The city of Burgas is a seaside resort found on the western most tip of the Black Sea coast of Bulgaria. It is surrounded by the coastal Burgas Lakes and the Burgas Bay. Sprawled over an area measuring 218.828 square kilometers, the city is the second largest city on the coast. However, in terms of population, Burgas is the fourth largest city in the country, after Sofia, Plovdiv, and Varna. This is, where in, a population of 210,260 inhabits the city. Aside from serving as the capital of the province of Burgas, the city is also Bulgaria’s largest and primary port, as it serves as an important export-import point for the country. Furthermore, Burgas is considered as a major industrial, economic, transportation, cultural, and tourism center in southeastern Bulgaria.As a major industrial center, Burgas is home to several oil and mining companies, as well as ship building, machinery construction, and food processing industries. Its industrial production provides the most significant contribution to the economic development of Burgas, wherein it forms 86% of the city’s income.
Aside from being a major industrial and economic center, Burgos also possesses significant resources as a major tourist center in the region. For years, Burgas has been the renowned tourist center of the south Black Sea coast. Aside from the few beautiful beaches found within the city itself, Burgas is the most ideal starting point for visiting other seaside resorts in the area, such as Sunny Beach (Slantchev Bryag) and Elenite Village, located in the north, and Duni Village in the south.
Aside from the beaches, Burgas also offers outdoor and rustic cultural attractions to its visitors. The city is the starting point to the Ropotamo Reserve, which is famous for its lilies and one-of-a-kind plant species. The city is also the gateway to the Nature Park Strandzha. The park is situated within the territory of the Strandzha Mountain, where many well-preserved villages with unique architecture are found. For a genuine rustic Bulgarian cultural experience, the local inhabitants offer accommodations in their traditional-style homes. These areas are also most ideal for outdoor activities like hiking, fishing, and hunting.
Other natural attractions found in Burgas are the lakes found within the vicinity of the city. The lake of Pomorie, located 20 kilometer north of Burgas, is surrounded by salt mines and resorts. The Atanassovo Lake, found to the north between the airport and the city, is a nestling site of many marsh and sea birds migrating from the Bosphorus and Gibraltar. The Burgas Lake, on the other hand, is a nestling site of ibis, herons, and pelicans. The Mandren Lake, found 10 kilometers south of the city, is also an important ornithological reserve that nestles a large population of birds during the summer. All these locations offer facilities for fishing, canoeing, swimming, and resting near the water’s edge.
Although the city appears to be like any modern industrialized metropolis, Burgas also boasts of a past rich in culture and history.
The beginnings of the city are widely believed to have been founded by colonists from Apolonia as a military and observational post. Subsequently, the city came under Roman rule and was used as a settlement for its veteran soldiers, wherein it was referred to as Deultum.
During the Middle Ages, the fortress of Pirgos was erected to be used as a watch tower in place of the old settlement. By the 17th century, a town named Ahelo-Bourgas grew in the present location of the city. Renamed into Burgos and inhabited by just 3000 by the time of the liberation, the town grew into the modern city that it is today.
However, much of the monuments and architecture found in the city dates to as recent as the 19th and the 20th centuries. And as the city was left largely untouched by the Communist urbanization, much of these are well-preserved for all visitors to see and appreciate. Amongst these important structures are the city’s church buildings, such as the Saint Cyril and Methodius Cathedral. The cathedral is known for its magnificent frescos and wooden altar. Another one of these impressive structures is the Armenian Church, which was built in 1855 by the local Armenian minority, with the support of the Bulgarian majority.
Art and culture are also major attractions in the city. Found within it are more than ten galleries, the most prominent of which is the City Art Gallery. It is housed in a former Jewish Synagogue the was built at the beginning of the 20th century and designed by an Italian architect. While the synagogue itself is proclaimed as a work of art in itself, it also houses the works of most major contemporary Bulgarian artists and sculptors.
The museums found in Burgas are just as interesting cites as the city’s other attractions. The most remarkable of these is the Burgas Regional Historical Museum, which features an archeological hall that exhibits items that dates back to the old colonies along the Black Sea coast. The Burgas Regional Historical Museum, on the other hand, is also notable for its exhibits that feature masks of koukeri, traditional Bulgarian costumes, ritual accessories, and traditional fabrics and embroidery. Also worth of note is the Museum of Nature and Science, which features over 1,200 exhibits of insects and reptiles, over 140 species of fish, as well as endemic species of plants that grows in Strandzha.
Other notable structures found in the city that is dedicated for the propagation of art and Bulgarian cultural values in the city include an opera house, a philharmonic hall, a drama theatre, and a puppet theater.
Burgas is also known as the ”city of Festivals”, all of which are huge attractions for the young visitors in the city. First of these is the “Burgas and the Sea”, which is a festival renowned for popularizing many songs and a threshold for many talented performers. The festival is held every summer, on the stage of the Summer Theater in the Sea Garden. Held in the same venue is the International, Folklore Festival, which presents folk songs and dances of people from all over the world. Other much anticipated festivals in the city include the Festival of the Bulgarian Rock Music, Beer Fest, an annual theater festival, and the traditional classical music festival.
With all the features of an important modern city and a lot more, investing and purchasing properties in Burgas could be both financially and culturally rewarding. Burgas has the most developed market amongst the coastal property markets in Bulgaria. And in the last three to four years, it has seen incredible movement in its market, wherein it has been one of the top four Bulgarian cities in terms of property prices.
Residential property prices in the city center are much more expensive than in the outlying regions as there is a gap between supply and demand, which had been brought on by a virtual lack of large plots on which to build new residential developments. On the average, apartments are tagged at 400 Euros per square meter, while the average price of a 1-bedroom apartment under construction varies between 380 euros to 506 Euros per square meter. 2-bedroom apartments under construction, on the other hand, vary between 457 Euros to 661 Euros per square meter. Meanwhile, 3-bedroom apartments under construction have their prices varying between 507 Euros to 776 Euros per square meter.
Outside the city center, the residential district of Sarafovo is quickly becoming the hottest investment location in the country’s Black Sea coastal region. Property prices in this residential district had reached 750 to1,100 Euros per square meter, which are similar to the property prices of the famous resort cities of St Vlas and Sunny Beach. The properties that are often found in Sarafovo are apartments, studios, and villas which had been largely purchased by foreigners, particularly Russians and British nationals. As Sarafovo’s main attraction to property buyers and investors is its proximity to the beach and to the Burgas airport, Sarafovo properties present a significant potential for property investments.