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Go on a journey with
Shepherd entertainment and discover the sites and wonders of
Nesebar in the
Bulgarian Riviera.
Walk
through this colorful town and discover this ancient city who became a part of the
UNESCO world heritage and is now mainly known for its wooden houses, rich history and archeological findings, sided by unique architecture and a handful of touristic opportunities.
From
Sunny Beach, we reach Nesebar, one of the pearls of Bulgaria by car or ship in a short time. The ancient
Mesembria has been a museum town since
1944 and a part of the UNESCO world heritage.
The town with a population of 9500 is mainly known for its wooden houses built in the 19th and
20th centuries while the relics of its distant past are not so eyecatching. Nesebar was a built on an 850m long and 300m wide peninsula which is linked to the main land by a narrow dam. Buses arrive regularly at the station located at the neck of the dam from
Varna,
Burgas and
Sophia. Over 30 centuries ago, the first inhabitants of the settlement were Thracians who inhabited the northeast part of the
Balkan Peninsula.
Judging from the Thracian and Skecian motifs on the archeological relics, there was a bigger Thracian influence here than the other cities of the seaside. The craftsmen of Mesembria made the weapons and helmets for the neighboring
Thracian tribes. They dealt mainly with the
Greeks but their ships travelled all over the
Black Sea, even to
Egypt. In the 6th century BC, Doric settlers arrived to the peninsula which was easy to protect. The town kept its Doric complexion even during the
Roman reign contrary to the two ionic settlements Odessos which is Varna today and
Apollonia which is
Sozopol today which became Roman.
Mesembria rode out the conquest quite well but its commercial importance declined. This can be accounted for by the commercial connections with the
Byzantine empire because it was much closer than the capital city
Rome. From the
5th century, Mesembria was an
Episcopal seat surrounded by strong walls and its first
Christian churches were built during this time.
Emperor Justinianos left with his army against the
Bulgarian Khan from here. From the
10th century, the town lived its everyday life sometimes under the reign of the Byzantines and sometimes under Bulgaria. Rich merchantmen lived in the strong and populous town in the time of Czar
Ivan Alexander. They made it the town of 70 churches although they did it to show their wealth rather than for the sake of their spiritual bliss
.
In the 15th century, the foraged emptied coast had been conquered by the
Turks and the peninsula was in an exceptional situation. A
Turkish traveler, Evilya Cheleby writes the small but totally intact, fortified town is inhabited mainly by
Greek people.
It's abundant in vineyards and fruit gardens. Its main products are grapes, wine and salt. In the harbor, many kinds of fish are sold.
None of the Christian churches was converted into a mosque. The destruction of the town happened later in the
18th century when the front of the
Russian Turkish war encroached upon them. Local people talk about 40 churches but only 10 of them are intact.
The others, but ruins. The most significant ones are the church of the Almighty and the church of
St. John the Baptist. Both were built during the early phase of
Byzantine architecture. The floor plan of both buildings takes the shape of a
Greek cross and the exteriors are ornamented by blind arches with brick patterns.
One the ruins of the basilica located on Metropolisca
Street, we can also study the features of byzantine architecture through the remnants which retain much of the simplicity of ancient
Christianity. The 25m long three aisle basilica is the oldest church of the town. More and more people come here to escape from the marauding --. In this way, the population of Nesebar replenished and the town once consisting of spacious merchant houses with large courtyards became a crowded eastern town with meandering streets. It was the world of fishermen, tradesmen and vineyard owners living their patriarchal life. In 1885, Nesebar also became part of the Bulgarian principality.
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- published: 19 Jun 2013
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