Location:The city of Bourgas has a population of almost 200,000 people accordingto recent data, and is the second largest city at the Bulgarian BlackSea coast. It is also the fourth largest city in the country, followingSofia, Plovdiv and connecting Varna. It is situated in the farthestwestern part of the Bourgas Bay and 390km east of Sofia. Due to the lowlevel of the coast in the area, three lagoon-lakes (the Atanassovo,Bourgas, and Mandren lakes) lie in the area surrounding the city.

   History:Bourgas is a successor of the small Roman town of Deultum (later namedDevelt), founded by Emperor Vespasian as a military colony forveterans. Besides Deultum, the present-day city expands over the areaof three other ancient settlements, i.e. Kastiacion, Skafida andRossokastron. In the Middle Ages a small fortress called Pirgos waserected in the place and was most probably used as a watchtower. It wasonly in 17tn century that a town named Ahelo-Bourgas grew in thepresent-day area of the city. This, renamed into Bourgas, had onlyabout 3,000 inhabitants at the time of the Liberation. Soon it becamethe centre of the Southern Black Sea coast, and a city of welldeveloped industry and trade. A number of oil and chemical worksproducing more than 30 products were gradually built. Salt and iron arealso mined here and traded far beyond the borders of the country. In1903 the railway station in Bourgas started functioning as well, givingan additional boost to the city's expansion.
  
   Places of Interest:
   In the city:The District Museum of History, founded in 1925, is one of the mostimpressive tourist sights in the city. Today it houses anarchaeological hall with a rich collection of items dating back to theold colonies along the Black Sea coast. The Ethnographic Museum is alsoof particular appeal to foreigners for its exhibitions of masks ofkoukeri, traditional costumes, ritual accessories, fabrics andembroidery. The museum is hosted in a house built in 1873 and laterdeclared a cultural monument. The Museum of Nature and Science isanother place of interest to visitors of the city. It contains morethan 1,200 exhibits of insects and reptiles and more than 140 speciesof fish, plants growing in the district of Strandzha, protected andendemic species. Another such place is the Art Gallery, established in1945 with halls exhibiting foreign and of Bulgarian artists' works, andicons painted by renowned Renaissance artists. Among the churchbuildings, one may wish to visit the St. St. Cyril and MethodiusCathedral, which raises near the marketplace. The cathedral isinteresting for its marvelous frescos and wooden altar. Anotherimpressive sight of Bourgas is the Armenian Church located close toBulgaria Hotel. It was built in 1855 by the local Armenian minoritysupported by Bulgarians. Finally, a philharmonic hall, an opera house,a drama theatre and a puppet theater are hosted in beautiful buildingsand function during the entire season.
   Away from the busy centreof the city, the shady Sea Garden is a lovely place to stroll in hotsummer days. The park is situated on a hill next to the coast, and isrich in flowers, trees and sculptures. Within the park there is acasino, a small zoo and an open-air theatre, which houses the annualInternational Folklore Festival, and where participants in the GoldenOrpheus Pop-Festival perform. A beautiful forked staircase in verdureleads from the park down to the central beach of the city. The sand isa mixture of various alloys of magnetite, which is the reason for itsdark colour. The city also has a northern beach, located close to theIzgrev Quarter, and adjacent to the city's salt-mines.

Sunny beach, resort near Burgas

   Outside the city:The lake of Pomorie is located 20 km north of Bourgas. The lake issurrounded by salt-mines and balneo-resorts. The Atanassovo Lake is tothe north, too, between the airport and the city. It is 10 km long andonce was a nestling site of many marsh and sea birds migrating fromGibraltar and the Bosphorus. Part of the lake is a natural reserve.There are sites for fishing, swimming and having a rest. The BourgasLake is a nestling site of pelicans, ibis, and herons. It offers manyopportunities for having a rest as well. The Mandren Lake is 10 kmsouth of the city and is also an important ornithological reserve witha large bird population in the summer. It is also appropriate forrowing tours and recreation.
   The St. Anastassia Island is 3nautical miles east of the city. The island has a well-preserved oldchurch and was used for the exile of left-wing revolutionaries in1923-1925, and anti-Fascists in 1943-1944. That is why the island wasnamed Bolshevik for some years during communist times. The salt-minesof Bourgas may be also a sight of interest. They border the BourgasLake, and some of them even stretch to the Atanassovo Lake. Mineralwater baths can be found 13km north-west of the city on the way toAitos. The baths are built over the remains of an old Roman town calledAetos. The present-day baths were built in the 16th century duringOttoman rule and are still functioning. There is curing mud, abalneo-spa, a polyclinic, and a holiday house.
   The village ofKraimorie (once named Kafka) is to the south of Bourgas on the way tothe old fortress of Pirgos. There is a nice beach near the village, aswell as rest homes and private lodgings for holiday-makers. The OtmanliPark is 15 km away from Bourgas near the Choukalya caape. It comprisesover 6,000 decares of thick forest and holds in a hunting area andbungalows for recreation.
   Two famous Bulgarian resorts rich inhistory and architectural monuments are located close to Bourgas -Nessebar to the north and Sozopol to the south.

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