Vacationers in Burgas are often offered to go on a day trip to Sozopol (Bulgaria). The sights of this town, included in the UNESCO World Heritage List, are so numerous that they only remember a colored kaleidoscope of places and events. To see everything in Sozopol in one day is simply unrealistic. And if, without knowing the history of this wonderful city, you just indiscriminately click the shutter of the camera? Then then it will be difficult for you to determine where Sozopol and where is Nessebar.
The true aura of this place is revealed only to those who want to understand it. It is literally saturated with history. The city was founded in the VI century BC by sailors from Miletus. They liked the convenient harbor and rocky, protected on three sides of the peninsula. They named the settlement in honor of the sun god - Apollonia. The historical sights of Sozopol have been preserved very little since then. Indeed, in the 1st century BC e. the city was destroyed by the army of the Roman legionary Mark Lucullus. The conquerors took from the ruins the most valuable trophy - a thirteen-meter bronze statue of Apollo. Now this artifact is stored in the Capitol, in Rome.
It took five centuries for people to return to the abandoned peninsula. They rebuilt and fortified the walls (in antiquity they reached a height of 6 meters). Christian churches were built on the site of old pagan temples. The new settlement was called the "City of Salvation" - Sozopol. During the Turkish yoke, Greeks lived here mainly, who also added their national color to the city. Sights of Sozopol are concentrated mainly in the old part - on the peninsula. On the mainland there is a new area called Harmanit, which means "threshing place." Of the many windmills , only one has survived to this day.
Powerful city fortifications are the first thing that catches the eye of tourists arriving in Sozopol. Sights of defense architecture were erected at different times. There are fragments dating back to 511, in fact, built by the first inhabitants of the Byzantine Sozopol. If you are interested in ancient urban planning, you can visit the architectural and historical museum located in the southern fortress wall with a tower.
The ancient churches of the city were destroyed by the Turks. Christians were only allowed to build small chapels. Some of them still exist today - Atanas, Demetrius, Nicholas, Marina, Ascension. The Church of St. George with an altar from the Thracian temple and the Church of the Blessed Virgin Mary and St. Zosima are the main religious attractions of Sozopol. From museums you can recommend the archaeological, with a good collection of antique amphoras, and an art gallery.
Sights of Sozopol are located around the city. In total, a narrow strait separates the old part from the two islands - John and Peter. The first of them is the largest in Bulgaria. It contains the remains of the ancient monastery of St. John the Baptist, and under water there is a unique natural phenomenon - a petrified forest. Not far from the city, the Ropotamo River flows into the Black Sea. Its mouth is interesting because in a temperate climate (with fairly cold winters) real jungle with vines grow on the banks, and the
water surface is dotted with huge lilies and water lilies. Because of this, the river is called the Bulgarian Amazon. On the “zero kilometer” of the river - at the very confluence of the sea - frolicking seals and dolphins can be seen.