Варна

Sea capital of Bulgaria

Varna is the third largest city in Bulgaria and the largest on the Black Sea. The area has been inhabited since ancient times — the earliest traces of human presence date back to the Paleolithic, about 100,000 years ago. The Varna Chalcolithic Necropolis (c. 4600–4200 BC) contains the oldest worked gold in the world—more than 3,000 gold objects with a total weight of more than 6 kg, testifying to a complex social hierarchy millennia before the Egyptian pyramids. This find puts Varna on the map of world archeology as the cradle of European civilization. The ancient Greek colony of Odessos was founded in the second quarter of the 6th century BC. by settlers from the Asia Minor city of Miletus, on the site of an earlier Thracian settlement. Odessos quickly became a thriving commercial and cultural center with powerful fortress walls that withstood the siege of Philip II of Macedon in 339 BC. In 335 BC Alexander the Great conquers the city. In 15 AD Odessos became part of the Roman Empire in the province of Lower Mysia and developed as a major port. Spectacular Roman baths were built - the fourth largest in Europe, with an area of ​​7,000 square meters. The name Varna is mentioned for the first time in the Byzantine chronicles of Theophanes and Nicephorus from 680, after the victory of the Proto-Bulgarians led by Khan Asparuh. After the conversion of the Bulgarians in 864 at the time of Tsar Boris I, the city became an important Christian center with a metropolitan cathedral. In the 13th-14th centuries, Varna conducted active trade with Genoa and Venice. In 1393, it was conquered by the Ottoman Empire and turned into an important coastal fortress. In 1444, near Varna, the decisive Battle of Varna took place, in which the Polish-Hungarian king Władysław III Jagiełło died leading a crusading army against the Ottomans, one of the last major crusades. In 1866, the first railway line in Bulgaria (Ruse-Varna) was opened, which gave an impetus to trade and the development of the city. Varna was liberated on July 27, 1878 after the Russian-Turkish war. After the Liberation, the city was transformed into a modern European metropolis. The majestic Assumption Cathedral (1886) was built, a symbol of the city. The Sea Garden, created from 1862 to 1906, is one of the largest seaside parks in Europe. Euxinograd, the summer residence of the Bulgarian monarchs, was built in the northern part of the city. Today, Varna is the maritime capital of Bulgaria — the center of the Navy, shipbuilding, international tourism, trade and culture. The Technical University, the Medical University, the Economic University and the Higher Naval School are located here. Numerous international festivals are held, including "Varna Summer" (since 1926), one of the oldest music festivals in the world. Varna hosts the International Ballet Competition (since 1964) and the "Love is Folly" festival for romantic cinema.