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 leave only a colorful kaleidoscope of places and events in memory. Seeing everything in Sozopol in one day is simply unrealistic. And if, not knowing the history of this wonderful city, you will simply click the camera shutter indiscriminately? Then later it will be difficult for you to determine where Sozopol is and where Nessebar is.
The true aura of this place is revealed only to those who want to understand it. It is literally steeped in history. The city was founded in the VI century BC by sailors from Miletus. They liked the convenient harbor and the rocky, protected peninsula on three sides. They named the settlement in honor of the sun god - Apollonia. The historical sights of Sozopol have survived very little from those times. After all, in the I century. BC e. the city was destroyed by the army of the Roman legionary MarkLucullus. The conquerors also took away 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 strengthened the fortress walls (in ancient times they reached a height of 6 meters). Christian churches were built on the site of the old pagan temples. The new settlement was named the "City of Salvation" - Sozopol. During the Turkish yoke, mainly Greeks lived here, who also added their national color to the appearance of the city. The 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 numerous 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 allowed to build only small chapels. Some of them still exist today - Atanas, Demetrius, Nicholas, Marina, Ascension. Temple of St. George with an altar from the Thracian temple and the Church of the BlessedThe Mother of God and St. Zosima are the main religious sights of Sozopol. Of the museums, we can recommend the archaeological one, with a good collection of antique amphorae, and the 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. On it are the remains of the ancient monastery of John the Baptist, and under the 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 rather cold winters), real jungles with lianas 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. At the "zero kilometer" of the river - at the very confluence with the sea - you can see frolicking seals and dolphins.
