Sights in Varna
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History Museum
Watching over the ruins of the Roman baths, Varna’s ivy-covered History Museum is itself an intriguing part of the city’s history. Built in 1851 as the Belgian Embassy, it subsequently became a hotel, a prison and, under the communists, a Museum of the Revolution, before taking on its present role in 1990. Displays on the ground floor include photographs of the city from the 1920s, while the basement holds an exhibition on local trades and handicrafts such as printing, weaving and brewing. More imagination has gone into the replicas of long-gone 1920s and ’30s shops and offices on the 1st floor, including ‘Uncle Mityu’s Café’, a hat shop, toy shop and lawyer’s office. T…
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Warship Druzki
Embedded in concrete outside the museum entrance is the warship Druzki, which torpedoed a Turkish cruiser during the First Balkan War in 1912. It’s possible to clamber around this revered relic (ask the museum staff to open the gate). Inside the musty museum building itself is a collection of uniforms, model ships, naval insignia and displays on the Druzki, including an enormous torpedo, although there’s little labelling in English. Anchors, artillery and helicopters can be seen rusting quietly in the grounds, while encased in glass is the yacht Cor Coroli, in which Georgi Georgiev became the first Bulgarian to sail single-handed around the world, in 1977.
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Beach
Steps from Primorski Park lead down to the city's long, sandy beach, which is hugely popular with local sunbathers, paddlers and beach volleyball players. There are also a couple of tiny, outdoor, steaming mineral-water pools, more popular with rheumatic pensioners. The main attraction, though, is the long coastal lane, officially known as aleya Georgi Georgiev but more commonly referred to either as Plazhna aleya or Kraybrezhna aleya.
Some of the trendiest bars are found here, although most only have a brief existence in the summer sunshine and many change names from one year to the next.
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Cathedral of the Assumption of the Virgin
Standing a block north of pl Nezavisimost, this large cathedral was built between 1880 and 1886 by the architect Gencho Kunev, in celebration of the country’s recent independence from Ottoman rule. Topped with golden onion domes, which alleviate the sombre, blocky appearance of its main body, the church is a much-cherished symbol of the city, second in size only to the Aleksander Nevski Memorial Church in Sofia. Note the murals (painted in 1950), colourful stained-glass windows and intricately carved bishop’s throne.
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Primorski Park
Established in 1878, this large and attractive green space overlooking the sea stretches for about 8km, and is said to be the largest of its kind in Europe. It's full of promenading families and old ladies knitting lace in summer, and there's always something going on.
There are also several cafés near the entrance to the Aquarium and around the Summer Theatre.
Steps from park lead down to the city's long, sandy beach.
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Roman Baths
The ruins described previously are termed the Roman thermae (Latin for ‘baths’) to distinguish them from the Roman Baths, another, much smaller ablutions complex, built around the 4th century AD. There’s nothing much to see other than some foundation walls, and no explanations are posted on the litter-filled site. The grounds are closed, but you can lean over the fence for a quick look.
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Ethnographic Museum
Housed in a delightful revival-era mansion built in 1860, Varna’s Ethnographic Museum is one of the country’s best. The ground floor contains a collection of agricultural implements and displays about weaving, wine-making and fishing from the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The 1st floor has an impressive range of costumes and jewellery, and the four rooms on the 2nd floor are furnished in period style.
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Roman Thermae
One unmissable sight in Varna is the well-preserved ruins of the Roman Thermae. The ruins are the largest in Bulgaria and the third biggest in Europe, although only a small part of the original complex (estimated to have been 7000 sq metres) still stands. The baths date from the late 2nd century AD and were probably abandoned only 100 years later.
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Archaeological Museum
The best of its kind in Bulgaria, Varna’s fascinating Archaeological Museum is a huge place, displaying some 100,000 objects in 39 rooms. All exhibits originate from the Varna area and are placed in chronological order, starting off with pottery and flint tools from the now-submerged Mesolithic settlements around Varna Lake.
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Aquarium
Further into the park is the Aquarium. Housed in a powder-blue Art Deco building, it’s an old-fashioned place with tanks filled with seahorses, piranhas and conger eels as well as some denizens of the Black Sea’s depths. There’s also a collection of seashells but there’s no English labelling.
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Varna City Art Gallery
Varna City Art Gallery, also known as the Boris Georgiev Art Gallery, features two floors of 19th- and 20th-century Bulgarian art, including works by Vladimir Dimitrov and David Peretz. It also hosts temporary exhibitions such as the International Print Biennial (odd-numbered years).
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St Michael the Archangel Church
St Michael the Archangel Church was founded in 1865 and is historically significant as the first place where religious services were given in Bulgarian. The building also contained Varna’s first school. The church is small and badly lit but there are some fine wooden icons.
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St Sarkis Armenian Apostolic Church
The elegant St Sarkis Armenian Apostolic Church was built in 1842 and features a barrelled wooden ceiling and a wonderful collection of naive icons. It’s normally closed, but the custodian will be happy to open it up for you if he’s around.
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Zoopark
In the northern section, the Zoopark is a dispiriting place featuring a range of animals, including lions, wolves, monkeys, goats and a camel, all in small concrete enclosures. There’s also a solitary bear and birds kept in filthy cages.
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Dolphinarium
Another 500m further north is the ugly concrete Dolphinarium. Apparently the only one of its kind in the Balkan regions, it presents 45-minute shows (at 10.30am, noon and 3.30pm) of dolphins performing various acrobatic tricks.
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St Anastasios Orthodox Church
The beautiful St Anastasios Orthodox Church overlooks the Roman Thermae. Built in 1602, it’s one of the oldest churches in the city and features an intricately carved bishop’s throne.
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National Naval Museum
The only one of its kind in Bulgaria, the National Naval Museum offers an introduction to the country’s seagoing history from the Russo-Turkish War (1877–78) to the present day.
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St Nikolai Church
The quaint St Nikolai Church, which seems stranded along the modern mall, is worth a visit for its murals. It’s always busy, and is a popular venue for weddings.
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Artin
Artin is an equally interesting private gallery in a charming old mansion nearby, which shows the latest work of some of the best-known local artists.
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Terrarium Varna
About 200m further north, the Terrarium Varna has a collection of creepy crawlies such as spiders and scorpions.
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Varna Centre for Contemporary Art
The Varna Centre for Contemporary Art is another gallery with a collection of idiosyncratic modern art.
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Archaeological Museum
The best of its kind in Bulgaria, Varna’s fascinating Archaeological Museum is a huge place, displaying some 100,000 objects in 39 rooms. All exhibits originate from the Varna area and are placed in chronological order, starting off with pottery and flint tools from the now-submerged Mesolithic settlements around Varna Lake.
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