Almost 3 million tourists choose to spend
their holiday in Bulgaria every year. They
come to a state, which is at the actual
crossroads between the East and the West,
between the Old Continent and the mysterious Orient, between Christianity and the
Islam. It is a state with outstanding history.
It is the motherland of the Slavs and was at
the foundation of the powerful Slavic
Empire. It has fought many battles and its
victories are more than its defeats. At certain
points in history it was one of the most
powerful states in the world. Founded in
681 under the name Bulgaria it is the only
state in Europe, which has never changed
its name since its establishment until today.
Very few are the countries in the world,
which have perfect beaches only 200 or
300 kms away from first-class winter
resorts. What lies between them are pleasant
green lowlands, the famous Rose
Valley, unique monasteries, cultural and
historical monuments from the time of the
Great Roman Empire, the treasures of the
Thracians, the mysteries of the Barbarians.
The property development boom which
Bulgaria experiences in the last 4-5 years is
practically centers in and around the big
resorts on the Black sea and mountains.
Apartment houses in closed developments
(complexes), villas and country houses in
picturesque villages, on or near beachfront
and in the skiing resorts. The complexes
are developed with a range of facilities –
swimming pools, spa, fitness, saunas and
jacuzzis, restaurants and materials and
styled architecturally to fit into the local surroundings and scenery. The owners normally
pay an annual fee to guarantee the
maintenance, upkeep and security of their
properties.
The R.O.I. (return on investments) in
Bulgarian developments is twofold – once
through rental deals – 10% in city property
and 5-6% in resorts areas, and, secondly,
by the value growth, which in the last 3
years has been above 20% p.a.
Within 5 years these properties will double
in price and owners can sell them with
100% premium. And that is after collecting
the rentals in all these years.
The Black Sea Coast
The ancient Greeks called it Pontius
Euxinos, which means 'The Hospitable Sea'
and that is exactly what it is. The summer
temperatures are not extremely high, which
makes it ideal for having a holiday and
doing sports. The beaches are wide and
the sand is soft. The content of salt (17 %
on the surface) is half that of the
Mediterranean Sea. The average number of
sunny days per month is 20 in May and
September, and over 25 in July and August.
The average daily temperature in summer
varies between 23°C and 27°C, and that of
the sea water is between 17 °C and 25 °C. |
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The South Black Sea Coast
Sunny Beach. The first tourists came to the
place in 1959. They were accommodated in
small hotels in a typical Bulgarian Revival
style, of 1 or 2 floors, separated by
stonewalls and archways. Today the resort
has hotels and restaurants, which rival
those of the best resorts all over the world.
Sunny Beach has been awarded the prestigious
'Blue Flag' prize for achievements in
protecting the environment.
The Old Town of Nessebar – the town of
the extinct civilizations. Thracians,
Hellenes, Romans, Byzantines and Bulgars
have lived in this town, which stands on a
tiny rocky peninsula connected with the
mainland by a narrow strip of land 300 m
long. The legend says that in 2nd millennium
BC a Thracian (called Mena) founded the
town and gave it the name Menabria. The
remains of the agora, the theatre and the
temple of Apollo were found near ruins from
1st c. BC. It was then that the Romans
invaded the town (72).
In 3rd c. it was a big town with a well-developed
economy. At the end of 4th c.
Messambria became a fortress in the
Byzantine Empire and in 7th c. Bulgarian
Khan Krum conquered it.
Its history, which is 3 thousand years long,
has transformed the town into an incredible
museum in the open. In 1983 Nessebar
was included in the UNESCO World
Heritage List as a place, which has witnessed
the existence of several extinct civilizations.
Sozopol – the town of Salvation. Located
on 34 km south of Bourgas it is the oldest
Greek colony on the Black Sea established
in 6th c. Before that it was a Thracian settlement.
There are the ruins of an ancient
fortress wall and an acropolis from 5th-3rd c.
BC.
Apollonia was an independent town with its
own army and fleet. The pride of the town is
a 13 m high bronze statue of Apollo, which
is supposed to have been brought from
Rome. In 4th c. it was named Sozopol – the
town of Salvation

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