Varna
Varna is Bulgaria's third largest city. It was an inhabited place even before the Greeks established the colony of Odessos there about 580 B.C. Later, under the Romans and their successors, the Slavs, Varna became a major port trading with Constantinople, Venice and Dubrovnik. In 1393 it was captured by the Turks, who made it an important military centre. Nowadays it is the main port for both naval and commercial shipping and, adjacent as it is to the coastal resorts of Golden Sands, St. Constantine (Drouzhba) and Albena, it has a cosmopolitan atmosphere. Sailors on shore-leave in unfamiliar ceremonial uniforms, mingle with foreign tourists and locals as they promenade along shady boulevards, lined by dignified 19th and early 20th century buildings.
Attractions
The 19th century Cathedral of the Assumption of the Virgin is an imposing landmark, which contains a finely carved iconostasis and bishop's throne, some interesting murals and stained glass.
Activities
The Varna Museum is full of treasures from all periods of the city's history, and will interest both the informed archaeologist and the casual visitor.
The chief attraction of the place is the wonderful Botanical Garden, a branch of the University of Sofia. Its ten hectares surround the small summer palace of the Romanian Queen Marie. (The area was part of Romania between 1913 and 1940). The attractive villa has the unusual addition of a minaret, said to have been built for the Queen's Turkish over.
Just north of Varna is the Euxinograd Palace which was built as a royal summer residence in 1882. The palace and its wonderfully kept formal gardens resemble a French chateau. It is set in beautiful wooded parkland which reaches down to the fine sandy beach. On the edge of the estate the famous and delicious Euxinograd wine, cognac and rakiya are bottled.
About 20 kilometres west of Varna is the so-called Stone Forest, a curious collection of stone columns up to 7 metres high. The first impression is of a ruined temple but scientists have discovered that it is a geological formation of stalagmites some fifty million years old.
About 4 kilometres from Golden Sands is the Aladja Monastery. Here the monks' cells and rooms were hewn out of the soft white limestone cliff. This was a retreat, a refuge, not a confident statement of conviction like Rila or Bachkovo monasteries. The medieval murals are few and faded, though they must once have been striking and colourful enough to earn the monastery its name, which means "multi-coloured" in Turkish.
Currency
The unit of currency in Bulgaria is the lev (BGL)
Weather Forecast
