Bourgas Bourgas is the second biggest city on the Bulgarian Black Sea coast. The capital of Sofia stands at a distance of 390 km. The climate is suitable for recreation with mild winters and long sunny summers. Around the city are Atanassovo Lake (to the north, it is a home for many marsh and sea birds from Gibraltar and the Bosphorous), Bourgas Lake (near the town. Pelicans, ibis, and herons nest there), and Mandren lake (it is 10 km south of Bourgas and is also an important ornithological reserve). These beautiful lagoon-lakes formatted because of the low level of the coast). To the north and south of Bourgas there are salt lakes, which are protected areas because of the fact that they are part of the Via Pontica route of migrating birds as well. The mineral baths and the cure mud of Atanassovo Lake are a prerequisite for balneology. They are famous tourist attractions, which impress with their natural environment and beauty. In the beginning Bourgas was a small Roman town called Deultum. In the Middle Ages was built a small fortress called Pirgos and it was once used as a watch-tower. The present name of the city was given in the 17th century. Then, after the town has grown and has become the centre of the Southern Black Sea coast, famous for its tourist sites. he city is the second-largest on the Bulgarian Black Sea Coast and is also the fourth largest by population in the country, after Sofia, Plovdiv and Varna. Bourgas International Airport is a connecting point to major Black Sea resorts in Bulgaria like Sunny Beach, Nessebar, Sozopol, Dyuni, Elenite and many others. The tourists can visit plenty of places in Bourgas, representing the Bulgarian culture and spirit at the Black Sea coast. The Historical Museum (since found 1925 up to now house an archaeological hall with rich collection of the old colonies at the Black Sea coast). There are exhibitions of ceramic vessels, objects from everyday life, ancient coins and jewellery, Thracian tools, and miniature models of ancient settlements. Exhibits of modern history and objects, showing the history of Bulgaria. In 1945 was established the Art Gallery where is exhibiting foreign art, works of Bulgarian artists, and icons painted by Revival icon-painters. The Sea Garden Parkis another great place, where tourists can sit and relax amongst the beautiful nature of Bourgas. It is situated on a high shore, flecked with beautiful flowerbeds, trees and sculptures. It is preferred place for the most local people and the guests of the city as well. The open-air theatre, which houses the annual International Folklore Festival, is within the park. The event is held under the motto "Nature - Man - Harmony" and one can feel the rhythm and enjoy the dances of the International contest for standard and Latin and American dances. You can visit here many others performances as an opera-spectacles, rock , rhythm&blues concerts and other different that entertain you. Bourgas is popular with its huge beach which is 5 km long and the width goes from 15 to 30 meters in different places. It is situated below the Sea Garden Park and there are plenty of restaurants where you can try the tasty prepared fish-food. A beautiful staircase, forked in verdure leads to the beach. Тhe free spirit, the artistic atmosphere and the creative energy of Bourgas, which distinguish the town among others, are a contribution of its prominent artists in the past and the present but also of its thousands of citizens. "This is my life my strange and only verbal scenery" whore the great Bourgas poet Christo Fotev. The contact with the sea, the well-known scent of salt and seaweed, the quietness of the small and neat streets, the silver colour of the fresh caught fish and the dynamic rhythm of the contemporary town have born many pieces of art, which are the pride of the citizens of the town and its cultural institutions. The St. St. Cyril and Methodius Cathedral is another landmark, interesting for its marvelous frescos and wooden altar. The Ethnographic Museum gives you a lot of information for the life in Bourgas area through the ages. An interesting collection of traditional masks of koukeri, costumes typical for the region, and ritual accessories impress the tourists. There is a video-hall, where one can watch ethnographic and historical films. The Museum of Nature and Science features exhibits, describing the geological characteristics of the earth, the region, the flora and the fauna. The cultural atmosphere of the city is outlined by The Philharmonic, the Opera House, the Theatre of Drama and the Puppet Theatre. There are numerous festivals and holidays held in the city of Bourgas: Five days of the Classical German and Austrian music - at the end of April, International Festival of Children's Choirs - at the end of May, Three-week Festival of Opera and Classic Music - July, International Folk Festival and A Week of the Arts for Children - August, International Pop and Jazz Session called "Bourgas and the Sea" - September and International Tournament in Standard and Latin-American Dances - December. The implementation of the educational environmental, religious and anti-drugs programs make Bourgas a modern cultural and educational centre. The town is a member of the International Association: Towns Against Drugs". The development of a modern health policy and sustaining of good public health services is another part of the image of Bourgas. Health projects like "Environment and Health", "General Practitioners", etc is being implemented in partnership with donators and thus high standards in the health care are achieved. Local, national and international competitions and tournaments are held in the sports facilities and complexes of Bourgas. The most modern Bulgarian stadium is located on the territory of the town. International basketball and volleyball contests, the international eurhythmics tournament "Julieta Shishmanova", the Parabalkan Olympic Games for handicapped people - this is only a part of the sports glory of Bourgas. The city has 2 Universities: Professor Asen Zlatarov (Chemical Engineering) and Bourgas Free University. According to the economic indicators the Municipality of Bourgas is second highest among the Bulgarian Municipalities. More than 15,000 companies are registered there, and unemployment is the lowest in the whole of the country at just 4.3%. Bourgas is an important industrial, commercial, transport and tourist center. Nowadays the city has great economic potential. The Bourgas port is the biggest Bulgarian sea harbor (about 74% of the Bulgarian international exchange of goods passes through it. Bourgas Airport has the best atmospheric conditions on the Balkan peninsular and is the only airport to accept ultrasonic airplanes. It is open for internal and international flights throughout the year. The flight to the capital city takes 40 min. You can travel by train from Bourgas to all main directions around the country. A lot of buses go every 15 minutes to each point of Bulgaria and they can take you there very comfortable. The city has many hotels of different categories, many private lodgings. The city is full of restaurants, pubs, beer-houses, taverns, and grocer's shops. Most of the luxury restaurants have live orchestra music and other entertainment too. The practical tourists may use the services of the traditional bakeries, pizza houses, and self-service establishments. The development of the town is a natural result from the preceding social, economical, political and cultural development of the region. The sea as a living and a romance has urged the citizens of the ancient Greek colonies Apolonia and Anchialo to look for a living and protection in the comfortable Black Sea bay. The earlier signs of life in the crossroad location can be traced back to bronze and the beginning of the iron age. A great quantity of finds attests the availability of life activities during the Thracian age The geographical location of the Burgas region is favourable for the development of sea recreative tourism. The main touristic season is the summer. The air and water temperatures, the big number of sunny days and the low level of rainfalls facilitate the open-air recreation for 4 months - from June to September. The Black Sea is not polluted in comparison to other European sea basins and the water is not so salty. There are no dangerous animals and plants. There are thermal mineral springs at various temperature and chemical composition in the region, which are of balneological and sea tourism importance. The vegetation as a natural resource creates a specific sanitary area and micro climate on the recreative territory, that makes it an object of country and cognitive tourism, especially the forests of the rivers Ropotamo and Veleka, the natural reserves. The forests in the Strandja and Sakar mountans are favourable for developing the hunting tourism - one of the most profitable types of tourism. To the South of Bourgas is the Park Otmanli. The isle St Anastasia is located in the Bourgas Bay near the cape Atia. In the most southern part of the Region of Bourgas is the Strandja Mountain which is the biggest natural park in Bulgaria. It has an extremely rich natural collection of flora and fauna with over 50% of the flora of the country represented here. The park is a kind of ethnographic reserve and on its territory you can find the village of Bulgari, in which the traditional ritual of fire dancing is preserved. The lake of Pomorie is located 20 km north of Bourgas. The lake is surrounded by salt-mines and spa resorts. |