Summer Holidays to Varna, Bulgaria
Varna is the seaside or summer capital of Bulgaria, with a population of 351 thousand, and the 3rd biggest city in Bulgaria after Sofia and Plovdiv. The popular summer resort, Golden Sands is 17km from the town centre to the north.
Varna
The city offers more than just the beach and sun: a number of historical monuments and culture make your summer holiday in Bulgaria even more colourful. Varna is one of the oldest cities of Europe, it was founded in 570 BC by the Milethians, but it was populated much earlier than that. The Greek necropolis, discovered in 1972 by accident, can still be seen with its tombs from around 4600-4200 BC. When excavating the necropolis, the oldest processed golden items were discovered: around 3000 items made of gold, weighing more than 6.5kg altogether.
Varna Museum of Archaeology
The Museum of Archaeology was founded in 1888 as part of the city library. It was moved to its current building, a former girls’ school, in 1983. The building was designed by the architect Petko Momchilov, the exhibition has prehistoric, Thracian, Greek, Roman, medieval Bulgarian, Byzantine and ottoman, and more recent Bulgarian relics on display, amounting to some 100 thousand items. The most famous items on display are the aforementioned golden objects.
Euxinograd Palace
The Euxinograd Palace is a summer palace, reminiscent of French palaces, 8km from the city centre of Varna. It was designed by Venetian architect Viktor Lupermayer, construction began in 1882. It has three floors, the furniture is made of mahogany and walnut tree. The sundial of the palace is a gift from Queen Victoria. The complex encompasses a vineyard and a wine cellar as well: the 12 types of white wine and 7 types of brandy are some of the best drinks of Bulgaria. The magnificent garden of The Euxinograd Palace contains 300 species from Asia, South America, Southern France and North Africa. The garden has been looked after since 1890, with observable English and French gardening style. A small river, a tiny pond, bronze sculptures, concrete and an iron bridge are all parts of the garden.
Sea Garden (Morska gradina)
The Sea Garden is the oldest, biggest and most famous park of Varna. This is the most important landmark of the city, considered by many as the most beautiful public park of the Balkans. Its history dates back to 1862, and it has been expanded and developed since then. The park has many interesting attractions: the Varna Aquarium, opened in 1912, and the Dolphinarium from 1984, a planetarium, terrarium, zoo, adventure park and lots more.
Cathedral
This gigantic orthodox cathedral, a symbol of Varna, was opened on 30th November 1886. The foundation stone of the three-nave basilica was laid in 1880.
Roman Thermae The well-preserved ruins of the former roman bath in the south-eastern part of Varna are the 3rd biggest bath ruins of Europe, despite the fact that only a small part of the complex can be visible today. It might have been 20m tall originally, the Roman tower is its tallest point today at 18m. The building was made of stones and bricks. It was not only a bath but an important scene of social life for ancient Romans. Going to the public bath was part of everyday life, citizens were chatting, socialising, making business, and even sleeping, eating and drinking in baths. The Thermae was probably built around the 2nd and 3rd centuries BC but became abandoned one century later.
