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Sozopol

Area Information

The town of Sozopol is situated on the farthest southern part of the Bourgas Bay, only 31km south of Bourgas. Its population is about 7,000 people. The town lies on a small rocky peninsula - long strip of land connects it to the mainland.

The earliest settlements in the area belonged to the Thracian tribes of Nipsei and Skirimian. In the 7th century BC Greek colonizers settled there and called the town after their god of Apollo, Apolonia. To honour Apollo, a famous sculptor named Kalamis carried out the construction of a thirteen-metre high bronze statute of the God. Apolonia was developed as a trading centre for honey, wax, corn, wine, olive oil, olives, textiles, jewellery, and pottery. Apolonia was frequently in economic and political disputes, including occasional wars, with the Doric inhabitants of Messembria (present-day Nessebar). Apolonia was included in the territory of the Macedonian State at the time of Alexander the Great. It was frequently subject to the invasions of Nomads. The town fell under Roman domination in the 1st century BC after it was severely ruined by the armies of Marcus Lucul. The latter sent the famous statute of Apollo to Rome as a symbol of his victory. Yet Romans quickly restored the ruins and built new temples. In the 6th century BC Apolonia minted its own coins. The high level of cultural development of the town at that time can be seen by items found in its necropolis - ceramics, vases made of Egyptian glass, silver and golden decorations. The upturn of the town was so great, that Sozopol managed to establish its own colony, Anhialo (present-day Pomorie).

Roman domination secured three centuries of peace before the next invasion of barbarian tribes. It was only in the 5th century that the town was included in the territory of Byzantium. During the reign of Khan Kroum it was within the borders of Bulgaria and like all other sea towns it frequently changed hands between Bulgaria and Byzantium. It was severely devastated in the middle of the 14th century during an attack of the Genoa fleet. Later it was conquered and sold to the Romans by the knights of Amadeus of Savoy.

After a long siege the town fell under Turkish rule in 1453. Only wooden houses have been built there ever since; the oldest of these can be still seen in the old quarter of the town. Being a small fishermen's settlement at the time of the Liberation, Sozopol gradually became the biggest fishing centre of the Bulgarian Black Sea coast.

The sights of Sozopol are many, but none of them can be separated from the rest since all of them have a great impact on the visitors. Among these are two ancient churches from the Renaissance period - St. Zosim Church and The Holy Virgin Church. The houses of Dimitur Laskaridis, who used to be a fish trader (built in the 17th century, and now hosting an art gallery), Ana Trendafilova, Kourtidis, Una Psarianova (now redesigned into Stenata Restaurant), Grandmother Koukoulissa Hadzhinikolova (today housing the office of Sturshel Newspaper), Metropoliev (a medical centre at present), Kreanoolu, are only a few of the more than 45 architectural monuments of Sozopol. The ancient atmosphere of the town is further fed by cobbled streets and high fences in front of which the old women sit and chat, knit laces and sell jams. Interestingly, one can still hear Greek speech among natives, particularly in the old town. Interesting places to visit are the Archaeological Museum and the Art Gallery. Moreover, at the beginning of September each year the town hosts the big Apolonia International Art Festival, which attracts artists and art lovers from all over the country and abroad.

While there are private lodgings in both the old and the new part of the town, the latter is constantly expanding and offers a bigger choice of accommodation. The number of private hotels has been increasing in recent years (particularly in the new town). During the Apolonia festival, which is held traditionally in the first 10 days of September, the town is flooded by tourists and prior booking is recommended.

There are a lot of camping sites around Sozopol where many tourists spend their holidays: Kavatsite, Smokinya, Vesselie, Zlatna Ribka and Gradina. They offer bungalows of different categories, sites for caravans, tents and vehicles.

There are a lot of small coastal restaurants and private pubs both in the old and new part of the town. Among the most famous restaurants are Vyaturnata Melnitsa, Sozopol Tavern, Athens Tavern, the restaurants Xantana, Neptun, Drouzhba Fishing Boat, Orpheus, Olymp, Stenata, Kladentsa, Lilia. Some of these are very interesting as they are built over ancient ruins after detailed archaeological research and restorations. For example, the basement of the Stenata Restaurant was used as a grain warehouse. The Kladenetsa Restaurant was built over a spring, which used to supply the town with drinking water via water pipes.

Places at camping sites and small restaurants along the beach offer also great atmosphere. There are a lot of groceries and marketplaces. One could buy fish directly from fishermen at the quay. There are many bus lines connecting Sozopol to Bourgas, where the international airport is located. Trains, minibuses and ordinary taxis run along the same route as well.

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