Varna is the largest city in Northern Bulgaria and on the Bulgarian Black Sea coast.
It is a seaport with a population of 350 thousand citizens. It is often referred to as ‘the marine capital of Bulgaria’. Varna is a big cultural centre with a developed marine tourism and it is a starting point for many resorts on the Northern Black Sea coast. A lot of cultural events take place in Varna, such as the International Theatre Festival ‘Varna Summer’, the International Music Festival, the International Ballet Competition, the International Jazz Festival, the International Film Festival ‘Love is Folly’, the International Folk Festival, The Week of the Sea, etc.  The oldest gold treasure in the world called Varna culture is kept in the Historical Museum - Varna.

The entrance of the Sea garden

It is known that on the coast of the Varna Bay, where the oldest part of the city is situated now, there used to be the Odessus fortress founded in 6th c. BC (around 570 BC) near to an old Thracian settlement in Varna region. After the division of the Roman empire in 395 the city was included into the East Roman Empire, known as Byzantium. Regardless who the rulers of the fortress were, the city had always been independent, with a developed culture, trade and crafts and it had traditions in minting coins.

Observatory of Varna

Varna Eneolithic Necropolis was found in 1972 during construction works. It has been dated to 4200 BC. The oldest gold treasure in human history was found there, as well as other objects made of silver, copper, bronze, flint and clay. Varna culture or Eneolithic Varna culture at Varna Bay is a culture dated to the end of the Copper Age (4400 – 4100 BC) existing in Northern Bulgaria in this period. It is characterized by its fine ceramics with shiny polished surface probably achieved with a potter’s wheel and rich graves. The most impressive monument is Varna necropolis and its Neolithic treasure.

Cathedral "Sveto Uspenie Bogorodichno"

The inhabitants of the North-West Black Sea coast formed a highly developed community whose traditions could have entered the cultural heritage of the Thracian ethnocultural community. For them Black Sea had been a basic trade connection allowing them to keep in touch with people from far away. The closeness to the sea played an important role for the fast economic and social growth of the inhabitants of Varna culture Age. Connections were made with South Bessarabia and with the tribes situated between The Prut and the Dniester rivers. All marks suggest that this is one of the first civilizations in Europe. It mysteriously disappears at the end of the 5th millennium BC which is explained with a dramatic climatic change.

Drama theater "Stoyan Bachvarov"