Nessebar is one of the oldest towns in Europe, well known with its exotic monuments the Antiquity, its fascinating architecture of the Middle Ages and the National Revival period. The town is situated on a small rocky peninsula in the North part of the Bourgas bay. The area of Nessebar is about 25 ha. It is linked with the new part of the town by a narrow 300 metres long isthmus. The town is 37 km north-east of Bourgas and 430 km to the east of Sofia. Its beach is regarded to be the best along the Black Sea coast. Astonishing dunes make the coast quite picturesque. The green copses by the sandy strips provide a cool breath of air during the hot days. Nessebar features marvelous climate all-year without any polluters and wonderful combination of sea and mountain atmosphere.

     History

     The present-day town is the successor of a Thracian fishermen's settlement named Menabryia (meaning literally 'the town of Mena'), the foundation of which dates back to the 2nd 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 Nessabar by the Slavs), and it grew into a big and well-fortified town-state. The town benefited from natural protection from both 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 traded there and it also minted its own coins in the 5th century BC.
     In the early Middle Ages the town 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 thorough a cultural and economic boom, and occupied substantial territories beyond the stretch of the peninsula. It was around that 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 15,000 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 above the town.

     Today

     Nessebar was designated a UNESCO World cultural Heritage Sight in 1983 for its unique colour and architecture. The town is a real museum showing the building traditions in our lands with over 20 places of interest. There have been preserved valuable monuments from all ages of its thousand-year old existence - old fortress walls from the Roman Middle age, Byzantine and old Bulgarian churches, ancient houses from the 18th and 19th century.
     Today the old part of the town has regained its original romantic atmosphere: narrow cobblestone lanes, tiny squares, two-storeyed period houses with stone-built ground levels and wooden upper floors jutting above the streets and external staircases, gift shops, pubs, tavern and lovely flower gardens. The wonderful ancient atmosphere gives unrepeatable opportunity for recreation and attractions. The accommodation is centralized in well equipped family hotels and private lodgings, offering every convenience necessary for real recreation at the best prices. The numerous restaurants, night clubs etc. satisfy even the most refined tastes.

     Landmarks

     The houses of Nessebar - Nowadays there are more than 100 houses from the National Revival period in Nessebar. The traditional houses, some of which were built at the end of the XVIII century are fascinating. The houses typically have two floors. The first floor is a thick stone building used for farm work. People stored their fishing, wine, craft equipment, as well as the wine butts. Sometimes there were separated rooms for servants and kitchen. A narrow abrupt staircase leaded towards the second floor. It is a wooden structure which juts out over the first floor, like a bay-window. It is used as the living area. The rich citizens allocated places for toilets and sinks. The houses were whitewashed inside. The woodcarving ceilings and the interior of Blagoy Pipinikov's house, of Ivan Markov, Ivan Tulev,Vassil Lambrinov's houses evoke a great interest. Outside the walls were covered with wood to protect them from the wind. Wooden consoles, outlined on the stone construction of the first floor support the bow windows.
     The churches in Nessebar are 41. Not all of them have preserved their full brilliance but even their present condition strongly impresses tourists. One of the oldest sights is the Basilica situated on the seashore, built most probably at the beginning of 5th century. The building had three naves, however only the foundations have remained today. The Old Bishop's Residence located in the centre of the town is probably the most imposing one of all the churches in Nessebar. It is more than 25 m long and 22 m wide. The three naves were decorated with a colonnade and arches; stone and brick laid with a mosaic covered floor. St. John the Baptist Church was built in 11th century and is a typical cross domed church with three naves, and four brick-laid columns supporting the whole dome. There are some fragments of frescoes preserved dating back to 13th century. There is a small archaeological museum arranged in the church.
     The St. Stefan Church or the so-called New Bishop's Residence was built in 10th century, too, and is situated in the vicinity of the harbour. It is three-nave. The exterior decoration is so picturesque that it marked the beginning of the future typical style of Nessebar expressed in the construction and decoration of churches of later times. The facade of the church is ornamented with built-in meanders of glazed ceramic figures of different colours, maiolicas and enamelled tiles that at the same time adorn and distinguish the architectural components. The main frescoes here were painted in 14th-15th centuries. The bishop's throne and the altar were made of wood later in 17th century.
     The subsequent picturesque style was best illustrated in the St. Todor Church; however only two facades have been preserved in their initial style. Today it has been restored, but the preserved decoration elements are unique in shape, colour, and variety of component combination. The St. Paraskeva Church was built in the same style. It is a small one-nave church. The ornaments match the archi-tec-tonics of the building in a most natural way. Consoles with tiny arches slightly support the upper part of the dome and resemble children's sandcastle. The St. Archangels Michail and Gavrail Church used to have a dome; its remains evidence of an interesting project and excellent performance. The restoration enables the tourists see the architectural conception in the typical picturesque style.
     In the ideal centre of the town itself is the Pantocrator Church with domes on a rectangular foundation. The St. Yoan Aliturgetos Church is considered to be the most beautiful one perched high above the harbour. It has three naves and the decoration of the facades is of unique beauty, particularly the eastern one facing the sea.
     The remains of many parts of fortress walls have been found as well as the square turret, the round turret, a large part of the authentic medieval street pavement, and some of the Roman and Greek pavements, fortifications of different times and epochs, remains of administrative and other kinds of buildings. In spite of its small size the town is ever surprising tourists with the antiquities appearing all over the place.
     During the Turkish rule only one church was built in 17th century - the St. Spas Church. The typical houses of Nessebar built in the unique style of 16th-19th centuries are interesting architectural monuments. So are the houses of Diamanti and that of Panayot Mouskoyani, which hosts an ethnographic exhibition, and that of Captain Pavel. The whole ensemble of the old quarters of Nessebar shows 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 of particular interest.

     Surrounding areas

     The village of Ravda is situated to the south of Nessebar and a sand strip connects both of them. There are melon fields, vines and gardens near the village where one can buy fresh agricultural products at low prices. There are numerous children's and youth camps, holiday houses and private lodgings.
     The village of Aheloy is situated on the highway to Bourgas near the mouth of the Aheloy River. This is where the Bulgarian Tsar Simeon I destroyed the armies of the Byzantine emperor Lion Foka in the area called nowadays Kokalos because of the scattered bones of the murdered soldiers.

     Transport

     There is a regular transport connecting Bourgas and Pomorie to Nessebar and Slaunchev Bryag (Sunny Beach). There are private taxis typical for the seaside towns due to the great number of tourists. The prices are moderate. There is water transport to Bourgas; one can often hire local boatmen to reach various places in the bay.