino was
renovated and turned into a cultural center. Events of various types and
exhibitions are also organized in the "Cultural House of
Petrochemicals", and the Garrison Military Club is often used for
military-themed exhibitions. Neighborhood community centers also
function as small cultural centers with a place for events and club
activities.
The city is known on the Bulgarian art scene for its
many galleries. The city's art collections are housed in the "Petko
Zadgorski" city art gallery. It is housed in the former synagogue of the
city, built between 1905 and 1910 according to a project by the Austrian
architect Friedrich Grünanger. After the seizure of power by the
communists and the emigration of the city's Jewish population after
World War II, the building was nationalized and on April 7, 1946, it was
reopened as a city art gallery. Other famous galleries in the city are
the gallery of the Society of Burgas Artists, Nessi Gallery, Burgas
Gallery, Eti Gallery and others.
The Cathedral "Saints Cyril and Methodius" is the oldest Bulgarian
church in the city and bears the name of the Slavic equal apostles St.
St. Cyril and Methodius. It is located in the central part of the city
on the square of the same name. It was built in the period 1897-1907
according to the project of the Italian architect Riccardo Toscani, who
worked in the city. It differs from the churches built during the
Bulgarian Revival and distinguishes it from those built in the first
years after the Liberation. The temple is a three-nave cruciform church,
basilica type and built along the east-west axis, typical of Catholic
churches. The central apse with the altar and the richly decorated
iconostasis are located in the eastern part of the church. The nave
divides the interior of the cathedral into three naves by means of five
pairs carrying marble columns. The central and largest dome is built
over the main nave of the church; four other smaller domes are built
above the two side naves. The main dome rises on a tall twelve-sided
drum with windows. The narthex in the western part of the temple is
higher than the central nave. The central entrance is on the west
facade, with other smaller entrances on the north and south sides only
open for special ceremonies. Master Mityo Tsanev from Dryanovo and
Kuzman Dimitrov from Macedonia took part in the construction of the
temple. Saint brothers Cyril and Methodius are depicted on the beautiful
stained glass at the main entrance of the cathedral. The cathedral was
painted by the artists Gyuzhenov and Kozhuharov, who also painted the
St. Alexander Nevsky Temple-monument in Sofia.
The Orthodox
Church "Assumption of the Blessed Virgin" (Holy Virgin for short) is the
oldest Orthodox church in Burgas. Its predecessor, built at the
beginning of the 17th century, was destroyed during the Russian-Turkish
war (1828 – 1829). With the return of the Christian population after
1840, the current temple was built in the then Greek hamlet. The Greek
school was built next to the church, the successor of which is today's
Economic Technical College. The service in Greek continued until 1906,
when the Bulgarian population seized the church in response to similar
events in Greece. The church was subsequently confiscated, placed under
the rule of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church and renamed from "Assumption
of the Blessed Virgin" to "Transfiguration". Icons painted by monks in
the Holy Mountain are stored in the church. In 1927-28, the two towers
of the temple were built and three bells were placed in one. After the
Second World War, the church was declared a cultural monument. On March
16, 1952, the church board returned the old name to the church, and from
November 1957 to the end of 1958, the church was completely painted by
the artist Nikolay Rostovtsev.
The construction of the Orthodox
church "St. Ivan Rilski" is closely related to the expansion of the city
after the Liberation and the subsequent flow of refugees after the
Balkan Wars (1912-13). In 1913, Alexander Georgiev Kodjakafaliya
bequeathed lands in the area of today's Bratya Miladinovi neighborhood
to poor and landless residents of the city, as well as funds for the
construction of houses and a temple. A year later, its construction
began. The temple building committee also receives large financial
contributions from the NCO Union, as well as from other donors and
Burgas churches. On April 1, 1934, the new church named after Ivan
Rilski was solemnly opened. In 1951, the old wooden bell tower was
replaced by a new one, which today is located to the left of the
entrance to the temple. Four bells of different sizes, weighing 100, 60
and two 40 kilograms, are suspended in the belfry. The iconostasis of
the temple was made already during the construction. It is 3 meters high
and 11.5 meters long. Nikolay Kozhuharov was chosen to write the
iconostasis icons, participating with seven icons. On November 1, 1973,
during the consecration of the temple, parts of the relics of St. Martyr
Bacchus.
In 1673, the first Armenian apostolic church was
mentioned, built by the Armenian community with the support of the
Bulgarians in the city and named "Surp Stepanos". It was rebuilt several
times, the last time in 1853, since then it bears its current name "Surp
Hach" (in Bulgarian: Holy Cross). With the reconstruction, a bell tower
was built, and the facades were covered with tiles. The church is
one-nave, one-space and bears the main features of Armenian church
architecture. The exterior architectural image does not give an accurate
idea of the original building. The church is recognized as a monument of
culture, and on the west side of the church in 1990, a Monument to the
victims of the genocide of the Armenian people in the Ottoman Empire,
made by Hari Arabyan, was erected.
Other churches in the city are
the Bulgarian Orthodox Church "St. Trinity", "St. Athanasius", "Saint
Pimen Zografski", Roman Catholic Church "Virgin Mary the Virgin" and
Eastern Catholic Church "Holy Assumption". Saint Anastasia Monastery is
the last surviving medieval island monastery on the Western Black Sea
coast; the monastery "Sveta Bogoroditsa" is located between the
districts of Gorno Ezerovo and Meden Rudnik, and the monastery "Sveta
Atanas" is located in the district of Sunrise.
Along with the holiday of Burgas, which is celebrated annually on
December 6, the day of the religious holiday of St. Nicholas the
Wonderworker, festivals and cultural events of various nature are held
in Burgas mainly in the summer. Some of the festivals such as Spice
Music Festival, Sofia Film Fest on the Coast, Burgas and the Sea
(festival), Burgas Blues & Jazz Festival, and until 2015 (incl.) Spirit
of Burgas, Burgas International Film Festival, Literary Days Petya
Dubarova, the motorcycle assembly in Kraimorie and the traditional
holidays in honor of the city's patron saint are held every year. At the
end of March 2012, the contemporary art festival Include the City was
held for the first time.
At the end of April, the Festival of
German and Austrian Classical Music takes place. In May, the Flora
floristry fair, the Petya Dubarova national literary competition, the
international theater festival Era of Aquarius, and the Port Burgas
Sailing Week International sailing regatta are held in the third week of
the month. On May 24, processions in honor of the Bulgarian alphabet and
the first apostles St. St. Cyril and Methodius.
The month of June
begins with the opening of the Festival of Sand Figures in the Lake
Park, which lasts until the end of September. Also in June, Summer
cultural holidays "Burgas - summer, sea", the Burgas Cup international
sport dance tournament and the Emil Chakarov classical and opera music
festival are held. On the evening of June 30, people gather on the
shores of the Black Sea to enjoy the sunrise on the morning of July 1.
This relic of the 1970s hippie era is traditionally welcomed in the city
on the central beach and is also called July Morning.
In July,
the "Peyo Yavorov" poetry days are held, and on the last weekend of the
month, the Burgas swimming marathon.
At the beginning of August
are the music festivals Burgas Blues & Jazz Festival and the National
Fun Song Contest Burgas and the Sea. Until 2015 (inclusive), on the
second weekend of the month on the Burgas beach and in the southern part
of the Sea Garden, the stages of the contemporary music festival "Spirit
of Burgas" (see Spirit of Burgas) are being built. Since 2019, the SPICE
Music Festival has been held, dedicated to the hit music of the 90s of
the 20th century. Every year, some of the best performers from this
period come to town. From August 19 to 20, the anniversary of the
Ilinden-Preobrazhen Uprising is celebrated, with the main celebrations
taking place in the Petrova Niva area, south of Burgas. At the end of
the month, Burgas hosts the National Week of the Sea and the
International Folklore Festival.
In September, the international
theater festival "On the Shore" takes place.
The Haunted Shores
Metal Festival takes place on the last weekend of November.
On
December 6, the day of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker, patron of the
city, the sea and sailors, various events are held and an Honorary
Citizen of Burgas is awarded. One week before Christmas, the winners of
the Helicon Literature Prize are announced.
First and Thracian settlements
Several prehistoric and ancient
settlements from the Stone-Copper to the Late Bronze Age have been
discovered in the land of Burgas. At the beginning of the summer of
2008, archaeologists from the Burgas Museum discovered a prehistoric
mound and objects dating back to the Early Chalcolithic era, 10 km
north of the town in the Solna Niva area, near Atanasovsko Lake.
More than 250 items have been excavated, the earliest of which are
believed to have been used 6,000 years BC. They testify to
agriculture, cattle breeding and salt production, as a livelihood of
the ancient inhabitants of the area. Ritual vessels of the
king-priest were also found. The artifacts are considered to be the
oldest ever found on the Black Sea coast, including in Turkey and
the Caucasus. This gave rise to the director of the regional museum
Tsonya Drazheva to define the area of today's Burgas, between the
three lakes Mandre, Burgas and Atanasovsko and the Black Sea as "the
crossroads of the most ancient civilizations".
Among the
first inhabitants of the region are the Thracians, who around the
6th century BC. created a number of settlements on the territory of
today's Burgas, along with the nearby towns of Apollonia, Mesemvria,
Anhialo. From the 6th to the 2nd century BC. A Thracian settlement,
probably an emporion (market) of Apollonia, also exists in the area
of Sweet Wells, on the territory of today's Pobeda district. The
village had a port and water supply. On the Shiloto hill in the
Meden Rudnik district there was a Thracian fortress, which protected
the nearby copper mines of the Thracian princes at Varli Bryag.
After the invasion of Philip II of Macedon, in its place was the
sanctuary of Apollo Carnesos (Pure Apollo), an important part of the
existing number of sanctuaries of this god, built north of
Apollonia. Tursis is another Thracian settlement, which was located
west of Bourgas and was destroyed in the early 2nd century BC. Due
to the active construction in later epochs, the remains of the
ancient settlement in the area "Sladki kladentsi" have not been
preserved. However, the presence of a port, market center and
archaeological finds give grounds to the historian Ivan Karayotov to
locate the Port of the Thracian kings on the territory of Burgas.
Archaeological excavations of the later mineral baths Akve Khalide
also prove Thracian settlements and the most revered "sanctuary of
the Three Nymphs". At the time of Shah Darius I, the Thracian
settlements in the region of Burgas were under Persian rule, but
after the repulse of the Persian invasion and the founding of the
Odrysian kingdom, they were again Thracian.
Along with the
listed settlements, Burgas is considered mostly the successor of
Deultum, Akve Khalide and the medieval Pyrgos, and according to some
authors of Skafida and Rusokastron. Deultum originates on the
western shore of Lake Mandre at the mouth of the river Sredetska, in
the area between the lakes Burgas and Mandre, and modern linguists
translate the name of the city as a duet. Between 383 and 359 BC.
The settlements near Burgas are under the control of the Thracian
king Kotis I. The importance of the nearby towns of Apollonia and
Mesamvria hinders the development of the small settlements between
them, and until 340 BC. the region was conquered by the Macedonian
king Philip II.
Development from Roman times to the Middle
Ages
After the conquest of the Southern Black Sea coast by the
Roman general Lucius in 72 BC, Emperor Vespasian founded the
eponymous colony of Deultum (Latin: Colonia Flavia Pacis
Deultemsium) east of the Thracian settlement of Develt or Debelt for
veterans of the VIII August Legion. of the province of Hemimontus.
There was a northeastern branch of the Roman road Via Militaris and
the Black Sea coastal road Via Pontica. Along with Deultum in Roman
times, the mineral baths at Akve Khalide were developed, visited in
the following centuries by many emperors and kings. In the center of
Burgas the Roman traces are documented by the many coins found from
the 1st to the 4th century, and south of today's Central Station are
the remains of a Roman statue.
At the end of the 1st century, during the time of the Roman
emperor Antoninus Pius, the double fortress of Burgos or Poros and a
road station (statio milliaria) with a port were built on the Poros
/ Foros peninsula near today's Kraimorie district. They guarded the
approaches to the fortresses of Deultum and Skafida, as well as Via
Pontica. Archaeological excavations in 2009 uncovered part of a
fortress, the remains of a 13th century monastery and an ancient
settlement near them, dating from late antiquity (5th century AD).
According to some authors, Poros and Pyrgos mentioned in historical
sources are the same fortress. The fortress on the Foros Peninsula
was probably used as an observatory. Its remains also existed in the
19th century, as evidenced by various Europeans who visited the area
during this period. Some authors believe that the settlement is the
successor of the ancient road station mentioned as Pudizo in the
Peutinger map. It is not known whether Deultum and the fortress of
Foros were captured and destroyed by both Akve Khalide and the
entire region during the Gothic invasions in the second half of the
260s. In 376, sources mention Deultum again, near which the Goths
defeated an elite Roman military unit.
During the division of
the Roman Empire in 395, the region of today's Bourgas became part
of the Eastern Roman Empire (later Byzantium), and during the reign
of Justinian I (527 - 565) fortress walls were built around Akve
Khalide. In 708, Khan Tervel defeated the Byzantine troops led by
Justinian II east of Akve Khalide in the Battle of Anhialo, and the
Imperial Baths and Deultum entered the Bulgarian border for the
first time. Under Khan Krum, the Zagore district became permanently
part of Bulgaria, and under his successor Omurtag, the Erkesiya
border wall was built from the shores of Lake Burgas to the Maritsa
River. According to one of the legends, in 863 Khan Boris I secretly
accepted Christianity at Deultum (see Christianization of Bulgaria).
This theory is supported by archaeological finds from 2005, when a
ritual complex with a basilica from the IX century was discovered
near the present-day village of Debelt. Boris abandoned his old
title and accepted the Slavic title of prince, and at the same time
received the name of his godfather - the Byzantine Emperor Michael
III.
From about 970 the region was again under Byzantine
rule, and in 1093 Emperor Alexius I Comnenus had in Thermopolis, the
medieval heir of Akve Khalide, a detachment for the defense of the
eastern Stara Planina passes. In the next century the Burgas region
was contested by the Bulgarian and Byzantine empires. In 1206, the
Latins, led by Henry of Flanders, brother of Baldwin of Flanders,
captured and set fire to Thermopolis. In 1270 the fortress of Poros
was mentioned in a document of the Patriarch of Constantinople, and
in 1304 south of it the Battle of Skafida took place, during which
Tsar Todor Svetoslav conquered the Southern Black Sea Coast. In 1332
Ivan-Alexander defeated Emperor Andronicus III Palaeologus west of
today's Burgas in the last great battle between the Bulgarian
kingdom and Byzantium - the Battle of Rusokastro. At the beginning
of the 13th century, the region was devastated by the Catalan
company.
Under Ottoman rule and the first written mention
Deultum, Skafida and Poros were conquered by the Ottoman Turks, led
by Sultan Murad I in 1367/1368, but later conquered by Amadeus VI of
Savoy, who granted them to Byzantium. At the beginning of 1453,
shortly before the fall of Constantinople, they, along with other
cities on the southern Black Sea coast, were the last Bulgarian
territories to fall under Ottoman rule. The Deultum was finally
destroyed and could not be rebuilt for centuries to come.
Thermopolis and Pyrgos are preserved, and the first Turkish Sultan
Suleiman I (1520 - 1566) ordered the construction of a new bath
(hammam) on the half-destroyed Roman basins. At Poros, which became
part of the Anhial kaaza, Sultan Bayezid II built a farm for the
needs of the sultan's court, and a lighthouse for shipping.
The earliest written document mentioning Burgas exactly on the site
of today's center is the Ottoman register (defter) from 1603/4. It
mentions the port of Pyrgos (iskele-i Pyrgos), which is part of the
waqf of Iskender Pasha and is located in the Aytos kaaza (district),
where it was until the vilayet reform of 1864. In 1639 and 1646/47
the port was mentioned again. Despite the destruction of the ancient
water supply network and the shortage of water, Pyrgos was used as a
base for the Ottoman fleet. Freshwater was transported by cart or
back from nearby springs and stored in large containers near the
port.
One of the first written information about the city during this
period leaves the Ottoman traveler Hadji Kalfa, who visited the city
in the middle of the 16th century and marked it with the name
Burgas. In the period after the Battle of Lepanto in 1571, Pyrgos
was an important shipbuilding center. The traveler Evliya леelebi
mentioned in 1656 two ports in the village: one at Poros for the big
ones and the other at Pyrgos, in the area of today's port, for the
smaller ships. As the Ottoman chronicler Hadji Ali wrote in his
marching diary (Fethname-i Kamaniçe), Sultan Mehmed IV visited
Thermopolis on his way to Poland in 1672/73 (see Polish-Turkish War
(1672-1676)). In 1673, some of the Armenians deported from the area
of hostilities settled in Burgas. They were visited two years
later by the Armenian Archbishop Mardiros Krimechi, who left a brief
description of the city.
In the middle of the 17th century
the city began to grow thanks to the trade and export of grain.
In 1738 the population of Burgas, as in all important cities in
the European part of the Ottoman Empire, was predominantly Turkish.
Lafitte-Clave, who visited the region in 1784, identified Bourgas as
a strategically important, largest city in the bay and was the first
to name the bay Bourgas, noting that it had previously been known as
Poros. He called the lake west of the city Burgas, and its
river-outflow Burgas. Several Western diplomats, including Wenzel
Edler von Brognard (1786) and Charles de Paysonel (1787), described
Burgas as a town (small town) with 1,100 to 1,200 houses and as an
important trade center and place for transshipment of agricultural
products from the east. part of Thrace. Burgas was at that time the
center of the coast from Ahtopol to Guzeken and has the Burgas keel
- its own unit of measurement for grain.
With the withdrawal
of Russian troops after the end of the Russo-Turkish War of 1828 -
1829, most of the Bulgarian population of Strandzha and the coast
left their homes and, following the army outside Bulgaria, settled
in Ukraine, Moldova, Bessarabia. and other territories of the
Russian Empire. In the following years, part of the Turkish
population who had fled before the war returned. Bulgarians from the
interior of the country gradually settled in the abandoned
settlements, which gradually became Greek under the influence of
Greek teachers and priests.
Between 1854 and 1864 Burgas was
part of the Anhial kaaza in the Silistra Sandzak. During the
Tanzimata (1840 - 1864) an independent kaaza with the center of
Burgas in the Sliven Sandzak was established. For this purpose, the
settlements of the Akhial and Rusokastren kaaza were transferred to
Pyrgos. As an administrative center, Burgas is governed by a
kaimakam, to which, according to the Law on Provinces, a district
council is established, in the meetings of which, according to
Hatihumayuna, non-Muslim communities, including Bulgarians, also
participate. This administrative status is maintained until the
Liberation. As a result of the new situation from the early 60s of
the XIX century for Burgas began a period of rapid economic and
cultural development, which was interrupted briefly only during the
Russo-Turkish War (1877 - 1878) to continue thereafter. with even
greater dynamics. In 1860 a telegraph station was built in Burgas,
which served the region to Sliven, Varna and Constantinople. The
telegraph connection with the Ottoman capital and the two larger
neighboring cities: Sliven and Varna (the first of which is one of
the most important in the whole empire production center of
handicrafts and textiles), as well as the port (the main export
point of the whole Northeast Bulgaria and important for the transit
trade of a large part of the lands of the Lower Danube) give a new
impetus to the development of trade in Burgas and increase the
importance of the city as a major Black Sea port for all of Southern
Bulgaria.
During the struggle for Bulgarian church and state
independence in 1869 in Burgas were opened a Bulgarian school and
church on the site of today's church "St. St. Cyril and Methodius ”.
Although the population of Burgas did not take part in the armed
struggle for the liberation of Bulgaria, important channels of
communication and arms transfer of the Internal Revolutionary
Organization passed through the city, and the revolutionaries Vasil
Levski and Panayot Hitov visited the city several times.
Main
port of Eastern Rumelia and the Unification of Bulgaria (1878 -
1885)
During the Russo-Turkish War of 1877/78, Burgas was used by the
Ottoman army as a logistics center. Towards the end of the war, a
large Turkish and Circassian population, including that of Burgas,
moved through the port. The last 2,000 Turkish soldiers and 4
cannons were loaded on ships at the end of December 1877. With the
signing of the Edirne Armistice, Burgas remained outside the borders
of future Bulgaria, and the ridge line between the two armies was
determined by the ridge of the Eastern Balkan Mountains, which
reaches the Black Sea north of Nessebar. Thus, at the beginning of
1878 in Burgas and the surrounding villages there were no more
official representatives of the Turkish sultan, which led to the
atrocities of the bashibozushki and Circassian gangs. The
inhabitants of Karnobat and Balgarovo were subjected to massacres.
Burgas was saved thanks to Rufat Effendi, the Ottoman commandant of
the port of Burgas.
On February 6, 1878, a "flying
detachment" under the command of Colonel Lermontov, tasked with
providing the Russian fleet with access to the port of Burgas by
occupying positions in the Burgas Bay and stopping Circassians
invading from the north through the Dulen Pass, deserted Turkish
soldiers. Burgas. At that time it was home to about 2,950 people,
mostly Armenians, Jews, Bulgarians, Greeks and Greeks. Niko Popov
has been appointed the first mayor of the liberated city. On the
shores of Burgas, Russian troops built a military hospital in the
following months, which was under the leadership of Alexandra
Lermontova and remained in the city until mid-1879.
With the
implementation of the Berlin Treaty of 1878, Burgas became one of
the 6 administrative centers of the Ottoman province of Eastern
Rumelia. Under the agreement, part of the Turkish population
returned to the city. The decisions of the Municipality were
announced in Bulgarian, Greek and Ottoman. Despite the lack of
water, the city is an important trade center and the only major port
in Eastern Rumelia, and economic development attracts refugees from
Eastern Thrace and the Strandzha Mountains - territories that remain
under Ottoman rule. In 1880 the Probuda community center was opened,
and on July 20, 1885 the Burgas newspaper was published in Burgas -
the first Burgas weekly.
The city remained Ottoman until
September 1885, when after a military coup Eastern Rumelia merged
with the Principality of Bulgaria. Bulgaria's unification was met
with Russia's disapproval and was against its interests in
controlling the Balkans. Citizens from Burgas also took part in the
ensuing Serbo-Bulgarian war. Although the Treaty of Bucharest of
February 19, 1886 restored the status quo, Russian Tsar Alexander
III was dissatisfied and refused to recognize Alexander Battenberg
as ruler of United Bulgaria. Thus, in the following months and
years, Russian diplomacy organized and assisted in organizing
conspiracies against Bulgaria. The Turkish government, for its part,
wants, as a precondition for the normalization of relations, the
placing of the port of Burgas under Turkish administration, which
was rejected by the Bulgarian prince.
At the beginning of May
1886, a conspiracy was thwarted in Burgas under the leadership of
the Russian officer Nikolai Nabokov against Alexander Battenberg,
who was visiting the city. After the revelation, the conspirators
managed to hide in the Russian representation in the city and escape
with impunity. Although the pro-Russian political groups in the
country (Tsankovists and false allies) deposed Prince Alexander I,
with the help of Stefan Stambolov and the Rumelia army, he managed
to return to the throne. In October of the same year, a military
uprising broke out in Burgas again under the leadership of Nabokov,
supported by a Russian warship. To crush the revolt, Stambolov sent
Kosta Panitza, who, with the help of the Aytos detachment, managed
to put an end to the Russophile conspiracies against the Union in
Burgas.
After the Liberation, Burgas ranked first after Sofia in terms of
the relative share of rates and scales of development in comparison
with other Bulgarian cities. The development finds expression in the
first construction plan of Burgas adopted in 1891. He approved the
construction of new public buildings on the western model in the
city, which changed its oriental appearance. As early as 1881 the
city library was built, in 1891 the Sea Garden and in 1897 the
Cathedral of St. St. Cyril and Methodius. In 1895 Georgi Ivanov
opened the first printing house in Burgas, followed by the printing
house of Hr. Velchev, which was renamed in 1900 to the Velchevi
Brothers Printing House. On May 27, 1890, the Burgas-Plovdiv railway
line was solemnly opened in Burgas. An important stage in the
economic development of Burgas was marked by the construction of the
seaport, which was opened on May 18, 1903. During these years, 151
industrial enterprises were established in Burgas, including the
Factory for Confectionery and Vegetable Oils of Avram Chalovski, the
Great Bulgarian Mills of Ivan Hadjipetrov, the Soap Factory Kambana,
the Factory for Canned Fish and others.
A number of beautiful
buildings in Burgas - Imperial Hotel, Modern Theater, the houses of
Yovi Vodenicharov, Yonidis, Ivan Hadjipetrov, Isaac Presenti, the
Kalimanovi brothers, Stefan Rodev, etc., the Cathedral of St. St.
Cyril and Methodius ”, the building of the museum“ Petya Dubarova
”was designed by the Italian architect Ricardo Toscani (between 1897
and 1926).
With the establishment of the Bulgarian Exarchate
in 1870, the Bulgarian Orthodox Church managed to restore its
independence, but several cities on the west coast of the Black Sea
remained under the rule of the Patriarchate of Constantinople. In
1900, the Patriarchate of Constantinople handed over the last
churches and monasteries, but this did not happen peacefully
everywhere. In 1905, after long protests, the monastery of St.
Anastasia was handed over to the Bulgarian Patriarchate. Prior to
this act, the abbot of the monastery tried to sell the monastery
treasure, which provoked ferment and protests in Burgas and only the
intervention of the gendarmerie protected the Greek population from
pogroms.
After the Unification, for decades the city and the
district became the largest refugee camp in Bulgaria. After the
Ilinden-Preobrazhensk Uprising and especially after the Inter-Allied
War of 1913, the city and the region were filled with refugees from
Eastern Thrace. As early as January 29, 1895, refugees from
Macedonia established in Burgas a Macedonian society called Pirin
Mountain, which also included emigrants from the Edirne region. On
May 12, 1896, similar to him and on the initiative of Captain Petko
Voivoda and the brothers Peter and Nikola Dragulevi, the Edirne
Migration Society Strandzha was established in Varna. In December of
the same year, a branch was built in Burgas. On September 2, 1902,
the two organizations in Burgas merged into the Macedonian-Edirne
Society. The Macedonian-Edirne Volunteer Association, the Macedonian
Charitable Brotherhood "Dimitar Mihailov", the Macedonian Women's
Cultural, Educational and Charitable Association Mencha Karnicheva,
the Macedonian Youth Association Pelister and other organizations
were also founded in Burgas. The organizational center of the
refugees at that time was the Minkov Inn, located on today's 63
Ferdinandova Street.
In 1906, the actions of the Greek
andartes in Macedonia led to riots and pogroms against the Greek
population in the overcrowded city and region. In Burgas, the Greek
church and school were alienated, and the Greek population emigrated
in the following years mainly to Constantinople. In 1906, the Trade
High School, established a year earlier, moved to the former
premises of the Greek school. At that time, another Armenian,
Turkish and French private school was operating in the city.
From the Balkan War to the 1930s (1912-1934)
At the outbreak of
the Balkan War in Burgas, 65 volunteers formed the First Company of
the 12th Lozengrad Company of the Macedonian-Edirne Militia under
the leadership of Louis Ayer. On October 18, 1912, the city was
shelled by the Ottoman fleet, which built a naval blockade in the
Burgas Bay. The blockade was lifted on November 8 of the same year.
After the lost Inter-Allied War and after the loss of the First
World War, the number of refugees in Burgas increased again, and
according to incomplete data of the former Directorate for
Accommodation of Refugee Families in Bulgaria, by 1931 the Burgas
region had the largest population - 12,155 families. as their total
number amounts to over 60 thousand people, two thirds of whom are
from Eastern Thrace. The rest are refugees from Aegean Macedonia,
mainly from the Enidje Vardar region. They arrived in the period
1923-25 and settled in Burgas and in the coastal settlements north
of the city. In their place, most of the writhing inhabitants of the
region are leaving for Greece. Even before the wars, in 1912 the
lighthouse on the island of St. Anastasia was renovated. In its
northern part a reinforced concrete lighthouse tower and a service
house for the lighthouse keepers were built. The height of the
lighthouse tower from the terrain was 9.10 m, and the lamp - 21.70 m
from sea level. The headlight was dismantled from the old tower on
the island of St. Ivan. Its lighting was carried out with the help
of two-wick oil lamps. The fire was first lit on June 13, 1914 and
was visible at a distance of 6 nautical miles. During the period
1910-1919, the lighthouse of St. Anastasia was planned to be
equipped with modern bells. Only in 1925 - 1926 such a facility was
placed at the entrance of the Port of Bourgas.
In 1918, the
Cistercian Order, which cares for refugees in Burgas, opened a
girls' boarding school in the city. Despite the difficult economic
situation of the refugees, an economic boom began in the city. In
1920 Bourgas numbered about 21,000 people and was again the main
Bulgarian port for the export of grain and Bulgarian products, and
by the mid-1930s it was ahead of the Varna port in terms of imports.
In 1922, the Swiss company AG für Handel und Industriewerte received
a 25-year concession for industrial salt production in Lake
Atanasovsko. Two years later, in 1924, the only pencil factory in
Southeast Europe was opened in Burgas with Deveko (today HemusMark
AD), and a year later the State Mechanical Engineering School opened
its doors.
In the winter of 1928/29 the Burgas Bay froze,
which allowed in late January and early February 1929 the passage
from Burgas to the island of St. Anastasia in carriages. A few years
later, in 1934, the city's population numbered 34,260.
The news of the invasion of the Red Army on September 7, 1944 in the territory of the Kingdom of Bulgaria came to Burgas by telegraph, telephone and radio. On September 8, 1944, a Soviet seaplane landed in the waters of Burgas. On the same date, at the Burgas airport, as a radio operator, Danail Denev met the first Soviet reconnaissance plane, piloted by Major Sertsov and his collaborator Seredin. On September 9, 1944, Burgas was occupied by Soviet troops, who captured the Burgas airport and port, and representatives of the tsarist government were executed. Among the victims of the next two panels of the People's Court in Burgas are the representatives of all rich and wealthy Burgas families, the Burgas intelligentsia and members of the Burgas Bar Association. At that time, six private baths and one municipal sea bath worked in the city together with the Burgas Mineral Baths. After the end of the Second World War, the Jewish organization Haganah organized ship convoys for Holocaust survivors, which sailed from Bourgas to Palestine. The Jewish population of Burgas also emigrated with these convoys. In the following years, the Communist administration of the Bulgarian Communist Party nationalized more than 160 factories and private enterprises, baths, shops, and the inability of the Communists to manage them led to a shortage of food, clothing, fuel, and other food. The People's University, the synagogue, the German and Italian high schools are closed. Total nationalization disrupts the natural rhythm of economic development in Burgas, and political repression continues after that. On June 29, 1947, the first U-52 passenger plane landed in Burgas, flying the impressive distance from Sofia to Bourgas at that time. This event, which took place under the direct supervision of the Prime Minister of the People's Republic of Bulgaria - Georgi Dimitrov, is actually the first passenger flight of the Bulgarian Civil Aviation.
In the 50s and 60s of the 20th century, plants from the chemical
and oil refining industries were built, the largest of which is the
Petrochemical Plant. Industrialization led to additional population
growth and in the 1960s the German High School was reopened. Between
1970 and 1973, the architectural studio IPA Glavproekt developed a
new plan for the development and expansion of the city according to
the "socialist model". In the following years, the residential
complexes Izgrev, Zornitsa, Petko Slaveykov and Meden Rudnik were
built on it, where buildings from this period still dominate. In
1980, the Slaveykov complex was built with 52 entrances and 482 m
the longest residential block in Bulgaria and was awarded the title
of "socialist pride". During this period, the central municipal
halls were replaced by a new two-storey building and renamed
Krasnodar. Another emblematic building from this period is the
apartment block 77 in the Lazur district (then called Tolbuhin),
known in Burgas as the Cucumber.
In 1976 the village of Meden
Rudnik was annexed to Burgas, and in the following years the largest
district of Burgas was built next to it, which was separated from
the rest of Burgas by Lake Burgas and Mandre, and the former village
became one of the neighborhoods of the new complex. On September 9,
1982, the Secret Army for the Liberation of Armenia assassinated
Bora Suelkan, the Turkish Consul General in the city, in Burgas and
killed his administrative attaché.
The population of Burgas
as of December 4, 1985 according to NSI data is 182,338 inhabitants.
From 1987 to 1991, five other municipal villages were annexed to
Burgas. They are differently distant from the center of Bourgas, the
reason for which is the geographical position of Bourgas, located
between three lakes in the west and the Black Sea in the east.
Development in post-communism
After the fall of communism in
1989, the architecture and appearance of the city changed. However,
the architecture of Burgas, especially on the outskirts, was marked
by the expansion of the city during the communist era, when former
refugee camps were transformed into modern housing estates, and in
the younger neighborhoods the so-called Sharon houses can still be
found. In the winter of 1996/97 in Burgas, as throughout the
country, protests were organized and held against the government of
Jean Videnov and hyperinflation. In 1998, the port city became the
seat of one of the five administrative courts.
On February
28, 2008, the Burgas Municipal Council recognized the genocide of
the Armenian people in the Ottoman Empire in the period 1915-1922.
In December of the same year, for the first time in Bulgaria, a case
was filed electronically before the Burgas Administrative Court.
In the spring of 2010, rain and heavy snowmelt caused flooding
in the Pobeda, Dolno Ezerovo and Meden Rudnik neighborhoods.
In 2011 Burgas won the award Best City to live in Bulgaria, as well
as the Greenest Bulgarian city. In 2013, Burgas won the Best City
for Living in Bulgaria award for the second time.
The future development of the city is related to the opening of Burgas to the sea and lakes. In this context, the Super Burgas project is discussed. In the coming years, projects for public bicycle transport, for the removal of heavy traffic from the central part of the city, for the restoration of the island of St. Anastasia and the bridge, as well as for the rehabilitation of the historic center must also be implemented. It is planned to build two new parks in the Meden Rudnik complex, new sports fields in the Dolno Ezerovo neighborhood and in Borisova Gradina, and a new outdoor sports complex in the Meden Rudnik complex, which will be the largest in the city.
With its over 200,000 inhabitants (data at current address), Burgas
ranks fourth in terms of population in the country after Sofia, Plovdiv
and Varna. But according to NSI data, as of January 1, 2009, Burgas has
188,861 inhabitants. There is a similar difference for the whole of
Bulgaria, which currently has a population of 8,042,905, but the actual
number of people living in the country is 7,606,551 according to data
from the NSI as of January 1, 2009. One of the reasons can be considered
the migration of part of the population of Burgas abroad or other
Bulgarian settlements, which, however, have not changed their Burgas
registration. However, for the period between the two censuses in 2001
and 2011, Burgas is one of the four regional cities that have a positive
population growth.
On November 12, 1987, 4 villages were added -
Gorno Ezerovo, Lozovo, Kraimorie and Sarafovo. In 1991, the village of
Dolno Ezerovo with a population of 5,685 people was added. The decision
of the Council of Ministers in 2009 approved the decision of the
Municipal Council in Burgas to join the municipal villages of Banevo and
Vetren (with the old name Zhitarovo) as districts of the city. Some of
the newly annexed neighborhoods of Burgas such as Sarafovo, Kraimorie,
"Meden Rudnik" were in the past refugee camps, sheltering Thracian and
Macedonian Bulgarians after the Balkan Wars (1912/13).
In 2015,
the former villages of Rudnik and Cherno More became districts of the
city.
The following table shows the data on the population of
Burgas for the given year and according to the respective territory it
occupied at that time, and the data can be from censuses (¹),
approximate estimate (²) or statistical data of the relevant state
institutions (³ ).
According to the first census conducted in Bulgaria after the
country's entry into the EU in 2011, for the first time the enquirers
have the opportunity to voluntarily answer questions about ethnicity and
religion, as well as about mother tongue. Thus, in Burgas, only 181,116
people answered the question of ethnicity, 171,898 of them defined
themselves as Bulgarians, 3,800 as Turks, 1,330 as Roma and 666
indicated that they had another ethnicity (German, Russian or other).
Fearing widespread discrimination against the Roma, they often
prefer to indicate ethnicity with the majority of the local population.
In this way, they influence the number of Turks and less on the number
of Bulgarians in Burgas. The actual number of Armenians cannot be
determined from the data either.
In Burgas there is an episcopal vicarage of the Sliven Diocese. The
Burgas spiritual district is centered in the city of Burgas. The
episcopal vicar in Burgas is staurophorous butler Boris Ignatov.
The largest religious community is that of the Bulgarian Orthodox
Christians, followed by the Muslim community, and Burgas is the only
large Bulgarian city in which this community does not have its own
church. Other religious communities in the city are the Bulgarian
Catholics and the Orthodox Armenians, as well as the Congress
Municipality, part of the Union of Evangelical Cathedrals, the
Evangelical Methodist Bishopal Church, as well as the Evangelical
Picture Church of Burgas, founded in the summer of 1920.
Mayors since 1990
After the democratic changes in November 1989,
Nikola Alexandrov was appointed mayor of the city of Burgas in December.
He remained in office until September 1990, when he was replaced by
Atanas Demirev. Demirev led the temporary administration of Burgas until
his death in May 1991. In the first democratic elections in October of
the same year, Prodan Prodanov was elected mayor of Burgas from the list
of the Union of Democratic Forces. His mandate, which ended in November
1995, is remembered for the political confrontation with the former
communists and the central government, as well as for the budget deficit
of the Municipality of Burgas. In the local elections in 1995, Prodanov
was defeated by the representative of the former communists, Ioan
Kostadinov.
Kostadinov was re-elected in the local elections in
1999 and 2003 and is one of the longest-serving mayors in Bulgaria. In
the local parliament elections in 2007, Kostadinov was an independent
candidate, supported by the Union of Thracian Societies in Bulgaria, but
failed to win. The elections were won by the young Dimitar Nikolov in
the second round, where he managed to defeat the nationalist candidate
Valeri Simeonov. In the local elections on October 23, 2011, Dimitar
Nikolov won a second term in the first round with 70.86 percent of the
votes. Second with 11.25 percent remains Valeri Simeonov. In the
elections of October 25, 2015, Dimitar Nikolov won a third term in the
first round with 84 percent of the votes. NFSB candidate Dr. Boyko
Mirazchiiski remains second, with 6.17 percent. In the elections of
October 27, 2019, Dimitar Nikolov won a fourth term in the first round
with 65.83 percent or 48,005 votes. Second, with 10.18 percent or 7,425
votes, remains BSP candidate Nikolay Tishev.
Municipality
According to the "Law on Local Government and Local Administration", the
governance of the municipality of Burgas is structured by a mayor and a
municipal council of 51 councilors. The constituent settlements have an
elected mayor or deputy mayor. The municipal council adopts the basic
ordinances and regulations that operate on the territory of the
municipality of Burgas. The municipal councilors and the mayor have the
right of initiative to submit proposals. The discussion is in the
standing committees of the Municipal Council and its session. The
implementation of the decisions made by the municipal council is carried
out by the municipal administration. A new municipal council and mayor
are elected every four years, with the next elections scheduled for
2023. The distribution of seats in the Municipal Council after the last
elections of October 27, 2019, is as follows:
Burgas consists of the central part, residential complexes,
neighborhoods, a villa and a fishing village. A part of them
historically merged with the city, others were previously constituent
settlements of the Burgas municipality, others became part of the city
after administrative reforms. Apart from the central part of the city,
the Bratya Miladinovi, Vazrazhdane and Lazur complexes are considered
central. The other parts of the city are the residential complexes Meden
Rudnik, Petko Slaveykov, Zornitsa, Izgrev, as well as the districts of
Cherno More, Rudnik, Akaticie, Banevo, Vetren, Gorno Ezerovo, Dolno
Ezerovo, Lozovo, Pobeda, Sarafovo, Kraymorie. The exclaves of Burgas are
the fishing village Chengene Skele in Rosenets Park, the Otmanlii villa
village in the Alatepe area and the island of St. Anastasia.
Burgas is divided into six Territorial Directorates (TD):
"Vazrazhdane" TD, including "Meden Rudnik" district, "Pobeda" district,
"Acaciaties" district, "Gorno Ezerovo" district
TD "Izgrev" - Izgrev
village, Zornitsa village, Sarafovo quarter
TD "Primorie" - CGCH,
Vazrazhdane district, Kraymorie district, Fisherman's village in
Chengene skele town, Rosenets Park, Alatepe town (cottage Otmanlii)
TD "Osvobozhdenie" - Slaveykov village, Lozovo district, Banevo
district, Vetren district
TD "Zora" - s. Lazur, s. Bratya Miladinovi
TD "Dolno Ezerovo" - quarter of Dolno Ezerovo
In July 2011, a new
General Development Plan (GDP) was adopted, according to which the city
should open up to the sea and lakes and includes several new residential
complexes.
Coat of arms and flag
The coat of arms of Burgas
combines on a blue shield some historical facts about the city. The lion
thus depicted symbolizes the courage of the people who settled in this
difficult place to live, and its fish tail - the abundance of fish. The
lion holds a tower in his hands, as a symbol of the tower from which the
name of Burgas originates. Two caravels are depicted above the blue
shield, symbolizing Burgas as old and one of the most important ports on
the Black Sea coast.
The colors of the Burgas flag are blue and
white.
Foreign consulates, membership in international
organizations
In Burgas there is a consulate general of Turkey and
the honorary consulates of Belarus, Georgia, India, Romania, Russia,
Sierra Leone and Ukraine. In 2004, the Black Sea Border Coordination and
Information Center was opened in the city, which implements cooperation
between the border guard authorities of the Black Sea basin countries in
terms of border control.
Burgas is a member of 12 international
organizations, including the Convention of Mayors, Eurocities, ICLEI and
BALCINET. The city also has its own representation in Brussels.
Today, Burgas is one of the important economic and industrial centers
of Bulgaria. The city, along with Sofia, is one of the main elements in
Bulgaria of the future European Transport Network (TEN-T) of the EU,
which includes the construction of railway and road infrastructure and
the development of the Port of Burgas. A port city, with its own
international airport as well as a very well developed ground
infrastructure, a fully completed port from an industrial point of view,
good access to raw materials as well as a nearby refinery, it is
characterized by a high level of industrialization. The structure of the
economy is dominated by trade, industry (food processing, oil refining,
wood processing and engineering), services, tourism and transport. Due
to the developed industry, trade, tourism and industry, the city offers
competitive pay and opportunities for professional development, typical
of Sofia, Varna and Plovdiv.
Burgas is the center of the
Bulgarian fishing and fish processing industry. 80% of Bulgarian fishing
is carried out by Burgas companies. In the area of the port of Burgas,
one of the largest cold storages in Bulgaria was built for this purpose.
Slavyanka cannery, Black Sea Fishing and Atlantic Group are among the
largest representatives of the fish processing industry. Other larger
companies from the food industry are the confectionery manufacturer
Pobeda AD, the nut manufacturer Tornado Komers, the bread and bakery
manufacturers Burgas Bread and Bread and Bakery Products, Burgasko
(beer), which has been in production since 1971 .and Festa Holding.
After the wave of nationalization at the end of the 1940s, which led
to the closing of factories and the introduction of the planned economy
from the mid-1950s, in Burgas mainly plants from the chemical and oil
refining industries were built. Among the larger companies in this
sector are HemusMark and Neftohomicheskii Kombinat (NHC). HemusMark is
the successor of the Deveco pencil factory, which was established in
1924 and became a court supplier from 1937. In 2007, HemusMark AD was
purchased by Koh-i-noor, the Burgas company was placed under the
management of the Sofia branch of the Czech company, and production in
Burgas was suspended. With a capacity to process 176,800 barrels of oil
per day, the NHK (today Lukoil Neftohim Burgas), built in 1964, is the
largest refinery in Southeast Europe. Since 1999, it has belonged to the
Russian company Lukoil, which at the end of January 2012 announced
additional investments until 2015 in the amount of 1.5 billion US
dollars and the creation of 3,000 new jobs.
In Burgas is the seat
of the producer of steel, steel elements and steel ribs Promet AD. The
steel plant has a capacity of 0.8 million tons per year. Larger
engineering companies include: Bullyard - Shipbuilding Industry, Burgas
Shipyards, Burgas Ship Repair Plant, freight car manufacturer
Transvagon, Elkabel, etc. Companies from the woodworking industry are
Kronoshpan, Detelina and Dograma, which process wood from the nearby
Stara Planina and Strandzha. Construction is not among the main sectors
of Burgas.
Part of the industry is concentrated in the following
industrial zones:
Industrial Zone - North (728 hectares)
Industrial zone - Meden Rudnik complex (260 hectares)
Industrial zone
- Pobeda district (200 hectares)
Industrial Zone - South (371
hectares)
Industrial zone - Dolno Ezerovo district (100 hectares)
Industrial zone - Sarafovo district (50 hectares)
The
construction of several large industrial zones is also planned to
attract international and "green economy" companies. Investment
intentions of the Austrian Voestalpine, with a volume of up to five
billion euros, have been frozen since the beginning of the economic
crisis in 2009. As an addition to the industrial zones, an intermodal
terminal is being built, which will be part of the integrated transport
network of the EU. With the construction of Super Burgas, the country's
first intermodal passenger terminal will also be built.
Trade in
the city is highly developed, with shopping centers characteristic of
the country and branches of all national retail chains. A major change
in the development of the urban landscape and the urban environment with
long-term consequences for the quality of life is the expansion of the
city in the eastern direction and the construction of shopping centers
of a new type, examples are the two malls in the city: Burgas Plaza and
Galleria Burgas. Along with them, multi-storey shopping centers such as
Tria and Bezistena continue to function in the central part of the city.
A free duty-free zone in Burgas is the only one on the Bulgarian Black
Sea coast. In 2010, one of the most modern fruit and vegetable markets
in Bulgaria was opened with an area of 16 decares, and the covered areas
are 3.5 decares and were built according to EU standards.
Salt
has been mined in the Burgas Lakes since prehistoric times. Today it is
the only region in Bulgaria where sea salt is mined. Near Burgas is one
of the largest wine regions in the country, salt mines, mines for copper
and iron ore, for brown coal and gold mines.
In recent years,
cultural and festival tourism has been developing in Burgas and the city
has overtaken Varna as a tourist destination. According to Euromonitor
International, the city was visited in 2009 by about 1.71 million and in
2010 by about 1.54 million tourists.
Water transport
Port of Burgas, with 19 berths with a maximum
permissible draft of 12.3 meters, is the second largest port in
Bulgaria. In the past, Burgas port area handled 60% of sea cargo, but in
recent years Varna Port handles over 50% of all cargo (sea and river).
The port complex in Burgas is divided into three: Burgas Port, Fish
Port and Oil Port (or Rosenets Port, which is located south of the city
in Chengele Skele Bay). Port of Burgas is divided into several
terminals, where there is also a container terminal, the Burgas
Shipyards and the Ship Repair Plant. The ports of the last two, as well
as the port of the Transstroy company, have a special mode of operation.
There are other smaller harbors in the districts of Sarafovo and
Kraymorie, as well as in the so-called Fisherman's Village in the area
of Chengene Skele, which is the largest marina on the Black Sea coast
and provides shelter in bad weather to more than 1,000 fishing boats.
The construction of a fishing harbor and a fish market in the Sarafovo
district is planned.
South of Burgas is the Burgas Naval Base,
where part of the Bulgarian Navy is stationed.
By air
Burgas
Airport was opened for civil aviation in 1947, when on June 29 the first
regular air line between Sofia and Burgas was opened. This date is also
considered the birthday of Bulgarian civil aviation. The flight with
number LZUNL r was carried out with a Junkers Ju 52/3m and a flight crew
of the Directorate of Air Communications - pilots Nikola Alexandrov and
Stefan Tosunov, flight engineer Todor Gurguliev and flight radio
operator Pavel Alexandrov. In the same direction, a second Li-2p
aircraft with flight number LZ-LIA took off with officials and a crew of
Nikola Dyulgerov, Ivan Shivachev, Metodi Nakov and Georgi Sergiev.
Between 1962 and 1963, a reinforced concrete runway with a length of
2,600 meters was built, which was extended to 3,200 meters between 1977
and 1979. Before the granting of a concession in 2010, Burgas Airport
occupied an area of 2,600 decares. The buildings for the domestic lines
and the departure terminal were built in 1974, and the arrival terminal
in 1992. In 2011, a new extension and construction of a new terminal
began, which was completed in 2013.
The airport is also used by
the Bulgarian Air Force and NATO aviation.
Automotive
Burgas
has a good road infrastructure, with important transit roads passing
through the city. It is the starting point of pan-European transport
corridor 8, which connects the Black and Adriatic seas, and of the
republican road I-6, which connects Burgas via Sofia with the Macedonian
border. The city is the starting point of the highways Thrace and the
Black Sea under construction, and a distribution point for the tourist
flow of the Southern Black Sea. The European roads E87 and E773 pass
through the city, as well as the republican road I-9. In 2012, the
construction of the 4-lane road from Burgas-Sarafovo to Sunny Beach,
which is part of I-9 and E87, was resumed.
Public transport
Burgas has a good road infrastructure, with important transit routes
passing through the city. It is the starting point of pan-European
transport corridor 8, which connects the Black and Adriatic seas, and of
the republican road I-6, which connects Burgas via Sofia with the
Macedonian border. The city is the starting point of the highways Thrace
and the Black Sea under construction, and a distribution point for the
tourist flow of the Southern Black Sea. The European roads E87 and E773
pass through the city, as well as the republican road I-9. In 2012, the
construction of the 4-lane road from Burgas-Sarafovo to Sunny Beach,
which is part of I-9 and E87, was resumed.
Public transport
Public transport in Burgas is well developed. There are two trolleybus
lines (T1 and T2), 26 bus and 6 route lines in the city. The total
length of the public transport route is 490 km. Regional, national and a
number of international passenger transport destinations are served from
the city's two bus stations. The Yug bus station, which is located in
the immediate vicinity of the Central Railway Station, is the starting
stop for intercity connections with all settlements along the Black Sea
coast in the district, on bus line 15 to Burgas Airport and for
intercity connections with Varna. Zapad bus station serves passengers
from and to the settlements in the interior of the Burgas region and the
country, as well as buses passing through the city, carrying out
interregional transports. Bus connections to Sofia, as well as
international destinations such as Istanbul, are made from both bus
stations.
The municipal transport company "BurgasBus" has modern
buses and trolleybuses, which carry out transportation on city public
transport lines. At the moment, 39 solo buses "Solaris Urbino 12" and 28
articulated "Solaris Urbino 18" delivered in 2013, 7 buses "Solaris
Urbino 18 Metrostyle" delivered in 2017, 22 trolleybuses "Skoda Solaris"
and 8 of the "Tedom" buses delivered in 2008. Currently, the delivery of
brand new electric buses manufactured by "Irizar" for the needs of
public transport is underway. Their number is planned to reach 10
articulated and 34 solo electric buses. A small proportion of the older
buses that served the city lines are currently used to serve suburban
lines.
In the urban passenger transport system, the main carrier
is the municipal Burgasbus. Other transport companies that serve
intra-city lines are "Comfort OOD" (until 2016 they operated the already
closed lines 1, 2 and 2A), "Burgasvolan 95" (until 2013 they operated
line 17, the already closed lines 25 and 101, and line 7, but with an
amended route at the time), as well as the companies "M-Bus" and "DS
Bus", which carry out intercity transportation. Below are listed all
city bus and trolleybus lines, as well as the suburban lines of the
municipal transport company Burgasbus.
City bus lines
Line B1
(fast line between Terminal "Izgrev" and Terminal "Meden Rudnik")
Line B2 (fast line between Slaveykov Terminal and Meden Rudnik Terminal)
Line H (night line)
Bo line (morning, Zahari Stoyanov - Odrin -
Terminal Slaveykov) and vice versa in the afternoon (Terminal Slaveykov
- Odrin - Zahari Stoyanov)
Line 15 (South bus station - Sarafovo
district)
Line B11 (Terminal "Izgrev" - Blvd. "Demokratia" - Terminal
Meden Rudnik)
Line B12 (Terminal "Slaveykov" - Blvd. "Demokratia" -
Terminal "Meden Rudnik")
Line 11 (Slaveykov Terminal - Izgrev Railway
Station - Lazur Railway Station - Vazrazhdane Railway Station - Zapad
Bus Station - Slaveykov Terminal)
Line 12 (Terminal "Slaveykov" - Bus
station "Zapad" - railway station "Vazrazhdane" - railway station
"Lazur" - railway station "Izgrev" - Terminal "Slaveykov")
Line 3
(Zapad Bus Station - Demokratsia Blvd. - Vetren District - Banevo
District)
Line 6 ("Zapad" Bus Station - "Demokratsia" Blvd. - "Cherno
More" Quarter - "Rudnik" Quarter)
Line 7 (Zapad bus station - Dolno
Ezerovo district)
Line 7A (Zapad bus station - Slaveikov terminal -
Lozovo district)
Line 8 (Zapad bus station - Pobeda quarter - Gorno
Ezerovo quarter)
Line 9 (Slaveykov Terminal - Dame Gruev Street -
Hristo Botev Blvd - Meden Rudnik Terminal) and Line 91 (Slaveykov
Terminal - Dame Gruev - Hristo Botev - PGKPI - Meden Rudnik Terminal)
Line 9a (Meden Rudnik Terminal - Varli Bryag village) and Line 9b (Meden
Rudnik Terminal - Varli Bryag village - Shiloto village)
Line 81
(only in the morning, "Zapad" Bus Station - KORBSO - "Gorno Ezerovo"
quarter - "Zapad" Bus Station)
Line 82 (afternoon only, "Zapad" bus
station - "Gorno Ezerovo" district - KORBSO - "Zapad" bus station)
Line 17 (South bus station - Kraimorie district)
Line 17A (seasonal,
"Meden Rudnik" Terminal - "Kraimorie" quarter)
City trolley lines
Line T1 (Meden Rudnik Terminal - Vastanicheska St. - Zahari Stoyanov
Blvd. - Industrialna St. - Hr. Botev Blvd. - San Stefano St. - Kn. Maria
Luisa Blvd. " and vice versa)
Line T2 (Meden Rudnik Terminal -
Petrova Niva St. - Apostol Voivoda St. - Industrialna St. - Demokratsia
Blvd. - Hr. Botev St. and vice versa)
Suburban lines
Line 16
(Zapad bus station - Cherni Vrah village - Polski Izvor village)
Line
18 (Zapad bus station - Marinka village - Tvarditsa village)
Line 18A
(Zapad bus station - Meden Rudnik - Tvarditsa village - Marinka village
- Izvor village)
Line 32 (West bus station - Izvorishte village -
Bryastovets village/Draganovo village) and Line 32A (West-Black Sea bus
station - Rudnik - Bryastovets village - Draganovo village)
Line 5
(Zapad Bus Station - Ravna Gora)
Burgas-Vetren-Bulgarovo line
Railway transport
The railway reached the city in 1890, two years
after the founding of BDZ, but initially the trains coming from Sofia
followed a complicated route: Sofia-Septemvri-Plovdiv-Simeonovgrad-Nova
Zagora-Yambol-Burgas. In 1910, the direct line Sofia-Plovdiv-Stara
Zagora-Burgas was completed, which shortened the distance and travel
time to Sofia. In the 1920s, the new main passenger station was built in
Burgas, and next to it a stock station, track groups for port service
and a large fan-shaped locomotive depot. In 1925, a narrow-gauge railway
was built from Burgas to Pomorie, which was replaced by a normal one in
1939. In the 1980s, passenger traffic to Pomorie was suspended and today
the line is used to transport cargo from the nearby mines and saltworks.
Also in the 1980s, a railway line from Burgas to Sredets was opened.
Today Burgas has six passenger stations: Central, Vladimir Pavlov,
Dolno Ezerovo, Sarafovo, Solnitsi and Tovarna gara; one distribution and
one technical station with 5 tracks. Daily train lines from Burgas
Central Station to most major Bulgarian cities are complemented by
international lines to Moscow, Prague, Budapest and Krakow. In 2011, the
modernization of the Plovdiv-Burgas railway line began, which should be
ready by 2013.
Along with the national print media, which have applications for the
Burgas region, a number of regional newspapers and magazines are printed
in Burgas. Among them are the dailies Black Sea Far, with over 100 years
of history, Kompas and Burgas, Dnes i Utre; the weekly magazines Desant,
Factor, Compass and Hello Burgas; and the magazines More and Virginia.
Among the local radio and television stations, SKAT TV stands out,
one of the largest in Bulgaria. Other local media are the cable
televisions Channel 0, PT SAT and RN-TV and the radio stations Radio
Maya, Power FM, Radio Glasut na Burgas and Radio Burgas.
Healthcare
Burgas is the main health center in Eastern Bulgaria. It
serves the Southern Black Sea coast, as well as Southeastern Bulgaria,
with emergency and toxicological assistance. It has qualified personnel
from all fields of medicine. The larger health facilities now in the
city are the University General Hospital for Active Treatment (UMBAL for
short) with specialist offices "Burgas" (with over 680 beds);
"Specialized Hospital for Active Treatment of Pneumo-Phthisiatric
Diseases" - SBALPFZ - BURGAS (with over 80 beds), "Virgin Mary" Hospital
(with over 130 beds); "Dr. Madjurov" Medical Center (with over 70 beds);
MBAL "Life Hospital" (with 60 beds), Military Hospital, several
polyclinics, oncology dispensary, psychiatric dispensary, eye hospital,
specialized dental clinics and hospitals for cardiology and psychiatric
diseases, as well as other health units. In 2012, the "Chernomorska"
medical center was built in Zone A of the railway station. Copper mine,
later renamed "Burgasmed".
Universities
In 1924, the Burgas educational and charitable
women's society "Self-Consciousness" opened the so-called National
University on the initiative of Zheni Bozhilova-Pateva. The university
educated children of the most needy and refugees free of charge and
taught literature, music, philosophy, social sciences, agriculture,
health care, science and technology. With the Communists coming to
power, the People's University was closed.
Burgas as a university
center has two higher schools:
Burgas Free University (BSU) was
established by a decision of the Great National Assembly on September
18, 1991 and is one of the first private universities in the country.
The university is accredited by the National Agency for Assessment and
Accreditation and is a holder of the International Quality Certificate
ISO 9001:2008.
BSU is a modern, innovative and student- and
professional-oriented university with significant academic achievements
and established international status:
BSU is a member of the
European University Association (EUA).
There are cooperation
agreements with 36 universities and organizations in Europe, America,
Asia and Africa
It works on 24 contracts with universities in Europe
for the exchange of students and teachers.
Participates in the
European Credit Accumulation and Transfer System (ECTS).
It works on
joint international projects with more than 100 universities and
organizations.
BSU is a UNESCO partner in the UNITWIN/UNESCO Chairs
program and is the host institution of the UNESCO Chair in Human Rights
and Culture of Peace.
"Asen Zlatarov" was founded in 1963 as the
Higher Institute of Chemical Technology. Today, it also includes 3
autonomous colleges in its structure: College of Tourism, Technical and
Medical College. The College of Tourism was opened in 1967 and is the
first educational institution for tourism in Bulgaria.
High
schools, secondary and primary schools
All types of educational
institutions are represented in Burgas. There are 22 basic, nine
secondary general education schools and high schools, 11 vocational high
schools, six specialized high schools functioning in the city. Along
with them, several private schools operate, which also cover all types
of educational institutions.
The oldest school in Burgas is the
"St. St. Cyril and Methodius". The commercial high school, which was
opened in 1905, was the first high school in the city. She works
together with the Austrian Ministry of Education and the Karl-Kübel High
School in the German city of Bensheim on several environmental projects
as well as student exchanges. The Goethe German Language High School,
established in 1960, is the first language high school in Burgas and
works with specialists and teachers from Germany. The students of the
Profiled Natural Mathematics High School "Acad. N. Obreshkov"
(established in 1971) regularly win awards from international Olympiads
and competitions. Other more important schools are: Russian Language
High School, officially - Profiled High School for Foreign Languages -
"Vasil Levski", or abbreviated PGCHE "Vasil Levski", established in
1963, which is the second language high school in the city; The English
language high school "Geo Milev", established in 1971, is the third
language high school in the city; The High School for Romance Languages
"G. S. Rakovski"; The high school of construction, architecture and
geodesy; "Pancho Vladigerov" Music School; as well as the vocational
high schools of mechano-electrical engineering and electronics, maritime
navigation and fishing, and the one of chemical technology.
Alongside the university libraries in Burgas is the city library
established in 1888. It has been named after the revolutionary poet Peyo
Yavorov since 1978 and is one of the oldest in the country. Since 2000,
it has the status of regional. In the neighborhoods and complexes there
are small reading rooms and over ten community centers that also have
small libraries. Community centers on the territory of the city of
Burgas:
Hamalogica 2014 People's Community Center - Sheynovo
Street, No. 26
Probuda 1880 People's Community Center - 14 Drin St
People's community center "Lyuben Karavelov 1940" - 24 "Tsar Kaloyan"
street
People's Community Center "Asen Zlatarov 1940" - 147
"Aleksandrovska" Street
People's community center "Far 1946" - 20
"Strandza" street
People's community center "Izgrev 1909" - gh.
"East", next to bl. 72
"Pencho Slaveykov 1983" National Community
Center - "Slaveykov" complex, bl. 55, entrance V-G
People's community
center "Hristo Botev 1937" - "Pobeda" district, "Kubrat" street No. 7
People's community center "St. St. Cyril and Methodius 1985" - complex
"Meden Rudnik", bl. 425 /ground floor/
People's community center
"Paisiy Hilendarski 1928" - complex "Meden Rudnik", "Vastanicheska"
street, No. 40
The Territorial Directorate "State Archive", one of
the regional directorates of the state agency "Archives", is located in
Burgas. It was established in 1952 and today has a reading room, a
library, a photo laboratory, a laboratory for microfilming, conservation
and restoration of documents. The fund availability of the archive as of
2005 is: total number of archive funds - 4157 with 286,505 archive
units, 661 - partial receipts, 524 - memories, over 6,800 - individual
photos and 103,529 negatives from the DP "Photography" - Burgas.
Burgas has numerous sports facilities, some of which are the most
modern in Bulgaria. The more important sports halls that are located in
the city are the "Boicho Branzov" hall ("Izgrev" hall), the "Bogoridi"
hall, the "Neftohimik" basketball hall and the "Mladost" hall, the
latter being multifunctional. In 2009, another multifunctional hall with
an area of 2,585 m² opened its doors in the Meden Rudnik residential
complex. It bears the name of the first Bulgarian Olympic medalist,
Nikola Stanchev. In 2010, the "Izgrev" sports complex was opened, and
the following year, the "Slaveykov" sports complex, where the largest
artificial outdoor climbing wall is located. In January 2012, the
municipal administration announced its intentions for the construction
of a new multifunctional sports hall "Arena Burgas". It should have
7,000 seats and the possibility of holding international sports
competitions.
Burgas is home to the two large Lazur and
Chernomorets stadiums, a collodrome and a go-kart track.
Burgas
has eight active swimming pools. Since 2007, two new ones have been
built in the Sea Garden and one in Mineralni Bani, mainly two school
pools and two in kindergartens, as well as the pool in the Youth
Cultural Center, have been renovated and put into operation.
Burgas Cycling Club was founded in 1905 and is one of the strongest not
only in Bulgaria, but also on the entire Balkan Peninsula. He has had
success in both road and track racing. One of the latest honors achieved
by the club's cyclists was first place at the Tour of Halkidiki in
Greece in July 2008. Stages of the Tour of Bulgaria regularly pass
through Burgas.
Burgas has two football teams with traditions. These are FC
Chernomorets and FC Neftohimik. FC Chernomorets plays in the Third
League, has its own stadium, located in the Acaciaties district. FC
Neftohimik, which is the vice-champion of Bulgaria in 1996/97 and a
two-time winner of the BFS Cup, finished the 2018/19 season in the Third
League in first place and from the 2019/20 season plays in the Second
Professional League and hosts at the City Stadium of Sozopol .
Along with the big football clubs in the city there are also small
clubs, often with a short life or a difficult existence. The problem
with the material base is serious, and there are plots of normal size
only in the districts of Dolno Ezerovo, Vetren and the city of
Bulgarovo. The team from Banevo plays in Vetren, and due to the lack of
a base, the team from Kraimorie cannot start either. The stadiums in
Lozovo, Mirolyubovo and Sarafovo district were destroyed and privatized.
In the fourth division, FC Sveti Nikola, FC Burgas-Sport, Zvezdenburg
(Burgas), Mina Cherno More-Rudnik compete, and in the fifth are the
neighborhood teams FC Vetren, Banevo and Bulgarovo. FC "Master", FC
"Olympic", FC "Sparta", FC "Albion Athletic" ceased to exist -
developing only children's and youth sports. Other former football clubs
that have reached Group B are FC Morska Fauna, FC Port and FC Cosmos.
In March 2012, Burgas was chosen together with Plovdiv as the
regional center and host of the European Under-17 Football Championship
in 2015. In May of the same year, the Bulgarian Football Union decided
that the final for the Bulgarian Cup and the match for the Super Cup
would be held at the Lazur Stadium until 2015. However, this turned out
to be a one-season promise, because the very next year, corporate
interests revealed that the "agreement" in question was nothing more
than dust in the eyes of the naïve.
In 1971, the Youth Basketball
Championship was held in Burgas, and the following year the city hosted
the European Women's Basketball Championship. The men's basketball club
BK Chernomorets (Burgas) has been competing among the elite in the
Bulgarian championship for years. He won bronze medals from the State
Championship in 1981 and 1991, as well as the Bulgarian Cup in 1965 and
1975. "Lukoil-Neftokhimik Basketball Club is among the leading women's
clubs in Bulgaria.
In the men's volleyball league, Burgas is
represented by Neftohimik 2010 Volleyball Club, which is a five-time
champion of Bulgaria, a four-time winner of the Bulgarian Cup, as well
as a three-time winner of the Bulgarian Super Cup. The team plays its
home matches in Mladost hall.
Burgas is hosting a round of the national championship on a closed route, also known as the track championship. Some of the best Bulgarian pilots take part in the race, and the race is traditionally held in the fall. "Pista Burgas" takes place on a closed section of the road network in the city. Over the years, the car race was held at different locations: Demokratsia Blvd. Copper mine, the clover for the saltworks before the Sarafovo quarter, the areas around the Chernomorets stadium (Vladimir Pavlov overpass), and from the 2016 season the competition has been moved to the newly built road junction in the residential area. Petko Slaveikov. During the two days of the race, more than 20,000 spectators flock around the track, which makes Pista Burgas the most visited sports event in Burgas. The competition is jointly organized by the Municipality of Burgas, SBA Burgas and ASK Vromos racing.
Every year, the international regatta is held in Burgas Bay, which is
organized by the Port Burgas Yacht Club and the Municipality of Burgas.
On July 30, 2011, after a 15-year hiatus, the Burgas international
swimming marathon was restored.
From September 10 to 19, 2011,
competitions from the international RS:X-Windsurfing regatta, part of
the European championship in the Olympic class and qualifications for
the world championship in Perth, Australia, will be held in the waters
of Burgas. In the northern part of the city beach is the Windsurf Club
Burgas.
In 1924, the first rowing competition in Bulgaria was
held in Burgas. Ten years later, for the first time in Burgas, women
also participated in the rowing competitions. Today, two of the few
rowing clubs in Bulgaria are located there, the Burgas Rowing Club and
Lukoil Neftohimik. The training of rowers from the "Rowing Club Burgas"
can often be observed in the waters of Lake Burgas.
In 2007, the
Chernomorets Water Polo Sports Club was founded. It has about 80
children who are divided into four age groups.
Burgas has a long tradition in the sport of wrestling, having
produced Bulgaria's first Olympic champion. Among the more important
clubs for sports wrestling are SKB "Prodan Garjev", Municipal SKB
"Strandja-2001", SK freestyle wrestling "Chernomorets", SK classical
style wrestling "Chernomorets". Other sports clubs that received awards
are the boxing club "Pobeda - Chernomorets" and the athletic club
"Burgas '98".
Burgas is one of the few cities that offer good
thermals for paragliding. The sea garden is one of the places, with the
launch located in close proximity to the central beach. The elevation of
the slope is 22 m, and its length is 1.6 km. Another start in Burgas is
located in the "Shiloto" area. The take-off point there is 220 m above
sea level. it also has a northwest exposure. There are two motocross
tracks in the city. One is located in the Meden Rudnik complex, and the
second in the Poroy area, near the Sarafovo district. The "Equestrian
Recreational and Rehabilitation Complex for Riding" is located in
"Ezero" Park.
Every year in the Mladost Hall, the international
sports dance competitions of the IDSF for the Burgas Cup are held.
Along with traditional Bulgarian cuisine, Burgas cuisine is influenced by both sea dishes and dishes that are typical of the nearby Strandzha and Stara Planina. Among the various types of sea dishes, prepared both from Black Sea fish (tsatsa, bonito, zargan) and from "seafood", Mussels according to Burgas stand out. Among the local dishes and appetizers are typical for this region Kebab in the Burgas style, Chicken in the Burgas style and Babek and Dyado sausages. Among the alaminutes is the so-called Strandjanka (or Strandzhenka), known in the other part of the country as Princess with minced meat, but differing from it both in length and in the use of more spices. Typical alcoholic beverages for Burgas are: Burgasko (beer), in production since 1971, and Burgas muscatova and Burgas 63 brandies.
Burgas is the birthplace and creative place of many famous people,
including the actors Apostol Karamitev, Georgi Kaloyanchev, Valcho
Kamarashev, Zhelcho Mandajiev, Hindo Kasimov, Svetozar Nedelchev,
Dimitar Rachkov and Toncho Tokmakchiev, the actresses Slavka Slavova,
Maria Statulova, Gergana Stoyanova, Maria Bakalova , the poets Krastyo
Stanishev, Kostas Varnalis and Nikola Indjov, the opera diva Raina
Kabaivanska, the composers Toncho Rusev, Stefan Diomov, Georgi Shagunov,
Anestis Logothetis, Emil Chakarov and Krasimir Gulmezov. Singers such as
Vanya Kostova, Kichka Bodurova, Plamen Stavrev, Tony Dimitrova, Irra,
Kosta Markov, Nayden Milkov, Lidia and Rafi Bohosyan. Other
intellectuals associated with Burgas are the writers Agop Melkonian,
Dyado Blago, Petko Rosen, Anton Strashimirov, Anton Donchev, Dimitar
Kostadinov, Nedyalko Yordanov; the poets Krastyo Stanishev, Stefan
Tinterov, Hristo Fotev, Petya Dubarova, Redzeb Kyupchiu, as well as the
artists Nenko Tokmakchiev, Georgi Baev, Damyan Zaberski and Gencho
Mitev. Among the more famous athletes who have won Bulgarian and
international championships are the European 100m hurdles champion
Svetla Dimitrova, the Olympic champion wrestlers Nikola Stanchev (the
first Bulgarian Olympic champion), Prodan Garjev and Atanas Komshev, the
boxer Georgi Kostadinov (the first Olympic boxing title for Bulgaria),
gymnast Stefani Kiryakova, as well as football players Rusi Gochev,
Zlatko Yankov, Ilia Gruev, Radostin Kishishev, Ivan Pritargov, Stoyko
Sakaliev, Georgi Chilikov and coach Dimitar Dimitrov – Hero.
Considering the short periods that the mayors of Burgas had until the
20th century, the incumbents have no significant influence on the
development of the city. Prominent politicians who were active in the
port city are Ivan Hadjipetrov, Dimitar Stefanov and MEP Stanimir
Ilchev. Other famous politicians born in Burgas are Rumyana Zheleva
(Foreign Minister of Bulgaria), Rumen Ovcharov (Minister of Economy of
Bulgaria) and Ginyo Ganev (the first national ombudsman). From the
bequeathed lands and funds of Alexander Georgiev-Kodjakafaliya, the
Kodjakafaliya hamlet (today the Miladinovi Brothers residential complex)
and the church "St. Ivan Rilski".
Also, one of the biggest
merchants and a prominent figure of Burgas society in the 19th century
was Arkadi Dimitrakopoulos.
Recognition
The Burgas Peninsula
in Antarctica is named after the city. Vessels of the company Ocean
Fishing - Burgas fished in the waters of South Georgia, Kerguelen, South
Orkney Islands, South Shetland Islands and the Antarctic Peninsula from
1970 to the early 1990s.
Bulgarian fishermen, along with those of
the Soviet Union, Poland and East Germany, are the pioneers of modern
Antarctic fishing.