Varvara (, ) is a village in southeastern

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 ...

, located in the

Tsarevo Municipality Tsarevo Municipality (, ) is a municipality in Burgas Province, Bulgaria. Demographics Religion According to the latest Bulgarian census of 2011, the religious composition, among those who answered the optional question on religious identificat ...

of the

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 ...

Geography

This seaside resort is situated on 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 ...

coast within

Strandzha Nature Park Strandzha Nature Park ( ''Priroden park Strandzha'', also transliterated as Stranja Nature Park) is the List of protected areas of Bulgaria, largest protected area in Bulgaria spanning a territory of in the Strandzha Mountain in the extreme sou ...

, between the towns of

Tsarevo Tsarevo (, , also transliterated as Carevo or Tzarevo) is a town and seaside resort in the Municipality of Tsarevo, Burgas Province, Bulgaria. Etymology In the past, it was known as Vasiliko (), and between 1950 and 1991 it was known as Michuri ...

and

Ahtopol Ahtopol ( , ) is a town and seaside resort on the southern Bulgarian Black Sea Coast. Geography Location It is located on a headland in the southeastern part of Burgas Province and is close to the border with European Turkey. It is the south ...

, near the border with

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 ...

History

In the middle of the 19th century, the site of the modern village was uninhabited, except for the small monastery or chapel of

Saint Barbara Saint Barbara (; ; ; ), known in the Eastern Orthodox Church as the Great Martyr Barbara, was an Early Christianity, early Christian Greek saint and martyr. There is no reference to her in the authentic early Christian writings nor in the origin ...

with holy springs, after which the village was named. An older settlement may well have existed, as indicated by the marking of the name ''Vardarah'' on Max Šimek's 1748 and Christian Ludwig's 1788 map in that area. Until the

Balkan Wars The Balkan Wars were two conflicts that took place in the Balkans, Balkan states in 1912 and 1913. In the First Balkan War, the four Balkan states of Kingdom of Greece (Glücksburg), Greece, Kingdom of Serbia, Serbia, Kingdom of Montenegro, M ...

, Varvara was a small Ottoman village of ethnic Turkish refugees from northern Bulgaria who settled there following 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 Russo-Turkish War of 1877-78. After 1913, the Turks moved out and were replaced by Bulgarian refugees from

Eastern Thrace East Thrace or Eastern Thrace, also known as Turkish Thrace or European Turkey, is the part of Turkey that is geographically in Southeast Europe. Turkish Thrace accounts for 3.03% of Turkey's land area and 15% of its population. The largest c ...

The village is best known for its intellectual community of artists and writers. Many young artists came to Varvara in the 1970s and 1980s and populated a small camp called ''The Sea Club'' which the Academy of Arts in

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 ...

had purchased for them. Over the years a larger group of artists established themselves in Varvara and started to buy real estate and build a small community.

Demographics

Many fishermen also live in the village. The population is from many backgrounds with an increasing number of

Western Europe Western Europe is the western region of Europe. The region's extent varies depending on context. The concept of "the West" appeared in Europe in juxtaposition to "the East" and originally applied to the Western half of the ancient Mediterranean ...

ans taking up residence both seasonally and full-time. There is also a

Romani Romani may refer to: Ethnic groups * Romani people, or Roma, an ethnic group of Indo-Aryan origin ** Romani language, an Indo-Aryan macrolanguage of the Romani communities ** Romanichal, Romani subgroup in the United Kingdom * Romanians (Romanian ...

community. The size of the village and its intellectual values have helped in the creation of a diverse yet close community who undertake many projects together such as the recent building of a new small church that was constructed in a combined effort of locals and some of the Bulgarians who form part of this community.

Economy

The newly renovated road to Burgas puts the International Airport within an hour's drive. Besides fishing, the major source of income today is

tourism Tourism is travel for pleasure, and the Commerce, commercial activity of providing and supporting such travel. World Tourism Organization, UN Tourism defines tourism more generally, in terms which go "beyond the common perception of tourism as ...

. There is a secluded sandy beach, and one of the most famous diving areas on the Black Sea known as the Dardaneli lies next to the village. This is a series of underwater caves and canyons offering snorkeling and diving on the coast. There are also several family hotels, bars and restaurants.

Places to visit

Varvara is known primarily for its

beautiful sea Beautiful, an adjective used to describe things as possessing beauty, may refer to: Film and theater * ''Beautiful'' (2000 film), an American film directed by Sally Field * ''Beautiful'' (2008 film), a South Korean film directed by Juhn Jai-h ...

. Although the sandy beach is quite small, it is among the most beautiful on the

coast. Due to its remoteness, the village has managed to preserve its pure nature and crystal clear sea waters. The village is surrounded by rocky bays suitable for

spearfishing Spearfishing is fishing using handheld elongated, sharp-pointed tools such as a spear, gig, or harpoon, to impale the fish in the body. It was one of the earliest fishing techniques used by mankind, and has been deployed in artisanal fishi ...

and

diving Diving most often refers to: * Diving (sport), the sport of jumping into deep water * Underwater diving, human activity underwater for recreational or occupational purposes Diving or Dive may also refer to: Sports * Dive (American football), ...

. There are traces of a late

antique An antique () is an item perceived as having value because of its aesthetic or historical significance, and often defined as at least 100 years old (or some other limit), although the term is often used loosely to describe any object that i ...

and

medieval 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 World history (field), global history. It began with the fall of the West ...

fortress on the nearby

Papia peak Papia may refer to : * Pavia, city in northern Italy * Pupiana Pupiana was an ancient city and former bishopric in present-day Tunisia. It is currently a Latin Catholic titular see. History Pupiana was located near the modern Mra-Mita, Ain-Ouas ...

. Near Varvara is the Iron Tree, made especially for the filming of " The Great Night Bath". This is the place where hippies have been welcoming

July morning July Morning is an annual Bulgarian festival, celebrated on the night before and the first day of July. The festival is unique to Bulgaria but it is not universally observed in the country. In the days before the first day of July, people ...

for years.

Annual events

In the first week of September, the Barbara Fair takes place for 2 days. In the evening of the first fire-dancing dances are organized, and at noon of the second - folk fights.

Honour

Varvara Cove in Nelson Island 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 Varvara.Composite Gazetteer of Antarctica:
Varvara Cove.

References

External links

The destruction of Varvara beach and the illegal building "Golden Pearl" near Varvara
{{Tsarevo Municipality Villages in Burgas Province Seaside resorts in Bulgaria Populated coastal places in Bulgaria