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Ancient city of Nessebar, BulgariaSource: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Bulgaria-Nesebar-03.JPG
Author: www.vacacionesbulgaria.com
Nessebar, also spelled Nesebar and Nesebur, is an ancient city on the coast of the Black Sea in Bulgaria. Today a major seaside resort, Nessebar has a history going back three thousand years. There are many ancient monuments in the city that has been preserved.
The rich history of Nessebar is celebrated with its inscription as a World Heritage Site during the 7th session of the World Heritage Committee meeting in Florence, Italy, on 5-9 December, 1983.
Ancient city of Nessebar, BulgariaSource: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Nesebar_Iz17.jpg
Author: Izvora
Chronology of the History of Nessebar
- 6th century BC: Settled by Dorians from Megara. It became an important trading centre, and was the only Doric colony on the Black Sea coast, while other colonies such that period were Ionic.
- 71 BC: It was conquered by the Romans.
- 5th century AD: It became an important town of the Byzantine Empire.
- 812 AD: The Bulgarian ruler Khan Krum captured it from the Byzantine, and made it part of the First Bulgarian Empire.
- 864: It was ceded back by Knyaz Boris to the Byzantines, but reconquered by his son Tsar Simeon the Great. It enjoyed much prosperity under the rule of the Bulgarian tsar Ivan Alexaqnder (1331-1371).
- 1366: It was conquered by the Crusaders under Amadeus VI, Count of Savoy.
- 1453: It was captured by the Turks, marking its steady decline in importance.
- 1878: It became part of the autonomous Ottoman province of Eastern Rumelia, following the Liberation of Bulgaria from Ottoman rule.
- 1925: A new town was built while the old town was restored and preserved.
Ancient city of Nessebar, BulgariaSource: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Nesebar_Iz8.jpg
Author: Izvora
World Heritage Site Inscription Details
Location: N 42 39 21.996 E 27 43 48Inscription Year: 1983
Type of Site: Cultural
Inscription Criteria: III, IV The property covers 27.1 hectares surrounded by a buffer zone of 1245.6 hectares in Burgas Province.
Nessebar is said to have one of the highest number of churches per capita. The following are the most famous churches there:
- Church of St Sophia, also known as the Old Bishopric
- Basilica of the Holy Mother of God Eleusa
- Church of John the Baptist
- Church of St Stephen, also known as the New Bishopric
- Church of St Theodore
- Church of St Paraskeva
- Church of the Holy Archangels Michael and Gabriel
- Church of Christ Pantocrator
- Church of St John Aliturgetos
- Church of St Spas
- Church of St Clement
View of the sea from the ancient city of Nessebar in BulgariaSource: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Nesebar-fortifications-lazarov.JPG
Author: Nenko Lazrov
Visiting Ancient City of Nessebar
Your base for visiting this World Heritage Site is Sofia, the capital of Bulgaria. From there, you can make the arrangement, either on your own or through a travel agency, to go to Ancient City of Nessebar.Getting there
If you arrived in Sofia, you can catch a local bus to go to Nessebar. As it is a major tourist destination, there are many buses going that way.
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