Attractions of Sozopol through the eyes of an enlightened tourist

Holidaymakers in Burgas are often offered to go on a one-day excursion to Sozopol (Bulgaria). The sights of this UNESCO World Heritage Site are so numerous that they leave in their memory only a colorful kaleidoscope of places and events. To see everything in Sozopol for one day is simply unreal. And if you do not know the history of this wonderful city, will you simply click the shutter of the camera indiscriminately? Then then it will be difficult for you to determine where Sozopol, and where - Nessebar.

The true aura of this place is revealed only to those who want to understand it. It is literally soaked with history. The city was founded in the 6th century BC by seafarers from Miletus. They liked the convenient harbor and the rocky, three-side protected peninsula. They named the settlement in honor of the sun god Apollonia. The historical sights of Sozopol have been preserved very little since those times. After all, in the I century. BC. E. The city was destroyed by the army of Roman legionary Marcus Lucullus. Conquerors carried away from the ruins and the most valuable trophy - thirteen-meter statue of Apollo from bronze. Now this artifact is kept in the Capitol, in Rome.

It took five centuries to return people to the abandoned peninsula. They rebuilt and fortified the fortress walls (in ancient times they reached a height of 6 meters). In place of the old pagan temples, Christian churches were built. The new settlement was called the "City of Salvation" - Sozopol. At the time of the Turkish yoke, mainly Greeks lived here, who also added their national colors 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 "place of threshing". Of the many windmills , only one has survived to this day.

Powerful city fortifications - the first thing that strikes tourists coming to Sozopol. Sights of defense architecture were erected at different times. There are fragments dating from the year 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 allowed to build only small chapels. Some of them still exist today - Atanas, Demetrius, Nicholas, Marina, Ascension. The church of St. George with the altar of the Thracian temple and the church of the Blessed Virgin and St. Zosima - the main religious sites of Sozopol. From museums one can recommend archaeological, with a good collection of antique amphorae, and an art gallery.

Sights of Sozopol are located around the city. In total the narrow strait separates the old part from the two islands - John and Peter. The first of them is the largest in Bulgaria. On it are the remains of the ancient monastery of John the Baptist, and under water there is a unique natural phenomenon - the petrified forest. Not far from the city, the Ropotamo River flows into the Black Sea. Its mouth is interesting because in conditions of temperate climate (with rather cold winters) on the banks grow real jungle with lianas, and the water surface is strewn with huge lilies and water lilies. Because of this, the river is called the Bulgarian Amazon. At the "zero kilometer" of the river - at the very confluence of the sea - you can see frolicking seals and dolphins.