Plovdiv (Пловдив)

The Varnites (the Varnians? the Varish?) may claim that Varna is really the second-largest city in Bulgaria, - but, in terms of its historical importance, there is no comparison. Plovdiv (map), along with Edirne, and Thessalonica, was one of the three economic powerhouses of Ottoman Europe.

House of Stoyan Chomakov (1860)

Plovdiv was also supposed to be the capital of the new state of Bulgaria, - at least according to the Treaty of San Stefano signed after the tenth(!) Russo-Turkish War. Unfortunately for Plovdiv, though, a united Bulgaria was, geopolitically-speaking, just not cricket at the time, and the Congress of Berlin decided that it would be far preferable for Plovdiv and the region of Eastern Rumelia to remain in the Ottoman Empire. Which it did, if only for another seven years, but, by then...

Nevertheless, Plovdiv still boasts many fine remnants of its prosperity through the ages, both under the Ottoman Empire, and before.

House of Argir Kuyumdzhioglu (1847)

Paul on the Road to Damascus (1836-1840)
Church of Saint Constantine and Saint Helena

Roman Theatre (early 2nd AD)

My favourite view of Plovdiv summarises this quite nicely. Below be seen a statue of Philip II of Macedon, a thin wedge of the Roman Stadium, one of the few surviving mosques in the city, and a National Revival building in the background, - over two thousand years!

Plovdiv through the ages

Burgas (Бургас)

Burgas (map) is the smaller twin of Varna, lying about a hundred kilometres or so further south on the Black Sea coast. Not wanting to be out-done, it too boasts fine promenades, and an impressive array of National Revival buildings. Just as special is the former Synagogue, dating, like that in Sofia, to the early twentieth century (1909), which still preserves some of its original decoration. Unlike the Synagogue in Sofia, though, it is now an art gallery.

The Synagogue façade

The Synagogue interior

The archaeological museum seemed equally infused with this spirit, with lots of maps illustrating the extent of settlement in antiquity, and even a didactic proudly proclaiming that Apollonia Pontica was the 'first democratic state on the territory of the present-day Bulgaria'. So there!

Jewellery of the priestess Lesseskepra (1st c BC -1st c AD)

A hoard of 'arrow-coins' dated to the sixth century BC formed one of the more unusual exhibits.

Arrow-coins

Sozopol (Созопол) / Apollonia

Like Nesebar, the old town in Sozopol (map) is crammed full of traditional wooden houses, and equally full of tourists in the summer.

Finding a bed off-season, though, proved rather a challenge: perhaps because of the economic downturn, even the hotels and agencies explicitly listed in my guide as open all year round were firmly closed. It may, though, have just been the guide, which throughout this trip has spiced up my days with its mysterious ability to redesign city lay-outs and to relocate landmarks. Opening hours can change, even street names, but opera houses, churches and hotels only rarely leap several blocks.

The old Secondary School

The old fortification walls at the entrance to the old town are currently being restored, so it was possible to get a good view of the various phases.

Count the phases...

As at Ohrid, it will be interesting to come back in a few years to see the walls in their restored state. Compare, perhaps, the reconstructed tower and battlements to the south of the city.

Ongoing restoration...

Reconstructed Tower

Nesebur (Несебър) / Mesambria

The ancient city of Mesambria, Nesebur (map) was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1983 because of its old town with its array of churches - I counted eleven predating the seventeenth century, though I may have missed a few.

Detail of the Church of Christ Pantocrator

The old town is connected to the new town and the mainland by a man-made isthmus, and entering it still requires passing through the ancient and mediaeval fortifications.

The entrance to the old town

Now a significant tourist resort, it was very, very quiet even in April, with over half of the shops still shut. This did, though, mean I had the museum and town to myself, which was pleasant!

Old Town Street

Besides an excellent display of gold jewellery found in local tombs, one of the more unusual exhibits in the museum was a Syrinx dating to the fourth century BC.

Hellenistic Jewellery from the Necropolis

4th c BC Syrinx

Varna (Варна) / Odessus

Varna (map) vies with Plovdiv as Bulgaria's second-largest city, and is the focus of the Bulgarian Black Sea coast. It also, to me, had a very different feel from Sofia: the centre seemed much more spacious and leafy, and the people more at ease.

Varna Cathedral

Varna Theatre

As (almost) ever in Bulgaria, the archaeological museum did not allow photography. It did, though, have a statue outside commemorating the 'founders of Bulgarian Archaeology', as they were described to me: Karel (1859-1944) and Hermin (1858-1923) Shkorpil, both Czechs by extraction. One friend commented that they formed part of a rather more peaceful form of Pan-Slavism than has at other times been current.

Karel and Hermin Shkorpil

Besides the museum itself, the most significant archaeological site in Varna (ancient Odessus) are the baths, reputed to be the third or fourth largest complex excavated thus far, with the tower still standing to a height of eighteen metres!

The Baths' Apodyterium

Varna was, though, special to me for two quite distinct reasons. The first: the first female cantors at an Orthodox service. I have lost count of the number of services I have attended or happened upon this past year, and the cantor(s) has always been male, until now. I imagine they are not as infrequent as my effectively anecdotal experience suggests, - but it was striking to hear. The second: for a ridiculous system in the archaeology museum lavatories whereby there was but one roll of paper outside the cubicles. Can this really save that much time, - or even paper? At least with the paper, I imagine it might well be counter-productive...

Sofia (София) / Serdica

Settling back into life in Sofia (map), I had several days to explore the centre and environs at leisure.

Yes, that is a tram in the background

Some of the more interesting buildings included the Russian Church, consecrated in 1914 on the site of an earlier mosque. All five domes are golden, and gleam in the sun, after a recent restoration. The interior, alas, still awaits similar treatment.

Russian Church

Another is the Synagogue, the largest in this region, which again dates to the early twentieth century (1909), and is in Moorish Revival style.

Synagogue

As so often, the archaeological museum did not allow photography, but the National Historical Museum just outside Sofia did. As befits a Communist showpiece, it is solid, massive, and concrete. Despite the height of the ceilings, it is also quite gloomy inside, but that perhaps just set off the treasures inside all the more.

18th c Artophorion

Some of the more spectacular include the Panagyurishte treasure, a collection of nine golden vessels weighing more than six kilogrammes in total, including seven rhyta, drinking cups with bases shaped like the forepart of animals, and an amphora shewing a young Heracles killing the two snakes Hera sent to kill him.

Bull Rhyton

Amphora

Ohrid (Охрид)

Whether or not Ohrid (map) did once boast hundred and sixty five churches, its religious history is rich, as befits the final resting place of St Clement, tradionally considered the inventor of Cyrillic (as the name suggests, another tradition credits St Cyril and St Methodius). It also has a glorious location on Lake Ohrid, and, even in April, there were plenty of people eager to offer rides round the lake.

Ohrid

High up on the peak overlooking the town is Samuil's fortress, the capital of the First Bulgarian Empire under Samuil (AD 997-1014), though recent evidence suggests possible late Classical or Hellenistic occupation of the site as well (or, if you prefer, suggests Philip II built a fortress here...)

View over the town and lake from Samuil's Fortress

Samuil's Fortress

Further out towards the peninsula sits the basilica of St Clement, freshly restored to its original form, and sitting in the middle of an archaeological zone, not of the green Selinuntine variety, but of the late antique brick variety. With restoration ongoing, it will be interesting to see how the presentation of the site changes over the next few years.

Basilica of St Clement


Spot the restored sections

More serene is the church of Sveti Jovan Kaneo, on the very tip of the peninsula some way from the town. Nothing but a few fighting puppies to disturb the peace!

Sveti Jovan Kaneo


Shush!