Burgas

[boor-gahs]

Burgas, city (1993 pop. 198,439), SE Bulgaria, on the Black Sea. It rivals Varna as the chief export port of Bulgaria and is an important commercial center. Food processing is the chief industry in Burgas, which also has engineering works and an oil refinery. The city was founded (18th cent.) on the site of a 14th-century fortified town.

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Burgas

City (pop., 2001: 802,932), eastern Bulgaria. Located on an inlet of the Black Sea, it is one of Bulgaria's chief ports. It was founded in the 17th century; its development received impetus with the coming of the railroad in the late 19th century. It claims much of Bulgaria's Black Sea trade and handles most of its fish catch. With several neighbouring towns, Burgas is part of the developing Black Sea Riviera.

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Encyclopedia Britannica, 2008. Encyclopedia Britannica Online.

Burgas

Burgas (Бургас, sometimes transliterated as Bourgas) is the second-largest city and seaside resort on the Bulgarian Black Sea Coast with population 210,260. 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.

History

Burgas 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 the early 1800s Burgas was depopulated after raids by kurzdhali bandits. By the mid 19th century it had recovered its economic prominence through the growth of craftsmanship and the export of grain.

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. The historical society also maintains an open-air museum at Beglik Tash.

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.

References

Institutions of higher education

Prof. Dr. Assen Zlatarov University

Bourgas Free University

Attractions

Burgas Regional Historical Museum
Ethnographic Museum
Museum of Nature and Science
Art Gallery
Opera House
International Folklore Festival

Notable natives

Apostol Karamitev (1923–1973), actor
Dimitar Dimitrov (b. 1959),football coach
Georgi Chilikov (b. 1978), footballer
Georgi Kostadinov (b. 1950), first Bulgarian boxing Olympic champion
Georgi Kaloyanchev (b. 1925), actor
Georgi Mihalev (b. 1968), competitive swimmer
Kostas Varnalis (1884–1974) Greek poet
Nedyalko Yordanov (b. 1940), writer
Nikola Stanchev (b. 1930), first Bulgarian Olympic champion
Petya Dubarova (1962–1979), poetess
Prodan Gardzhev (1936–2003), Bulgarian Olympic champion - wrestling
Radostin Kishishev (b. 1974), footballer
Zlatko Yankov, (b.1966), famous football player, part of USA summer 1994

Notable buildings and architectural structures

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

Sister cities

San Francisco, California, United States

Climate table

Climate table
	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec	Year
Mean daily maximum temperature (°C)	5.9	8.9	17.8	20.7	25.3	27.4	30.2	30.0	26.4	20.6	11.6	6.1	19.2
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	9.8
Mean total rainfall (mm)	11	14	32	51	40	44	21	9	8	13	28	31	25.1
Mean number of rain days	10	10	10	11	4	5	2	3	5	3	9	11	6
Source: World Weather Information Service