Burgas (, ), sometimes transliterated as Bourgas, is the second largest city on the

Bulgarian Black Sea Coast The Bulgarian Black Sea Coast (), also known as the Bulgarian Riviera, covers the entire eastern bound of Bulgaria stretching from the Romanian Black Sea resorts in the north to European Turkey in the south, along 378 km of ...

in the region of Northern Thrace and the fourth-largest city in

Bulgaria Bulgaria, officially the Republic of Bulgaria, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the eastern portion of the Balkans directly south of the Danube river and west of the Black Sea. Bulgaria is bordered by Greece and Turkey t ...

after

Sofia Sofia is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Bulgaria, largest city of Bulgaria. It is situated in the Sofia Valley at the foot of the Vitosha mountain, in the western part of the country. The city is built west of the Is ...

Plovdiv Plovdiv (, ) is the List of cities and towns in Bulgaria, second-largest city in Bulgaria, 144 km (93 miles) southeast of the capital Sofia. It had a population of 490,983 and 675,000 in the greater metropolitan area. Plovdiv is a cultural hub ...

, and Varna, with a population of 280 000 inhabitants, while 310 000 live in its urban area. It is the capital of

Burgas Province Burgas (, formerly the Burgas okrug) is a province in southeastern Bulgaria on the southern Bulgarian Black Sea Coast. The province is named after its administrative and industrial centre, the city of Burgas, the fourth biggest town in the countr ...

and an important industrial, transport, cultural and tourist centre. The city is surrounded by the Burgas Lakes and located at the westernmost point of the

Black Sea The Black Sea is a marginal sea, marginal Mediterranean sea (oceanography), mediterranean sea 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 bound ...

, at the large Burgas Bay. LUKOIL Neftochim Burgas is the largest

oil refinery An oil refinery or petroleum refinery is an industrial processes, industrial process Factory, plant where petroleum (crude oil) is transformed and refining, refined into products such as gasoline (petrol), diesel fuel, Bitumen, asphalt base, ...

in southeastern Europe and the largest industrial enterprise. The Port of Burgas is the second largest port in Bulgaria, and

Burgas Airport Burgas Airport is an international airport in southeast Bulgaria and the second largest in the country. It is near the northern neighbourhood of Sarafovo approximately from the city centre. The airport principally serves Burgas and other seas ...

is the second most important in the country. Burgas is the centre of the Bulgarian fishing and fish processing industry.Norman Polmar: ''The Naval Institute guide to the Soviet Navy'', 5. Ausgabe, United States Naval Institute, Naval Institute Press, 1991, p. 447

Names

The city's name is similar to

Burgos Burgos () is a city in Spain located in the autonomous community of Castile and León. It is the capital and most populous municipality of the province of Burgos. Burgos is situated in the north of the Iberian Peninsula, on the confluence of th ...

in Spain, as well as numerous cities containing the Germanic '

burg The German word Burg means castle. Burg or Bürg may refer to: Places Placename element * ''-burg'', a combining form in Dutch, German and English placenames * Burg, a variant of burh, the fortified towns of Saxon England Settlements * Burg, Aar ...

' suffix, meaning "city," such as

Hamburg Hamburg (, ; ), officially the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg,. is the List of cities in Germany by population, second-largest city in Germany after Berlin and List of cities in the European Union by population within city limits, 7th-lar ...

. It is widely considered, including by the city's official website, that the name of the city is derived from the

Latin Latin ( or ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic languages, Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally spoken by the Latins (Italic tribe), Latins in Latium (now known as Lazio), the lower Tiber area aroun ...

word "''burgus''", meaning a "tower", after a local ancient Roman travel post, which used to be in the area of today's Burgas Port. Fifteen centuries later, the settlement was mentioned by the Byzantine poet Manuel Philes as "''Pyrgos''" (

Greek Greek may refer to: Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe: *Greeks, an ethnic group *Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family **Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor of all kno ...

: Πύργος), a word identical in meaning with the Greek word for tower. The name passed to Bulgarian through the Turkish ''Burgaz''. There are several alternative explanations for the name's origin. One of them states the city's name comes from Gothic name "baurgs", meaning "signified consolidated walled villages". According to Bulgarian prof. Kiril Vlahov, the name of the city comes from the

Thracian The Thracians (; ; ) were an Indo-European speaking people who inhabited large parts of Southeast Europe in ancient history.. "The Thracians were an Indo-European people who occupied the area that today is shared between north-eastern Greece, ...

word "''pyurg''", meaning "fortification of wooden beams".

Geography

Topography

Burgas is situated at the westernmost point of the bay by the same name and in the eastern part of the Burgas Plain, in the east of the Upper Thracian Plain. Burgas is located some from Sofia, from Plovdiv, from Varna, and from

Istanbul Istanbul is the List of largest cities and towns in Turkey, largest city in Turkey, constituting the country's economic, cultural, and historical heart. With Demographics of Istanbul, a population over , it is home to 18% of the Demographics ...

. To the west, south and north, the city is surrounded by the Burgas Lakes:

Burgas Burgas (, ), sometimes transliterated as Bourgas, is the second largest city on the Bulgarian Black Sea Coast in the region of Northern Thrace and the List of cities and towns in Bulgaria, fourth-largest city in Bulgaria after Sofia, Plovdiv, an ...

, Atanasovsko, and Mandrensko, which are home to several hundred bird species. Pan-European corridor 8 passes through the city, the European routes E87 and E773, and the longest national rout I/6. The St. Anastasia Island is a part of the city.

Climate

Under the

Köppen climate classification The Köppen climate classification divides Earth climates into five main climate groups, with each group being divided based on patterns of seasonal precipitation and temperature. The five main groups are ''A'' (tropical), ''B'' (arid), ''C'' (te ...

, Burgas has a

humid subtropical climate A humid subtropical climate is a subtropical -temperate climate type, characterized by long and hot summers, and cool to mild winters. These climates normally lie on the southeast side of all continents (except Antarctica), generally between ...

(Köppen: ''Cfa''). The summertime in Burgas lasts about five months from mid-May until late September. Average temperatures during high season is . Summertime sea temperatures stay around at sunrise and go up to by dusk, averaging . Winters are milder compared with the inland part of the country, with average temperatures of and below during the night. Snow is possible in December, January, February and rarely in March; however, it can quickly melt. The highest temperature was recorded in June 2007, at and the lowest at in January 1942.

Flora and fauna

The Burgas Wetlands are highly recognized for their significance to biodiversity and as a resource pool for products used by people. Lake Burgas is Bulgaria's largest lake and is in the middle of the city. It is important for migrating birds. Over 250 species of birds inhabit the lake area, 61 of which are endangered in Bulgaria and 9 globally, attracting keen birdwatchers from all over the world. The lakes are also home to important fish and

invertebrate Invertebrates are animals that neither develop nor retain a vertebral column (commonly known as a ''spine'' or ''backbone''), which evolved from the notochord. It is a paraphyletic grouping including all animals excluding the chordata, chordate s ...

s. In the site have been recorded several IUCN Red-Listed species of animals – 5 invertebrates, 4 fish, 4

amphibian Amphibians are ectothermic, anamniote, anamniotic, tetrapod, four-limbed vertebrate animals that constitute the class (biology), class Amphibia. In its broadest sense, it is a paraphyletic group encompassing all Tetrapod, tetrapods, but excl ...

s, 3

reptiles Reptiles, as commonly defined, are a group of tetrapods with an ectothermic metabolism and Amniotic egg, amniotic development. Living traditional reptiles comprise four Order (biology), orders: Testudines, Crocodilia, Squamata, and Rhynchocepha ...

, 5 birds and 3

mammal A mammal () is a vertebrate animal of the Class (biology), class Mammalia (). Mammals are characterised by the presence of milk-producing mammary glands for feeding their young, a broad neocortex region of the brain, fur or hair, and three ...

s. Situated along the second largest migration path of birds in Europe, the Via Pontica, the site is an important stopover and staging site for a large number of water-birds, raptors and passerines. Yearly during migration and wintering more than 20,000 (up to 100,000) waterbirds congregate there. The Atanasovo Lake is one of two salt-water lakes in the Black Sea region and contains rare and representative examples of wetland habitats. It is a hot spot for biodiversity, with many Red-Listed species of plants and animals. It is a well-known bottleneck site for migratory birds, with around 60,000 raptors and 240,000 storks, pelicans and cranes passing over the site and often landing in large numbers for staging. The highest numbers in Europe of migrating

Great white pelican The great white pelican (''Pelecanus onocrotalus'') also known as the eastern white pelican, rosy pelican or simply white pelican is a bird in the pelican family. It breeds from southeastern Europe through Asia and Africa, in swamps and shallow ...

(''Pelecanus onocrotalus''),

Dalmatian pelican The Dalmatian pelican (''Pelecanus crispus''), also known as the curly-headed pelican, is the largest member of the pelican family and among the heaviest flying birds in the world. With a wingspan typically ranging between 2.7 and 3.2 meters (8.9� ...

(''Pelecanus crispus''),

Western marsh harrier The western marsh harrier (''Circus aeruginosus'') is a large harrier (bird), harrier, a bird of prey from temperate and subtropical western Palearctic, Eurasia and adjacent Africa. It is also known as the Eurasian marsh harrier. Formerly, a numb ...

(''Circus aeruginosus'') and Red-footed Falcon (''Falco vespertinus'') have been recorded here.

Protected areas

* Burgas Lake Protected Area * Atanasovo Lake Protected Area *

Mandra Lake Protected Area Mandra (), is a town and former Communities and Municipalities of Greece, municipality in West Attica, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Mandra-Eidyllia, of which it is the seat and a municipal unit. Th ...

* Poda Protected Area * Usungeren Protected Area * Chengene Skele Protected Area * Strandzha Natural Park

Administrative division

Burgas is divided into the following neighbourhoods: With a decision from the Counsel of Ministers in 2009, the villages of Banevo and Vetren were incorporated into Burgas. Currently a new city plan is being considered which will open the city to the sea and includes several residential neighbourhoods and a new highway junction.

History

Bronze-Alexander Severus-Deultum AE25 Moushmov 3583

The earliest signs of life in the region date back 3000 years, to the

Bronze Age The Bronze Age () was a historical period characterised principally by the use of bronze tools and the development of complex urban societies, as well as the adoption of writing in some areas. The Bronze Age is the middle principal period of ...

and the early

Iron Age The Iron Age () is the final epoch of the three historical Metal Ages, after the Chalcolithic and Bronze Age. It has also been considered as the final age of the three-age division starting with prehistory (before recorded history) and progre ...

. The favorable conditions on the fertile plain, around the sea, have brought people here from early antiquity. The biggest mark was left by the Thracians who made the region rich in archaeological finds (from around 4th c. BC). This includes their sanctuary at Beglik Tash along the south coast and a burial mound near Sunny Beach. They built the mineral baths of Aquae Calidae and the fortress ''Tyrsis''. Under

Darius I Darius I ( ; – 486 BCE), commonly known as Darius the Great, was the third King of Kings of the Achaemenid Empire, reigning from 522 BCE until his death in 486 BCE. He ruled the empire at its territorial peak, when it included much of West A ...

, it became part of the

Achaemenid Empire The Achaemenid Empire or Achaemenian Empire, also known as the Persian Empire or First Persian Empire (; , , ), was an Iranian peoples, Iranian empire founded by Cyrus the Great of the Achaemenid dynasty in 550 BC. Based in modern-day Iran, i ...

, before the Odrysian kingdom was established. Greeks from Apollonia built a marketplace to trade with the Thracians, in what is now the neighborhood of Pobeda. During the rule of the

Ancient Romans The Roman people was the ethnicity and the body of Roman citizenship, Roman citizens (; ) during the Roman Kingdom, the Roman Republic, and the Roman Empire. This concept underwent considerable changes throughout the long history of the Roman ...

, near Burgas, ''Colonia Flavia Pacis Deultensium'' (''Deultum'', ''Dibaltum'', or ''Develtum'') was established as a military colony for veterans by

Vespasian Vespasian (; ; 17 November AD 9 – 23 June 79) was Roman emperor from 69 to 79. The last emperor to reign in the Year of the Four Emperors, he founded the Flavian dynasty, which ruled the Empire for 27 years. His fiscal reforms and consolida ...

in AD 70. The Romans built this ''colonia'' on the main road Via Pontica. It was the second most important city in the province Haemimontus. In 376 the Goths destroyed an elite Roman

company A company, abbreviated as co., is a Legal personality, legal entity representing an association of legal people, whether Natural person, natural, Juridical person, juridical or a mixture of both, with a specific objective. Company members ...

near Develtum at the Battle of Dibaltum.

Bulgarian and Byzantine Middle Ages

In the

Middle Ages In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the 5th to the late 15th centuries, similarly to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire and ...

, there were important settlements in the area: the fortress ''Skafida'', ''Poros'', ''Rusokastron'' ( Battle of Rusokastro), the Baths called Aquae Calidae and used by Byzantine, Bulgarian and Ottoman Emperors; a small fortress called ''Pyrgos'' was erected where Burgas is today and was most probably used as a watchtower. Under the

Byzantine Empire The Byzantine Empire, also known as the Eastern Roman Empire, was the continuation of the Roman Empire centred on Constantinople during late antiquity and the Middle Ages. Having survived History of the Roman Empire, the events that caused the ...

it became an important city on the

coast. The Bulgarian ruler

Krum Krum (, ), often referred to as Krum the Fearsome () was the Khan of Bulgaria from sometime between 796 and 803 until his death in 814. During his reign the Bulgarian territory doubled in size, spreading from the middle Danube to the Dnieper a ...

built the Erkesiya, a -long border wall from the Black Sea (near Gorno Ezerovo) to the Maritsa River. In 1206, the Latin Emperor Henry of Flanders (see

Fourth Crusade The Fourth Crusade (1202–1204) was a Latin Christian armed expedition called by Pope Innocent III. The stated intent of the expedition was to recapture the Muslim-controlled city of Jerusalem, by first defeating the powerful Egyptian Ayyubid S ...

) destroyed Aquae Calidae, which was known as Thermopolis at this time, The baths were later rebuilt by the Byzantines and Bulgarians. Poros was mentioned in a 1270 document of the Patriarchate of Constantinople.Ivan Karayotov, Stoyan Raychevski, Mitko Ivanov: ''История на Бургас. От древността до средата на ХХ век.'', Tafprint OOD, Plovdiv, 2011, , S. 60–65 Close to Poros took place the Battle of Skafida in 1304, when the Bulgarian Tsar Todor Svetoslav defeated the Byzantines and conquered the southern Black Sea coast. At the beginning of the 14th century, the region was sacked by the

Catalan Company The Catalan Company or the Great Catalan Company (; , , , or ) was a company of mercenaries led by Roger de Flor in the early 14th century and hired by Byzantine Emperor Andronikos II Palaiologos to combat the increasing power of the Anatolian b ...

. In the 13th century Burgas is mentioned by the Byzantine poet Manuel Philes in his works as ''Burgas''.

Ottoman rule

Like many of the towns surrounding it, Burgas was conquered by the Ottomans with the rest of Bulgaria in the late 14th century, only to be returned to the Byzantine Empire during the

Ottoman Interregnum The Ottoman Interregnum, or Ottoman Civil War, (, ) was a civil war in the Ottoman realm between the sons of the Ottoman sultan Bayezid I following their father's defeat and capture by Timur in the Battle of Ankara on 28 July 1402. Although Ti ...

and retained by the Byzantines until the fall of the Empire to the Ottomans in 1453. It was only in the 17th century that a settlement renamed to ''Ahelo-Pirgas'' grew in the modern area of the city. It was later renamed to ''Burgas'' again and had only about 3,000 inhabitants. In the early 19th century Burgas was depopulated after raids by ''kurzdhali'' bandits. By the mid-19th century it had recovered its economic prominence through the growth of craftsmanship and the export of grain. The city was a small town in İslimye (Sliven) sanjak in at first Rumelia Eyalet, after that in the Silistra Eyalet and Edirne Eyalet before the liberation in 1878. In the 17th and 18th centuries Burgas became an important port for

cereal A cereal is a grass cultivated for its edible grain. Cereals are the world's largest crops, and are therefore staple foods. They include rice, wheat, rye, oats, barley, millet, and maize ( Corn). Edible grains from other plant families, ...

and possesses its own grain measure, the ''Burgas-Kile''. The town was the regional centre of trade and administrative centre of the Burgas Kaaza. In 1865 the port of Burgas was after Trapezunt the second most important Ottoman port in the Black Sea. Burgas was at this time the major centre on the southern

From liberation to 1945

It was a department centre in Eastern Rumelia before incorporated in the

Principality of Bulgaria The Principality of Bulgaria () was a vassal state under the suzerainty of the Ottoman Empire. It was established by the Treaty of Berlin in 1878. After the Russo-Turkish War ended with a Russian victory, the Treaty of San Stefano was signed ...

in 1885. From the late 19th century Burgas became an important economic and industry center. The first development plan of the city was adopted in 1891 and the city's layout and appearance changed, especially through the newly constructed public buildings., – Abstract In 1888, the city library was founded, in 1891 the sea garden was created and in 1897 the Cathedral of the Holy brothers Cyril and Methodius was built. In 1895 Georgi Ivanov opened the first Printing house in Burgas, followed by the house of ''Christo Velchev'' in 1897, which changed in 1900 his name in ''Velchevi Brothers Printing house''.Karayotov/Raychevski/Ivanov, p. 220–228 Burgas Plan 1913

The opening of the railway line to Plovdiv on 27 May 1890 and the deep water port in 1903 were important stages of this boom and led to the rapid industrialization of the city. In the period after 151 factories were founded. Among them were the ''Sugar refinery'' founded by Avram Chaliovski, the ''Great Bulgarian Mills'' of Ivan Chadzipetrov and the oil and soap factory ''Kambana''. In 1900 the mineral springs by the ancient Aquae Calidae were included in the urban area. In 1903, the new building of the Burgas Central railway station opened.Karayotov/Raychevski/Ivanov, p. 210–220 Founded in 1924 in Burgas ''Deweko'' (now HemusMark AD) was the first pencil factory in Southeastern Europe and became in 1937 official supplier to the Bulgarian Monarchy. 1925 opened in Burgas a specialized high school for mechanics and technologies. The following year, a large covered market was opened. Because of the cold wave in winter 1928/29 the Black Sea iced in late January and early February, so that the island of Sveta Anastasia could be reached on foot. 1934, Burgas already had 34,260 inhabitants.

Communism

During World War II on 9 September 1944 Red Army troops occupied the city and soon the whole country. In the following People's Courts, especially members of the wealthy families of the intelligentsia and members of the

Bar Association A bar association is a professional association of lawyers as generally organized in countries following the Anglo-American types of jurisprudence.

were convicted. The two Chambers of the People's Courts met in Burgas in the former building of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Burgas (now the seat of the Governor of the Province Burgas).Karayotov/Raychevski/Ivanov, p. 246-250 After the Communists took power in 1945, the German and Italian School and the People's University were closedBurneva/Murdsheva: ''Deutsch als Fremdsprache(n) an bulgarischen Hochschulen'' in Hiltraud Casper-Hehne: ''Die Neustrukturierung von Studiengängen "Deutsch als Fremdsprache": Probleme und Perspektiven; Fachtagung 17. - 19. November an der Universität Hannover'', Universitätsverlag Göttingen, 2006, p. 238 and over 160 factories and businesses (including the large companies ''Great Bulgarian Mills'', ''Veriga'', ''Plug'', ''Dab'', etc.), shops, baths and other private property were nationalized. The

nationalization Nationalization (nationalisation in British English) is the process of transforming privately owned assets into public assets by bringing them under the public ownership of a national government or state. Nationalization contrasts with p ...

and inability to lead by the new rulers led the companies to the collapse of the food supply and the shortage of goods of daily life in the city. The political repression against the population of Burgas continued for the next few years. Access to universities and other higher education in the Bulgarian capital was refused for the young people of Burgas and some of them were interned in

prison A prison, also known as a jail, gaol, penitentiary, detention center, correction center, correctional facility, or remand center, is a facility where Prisoner, people are Imprisonment, imprisoned under the authority of the State (polity), state ...

and

labor camp A labor camp (or labour camp, see British and American spelling differences, spelling differences) or work camp is a detention facility where inmates are unfree labour, forced to engage in penal labor as a form of punishment. Labor camps have ...

After the end of the Second World War, the

Haganah Haganah ( , ) was the main Zionist political violence, Zionist paramilitary organization that operated for the Yishuv in the Mandatory Palestine, British Mandate for Palestine. It was founded in 1920 to defend the Yishuv's presence in the reg ...

organised several convoys for the European survivors of the

Holocaust The Holocaust (), known in Hebrew language, Hebrew as the (), was the genocide of History of the Jews in Europe, European Jews during World War II. From 1941 to 1945, Nazi Germany and Collaboration with Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy ...

, which departed on ships from Burgas for Palestine. These convoys allowed 12,000 people, including the Jewish population of the city, to emigrate. In the following years the city center of Burgas, unlike many other Bulgarian cities, was not much affected by Communist-type urbanization and has kept much of its 19th- and early-20th-century architecture. A number of oil and chemical companies were gradually built. The terrorists of the 2 June Movement, Till Meyer, Gabriele Rollnik, Gudrun Stürmer and Angelika Goder were arrested on 21 June 1978 in Burgas by West German officials and then brought into the

Federal Republic A federal republic is a federation of Federated state, states with a republican form of government. At its core, the literal meaning of the word republic when used to reference a form of government means a country that is governed by elected re ...

Post 1990

Today the local port is the largest in Bulgaria adding significantly to the regional economy. Burgas also hosts annual national exhibitions and international festivals and has a vibrant student population of over 6,000 that add to the city's appeal. The historical society also maintains open-air museums at Beglik Tash and Develtum. Several countries have General Consulates in Burgas, among them

Belarus Belarus, officially the Republic of Belarus, is a landlocked country in Eastern Europe. It is bordered by Russia to the east and northeast, Ukraine to the south, Poland to the west, and Lithuania and Latvia to the northwest. Belarus spans an a ...

Czech Republic The Czech Republic, also known as Czechia, and historically known as Bohemia, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The country is bordered by Austria to the south, Germany to the west, Poland to the northeast, and Slovakia to the south ...

Estonia Estonia, officially the Republic of Estonia, is a country in Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by the Gulf of Finland across from Finland, to the west by the Baltic Sea across from Sweden, to the south by Latvia, and to the east by Ru ...

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the South Caucasus * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the southeastern United States Georgia may also refer to: People and fictional characters * Georgia (name), a list of pe ...

Greece Greece, officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. Located on the southern tip of the Balkan peninsula, it shares land borders with Albania to the northwest, North Macedonia and Bulgaria to the north, and Turkey to th ...

Romania Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central Europe, Central, Eastern Europe, Eastern and Southeast Europe. It borders Ukraine to the north and east, Hungary to the west, Serbia to the southwest, Bulgaria to the south, Moldova to ...

Russia Russia, or the Russian Federation, is a country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia. It is the list of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the world, and extends across Time in Russia, eleven time zones, sharing Borders ...

Sierra Leone Sierra Leone, officially the Republic of Sierra Leone, is a country on the southwest coast of West Africa. It is bordered to the southeast by Liberia and by Guinea to the north. Sierra Leone's land area is . It has a tropical climate and envi ...

Turkey Turkey, officially the Republic of Türkiye, is a country mainly located in Anatolia in West Asia, with a relatively small part called East Thrace in Southeast Europe. It borders the Black Sea to the north; Georgia (country), Georgia, Armen ...

and

Ukraine Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It is the List of European countries by area, second-largest country in Europe after Russia, which Russia–Ukraine border, borders it to the east and northeast. Ukraine also borders Belarus to the nor ...

. In 2023 Bulgaria took back the concession it had granted to Lukoil in 2011 to run the Rosenets oil terminal.

2012 bus bombing

On 18 July 2012 a terrorist attack was carried out by a suicide bomber on a passenger bus transporting Israeli tourists at the Burgas Airport. The bus was carrying forty-two Israelis, mainly youths, from the airport to their hotels, after arriving on a flight from

Tel Aviv Tel Aviv-Yafo ( or , ; ), sometimes rendered as Tel Aviv-Jaffa, and usually referred to as just Tel Aviv, is the most populous city in the Gush Dan metropolitan area of Israel. Located on the Israeli Mediterranean coastline and with a popula ...

. The explosion killed the Bulgarian bus driver and five Israelis.

Population

During the first decade after the

liberation of Bulgaria The Liberation of Bulgaria is the historical process as a result of the Bulgarian Revival. In Bulgarian historiography, the liberation of Bulgaria refers to those events of the Tenth Russo-Turkish War (1877–1878) that led to the re-establishme ...

, in the 1880s the population of Burgas numbered about 6,000 inhabitants. Since then it started growing decade by decade, mostly because of the migrants from the rural areas and the surrounding smaller towns, reaching its peak in the period 1988–1991 exceeding 200,000.National Statistical Institute - Towns population 1956-1992
/ref>

Ethnic linguistic and religious composition

According to the latest 2011 census data, the individuals declared their ethnic identity were distributed as follows: *

Bulgarians Bulgarians (, ) are a nation and South Slavs, South Slavic ethnic group native to Bulgaria and its neighbouring region, who share a common Bulgarian ancestry, culture, history and language. They form the majority of the population in Bulgaria, ...

: 172,898 (95.2%) * Turks: 3,200 (1.2%) * Roma: 3,122 (0.9%) *Others: 1,330 (0.7%) *Indefinable: 666 (0.4%) *Undeclared: 19,155 (1.6%) Total: 211,033

Twin towns - sister cities

Burgas is twinned with: *

Alexandroupoli Alexandroupolis (, ) or Alexandroupoli (, ) is a city in Greece and the capital of the Evros (regional unit), Evros regional unit. It is the largest city in Greek Thrace and the region of Eastern Macedonia and Thrace, with a population of 71,75 ...

, Greece *

Batumi Batumi (; ka, ბათუმი ), historically Batum or Batoum, is the List of cities and towns in Georgia (country), second-largest city of Georgia (country), Georgia and the capital of the Autonomous Republic of Adjara, located on the coast ...

, Georgia *

Gomel Gomel (, ) or Homyel (, ) is a city in south-eastern Belarus. It serves as the administrative centre of Gomel Region and Gomel District, though it is administratively separated from the district. As of 2025, it is the List of cities and largest ...

, Belarus *

Krasnodar Krasnodar, formerly Yekaterinodar (until 1920), is the largest city and the administrative centre of Krasnodar Krai, Russia. The city stands on the Kuban River in southern Russia, with a population of 1,154,885 residents, and up to 1.263 millio ...

, Russia *

Miskolc Miskolc ( , ; ; Czech language, Czech and ; ; ; ) is a city in northeastern Hungary, known for its heavy industry. With a population of 161,265 as of 1 January 2014, Miskolc is the List of cities and towns in Hungary#Largest cities in Hungary, ...

, Hungary *

Rijeka Rijeka (; Fiume ( �fjuːme in Italian and in Fiuman dialect, Fiuman Venetian) is the principal seaport and the List of cities and towns in Croatia, third-largest city in Croatia. It is located in Primorje-Gorski Kotar County on Kvarner Ba ...

, Croatia * Aksaray, Turkey *

Rotterdam Rotterdam ( , ; ; ) is the second-largest List of cities in the Netherlands by province, city in the Netherlands after the national capital of Amsterdam. It is in the Provinces of the Netherlands, province of South Holland, part of the North S ...

, Netherlands * Sarıyer (Istanbul), Turkey * South-Western AO (Moscow), Russia *

Vologda Vologda (, ) is a types of inhabited localities in Russia, city and the administrative center of Vologda Oblast, Russia, located on the river Vologda (river), Vologda within the watershed of the Northern Dvina. Population: The city serves as ...

, Russia *

Yalova Yalova is a market-gardening town located in northwestern Turkey on the eastern coast of the Sea of Marmara. It is the seat of Yalova Province and Yalova District.Yantai Yantai, formerly known as Chefoo, is a coastal prefecture-level city on the Shandong Peninsula in northeastern Shandong province of the People's Republic of China. Lying on the southern coast of the Bohai Strait, Yantai borders Qingdao ...

, China

Economy

Burgas is an important industrial centre. The most notable industrial enterprise was LUKOIL Neftochim Burgas - the largest

now owned and run by Bulgaria, and the largest manufacturing plant in the

Balkans The Balkans ( , ), corresponding partially with the Balkan Peninsula, is a geographical area in southeastern Europe with various geographical and historical definitions. The region takes its name from the Balkan Mountains that stretch throug ...

. The city, along with Sofia, is one of the key elements in supporting Bulgaria's future European transport network (TEN-T) EU and Pan-European Transport Corridor 8, which includes construction of the railway and road infrastructure and the development of the Port of Burgas and

Education

University of Bourgas "Prof. doc. Asen Zlatarov"

The university of Bourgas "Prof doc. Asen Zlatarov" is the first university and still the only public higher education facility in the Bourgas region. It was founded on 6 October 1963 by Decree No 162 of the Council of Ministers as Higher Chemico-technological institute "Prof. d-r Asen Zlatarov" The university itself is named after Professor Doctor Asen Zlatarov - a Bulgarian scientist, the founder of the Bulgarian biochemistry school, and a major public figure in Bulgarian history. In the past, the university included only specialties related to Chemistry, but now the university is the major educational institution in the Bourgas region, that incorporates the several faculties and colleges: *Faculty of technical sciences *Faculty of social sciences *Faculty of natural sciences *Technical college *College of tourism *Medical college

Burgas Free University

Burgas Free University (BFU) was established with an Act of The Great National Assembly on 18 September 1991 and is one of the first non-state universities in the country. The university is accredited by the National Evaluation and Accreditation Agency and is certified under the international quality standard ISO 9001:2008. BFU is a modern and innovative university, caring for its students and their professional realization, and which has significant academic achievements and an internationally recognized status. BFU is a member of the

European Universities Association The European University Association (EUA) represents more than 800 institutions of higher education in 48 countries, providing them with a forum for cooperation and the exchange of information on higher education and research policies. Members of ...

(EUA). It has signed Agreements of Cooperation with 36 universities and organizations in Europe, America, Asia and Africa. It implements students and staff exchange programmes with 24 universities in Europe. It participates in the

European Credit Transfer and Accumulation System The European Credit Transfer and Accumulation System (ECTS) is a standard means for comparing academic credits, i.e., the "volume of learning based on the defined learning outcomes and their associated workload" for higher education across the Eu ...

(ECTS). BFU works under joint international projects with more than 100 universities and organizations and is a partner of

UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO ) is a List of specialized agencies of the United Nations, specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) with the aim of promoting world peace and International secur ...

under the UNITWIN/UNESCO Chairs Programme and is a host institution of UNESCO Chair on Culture of Peace and Human Rights. Burgas Free University is certified according to the quality standards of the

International Organization for Standardization The International Organization for Standardization (ISO ; ; ) is an independent, non-governmental, international standard development organization composed of representatives from the national standards organizations of member countries. M ...

(ISO). In 2005 BFU was certified under ISO 9001:2000 and in 2010 under ISO 9001:2008. All the university's main activities have been certified, as well as its degree programmes: education of students in Bachelor, Master and PhD programmes, qualification, research and international relations activities.

School of Commerce

The School of Commerce is a vocational college specialized in the fields of economics, finance, management and accounting education. Established on 1 October 1905, it is the second oldest business school in Bulgaria.

Culture

Main sights

* Regional Historical Museum Burgas * Ethnographic Museum * Archaeological Museum - Burgas * Museum of Nature and Science * Historical museum Burgas * Roman City of Develtum * The Roman and medieval Baths of Aquae Calidae * The Poros Fortress * The Rusokastro Fortress * The Erkesiya-Border wall * City Gallery * Theatre Adriana Budevska * City Beach * Pantheon * The pier * Sea Casino * Navel of Burgas * The building of Regional Customs Burgas * Burgas Central railway station ; Opera House The modern building of the Burgas Opera House is home to the city's two major musical institutions; the Burgas State Opera and the Philharmonic Society of Burgas. ; Sea Garden A municipal park built in 1910 for the residents of Burgas by the city's chief gardener, Georgi Duhtev.

Churches and monasteries

; Bulgarian Orthodox Churches * Church of Sts. Cyril and Methodius * Holy

Theotokos ''Theotokos'' ( Greek: ) is a title of Mary, mother of Jesus, used especially in Eastern Christianity. The usual Latin translations are or (approximately "parent (fem.) of God"). Familiar English translations are "Mother of God" or "God-beare ...

Orthodox Church * Saint

John of Rila Saint John of Rila, also known as Ivan of Rila (; – 18 August 946), was the first Bulgarian hermit. He was revered as a saint while he was still alive. The legend surrounding him tells of wild animals that freely came up to him and birds that ...

(Ivan Rilski) Orthodox Church * Holy Trinity Orthodox Church * Saint Demetrius Orthodox Church * Saint Athanasius Orthodox Church * Saint Nicholas Orthodox Church * Saint Poimen of Zographou Orthodox Church * Holy Theotokos Monastery * Saint Anastasia Monastery on the St. Anastasia Island ; Armenian Orthodox Church Armenian Orthodox Church Surp Hach (Church of the Holy Cross) was built in 1853 and is one of the oldest in the city and has been named as one of the city's monuments of culture. With stained glass windows and intricate decoration inside, the picturesque church was built in 1855. ; Bulgarian Catholic Churches *

Dormition of the Theotokos The Dormition of the Mother of God is a Great Feast of the Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox, and Eastern Catholic Churches (except the East Syriac churches). It celebrates the "falling asleep" (death) of Mary the '' Theotokos'' ("Mother ...

Bulgarian Byzantine Catholic Church The Bulgarian Greek Catholic Church is a '' sui iuris'' ("autonomous") Eastern Catholic church based in Bulgaria. As a particular church of the Catholic Church, it is in full communion with the Holy See. The church's liturgical usage is that ...

* Holy Mother of God Roman Catholic Church

Regular events

*April ** International Audition for performances of German and Austrian music * May ** Bourgas Sailing Week ** Petya Dubarova-Contest ** Erata na Vodoleya-Theatre Festival * July ** July Morning ** Three Week Festival of Opera and Classical Music ** Bourgas Marathon swimming ** Golden Mic Awards * August ** Kiteboarding Regatta ** Spirit of Burgas ** International Folk Festival *December **Every 6 December Bourgas pays respect to its patron saint, St. Nicholas, also the patron saint of fishermen. ** WDSF Burgas Cup

Professional sports

* PFC Naftex Burgas * PFC Neftochimic Burgas * FC Chernomorets 1919 Burgas *

PSFC Chernomorets Burgas PSFC Chernomorets Burgas () or simply Chernomorets () was a Bulgarian football club from the city of Burgas. The club never won any major competition, its most notable achievement being a second-place finish in the UEFA Intertoto Cup competitio ...

* FC Master Burgas * FC Olimpic Burgas * FC Sveti Nikola Burgas * FC Sparta Burgas * BC LUKoil Neftochimic * BC Chernomorets * Cycling Club Burgas * Neftochimic 2010 - Volleyball Club * Yacht Club Burgas * Windsurf Club Burgas * Rowing Club LUKoil Burgas * Rowing Club Chernomorets Burgas * Water polo Club Chernomorets * Water polo Club Neptune

Notable people

* Boris Aprilov (1921–1995), writer * Maria Bakalova b. 1996), actress * Rousy Chanev (b. 1945), actor * Georgi Chilikov (b. 1978), footballer * Dimitar Dimitrov (b. 1959), football coach * Georgi Djulgerov (b. 1943), film director * Petya Dubarova (1962–1979), poet * Hristo Fotev (1934–2002), poet * Prodan Gardzhev (1936–2003), Bulgarian Olympic champion - wrestling * Iliyan Ivanov (b. 1963), psychiatrist, artist, musician and movie producer. * Valentin D. Ivanov (b. 1967), astronomer * Raina Kabaivanska (b. 1934), Bulgarian Opera singer * Georgi Kaloyanchev (1925–2012), actor * Apostol Karamitev (1923–1973), actor * Ivan Karayotov, archaeologist and historian (born 1941) * Radostin Kishishev (b. 1974), footballer * Georgi Kostadinov (b. 1950), first Bulgarian boxing Olympic champion * Georgi Mihalev (b. 1968), competitive swimmer * Nikola Mollov, chemist * Avraham Ofek (1935–1990), sculptor * Irena Petkova, opera singer * Ivan Radulov, chess Grandmaster * Nikola Stanchev (1930-2009), first Bulgarian Olympic champion * Kostas Varnalis (1884–1974), Greek poet * Zlatko Yankov, (b. 1966), footballer * Nedyalko Yordanov (b. 1940), writer * Stefani Kiryakova (b. 2001) rhythmic gymnast

Honours

Burgas Peninsula Burgas Peninsula (, ) is a predominantly ice-covered peninsula forming the east extremity of Livingston Island in the South Shetland Islands, Antarctica extending in the east-northeast direction towards Renier Point and . It is bounded by Bruix ...

Livingston Island Livingston Island (Russian name ''Smolensk'', ) is an Antarctic island in the Southern Ocean, part of the South Shetland Islands, South Shetlands Archipelago, a group of List of Antarctic and subantarctic islands, Antarctic islands north of the ...

in the

South Shetland Islands The South Shetland Islands are a group of List of Antarctic and subantarctic islands, Antarctic islands located in the Drake Passage with a total area of . They lie about north of the Antarctic Peninsula, and between southwest of the n ...

Antarctica Antarctica () is Earth's southernmost and least-populated continent. Situated almost entirely south of the Antarctic Circle and surrounded by the Southern Ocean (also known as the Antarctic Ocean), it contains the geographic South Pole. ...

is named after the city of Burgas. The ships of the company Ocean Fisheries – Burgas operated in the waters of

South Georgia South Georgia is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, South Atlantic Ocean that is part of the British Overseas Territories, British Overseas Territory of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands. It lies around east of the Falkland Islands. ...

, Kerguelen, the

South Orkney Islands The South Orkney Islands are a group of List of Antarctic and sub-Antarctic islands, islands in the Southern Ocean, about north-east of the tip of the Antarctic Peninsula South Shetland Islands The South Shetland Islands are a group of List of Antarctic and subantarctic islands, Antarctic islands located in the Drake Passage with a total area of . They lie about north of the Antarctic Peninsula, and between southwest of the n ...

and

Antarctic Peninsula The Antarctic Peninsula, known as O'Higgins Land in Chile and Tierra de San Martin in Argentina, and originally as Graham Land in the United Kingdom and the Palmer Peninsula in the United States, is the northernmost part of mainland Antarctica. ...

from 1970 to the early 1990s. Bulgarian fishermen, along with those of the

Soviet Union The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...

Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It extends from the Baltic Sea in the north to the Sudetes and Carpathian Mountains in the south, bordered by Lithuania and Russia to the northeast, Belarus and Ukrai ...

, and

East Germany East Germany, officially known as the German Democratic Republic (GDR), was a country in Central Europe from Foundation of East Germany, its formation on 7 October 1949 until German reunification, its reunification with West Germany (FRG) on ...

, were pioneers of the modern Antarctic

fishing industry The fishing industry includes any industry or activity that takes, cultures, processes, preserves, stores, transports, markets or sells fish or fish products. It is defined by the Food and Agriculture Organization as including recreational, sub ...

.”

References

External links

* {{Authority control Ocean Fisheries – Burgas Co Populated places in Burgas Province Populated coastal places in Bulgaria Port cities and towns in Bulgaria Port cities of the Black Sea