History of Burgas: from the Thracians to Eurovision
A short story of how a small seaside settlement became the main port of southern Bulgaria. The key dates, no extra detail.
- 1878Liberation of Bulgaria
- 1903port and station opened
- ~190,000inhabitants at the 2021 census
The timeline is based on Wikipedia and Wikivoyage. Sources disagree on some dates, so we only give the main events.
Antiquity and the Middle Ages
People lived here long before the city. The first traces date from the Bronze Age and early Iron Age, and later Thracians, Romans, Byzantines and Bulgarians passed through.
Thracians
From the 4th century BC the region was settled by Thracians; finds include the Beglik Tash sanctuary.
Roman Deultum
In AD 70 the Romans founded Colonia Flavia Pacis Deultensium (Deultum) under Emperor Vespasian. The ruins of Develtum can be seen near Burgas.
Battle of Skafida
In 1304 Tsar Todor Svetoslav defeated the Byzantines at the Battle of Skafida.
Ahelo-Pirgas
In the 17th century a settlement called Ahelo-Pirgas grew on the site of today’s city. In the early 19th century it was depopulated by bandit raids.
Per Wikipedia; sources give dates and period names differently.
The 19th century: port and Liberation
By the mid-19th century Burgas was already a notable port, and after the Liberation it grew quickly.
Second Ottoman port
By 1865 Burgas was the second most important Ottoman port on the Black Sea after Trabzon.
Liberation
In 1878 Bulgaria was liberated, but Burgas stayed in the Ottoman province of Eastern Rumelia.
Unification
In 1885 Eastern Rumelia joined the Principality of Bulgaria and Burgas became part of the country.
The railway
On 27 May 1890 the line to Plovdiv opened. The city library was founded in 1888.
Per Wikipedia and Wikivoyage.
In the 20th century the city grew as a port and naval base. Today it is the main centre of the southern Black Sea coast and the host of Eurovision 2027.
Sts Cyril and Methodius Cathedral
The Cathedral of Sts Cyril and Methodius was built in 1897. Today it is one of the main sights of the centre.
Deep-water port and station
In 1903 the deep-water port and the new Burgas Central station opened.
Oil terminal and refinery
In the 1960s, under communism, an oil terminal and a large refinery were built.
Population
At the 2021 census Burgas had about 190,000 inhabitants.
Eurovision 2027
In May 2027 Burgas will host the contest at Arena Burgas. Full guide on the Eurovision page.
What to see
Where to see all this today: the cathedral, the Sea Garden, the bridge and the lakes are on the Sights page.
Per Wikipedia and Wikivoyage.
Sources
Historical dates differ between open sources; check academic literature before using them in publications.