Tourist Information for Burgas - The Principle City on the Bulgarian Southern Black Sea Coast

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The city of Burgas has a population of almost 200,000 people, and is the second largest city in the area of the Bulgarian Black Sea coast (after Varna). It is also the fourth largest city in the country, following Sofia, Plovdiv and Varna. It is situated in the most western part of the Burgas Bay and 390 km east of Sofia. Due to the low level of the coast in the area, three lagoon-lakes (the Atanassovo, Burgas, and Mandren lakes) lie in the area surrounding the city.

Burgas developed around the small Roman town of Deultum (later named Develt), which was founded by Emperor Vespasian as a military colony for veterans. Besides Deultum, the present-day city expands over the area of three other ancient settlements, Kastiacion, Skafida and Rossokastron. In the Middle Ages a small fortress called Pirgos was erected here and was most probably used as a watchtower.

It was only in the 17th century that the town named Ahelo-Burgas grew in the present-day area of the city. It soon became the centre of the Southern Black Sea coast, and a city of well developed industry and trade. A number of oil and chemical works were built. Salt and iron were also mined here and traded far beyond the borders of the country. In 1903, the railway station in Burgas opened, giving an additional boost to the city's expansion.

The District Museum of History, founded in 1925, is one of the most impressive tourist sights in the city. Today it houses an archaeological hall with a rich collection of items dating back to the old colonies along the Black Sea coast. The Ethnographic Museum is also of particular appeal to foreigners for its exhibitions of masks of koukeri, traditional costumes, ritual accessories, fabrics and embroidery. The museum is hosted in a house built in 1873 and later declared a cultural monument. The Museum of Nature and Science is another place of interest to visitors of the city.

Away from the busy centre of the city, the shady Sea Garden is a lovely place to stroll in hot summer days. The park is situated on a hill next to the coast, and is rich in flowers, trees and sculptures. Within the park there is a casino, a small zoo and an open-air theatre, which houses the annual International Folklore Festival, and where participants in the Golden Orpheus Pop-Festival perform. A beautiful forked staircase in verdure leads from the park down to the central beach of the city. The sand is a mixture of various alloys of magnetite, which is the reason for its dark colour. The city also has a northern beach, located close to the Izgrev Quarter, and adjacent to the city's salt-mines.