This article is about a city in Bulgaria. See Varna (caste) for the Indian caste system.
Varna (Bulgarian: Варна) has a population of 349,715, making it Bulgaria's third largest city after Sofia and Plovdiv (2001 est). It is a port city in the eastern part of the country, located on the Black Sea coast. It is sometimes refer to as "The Sea Capital" (or "The Summer Capital") of Bulgaria. The city was named Stalin, after Josef Stalin, from 1949 to 1956.
History
Varna was founded around 6,000 B.C. near the site of the ancient Greek trading colony ( apoikia), Odessos. which was founded about 580 BCE. The Roman city had baths, built in the 2nd century CE, that are the largest Roman remains in Bulgaria. The Byzantine city of Odessos was captured by the Ottomans in 1393.
Nearby, the Battle of Varna was fought in November 1444, when 30,000 crusaders assembled at the port to sail to Constantinople were attacked by a force of 120,000 Turks, led by the Sultan Murad II. The Polish King Ladislaus was killed in a bold attempt to capture the Sultan. The retreat made the fall of Constantinople all but inevitable.
Varna is called the sea capital of Bulgaria, because it is the biggest Bulgarian city on the seacoast. Varna was also the base of the Bulgarian Navy. Currently, there is a Naval Museum with a museum ship torpedo boat Draski . The archaeological museum contains some of the finds from the so-called "Gold of Varna", a cache of Chalcolithic grave-goods which are the oldest gold treasure in the world.
In 1444, the Battle of Varna was fought here, with the Turks defeating a Crusader army led by Ladislaus III of Poland, who was killed, earning a nick-name Varnenchik. There is a mausoleum of Ladislaus III in Varna.
The current mayor of Varna is Kiril Yordanov .
In 1962, the Chess Olympiad, also known as the World Team Championship, was held in Varna. In 1969, Varna was the host of the World Rhythmic gymnastics Championship.
Economy
Varna is an important economic centre for Bulgaria and the Black Sea region in general. Major industries include trade and transportation (see Port of Varna, Varna International Airport), shipbuilding, and manufacturing. Tourism is of great importance to the city, with the nearby resorts of Albena , Golden Sands , SS Constantine and Helena , Riviera and many others each year attracting millions of visitors from all over the world. Together with the nearby town of Devnya , Varna forms what is known as the Varna-Devnya Industrial Complex , home to some of the largest chemical, electrical and manufacturing plants in Bulgaria.
In September 2004, FDI Magazine proclaimed Varna "South-eastern Europe City of the Future", citing its strategic location, fast-growing economy, rich cultural heritage and high quality education.
Higher learning institutions
Twin cities of Varna
Varna's twin cities are:
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Aalborg, Denmark
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Dordrecht, Netherlands
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Kharkov, Ukraine
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Aqaba, Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan
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Odessa, Ukraine
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Malmö, Sweden
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Turku, Finland
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Bradford, England
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Miami, the USA
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Rostock, Germany
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Novorossiysk, Russia
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Pireus, Greece
See also
External links
Last updated: 08-19-2005 09:29:38
Last updated: 09-12-2005 02:39:13
