The famous Bulgarian Black Sea resort, Varna is very popular among lovers of inexpensive beach holidays. A Russian tourist is a frequent visitor to the local golden sands, because this city seems to have collected all the best that is in Bulgaria. In Varna you will find the sea and the sun, typical Bulgarian national cuisine and sanatoriums where many diseases are treated with the thermal and mineral waters and the healing mud of Varna Lake. If you cannot imagine your vacation without an excursion program, there is something to see at the famous Bulgarian resort. Many monuments of old architecture have been preserved in Varna, the most interesting museums and art galleries have been opened, and walks through the historical part of the city promise to be rich and informative.
TOP-10 attractions of Varna
Archaeological Museum
One of the largest expositions in Bulgaria tells about the history of the country and demonstrates the treasures and unique artifacts found during the excavations of Varna. The most valuable exhibit of the museum is a gold treasure discovered during archaeological excavations in 1972 in the Varna necropolis. The find dates back to the fifth millennium BC. During archaeological work, scientists discovered treasures hidden in the ground and of great historical and artistic value. Hairpins and buckles, necklaces and necklaces, bracelets and even tools were found. All of them are made of gold, and the total weight of the treasure reaches 6 kg.
No less interesting are the exhibits illustrating the history of Bulgaria from the Paleolithic to the late Middle Ages. The halls of the museum display Thracian stone statues, ceramic vessels, masterpieces of Bulgarian icon painting of the 16th-19th centuries. The collection of coins of the Ottoman Empire is of undoubted interest for numismatists, and bas-reliefs from Roman baths - for fans of the history of the Ancient World.
The exposition of the Varna Archaeological Museum is divided into several halls:
- The first part contains finds from the Paleolithic era, masterpieces of the early Thracian culture and the "golden treasure".
- In the halls dedicated to the era of antiquity, you can look at jewelry from the times when Varna was called Odessa.
- In the part of the museum dedicated to the Middle Ages, exhibits from the era of the First and Second Bulgarian Kingdoms are exhibited.
- In the departments of Church art, visitors get acquainted with the masterpieces of icon painters and church utensils of the 16th-19th centuries.
The museum is located in a mansion built in the 90s of the 19th century in the neo-Renaissance style.
Aladzha monastery
14 km from the center of Varna is the most important landmark for Christians - the ruins of a rock monastery. Written sources mentioning the true name of the monastery have not survived, and the monastery is called "Aladzha", which means "colorful" in Turkish. It is believed that the reason for the appearance of this name was the colorful wall paintings in the monastery chapel.
The history of the monastery goes back centuries. As early as the 4th century, hermit monks lived in these rocks. The monastery arose later - in the XII century, but was destroyed during the conquest of Bulgaria by the Ottoman Empire.
The complex includes the cathedral church of the Holy Trinity, two chapels, cells and outbuildings. The frescoes are partially preserved only on the walls and ceiling of the chapel. The earliest of them date back to the 13th century.
Evksinograd
As befits any self-respecting royal family, the Bulgarian had a summer residence. She served as an estate on the Black Sea coast, located a few kilometers from the city.
The history of Euxinograd began in 1882, when, on the site of ancient monasteries, Prince Alexander Battenberg decided to recreate the House of Orleans in Saint-Cloud, destroyed during the siege of Paris by the Prussian army. The grandson of Louis-Philippe Orleans brought fragments of a beautiful palace from the capital of France, and they became part of the new walls of the residence near Varna.
The estate was named after the Black Sea, which in ancient times bore the name of Pontus Euxinsky. In the decoration of the interiors, gifts from crowned European persons were used, and the ideas for decorating the garden belong to the famous master Edouard André.
Varna burial ground
In 1972, during construction work on the territory of the western region of Varna, an ancient necropolis was discovered, the burials of which date back to the 5th millennium BC. The burial ground is considered the most important monument of the prehistoric era of the Old World.
During the archaeological research, about 300 burials and many items were discovered, the most valuable of which are finds from the gold treasure. More than 3000 items of noble metal found in the Varna necropolis form the basis of the collection of the archaeological museum's hall of antiquities. Valuables from the burial ground are on the lists of the most important cultural heritage, along with finds from Ancient Mesopotamia and Egypt. In addition to decorations, stone and copper tools, ceramics and clothing were found in the burial.
Assumption Cathedral
The Cathedral of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church is the largest temple on the territory of Varna. It was consecrated in 1886 in honor of the liberation of the city from the long-term yoke of the Ottoman Empire. The cathedral has been under construction for six years and is famous for the collection of icons and frescoes dedicated to the Dormition of the Most Holy Theotokos. Most of the murals on the walls of the cathedral were made after the Second World War, but there are also older frescoes.
Sunday and festive services in the Assumption Cathedral in Varna attract special attention of tourists and parishioners. These days, you can not only look at the magnificent interiors, but also listen to the singing of the famous male choir.
Varna Zoo
p> Varna Zoo gives guests of the city an excellent opportunity to spend a day in the fresh air with the whole family. It was opened in 1961 in the northern part of Primorsky Park. The zoo's spacious enclosures are home to hundreds of animal species from all over the world.
The first guest and "founding father" of the Varna Zoological Garden was a clubfoot named Maxim. In 1959, sailors from the destroyer Georgy Dimitrov brought a bear from another voyage and built a house for him on the territory of Primorsky Park. Then the list of guests was replenished with tigers and monkeys, wolves and deer, roe deer and ponies.
Varna Aquarium
One of the oldest aquariums in Europe, Varna was built in 1912. Tsar Ferdinand was the initiator of the creation of the now popular city attraction.
Already on the way to the pretty mansion, you realize that during the excursion you will get acquainted with the various inhabitants of the Black Sea, because the facade of the aquarium is decorated with bas-reliefs depicting underwater inhabitants.
Three halls inside became home to representatives of 140 species of living creatures - crabs and octopuses, sea wolves and sharks, piranhas and ornamental fish of unprecedented beauty. Young visitors who are keen on biology will be interested in the exhibits in the halls that tell about the structure of marine life and the peculiarities of their existence, food habits and methods of reproduction.
In the building of the aquarium, you can buy souvenirs in memory of visiting one of the oldest educational sights of Varna.
Dolphinarium Festa
The smartest marine life, dolphins have attracted humans for centuries with their taming abilities. They are friendly and resourceful, energetic and artistic, and therefore willingly perform in dolphinariums in many coastal cities of the planet. Varna was no exception, and in 1984 a stage for pretty artists was opened in the city. They are bottle-nosed dolphins living in the seas belonging to the Atlantic Ocean basin.
The show with the participation of marine life is very popular with both tourists and townspeople. On weekends, the stands of the dolphinarium are filled with spectators who want to see a great show. The tailed artists dance and make dizzying jumps, sing and cheer up in every possible way with their incendiary tricks.
To get there: bus. N8, 39 and 109, stop. Dolphinarium.
Naval museum
In the former mansion of the Italian consul in the Seaside Park of Varna, the Naval Museum was opened in August 2004, which houses an exhibition representing the history of the region's navigation. The most valuable exhibits of the Varna Museum are genuine naval guns used on ships of the 19th-20th centuries. The destroyer "Daring", which participated in the First Balkan War of 1912 and torpedoed the Turkish cruiser "Hamidiye", is of great interest to visitors. During a tour of the museum, you can climb aboard a brave destroyer, get acquainted with its structure and the living conditions of the sailors who served on the ship.
Retro Museum
The new Varna Museum, which opened in 2015, immediately became a very popular city attraction. Within its walls you can look at already unique artifacts representing the life of Bulgarians in the period from 1944 to 1989. Socialist realities come to life in the household appliances of those times, then popular and scarce cars, clothes, cosmetics and even cigarette packs. The wax figures of personalities who played an important role in the life of the country and the world fit well into the retro atmosphere of the museum halls. Guests are greeted by Todor Zhivkov and dear Leonid Ilyich Brezhnev, charismatic Fidel and favorite of the theater audience Georgy Kaloyanchev.
The pride of the owner of the museum is a collection of retro cars. You will see Volga and Moskvich, Skoda and Trabant, as well as the GAZ-13 limousine, popularly called the Seagull.
