Nesebar
Its beach is considered to be the best along the Black Sea coast. The big sandy strip of land between the town and the village of Ravda is covered with extremely fine and abundant clean golden sand. There are marvellous dunes next to the coast. The green copses by the sandy strips provide a cool breath of air during the hot days.
The town of Nesebar is one of the oldest towns in Europe. It is the successor of the ancient Thracian settlement called Mesambria founded in the Second century AD. Its name means town of Melsa. Since 510 AD it was turned into Greek colony town by Dorian settlers. They called it Mesambria and turned it a rival to the town of Apollo for the Black Sea trade. There was a theatre and a temple of the Greek God Apollo in it. Brass and silver money were coined there, and in the third century AD - golden ones. It was occupied in 72 AD by a Roman garrison. The town was of secondary importance during the Roman era. It started to play important role again in III-IV century. Around the year 680 the town was an Episcopal centre, and in VII-VIII century - an important, and strong and protected Byzantine naval base. In the year 812 Khan Krum conquered the town.
The area of the Municipality of Nessebar is 21 883 decares or 5.4% of the territory of the District of Bourgas. 167 229 decares of them are arable lands, 20 418 decares are forests. The beaches are among the largest on the Bulgarian Black Sea coastline, with an area of 1517 decares and a capacity of 139 450 places for the tourists. These natural resources are the most important factors which determine and form the main fields of the municipal economic - tourism, recreation, and sports. 118 hotels, 86 BB, 294 private lodgings, 55 restaurants function on the territory of the municipality. A significant part of this in-kind base is concentrated in the resort complexes Sunny Beach and Elenite in Nesebar and the villages St. Vrach and Ravda.
HISTORY:
The town was founded on the place of a Thracian angler’s settlement that was named Messembria, which meant the town of Mena (the founder of the settlement). In the 6th century BC, it was a colony of the Megarus tribe from ancient Greece, immigrants from Byzantium and Kalhedon. It remained the only Doric colony along the Black Sea coast, as the rest were typical Ionic colonies. The Greeks named it Messembria and it grew into a big and well-fortified town-state with natural protection from both the land and the sea. It was equipped with water mains, a system of sewers, fortified walls, amphitheatre and numerous cult buildings the most impressive of which was the temple of Apollo. It became a commercial centre and plenty of goods from the Aegean and the Mediterranean regions were traded there. The excavated objects testify to a brisk trade with the ancient world. The town maintained excellent relations with the neighbouring Thracian tribes and minted its own coins in 5th century BC. Two centuries later, it grew so much that it founded its own colony called Navlohos near Obzor. The whole land between Nessebur and Obzor used to be a granary that supplied the two colonies with food as well as products of exchange and import. In 1st century BC, the town fell under Roman rule and surrendered to Marcus Lukulus' legions so that it did not suffer any devastation. It was then that the constructions of the second colony of Messembria began, to the south of it - Anhialo (present day Pomorie). In the early Middle Ages, the town restored the fortress walls and until 812 it was part of Byzantium. In the same year, it was conquered by Khan Kroum with no resistance put up, and was included in the territory of Bulgaria. The town was under the rule of the Bulgarians. Later it was conquered by the Byzantines.
During the reign of Ivan Alexander, the town reached its cultural and economic boom, and it grew to the extent of occupying a huge territory of the land beyond the peninsula. It was approximately in this period of time when most of the churches of Nessebur were built and up to this day they are a unique decoration of the town. According to the world statistics, Nessebur is the town having the biggest number of churches per capita. In 1366 the knights of Amadeus of Savoy conquered and devastated the town, and then sold it to Byzantium for 15 000 golden ducats. In 1453, shortly after Constantinople fell under Turkish domination the town was conquered by the Ottoman Empire and suffered decay. At the dawn of the Liberation, it was a dilapidated anglers’ settlement, with well-developed viticulture on the soft hills above the town. Today Nessebur is one of the resorts most preferred by tourists and it has been most attractive ever since the beginning of XX century. The construction of the new town started at the time together with numerous rest homes, big and small hotels, and modern facilities for tourism and entertainment. The old buildings were restored and new houses in ancient style were built.
The present-day town is the successor of a Thracian fishermen's settlement named Menabryia (meaning literally 'the town of Mena'), the foundation of which dates back to the 2nd century BC. Later it remained the only Doric colony along the Black Sea coast, as the rest were typical Ionic settlements. The Greeks named it Messembria (which was later transformed into Nessabar by the Slavs), and it grew into a big and well-fortified town-state. The town benefited from natural protection from both the land and the sea. Remains suggest the existence of aqueducts, a sewerage system, fortified wails, an amphitheatre and numerous cult edifices (including an impressive temple of Apollo) at that time. The town became a popular commercial centre as a variety of goods from the Aegean and the Mediterranean regions were traded there and it also minted its own coins in the 5th century BC. Two centuries later, it founded its own colony called Navlohos near Obzor. The whole land between Nessebar and Obzor used to be a granary that supplied the two colonies with food as well as goods of exchange. In the 1st century BC the town surrendered to Marcus Lukulus' legions and was subjected top Roman domination, during which the construction of a second colony of Messembria began and was finished. The second colony, built to the south of Nessebar, was named Anhialo (present-day Pomorie). In the early Middle Ages the town rebuilt its fortress walls and stayed part of the Byzantine Empire until 812 when the protobulgarian Khan Kroum conquered it, including it in the territory of Bulgaria. During the reign of Ivan Alexander the town went thorough a cultural and economic boom, and occupied substantial territories beyond the stretch of the peninsula. It was around that period when most of the churches of Nessebar, remains of which are to be found in the present-day town, were built. In 1366 the knights of Amadeus of Savoy conquered the town, and then sold it to Byzantium for 15,000 golden ducats. In 1453, shortly after Constantinople fell under Turkish domination the town was conquered by the Ottoman Empire and went through a period of decay. The Liberation found Nessabar as a small fishermen's settlement, with well-developed viticulture on the hills above the town.
LANDMARKS:
The churches in Nessebur are 41. Not all of them have preserved their full brilliance but even their present condition strongly impresses tourists. One of the oldest sights is the Basilica situated on the seashore, built most probably at the beginning of 5th century. The building had three naves, however only the foundations have remained today. The Old Bishop's Residence located in the centre of the town is probably the most imposing one of all the churches in Nessebur. It is more than 25 m long and 22 m wide. The three naves were decorated with a colonnade and arches; stone and brick laid with a mosaic covered floor. St. Ivan the Baptist Church was built in 11th century and is a typical cross-domed church with three naves and four brick-laid columns supporting the whole dome. There are some fragments of frescoes preserved dating back to 13th century. There is a small archaeological museum arranged in the church. The St. Stefan Church or the so-called New Bishop's Residence was built in 10th century, too, and is situated near the harbour. It is three-nave. The exterior decoration is so picturesque that it marked the beginning of the future typical style of Nessebur expressed in the construction and decoration of churches of later times. The facade of the church is ornamented with built-in meanders of glazed ceramic figures of different colours, majolica and enamelled tiles that at the same time adorn and distinguish the architectural components. The main frescoes here were painted in 14th-15th centuries. The bishop's throne and the altar were made of wood later in 17th century. The subsequent picturesque style was best illustrated in the St. Todor Church - however only two facades have been preserved in their initial style. Today it has been restored, but the preserved decoration elements are unique in shape, colour, and variety of component combination. The St. Paraskeva Church was built in the same style. It is a small one-nave church. The ornaments match the architectonics of the building in a most natural way. Consoles with tiny arches slightly support the upper part of the dome and resemble children's sandcastle. The St. St. Archangels Mihail and Gavrail Church used to have a dome; its remains evidence of an interesting project and excellent performance. The restoration enables tourists see the architectural concept in the typical picturesque style. In the ideal centre of the town, it is the Pantocrator Church with domes on a rectangular foundation. The St. Yoan Aliturgetos Church is considered the most beautiful one perched high above the harbour. It has three naves and the decoration of the facades is of unique beauty, particularly the eastern one facing the sea. The remains of many parts of fortress walls have been found as well as the square turret, the round turret, a large part of the authentic medieval street pavement, and some of the Roman and Greek pavements, fortifications of different times and epochs, remains of administrative and other kinds of buildings. In spite of its small size the town is ever surprising tourists with the antiquities appearing all over the place. During the Turkish rule, only one church was built in 17th century - the St. Spas Church. The typical houses of Nessebur built in the unique style of 16th-19th centuries are interesting architectural monuments. So are the houses of Diamanti and that of Panayot Mouskoyani, which hosts an ethnographic exhibition, and that of Captain Pavel. The whole ensemble of the old quarters of Nessebur shows remarkable taste and mastership in the construction of houses, stonewalls, and streets. The Turkish bath and the windmill at the beginning of the causeway are of particular interest.
ACCOMMODATION:
The most famous hotels in the town are Messembria Hotel, Globus Hotel and Bourgas Hotel. In the town, there is a tourist house and many small hotels. Private lodgings can be found without reservation in the old town; the inhabitants themselves offer their services to the tourists arriving to the town.
TRANSPORT:
There is a regular transport connecting Bourgas and Pomorie to Nessebur and Slunchev Bryag (Sunny Beach). There are private taxis typical for the seaside towns due to the great number of tourists. The prices are moderate. There is water transport to Bourgas; one can often hire local boatmen to reach various places in the bay.
SURROUNDING AREAS:
The village of Ravda is situated South of Nessebur and a sand strip connects both. There are melon fields, vines and gardens near the village where one can buy fresh agricultural products at low prices. There are numerous children's and youth camps, holiday houses and private lodgings. The village of Aheloy is situated on the motorway to Bourgas near the mouth of the Aheloy River. This is where the Bulgarian Tsar Simeon I destroyed the armies of the Byzantine emperor Lion Foka in the area called nowadays Kokalos because of the scattered bones of the killed soldiers. A vast firth with a sand strip parallels the distance from here to Pomorie and the long beach of excellent category is not yet built up. It borders the firth of Pomorie and the salt mines by the town.
PLACES OF INTEREST:
Nowadays, Nessebar is one of the most popular resorts among foreign tourists for its ancient spirit and well-preserved remains. According to legends, the churches of Nesebar were no less than 41, which, when compared to the small population of the town, make the latter one of the world's settlements with the highest number of churches per capita. One of the oldest sanctuaries is the Basilica built on the coast most probably around the beginning of 5th century. The Old Bishop's Residence located in the centre of the town is probably the most impressive church in Nessebar. It is more than 25m long and 22m wide while its three naves were decorated with a colonnade and arches. St. Ivan the Baptist Church was built much later, in the 11th century, and is a typical cross-domed church with three naves, and four columns supporting the dome. One can see there fragments of frescoes dating back to the 13th century. The St. Stefan Church or the so-called New Bishop's Residence, situated in the vicinity of the harbour, was built in the 10th century. Its decoration is so picturesque that it marked the beginning of a typical local style, seen in the construction of churches of later times. The facade of the church is ornamented with built-in glazed ceramic figures of different colors and tiles. The same style was followed in the construction of St. Todor Church, though only two original facades have been preserved until present days. The St. John Aliturgetos Church perching high above the harbour is considered to be the most beautiful one. It has three naves and the decoration of the facades is of unique beauty. Besides well-preserved churches, one can see the remains of fortress walls (best preserved at the old town's gate and the port), authentic medieval, Roman and Greek street pavements, fortifications of different epochs, administrative and other buildings. Some of the typical houses of Nessebar built in a unique style of the 16th-19th century are real architectural monuments (e.g. the houses of Diamanti, that of Panayot Mouskoyani, which hosts an ethnographic exhibition, the one of Captain Pavel). The old quarters of Nessebar show remarkable taste and mastership in the construction of houses, stone walls, and streets. The Turkish bath and the windmill at the beginning of the causeway are of particular interest. Outside the town, one can visit the village of Aheloy, in the vicinity of which the Bulgarian Tsar Simeon I destroyed the armies of the Byzantine emperor Lion Foka. Aheloy is situated on the motorway to Bourgas near the mouth of the Aheloy River. The field of the landmark battle, which made the Bulgarian state the uncontestable dominion of the Balkan Peninsula, is called nowadays Kokalos (having its root in the Bulgarian word for 'Bones') after the scattered corpses of killed soldiers.
Information about the Bulgarian cities and towns
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Blagoevgrad Bansko |
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Burgas Burgas, Ahtopol, Karnobat, Malko Tarnovo, Nesebar, Obzor, Pomorie, Primorsko, Sozopol, Sredec, Tsarevo, Elenite Resort, Sunny Beach Resort, Aheloy, Bania, Varvara, Zagorci, Izvor, Kiten, Kosharitsa, Krushevec, Lozenec, Momina Carkva, Ravadinovo, Ravda, Rosen, Sveti Vlas, Rudnik, Atia, Tvarditsa, Galabets |
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Varna Varna, Balchik |
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Veliko Tarnovo Kilifarevo |
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Dobrich Balchik, Kavarna, Durankulak, Krapec |
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Lovech Shipkovo, Troyan |
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Pazardjik Velingrad |
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Sofia Sofia |
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Yambol Yambol, Elhovo |
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