BURGAS

'Burgas' (, sometimes transliterated as ''Bourgas'') is the second-largest city on the Bulgarian Black Sea Coast with population 205,821. It is also the fourth-largest by population in the country, after Sofia, Plovdiv and Varna. It is the capital of Burgas Province and an industrial and tourist centre.
Surrounded by the coastal Burgas Lakes and located at the westernmost point of the Black Sea, the large Burgas Bay, Burgas has the largest and most important Bulgarian port. Today, it is a key economic, cultural and tourist centre of southeastern Bulgaria, with the Burgas Airport serving the resorts of the southern Bulgarian coast.

Contents

History

Institutions of higher education

Attractions

Notable natives

Notable buildings and architectural structures

Sister cities

Climate table

See also

External links

History

Bourgas is a successor of the Ancient Greek city of ''Pyrgos'' (Πύργος), founded by colonists from Apolonia as a military and observational post against the other important settlement in the region — Mesembria. Besides Pirgos, the present-day city expands over the area of three other ancient settlements: Castrition, Skafida and Rossokastron.
During the rule of the Ancient Romans, Burgas was known as ''Deultum'', and was established as a military colony for veterans by Vespasian. In the Middle Ages, a small fortress called ''Pirgos'' (Πύργος being Greek for "tower") was erected on the place and was most probably used as a watchtower. It was only in the 17th century that a settlement named ''Ahelo-Pirgas'' grew in the modern area of the city. It was later renamed to ''Bourgas'' and had only about 3,000 inhabitants, most of them Greeks at the time of the Liberation.
Later, it became a major centre on the southern Bulgarian Black Sea Coast and a city of well-developed industry and trade. A number of oil and chemical companies were gradually built. Salt and iron are also mined and traded abroad.





In 1903, the railway station in Burgas opened, giving an additional boost to the city's expansion. Burgas, unlike many other Bulgarian cities, was not much affected by Communist-type urbanization and has kept many of its 19th and early 20th century architecture.
Today the local port is the largest in Bulgaria adding significantly to the regional economy. Burgas also holds annual national exhibitions and international festivals and has a vibrant student population of over 6,000 that add to the city's appeal.
Several countries have consulates in Burgas, among them Turkey, Belarus, Romania, Russia and Ukraine.
Burgas Peninsula on Livingston Island in the South Shetland Islands, Antarctica is named after the city of Burgas.

Institutions of higher education

★ Prof. Dr. Assen Zlatarov University

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★ School of Technology

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★ Aleko Konstantinov School of Hospitality

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★ School of Medicine

★ Bourgas Free University

Attractions

★ Burgas Regional Historical Museum

★ Ethnographic Museum

★ Museum of Nature and Science

★ Art Gallery

★ Opera House

★ International Folklore Festival

★ "Geo Milev" English Language Medium School

Notable natives

★ Emil Tchakarov (1948–1991), conductor

★ Georgi Chilikov (b. 1978), footballer

★ Toni Dimitrova (b. 1963), singer

★ Petya Dubarova (1962–1979), poetess

★ Rayna Kabaivanska (b. 1934), opera singer

★ Georgi Kaloyanchev (b. 1925), actor

★ Apostol Karamitev (1923–1973), actor

★ Radostin Kishishev (b. 1974), footballer

★ Rumen Ovcharov (b. 1952), politician

★ Toncho Tokmakchiev (b. 1963), actor

★ Kostas Varnalis (1884–1974), Greek writer

★ Nedyalko Yordanov (b. 1940), writer

Notable buildings and architectural structures

The building of the TV Centre Burgas ( РРТС Бургас ) loos like a highrise with 6 floors with a tower looking like "Eiffel Tower with concrete legs" on its roof [1].

Sister cities

★ San Francisco, California, United States

★ Rotterdam, Netherlands

★ Yantai, People's Republic of China

★ Krasnodar, Russia

★ Alexandroupolis, Greece

Climate table

'Climate table'

	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
Mean daily maximum temperature (°C)	5.9	8.9	14.8	19.7	25.3	27.4	28.9	28.6	26.4	19.6	11.6	6.1
Mean minimum night time temperature (°C)	-2.1	0.9	3.3	6.8	10.0	15.9	20.8	21.4	19.4	14.7	8.2	−1.4
Mean total rainfall (mm)	11	14	32	51	40	44	21	9	8	13	28	31
Mean number of rain days	10	10	10	11	4	5	2	3	5	3	9	11
'Source:' World Weather Information Service

See also

★ List of cities in Bulgaria

★ Bulgarian Black Sea Coast

★ Lake Burgas

★ Burgas Airport

External links

★ Bourgas city directory

★ Airport Burgas

★ Photos from Burgas

★ Nikola Gruev's gallery of Burgas

★ Burgas City Official Website

★ Burgas Regional Administration

★ Hotels in Burgas

★ Port of Burgas Website

★ Bourgas resort guide

★ Burgas Bulgaria — Travel Guide

★ Internet radio HitNet

★ City Art Gallery

★ Photos of Burgas

★ Promotional film about Bourgas

★ BurgasNews.com - Online News from Burgas