About Varna

 

About Varna

 

 

Varna is the third largest city in Bulgaria (with population more than 347 840 people), with an area of 205 sq. km. Its situation on the Northern shore of the Black Sea, along with its richness in natural resources make it one of the famous resorts Europe wide, definitely the largest one in the Black Sea region. It also happens to be on the crossroads between Western Europe and the Middle East. The town was established as a trading colony in 570 B.C. under the name of Odessos (town on water).

Today Varna is a major tourist destination, a starting point for all resorts in the northern Bulgarian Black Sea Coast, an important business and university centre, seaport, and headquarters of the Bulgarian Navy and merchant marine.

What can you see in Varna

 

Arhaeological museum

 

The Varna Archaeological Museum is one of the largest museums in the country. It contains some of the most remarkable and valuable monuments of world culture. Here is the oldest golden treasure in the world. His age dates back to 4000 BC. The find is about 2000 objects of almost pure 23.5 carat gold with a total weight of over 6 kg. and contains golden necklaces, bracelets, embroidery and jewels. The museum presents the development of human society for thousands of years in the region of Varna - prehistory, Thracians, antiquity, Middle Ages, Ottoman period. Primary attention is paid to the development of the city of Odessos - Varna - from its creation through Early Antiquity to the Late Middle Ages.

 

The "Dormition of the Mother of God" Cathedral

 

The cathedral in Varna is one of the symbols of the city. It is situated  in the center of Varna. The view from the belfry towards the city is splendid, but you have to overcome the 133 stairs of the narrow caracol.
The first stone upon the construction of the temple was placed by Prince Alexander I of Battenberg (1857 - 1893) in 1880. The name that was chosen, The Assumption of Holy Mother, was to the memory of the Russian Empress Maria Alexanrovna, benefactor of Bulgaria and aunt of the Prince. The financing of the construction was relied on mainly by the donors.

 

Roman Thermae

 

At the end of the 2nd c. A.D. thermal baths were built on a territory of 7.000 sq. m. These were the biggest on the Balkan Peninsula. They became the centre of the public life in the town. Roman Thermal Baths are the largest ancient building discovered in Bulgaria so far. The well – preserved walls outline an imposing building. The plan of the building is almost symmetrical. The part uncovered includes all the principal premises of the baths. The richness of the ornamentation make these thermae a remarkable monument of ancient architecture in the Bulgarian lands.

 

Aladzha Monastery

 

Aladzha Monastery is the most famous medieval cave monastery on the Bulgarian Black Sea coast. It was inhabited by hermit monks during the XIII- XIV centuries.

The monastery caves are hewn on two levels into an almost 40m high limestone rock. The first level consists of a monastery church, monastic cells, a dining premise and a kitchen, a small cemetery church, a crypt (bone-vault) and farm premises. The second level is a natural cave recess in the eastern end of which there is a monastery chapel.

 

Sea garden

The sea garden is an emblem of Varna town. It is situated on 850 decares along the seaside line. There is a sun-dial representing a flying swan at the entrance of the sea garden. The region has been used for recreation and walks from the 60s of the 19th century.Аt the beginning of the 20th that the park was reconstructed after the Conceptual Topical Project of Anton Ian Novak. At that time a project was proposed to place the busts of outstanding renaissance figures in some of its valleys.

Nowadays the Marine Gardens form an imposing park where you can visit the Natural Science Museum, the Naval Museum, the Copernicus Astronomy Complex planetarium, the first in the country, the zoo and the Terrarium. Here one can find also Dolphinarium and Aquarium.

 

The Varna Chalcolithic Necropolis

 

The Varna Chalcolithic Necropolis is internationally considered one of the key archaeological sites in world prehistory. The oldest gold treasure in the world, dating from 4,600 BC to 4,200 BC, was discovered at the site.
A total of 294 graves have been found in the necropolis, many containing sophisticated examples of metallurgy (gold and copper), pottery (about 600 pieces, including gold-painted ones), high-quality flint and obsidian blades, beads, and shells. Three thousand gold artifacts were found, with a weight of approximately six kilograms. Grave 43 contained more gold than has been found in the entire rest of the world for that epoch.

The artifacts can be seen at the Varna Archaeological Museum and at the National Historical Museum in Sofia.