Varna Province ( bg, Област Варна, translit=Oblast Varna), formerly known as Varna okrug, is a

province A province is almost always an administrative division within a country or state. The term derives from the ancient Roman ''provincia'', which was the major territorial and administrative unit of the Roman Empire's territorial possessions out ...

in eastern

Bulgaria Bulgaria (; bg, България, Bǎlgariya), officially the Republic of Bulgaria,, ) is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the eastern flank of the Balkans, and is bordered by Romania to the north, Serbia and North Macedo ...

, one of the 28 Bulgarian provinces. It comprises 12 municipalities with a population of 494,216 inhabitants as of April 2016.Bulgarian National Statistical Institute - Bulgarian provinces and municipalities in 2015
/ref>
/ref>http://www.grao.bg/tna/tab01.html“ The province is named after its administrative centre, Varna.

Geography

The province's territory is 3,819.5 km². It borders the

Black Sea The Black Sea is a marginal mediterranean sea of the Atlantic Ocean lying between Europe and Asia, east of the Balkans, south of the East European Plain, west of the Caucasus, and north of Anatolia. It is bounded by Bulgaria, Georgia, Rom ...

and covers parts of the hilly Danubian Plain (including parts of the Franga Plateau, South Dobruja, the

Provadiya Provadia ( bg, Провадия ) is a town in northeastern Bulgaria, part of Varna Province, located in a deep karst gorge (Provadia syncline) along the Provadiya River not far from the Bulgarian Black Sea Coast. It is the administrative centr ...

Plateau, Ludogorie, and the Avren Plateau), Eastern

Stara Planina The Balkan mountain range (, , known locally also as Stara planina) is a mountain range in the eastern part of the Balkan Peninsula in Southeastern Europe. The range is conventionally taken to begin at the peak of Vrashka Chuka on the border be ...

, the Varna– Devnya valley with the lakes ( limans) of Varna and

Beloslav Beloslav ( bg, Белослав ) is a small industrial town in Varna Province, Northeastern Bulgaria, located 19 km away to the west from Varna downtown and Bulgarian Black Sea coast. It is the administrative centre of the homonymous Belo ...

, and the Kamchiya river valley. Other rivers include

, Devnya, and

Batova The Batova ( bg, Батова) is a river in northeastern Bulgaria. The river flows in a wide valley between the Dobruja plateau to the north and the Franga plateau to the south, ultimately flowing directly into the Black Sea. The Batova is only 39 ...

, and the largest artificial lake is

Tsonevo Tsonevo (Цонево) is a village located in the Luda Kamchiya Valley in Dalgopol Municipality, Varna Province, Bulgaria Bulgaria (; bg, България, Bǎlgariya), officially the Republic of Bulgaria,, ) is a country in Southeast ...

. The Black Sea coast is hilly and verdant, mostly cliff, with a couple of rocky

headlands A headland, also known as a head, is a coastal landform, a point of land usually high and often with a sheer drop, that extends into a body of water. It is a type of promontory. A headland of considerable size often is called a cape.Whittow, J ...

(Cape Galata, Cape

St. Athanasius Athanasius I of Alexandria, ; cop, ⲡⲓⲁⲅⲓⲟⲥ ⲁⲑⲁⲛⲁⲥⲓⲟⲩ ⲡⲓⲁⲡⲟⲥⲧⲟⲗⲓⲕⲟⲥ or Ⲡⲁⲡⲁ ⲁⲑⲁⲛⲁⲥⲓⲟⲩ ⲁ̅; (c. 296–298 – 2 May 373), also called Athanasius the Great, ...

), several expansive sand beaches, the largest of which, at the mouths of the rivers Kamchiya and Shkorpilovska, is nearly long and up to 200–300 m wide, and many small cove beaches. Agricultural lands cover 60% of the area, with fertile

chernozem Chernozem (from rus, чернозём, p=tɕɪrnɐˈzʲɵm, r=chernozyom; "black ground"), also called black soil, is a black-colored soil containing a high percentage of humus (4% to 16%) and high percentages of phosphorus and ammonia compou ...

soils mostly in the north and west; forests—28.1% (with some of the oldest oak massives in the nation), mostly in the south; and urban zones—6.8%. Natural resources include large deposits of rock salt,

limestone Limestone ( calcium carbonate ) is a type of carbonate sedimentary rock which is the main source of the material lime. It is composed mostly of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of . Limestone forms w ...

silica Silicon dioxide, also known as silica, is an oxide of silicon with the chemical formula , most commonly found in nature as quartz and in various living organisms. In many parts of the world, silica is the major constituent of sand. Silica is ...

, and

clay Clay is a type of fine-grained natural soil material containing clay minerals (hydrous aluminium phyllosilicates, e.g. kaolin, Al2 Si2 O5( OH)4). Clays develop plasticity when wet, due to a molecular film of water surrounding the clay pa ...

s, all extensively used in local chemical, cement and glass manufacturing and construction; silica is also exported. Significant deposits of medicinal ''fango'' (mineral mud) are found in Lake Varna. The province abounds in thermal

mineral water Mineral water is water from a mineral spring that contains various minerals, such as salts and sulfur compounds. Mineral water may usually be still or sparkling (carbonated/effervescent) according to the presence or absence of added gases. T ...

s. There are

natural gas Natural gas (also called fossil gas or simply gas) is a naturally occurring mixture of gaseous hydrocarbons consisting primarily of methane in addition to various smaller amounts of other higher alkanes. Low levels of trace gases like carbon d ...

reserves. The offshore Galata gas field, a relatively minor project with planned cumulative production of 2 billion cubic meters, is expected to provide up to 15% of the nation's gas consumption for its lifetime.

Manganese Manganese is a chemical element with the Symbol (chemistry), symbol Mn and atomic number 25. It is a hard, brittle, silvery metal, often found in minerals in combination with iron. Manganese is a transition metal with a multifaceted array of ...

ore deposits are found. The climate inland is temperate, with cold, damp winters and hot, dry summers, and akin to Mediterranean along the Black Sea coast, with milder winters and cooler summers.

Municipalities

The Varna province—or oblast—contains 12 municipalities ( bg, община, translit=obština, plural: bg, общини, translit=obštini, label=none). The following table shows the names of each municipality in English and

Cyrillic The Cyrillic script ( ), Slavonic script or the Slavic script, is a writing system used for various languages across Eurasia. It is the designated national script in various Slavic, Turkic, Mongolic, Uralic, Caucasian and Iranic-speaking co ...

, the main town (in bold) or village, and the population of each in December 2009.

Population

The following table represents the change of the population in the province after

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

: In late 2009, the population of the province, announced by the Bulgarian National Statistical Institute, numbered 465,465 of which are inhabitants over 60 years old.Bulgarian National Statistical Institute - Population by age in 2009
320,837 (68.83%) live in the city of Varna, and 379,844 (81.61%) in urban areas (national average 70%). Population density (121.85 per km²) is significantly higher than the national average (70). The birth, marriage, and divorce rates are also higher; the death rate and the unemployment rate (7.34%, 2005) are lower. 71.1% of the population are of working age; above working age are 14.8%.

Ethnic groups

Total population (2011 census): 475,074 Ethnic groups (2011 census): Identified themselves: 424 893 persons: *

Bulgarians Bulgarians ( bg, българи, Bǎlgari, ) are a nation and South Slavic ethnic group native to Bulgaria and the rest of Southeast Europe. Etymology Bulgarians derive their ethnonym from the Bulgars. Their name is not completely underst ...

: 371,048 (87.33%) * Turks: 30,469 (7.17%) *

Romani Romani may refer to: Ethnicities * Romani people, an ethnic group of Northern Indian origin, living dispersed in Europe, the Americas and Asia ** Romani genocide, under Nazi rule * Romani language, any of several Indo-Aryan languages of the Roma ...

: 13,432 (3.16%) *Others and indefinable: 9,944 (2.34%) A further 50,000 persons in Varna Province did not declare their ethnic group at the 2011 census. Ethnic groups according to the 2001 census, when 462 013 people of the population of 462,013 of Varna Province identified themselves (with percentage of total population):Population to 01.03.2001 by District and Ethnic Group
fro

/ref> *

: 393,884 * Turks: 37,502 *

: 15,462 The ethnic composition at the 2001 census included

—85.3%; Turks—8.1%;

—3.4% (there are a few mostly Roma-populated villages such as Lyuben Karavelovo in Aksakovo municipality—inhabited by Boyash of the ''Kopanari'' subgroup);

Armenians Armenians ( hy, հայեր, ''hayer'' ) are an ethnic group native to the Armenian highlands of Western Asia. Armenians constitute the main population of Armenia and the ''de facto'' independent Artsakh. There is a wide-ranging diaspora ...

—0.6%;

Russians , native_name_lang = ru , image = , caption = , population = , popplace = 118 million Russians in the Russian Federation (2002 '' Winkler Prins'' estimate) , region1 = , pop1 ...

—0.3% (including about 340

Cossacks The Cossacks , es, cosaco , et, Kasakad, cazacii , fi, Kasakat, cazacii , french: cosaques , hu, kozákok, cazacii , it, cosacchi , orv, коза́ки, pl, Kozacy , pt, cossacos , ro, cazaci , russian: казаки́ or ...

in the Lipovan village of Kazashko); and smaller numbers of

Ukrainians Ukrainians ( uk, Українці, Ukraintsi, ) are an East Slavic ethnic group native to Ukraine. They are the seventh-largest nation in Europe. The native language of the Ukrainians is Ukrainian. The majority of Ukrainians are Eastern Ort ...

Jews Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""The ...

Greeks The Greeks or Hellenes (; el, Έλληνες, ''Éllines'' ) are an ethnic group and nation indigenous to the Eastern Mediterranean and the Black Sea regions, namely Greece, Cyprus, Albania, Italy, Turkey, Egypt, and, to a lesser extent, ot ...

Crimean Tatars , flag = Flag of the Crimean Tatar people.svg , flag_caption = Flag of Crimean Tatars , image = Love, Peace, Traditions.jpg , caption = Crimean Tatars in traditional clothing in front of the Khan's Palace ...

Circassians The Circassians (also referred to as Cherkess or Adyghe; Adyghe and Kabardian: Адыгэхэр, romanized: ''Adıgəxər'') are an indigenous Northwest Caucasian ethnic group and nation native to the historical country-region of Circassia ...

Vlachs "Vlach" ( or ), also "Wallachian" (and many other variants), is a historical term and exonym used from the Middle Ages until the Modern Era to designate mainly Romanians but also Aromanians, Megleno-Romanians, Istro-Romanians and other Easte ...

, and others. There is a growing number of western

expatriate An expatriate (often shortened to expat) is a person who resides outside their native country. In common usage, the term often refers to educated professionals, skilled workers, or artists taking positions outside their home country, either ...

s and new Chinese,

Arab The Arabs (singular: Arab; singular ar, عَرَبِيٌّ, DIN 31635: , , plural ar, عَرَب, DIN 31635: , Arabic pronunciation: ), also known as the Arab people, are an ethnic group mainly inhabiting the Arab world in Western Asia, ...

and other immigrants. Several rural villages in the municipalities of Aksakovo, Suvorovo, and Valchidol, as well as the Vinitsa district of Varna, have historically been populated mostly by Gagauz.

Religion

Religious adherence in the province according to 2001 census: BG Golden Sands

History

The area has been populated at least since the

Neolith The Neolithic period, or New Stone Age, is an Old World archaeological period and the final division of the Stone Age. It saw the Neolithic Revolution, a wide-ranging set of developments that appear to have arisen independently in several parts ...

and was a major centre of an

Eneolithic The asterisk ( ), from Late Latin , from Ancient Greek , ''asteriskos'', "little star", is a typographical symbol. It is so called because it resembles a conventional image of a heraldic star. Computer scientists and mathematicians often v ...

culture with unique skills in metallurgy and seafaring, with a developed social structure and religion (see

Varna Necropolis The Varna Necropolis ( bg, Варненски некропол), or Varna Cemetery, is a burial site in the western industrial zone of Varna (approximately half a kilometre from Lake Varna and 4 km from the city centre), internationally c ...

, site of arguably the oldest man-made gold treasure in the world). Solnitsata, the earliest known European town, was in what is today Varna Province. By the first millennium BC, it was inhabited by

Thracians The Thracians (; grc, Θρᾷκες ''Thrāikes''; la, Thraci) were an Indo-European speaking people who inhabited large parts of Eastern and Southeastern Europe in ancient history.. "The Thracians were an Indo-European people who occupied ...

who dominated it throughout classical antiquity; by the end of the period they were largely Romanized. In the 6th century BC, an ancient Greek trading colony (''apoikia''), Odessos ( Varna), was founded, becoming an enduring contact zone between Thracians and Greeks. In the 4th century, the province was included in the empire of Philip II,

Alexander the Great Alexander III of Macedon ( grc, Ἀλέξανδρος, Alexandros; 20/21 July 356 BC – 10/11 June 323 BC), commonly known as Alexander the Great, was a king of the ancient Greek kingdom of Macedon. He succeeded his father Philip II to ...

and his diadochus

Lysimachus Lysimachus (; Greek: Λυσίμαχος, ''Lysimachos''; c. 360 BC – 281 BC) was a Thessalian officer and successor of Alexander the Great, who in 306 BC, became King of Thrace, Asia Minor and Macedon. Early life and career Lysimachus wa ...

. By the first century AD, it was conquered by the

Roman Empire The Roman Empire ( la, Imperium Romanum ; grc-gre, Βασιλεία τῶν Ῥωμαίων, Basileía tôn Rhōmaíōn) was the post-Roman Republic, Republican period of ancient Rome. As a polity, it included large territorial holdings aro ...

. Under Emperor

Diocletian Diocletian (; la, Gaius Aurelius Valerius Diocletianus, grc, Διοκλητιανός, Diokletianós; c. 242/245 – 311/312), nicknamed ''Iovius'', was Roman emperor from 284 until his abdication in 305. He was born Gaius Valerius Diocles ...

, Marcianopolis ( Devnya) became the centre of the Roman province of

Moesia Moesia (; Latin: ''Moesia''; el, Μοισία, Moisía) was an ancient region and later Roman province situated in the Balkans south of the Danube River, which included most of the territory of modern eastern Serbia, Kosovo, north-eastern Alban ...

Secunda of the Diocese of

Thrace Thrace (; el, Θράκη, Thráki; bg, Тракия, Trakiya; tr, Trakya) or Thrake is a geographical and historical region in Southeast Europe, now split among Bulgaria, Greece, and Turkey, which is bounded by the Balkan Mountains to ...

. During Emperor

Valens Valens ( grc-gre, Ουάλης, Ouálēs; 328 – 9 August 378) was Roman emperor from 364 to 378. Following a largely unremarkable military career, he was named co-emperor by his elder brother Valentinian I, who gave him the eastern half of ...

' wars with the

Goths The Goths ( got, 𐌲𐌿𐍄𐌸𐌹𐌿𐌳𐌰, translit=''Gutþiuda''; la, Gothi, grc-gre, Γότθοι, Gótthoi) were a Germanic people who played a major role in the fall of the Western Roman Empire and the emergence of medieval Euro ...

(366-369), this city was temporary capital of the empire. Both Marcianopolis and Odessus (the Roman name of Odessos) were major early Christian centres. It is believed that

Saint Andrew Andrew the Apostle ( grc-koi, Ἀνδρέᾱς, Andréās ; la, Andrēās ; , syc, ܐܰܢܕ݁ܪܶܐܘܳܣ, ʾAnd’reʾwās), also called Saint Andrew, was an apostle of Jesus according to the New Testament. He is the brother of Simon Pete ...

founded the local Christian church and his disciple

Ampliatus Ampliatus (Amplias in the King James Version), was a Roman Christian mentioned by Paul in one of his letters, where he says, "Greet Ampliatus, whom I love in the Lord."Romans 16:8 He is considered one of the Seventy Disciples by the Eastern Or ...

served as bishop at Odessus. In the 6th century,

Slavs Slavs are the largest European ethnolinguistic group. They speak the various Slavic languages, belonging to the larger Balto-Slavic branch of the Indo-European languages. Slavs are geographically distributed throughout northern Eurasia, main ...

' migrations altered the ethnic composition of the then

Byzantine The Byzantine Empire, also referred to as the Eastern Roman Empire or Byzantium, was the continuation of the Roman Empire primarily in its eastern provinces during Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages, when its capital city was Constantinopl ...

province. Between 680 and 681, it became the heartland of the

First Bulgarian Empire The First Bulgarian Empire ( cu, блъгарьско цѣсарьствиѥ, blagarysko tsesarystviye; bg, Първо българско царство) was a medieval Bulgar- Slavic and later Bulgarian state that existed in Southeastern Eur ...

, whose capital was perhaps initially near Varna, before it moved to Pliska. Two of the most significant

scriptoria Scriptorium (), literally "a place for writing", is commonly used to refer to a room in medieval European monasteries devoted to the writing, copying and illuminating of manuscripts commonly handled by monastic scribes. However, lay scribes and ...

of the Preslav Literary School were at Ravna (near Provadiya) and Varna. The latter two cities were major fortresses and trade emporia of the

Second Bulgarian Empire The Second Bulgarian Empire (; ) was a medieval Bulgarian state that existed between 1185 and 1396. A successor to the First Bulgarian Empire, it reached the peak of its power under Tsars Kaloyan and Ivan Asen II before gradually being conque ...

as well. The peasant war of Ivailo in the late 13th century started from the region, which at the time was plagued by

Tatar The Tatars ()Tatar
in the Collins English Dictionary is an umbrella term for different

raids and was finally subdued by the

Ottomans The Ottoman Turks ( tr, Osmanlı Türkleri), were the Turkic founding and sociopolitically the most dominant ethnic group of the Ottoman Empire ( 1299/1302–1922). Reliable information about the early history of Ottoman Turks remains scarce, ...

in 1389. In 1444, the Battle of Varna was fought, as were several ground and naval battles of the Russo-Turkish wars of the 18th and 19th century. Under the Ottomans, the population became extremely diverse, with significant number of Turks and other Muslim peoples arriving from

Asia Minor Anatolia, tr, Anadolu Yarımadası), and the Anatolian plateau, also known as Asia Minor, is a large peninsula in Western Asia and the westernmost protrusion of the Asian continent. It constitutes the major part of modern-day Turkey. The re ...

, the steppes north of the Black Sea, and the

Caucasus The Caucasus () or Caucasia (), is a region between the Black Sea and the Caspian Sea, mainly comprising Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, and parts of Southern Russia. The Caucasus Mountains, including the Greater Caucasus range, have historica ...

, along with Orthodox Christian Gagauz,

, and

Sephardic Jews Sephardic (or Sephardi) Jews (, ; lad, Djudíos Sefardíes), also ''Sepharadim'' , Modern Hebrew: ''Sfaradim'', Tiberian: Səp̄āraddîm, also , ''Ye'hude Sepharad'', lit. "The Jews of Spain", es, Judíos sefardíes (or ), pt, Judeus sefa ...

from

Thessaloniki Thessaloniki (; el, Θεσσαλονίκη, , also known as Thessalonica (), Saloniki, or Salonica (), is the second-largest city in Greece, with over one million inhabitants in its metropolitan area, and the capital of the geographic region of ...

. Many Bulgarians from the region were forcibly relocated to Asia Minor and, in the wake of the Russo-Turkish wars, up to 250,000 eastern Bulgarians were transferred to Russian

Bessarabia Bessarabia (; Gagauz: ''Besarabiya''; Romanian: ''Basarabia''; Ukrainian: ''Бессара́бія'') is a historical region in Eastern Europe, bounded by the Dniester river on the east and the Prut river on the west. About two thirds o ...

and

Crimea Crimea, crh, Къырым, Qırım, grc, Κιμμερία / Ταυρική, translit=Kimmería / Taurikḗ ( ) is a peninsula in Ukraine, on the northern coast of the Black Sea, that has been occupied by Russia since 2014. It has a p ...

. Compact Bulgarian population persisted throughout the Provadiya Plateau, Devnya Valley, and Eastern Stara Planina. Villagers from places such as Chenge (modern Asparuhovo, municipality of Dalgopol), Gulitsa (modern Golitsa, municipality of Dolni Chiflik), and neighbouring Erkech (modern Kozichino, Burgas Province) later colonized and returned the Bulgarian ethnic character to dozens of villages throughout northeastern and southeastern Bulgaria, including much of Varna province. After the

liberation Liberation or liberate may refer to: Film and television * ''Liberation'' (film series), a 1970–1971 series about the Great Patriotic War * "Liberation" (''The Flash''), a TV episode * "Liberation" (''K-9''), an episode Gaming * '' Liberati ...

of 1878, with the exodus of most Turks and Greeks and the migrations of Bulgarians from other parts of Bulgaria, mostly

, as well as North

Dobruja Dobruja or Dobrudja (; bg, Добруджа, Dobrudzha or ''Dobrudža''; ro, Dobrogea, or ; tr, Dobruca) is a historical region in the Balkans that has been divided since the 19th century between the territories of Bulgaria and Romania. I ...

, Bessarabia, and later from Macedonia and Eastern

, ethnic diversity gradually gave way to Bulgarian predominance. One of the versions of a folk song, inspired by the Ruse blood wedding, can be heard in the province.

Economy

The province is second only to Sofia in foreign direct investment; its GDP per capita is higher and its unemployment is the lowest in the country. Per capita income is fifth highest in the nation (2007). The economy is service-oriented; it was responsible for over 30% of the nation's revenue in tourism (2004). (See the list of coastal resorts, beaches, and locales below.) It is an important communications and transportation hub with the

Port of Varna Port of Varna ( bg, Пристанище Варна, Pristanishte Varna)map is the largest seaport complex in Bulgaria. Located on the Black Sea's west coast on Varna Bay, along Lake Varna and Lake Beloslav, it also comprises the outlying port o ...

on the Black Sea and inland waterways, the International Airport of Varna, the Varna railway ferry terminal, parts of several railway lines (including the oldest one in Bulgaria, Rousse-Varna, opened 1866) and junctions (Sindel, Razdelna, Komunari), and portions of two of the nation's motorways (Haemus and Cherno More). Varna is the easternmost destination of Pan-European transport corridor 8 and is closely connected to corridors 7 and 9 via Rousse. In June 2007, Eni and Gazprom disclosed the South Stream project whereby a 900 km-long offshore natural gas pipeline from Russia's Dzhubga with annual capacity of 30 billion cubic meters is planned to come ashore possibly at Pasha dere, near the Galata offshore gas field, en route to Italy and Austria. Manufacturing is concentrated mostly in the

Varna-Devnya Industrial Complex The Devnya Industrial Complex consists of several important factories and companies in the chemical industry sector of Bulgaria. The reason Devnya has become the host of this cluster is that the region is relatively rich in raw materials like wate ...

and Provadiya. Agriculture (notably wheat, fruit, wineries) and forestry are also of economic significance. The province is a major education and international culture centre with five universities, several other higher learning and research institutions, museums, performing arts institutions, and hosted international events. Real estate has been booming over the last few years in Varna and rural villages near the coast and inland. "English villages" of Britons settling in Bulgaria emerged in the rural countryside at Avren, Banovo (municipality of Suvorovo), and General Kantardzhievo (municipality of Aksakovo), among others.

Towns and villages

Aksakovo Municipality Aksakovo Municipality ( bg, Община Аксаково) is a municipality ('' obshtina'') in Varna Province, Northeastern Bulgaria, located near the Bulgarian Black Sea Coast. It is named after its administrative centre – the town of Aksakov ...

includes the towns of Aksakovo and

Ignatievo Ignatievo ( bg, Игнатиево ) is a town in Aksakovo Municipality, in Varna Province, Bulgaria Bulgaria (; bg, България, Bǎlgariya), officially the Republic of Bulgaria,, ) is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situate ...

and the villages of Botevo, Dobrogled, Dolishte, General Kantardzhievo, Izvorsko, Kichevo, Klimentovo,

Krumovo Krumovo ( bg, Крумово) is a village in the Plovdiv Province, southern Bulgaria named after the Bulgarian Khan Krum. As of 2006 it has 3,378 inhabitants. The village is located at 2 km to the south of the Maritsa Maritsa or Maritz ...

Kumanovo Kumanovo ( mk, Куманово ; also known by other alternative names) is a city in North Macedonia and the seat of Kumanovo Municipality, the largest municipality in the country. Kumanovo lies above sea level and is surrounded by the Kar ...

, Lyuben Karavelovo, Novakovo, Oreshak, Osenovo, Pripek, Radevo, Slanchevo, Vaglen, Voditsa, Yarebichna, Zasmyano, and Zornitsa; * Avren Municipality includes the villages of Avren, Benkovski, Bliznatsi, Bolyartsi, Dobri Dol, Dabravino, Kazashka Reka, Kitka, Krusha, Priseltsi, Ravna Gora,

Sadovo Sadovo ( bg, Садово ) is a small town in Sadovo Municipality, Plovdiv Province, central Bulgaria, and the administrative center of Plovdiv. The population is 2,600. Geography The city is close to the Maritsa River, 18 kilometers east of ...

, Sindel, Trastikovo, Tsarevtsi,

Yunak Yunak is a town and district of Konya Province in the Central Anatolia The Central Anatolia Region ( tr, İç Anadolu Bölgesi) is a geographical region of Turkey. The largest city in the region is Ankara. Other big cities are Konya, Kayser ...

, and Zdravets; * Beloslav Municipality includes the town of

and the villages of Ezerovo,

Strashimirovo Strashimirovo ( Bulgarian: Страшимирово) is a village in north-eastern Bulgaria. It is located in the municipality of Beloslav, Varna Province Varna Province ( bg, Област Варна, translit=Oblast Varna), formerly known as ...

, and Razdelna; * Byala Municipality, includes the town of Byala and the villages of Dyulino, Goritsa, Gospodinovo, Popovich, and Samotino; *

Dalgopol Municipality Dalgopol Municipality ( bg, Община Дългопол) is a Municipalities of Bulgaria, municipality (''obshtina'') in Varna Province, Northeastern Bulgaria. It is named after its administrative centre - the town of Dalgopol. The municipality ...

includes the town of Dalgopol and the villages of Arkovna, Asparuhovo, Boryana, Kamen Dyal, Komunari, Krasimir, Lopushna,

Medovets Medovets is a village in Dalgopol Municipality, in Varna Province, eastern Bulgaria Bulgaria (; bg, България, Bǎlgariya), officially the Republic of Bulgaria,, ) is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the eastern ...

, Partizani, Polyatsite, Royak, Sava, Sladka Voda,

, and Velichkovo, * Devnya Municipality includes the town of Devnya and the villages of Kipra and Padina; * Dolni Chiflik Municipality includes the town of

Dolni Chiflik Dolni Chiflik ( bg, Долни чифлик , , tr, Aşağı Çiftlik) is a town in northeastern Bulgaria, part of Varna Province, located near the Kamchiya, Kamchiya River about 14 km away from the Bulgarian Black Sea Coast, Black Sea coast ...

and the villages of Bardarevo, Bulair, Detelina, Golitsa, Goren Chiflik, Grozdyovo, Krivini, Nova Shipka, Novo Oryahovo, Pchelnik, Rudnik, Solnik, Staro Oryahovo, Shkorpilovtsi, Venelin, and Yunets; * Provadia Municipality includes the town of

and the villages of Barzitsa, Blaskovo, Bozveliysko, Chayka, Cherkovna, Chernook, Dobrina, Gradinarovo, Hrabrovo, Kiten, Komarevo, Krivnya, Manastir, Nenovo, Ovchaga, Petrov Dol, Ravna, Slaveykovo, Snezhina, Staroselets, Tutrakantsi, Venchan, Zhitnitsa, and Zlatina; *

Suvorovo Municipality Suvorovo Municipality ( bg, Община Суворово) is a municipality ('' obshtina'') in Varna Province, Northeastern Bulgaria, not far from the Bulgarian Black Sea Coast. It is named after its administrative centre – the town of Suvorovo ...

includes the town of

Suvorovo Suvorovo ( bg, Суворово, ) is a town in northeastern Bulgaria, part of Varna Province. It is the administrative centre of the homonymous Suvorovo Municipality, which lies in the northwestern part of the Province. The town is located in th ...

and the villages of Banovo, Chernevo, Drandar, Izgrev, Kalimantsi, Levski, Nikolaevka, and Prosechen; * Valchi Dol Municipality includes the town of Valchi Dol and the villages of Boyana, Brestak, Cherventsi, Dobrotich, Esenitsa, General Kiselovo, General Kolevo, Iskar, Izvornik, Kaloyan, Karamanite, Krakra, Metlichina, Mihalich, Oborishte, Radan Voyvoda, Shtipsko, Stefan Karadzha, Strahil, Voyvodino, and Zvanets; *

Varna Municipality Varna Municipality ( bg, Община Варна) is a seaside municipality ('' obshtina'') in Varna Province, Northeastern Bulgaria, located on the Bulgarian Black Sea Coast and near Varna lake. It is named after its administrative centre - the ...

includes the city of Varna and the suburban villages of Kamenar, Kazashko, Konstantinovo, Topoli, and Zvezditsa; * Vetrino Municipality includes the villages of Belogradets, Dobroplodno, Gabarnitsa, Mlada Gvardiya, Momchilovo, Nevsha, Neofit Rilski, Sredno Selo, Vetrino, and Yagnilo.

Sights

Varna is Bulgaria's third largest city, after Sofia and Plovdiv. The oldest gold (dated 4200-4600 BC) in the world was found near the city. It was an inhabited place long before the Greeks established the colony of Odessos there about 580 BC. Later, under the Romans and their successors, the Slavs and Bulgarians, 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 nation's main port for both naval and commercial shipping and, adjacent as it is to the coastal resorts of Constantine and Helena, Riviera,

Golden Sands Golden Sands ( Bulgarian: Златни пясъци, ''Zlatni pyasatsi'' ) is a major seaside resort town on the northern Bulgarian Black Sea Coast, adjacent to a national park of the same name in the municipality of Varna. Located 17 km n ...

, and Kamchia. 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. The 19th century Dormition of the Theotokos Cathedral is an imposing landmark, which contains a finely carved iconostasis and bishop's throne, some interesting murals and stained glass. The 2nd century

Thermae In ancient Rome, (from Greek , "hot") and (from Greek ) were facilities for bathing. usually refers to the large imperial bath complexes, while were smaller-scale facilities, public or private, that existed in great numbers throughout ...

are the remains of the largest Roman public building in Bulgaria. During this century enough has been revealed by archaeologists to give a good impression of the original layout, though some parts of the building remain hidden under nearby streets. Coming across an extensive ancient building amidst the streets and houses of a modern city is not unusual in Bulgaria and is a delight. Further from the centre, a monument commemorates the Battle of Varna, which took place in 1444. Here 30,000 crusaders were waiting to sail to Constantinople when they were attacked by 120,000 Turks. The Polish King Ladislaus III was killed in a bold attempt to capture Sultan

Murad II Murad II ( ota, مراد ثانى, Murād-ı sānī, tr, II. Murad, 16 June 1404 – 3 February 1451) was the sultan of the Ottoman Empire from 1421 to 1444 and again from 1446 to 1451. Murad II's reign was a period of important economic deve ...

. The subsequent retreat foreshadowed Christendom's general retreat before the advancing Ottomans. North of Varna there is a cluster of seaside resorts all with fine sandy beaches but differing in size and style. Some other places of interest include (by municipality): * Avren: observatory, Petrich fortress, cave monastery, museum of ethnography in Tsarevtsi * Aksakovo: Batova chalet park near Dolishte, St. Marina monastery near Krumovo * Dolni chiflik: museum of ethnography, Sherba state hunting farm (ДДС Шерба) and chalet * Dalgopol: museum of history, Ovchaga ethnographical village in Asparuhovo, ecopark Vodenitsite in Sladka Voda * Provadiya: Lambova kashta ethnographical complex, Ovech fortress, ethnographical collections in Dobrina and Manastir * Suvorovo: museum of history, mosque,

Peter Deunov Peter Dunoff ( ; bg, Петър Дънов ; July 11, 1864 – December 27, 1944), also known by his spiritual name Beinsa Douno ( bg, Беинса Дуно, links=no ), and often called the Master by his followers, was a Bulgarian philosopher an ...

house museum in Nikolaevka * Valchidol: ski run See also: Byala, Devnya,

Environment

Environment in Varna Province is subject to strict national and international protection, due to its vulnerability and international significance.

Reserves

* Kamchiya

Biosphere Reserve A nature reserve (also known as a wildlife refuge, wildlife sanctuary, biosphere reserve or bioreserve, natural or nature preserve, or nature conservation area) is a protected area of importance for flora, fauna, or features of geological or ...

(

UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a List of specialized agencies of the United Nations, specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) aimed at promoting world peace and security through international coope ...

-listed) (Dolni Chiflik, Avren) * Valchi prehod (Dolni Chiflik) * Kirov dol (Dolni Chiflik) * Varbov dol (Dalgopol) * Kalfata (Dalgopol)

National parks

* Golden Sands Nature Park (Varna, Aksakovo, Balchik ( Dobrich Province))

Protected areas

* Rakitnika (Varna) * Petricha (Beloslav) * Slaveikova gora (Provadiya)
Yatata
(Beloslav) * Tulumova peshtera (Dalgopol) * Vodenitsite (Dalgopol) * Aladzha Monastery (Varna) * Snezhinska koriya (Provadiya) * Vodenitsite (Dalgopol) * Orlov kamak (Dolni Chiflik) * Gorska baraka (Dolni Chiflik) *

Pobiti Kamani Pobiti Kamani ( bg, Побити камъни, "planted stones"), Tubular concretions formed around a “rising methane-bearing fluid plume” also known as The Stone Desert, is a desert-like rock phenomenon located on the north west Varna Prov ...

(Beloslav, Aksakovo) * Liman (Avren) * Pregrada (Dalgopol) * Kazashko (Varna) * Golyamata kanara (Vetrino)
Kamchiyski pyasatsi
(Dolni Chiflik)

Nature landmarks

* (Beloslav) * (Beloslav) * (Dolni Chiflik) * (Suvorovo) * waterfall (Dalgopol) * waterfall (Dalgopol) * rock phenomenon (Dalgopol)

Coastal resorts, beaches, and locales

* Frenkliman * Panorama *

* Holiday Club

Riviera ''Riviera'' () is an Italian word which means "coastline", ultimately derived from Latin , through Ligurian . It came to be applied as a proper name to the coast of Liguria, in the form ''Riviera ligure'', then shortened in English. The two area ...

* Chaika * Kabakum * Sunny Day * Constantine and Helena * Euxinograd * Varna * Asparuhovo *

Galata Galata is the former name of the Karaköy neighbourhood in Istanbul, which is located at the northern shore of the Golden Horn. The district is connected to the historic Fatih district by several bridges that cross the Golden Horn, most nota ...

* Fichoza (Priboi) * Chernomorets chalet
Pasha dere
* Rodni balkani (formerly chalet, currently military base) * Romantika * Kamchia * Kamchiyski pyasatsi * Shkorpilovtsi * Mecho uho
Karadere

Belite skali
* Byala * Luna

Notes

References

External links

District Administration Varna
(Official site)
Kamchia - photo gallery

Bulgaria Travel Guide

Pictures from Varna region
{{Authority control Provinces of Bulgaria