Nessebar

The town of Nessebar has about 10000 inhabitans and extends over a small peninsila. It lies 37km northeast of Bourgas. Its beach is considered to be one of the finest along the Black Sea coast due to a large sandy strip of land between the town and the village of Ravda, covered with clean golden sand. The present – day town is the succesor of a Thracian fishermens named Menabrya (meaning literally the town of Mena), the foundation of which dates back to the second century BC. Later it remained the only Doric colony along the Black Sea coast, as the rest were typical Ionic settlements. The Greeks named it Messembria (which was later transformed into Nessebar by the Slavs) and it grew into a big and well – fortified town – state. The town benefited from natural protection from bith the land and the sea. Remains suggest the existence of aqueducts, a sewerage system, fortified wails, an amphitheatre and numerous cult edifices (including an impressive temple of Apollo) at that time. The town became a popular commercial centre as a variety of goods from the Aegean and the Mediterranean regions were tradet and it also minted its own coins in the fifth century BC. Two centuries later, it founded its own colony called Navlohos near Obzor. The whole land between Nessebar and Obzor used to be a granary that supplied the two colonies with foods as well as goods of exchange. In the 1st century BC, the town surrendered to Markus Lukulus legions and was subjected top Roman domination, during which the construction of a second colony of Messembria began and was finished. The second colony built to the south of Nessebar, was named Anhialo (present – day Pomorie). It early Middle Ages the town rebuilt its fortress walls and stayed part of the Byzantine Empire until 812 when the protobulgarian Khan Kroum conquered it, including it in the territory of Bulgaria. During the reign of Ivan Alexander the town went through a cultural and economic boom and occupied substantial territories beyond the stretch of the peninsula. It was around the period when most of the churches of Nessebar, remains of which are to be found in the present – day town, were built. In 1366 the knights of Amadeus of Savoy conquered the town and then sold it to Byzantium for 15000 golden ducats. In 1453, shortly after Constantinople fell under Turkish domination the town was conquered by the Ottoman Empire and went through a period of decay. The Liberation found Nessebar as a small fishermen's settlement, with well – developed viticulture on the hills about the town. Nowadays, Nessebar is one of the most popular resorts among foreign tourists for its ancient spirit and well – reserved remains. According to legends, the churches of Nessebar were no less than 41, which, when compared to the small population of the town, make the latter one of the world's settlements with the highest number of churches per capita. Besides well – preserved churches, one can see the remains of fortress walls (best preserved at the old town's gate and the port), anthentic medieval, Roman and Greek street pavements, fortifications of different epochs, administrative and other buildings. Some of the typical houses of Nessebar built in an unique style of the 16th - 19th century are real architectural monuments. The old quarters of Nessebar show remarkable taste and mastership in the construction of houses, stone walls and streets. The Turkish bath and the windmill at the beginning of the causeway are particular interest. Outside the town you can visit the village of Aheloy, in the vicinity of which the Bulgarian king Simeon destroyed the armies of the Byzantine emperor Lion Foka. Aheloy is situated on the motorway to Bourgas near the mouth of the Aheloy river.