MUNICIPALITY OF BURGAS

BURGAS regional and municipal centre

Total area of the municipality 513,6 sq. km

Population 236 493 inhabitants

Burgas citizens 229 243

Towns and villages: the town of Burgas, the town Balgarovo, and the villages of Vetren, Draganovo, Dimchevo, Izvorishte, Marinka, Ravnets, Rudnik, Tvarditsa, Mirolyubovo, Cherno More mining village, Banevo, Bratovo

GEOGRAPHICAL POSITION AND NATURAL RESOURCES

The Municipality of Burgas is remarkable for its unique geographical features. It is situated in the southeast of Bulgaria amid the lowlands of Burgas. It borders the Black Sea to the east, thus including the largest Black Sea bay – the Bay of Burgas.

The region has a flat relief and its climate is mild and agreeable. Near the seashore there are three lagoon lakes – Lake Burgas, Lake Atanassovo and Lake Mandra. The latter was turned into a water reservoir and parts of it were declared protected areas. Lake Atanassovo is a maintained nature reserve for safeguarding protected species with a hide for bird watching. On average 40 000 tonnes of sea salt is extracted in the buffer zone of the reserve, the curative mud and lye are valuable natural resources. Lake Burgas is the largest natural lake in Bulgaria. Its western part is declared a protected area of great ornithological importance in Europe. 254 bird species nest her, of which 61are included in the Red Book of Bulgaria. Other protected areas are Poda, the mouth of the Izvorska River, and the locality of Uzungren, the Bay of Chengene Skele, Koriyata at the village of Ravnets, where century-old common oak forests are preserved.

The wetlands are on Via Pointica – the migratory flyway, and are some of the most important stopover sites during the migration of the birds. The beach of Burgas is covered with dark sand which has a special curative effect.

Burgas is the fourth biggest town in Bulgaria. A port town with its own international airport, a very well developed surface infrastructure, combined with the natural resources, ethnographical and cultural features, Burgas is an extremely interesting town with good prospects.

HISTORY, CULTURE, SPIRITUALITY

The Thracians were the first inhabitants of the region. Around the 6^th c. BC these lands were settled by Hellines, who founded a colony under the name of Pirgos. Unique archaeological finds attest to the fact that land tilling, stock breeding and salt extraction were the livelihoods of the ancient inhabitants of the region. The artifacts are the oldest ones ever found along the Black Sea coast, including Turkey and the Caucasus.

Today Burgas is a modern and beautiful town. Along with the modern architecture, buildings from the beginning of the 19^th c. have been preserved. Burgas is considered to be the most romantic town in Bulgaria because of the narrow streets in the centre, the old houses and the picturesque sea gardens. Charming, possessing the soul of a Bohemian, Burgas is the town of art and culture. Home to poets, writers, artists, actors, musicians, Burgas is an immense stage: the International Folklore Festival, Burgas and the Sea National Contest for Popular Songs, the Sweet-voiced Lark National Contest for Children’s Songs, the On the Coast International Sofia Film Fest, the On the Coast International Theatre Festival, the Autumn Literature Holidays, the Friends of the Sea National Exhibition, the International Dance Sport Tournament for the Cup of Burgas, the Flora International Flower Exhibition – Burgas, the International Festival of Sand Statues, the Blues Fest, the Spirit of Burgas MTV Festival and a lot more events that have made Burgas unique and unforgettable.

ECONOMIC ACHIEVEMENTS AND PRIORITIES

The strong aspects of the economic development of Burgas Municipality are determined by the favourable geographical position, the well developed transport system, the sizeable infrastructure built, and the considerable potential for the development of tourism and industries unique to the country. An essential prerequisite for conquering foreign markets and trading in local and import raw materials is the sea outlet as well as the presence of a port complex (with the biggest cargo turnover in the country) and an airport with the best technical parameters in Bulgaria. Burgas is one of the major logistic points on the Pan-European transport corridor No 8. The investment attractiveness is due to the possibility of fulfilling projects in the field of port activities, air and land transport, industry and trade. The beaches, the bioclimatic and forest resources, the mineral waters, the curative mud and the protected nature sites, together with the extremely varied cultural events, form the major potential for developing all modern forms of tourism: ecological, spa, cultural, congress and other kinds of tourism