Tourism in Bulgaria is a significant contributor to the country's economy. Situated at the crossroads of the East and West, Bulgaria has been home to many civilizations: Thracians, Greeks, Romans, Eastern Romans or Byzantines, Slavs, Bulgars, and Ottomans. The country is rich in tourist sights and historical artifacts, scattered through a relatively small and easily accessible territory. Bulgaria is internationally known for its seaside and winter resorts.
Bulgaria attracted nearly 12 million foreign tourists in 2017, according to the World Bank.[1] Tourists from five countries (Romania, Turkey, Greece, Germany and Russia) account for approximately 50% of all visitors.[2] The sector contributed to 15% of GDP and supported 150,000 workplaces in 2014.[3][4]
There are ten UNESCOWorld Heritage Sites in Bulgaria. The first four properties were inscribed in the World Heritage List in 1979, and the last in 2017. Bulgaria currently has sixteen additional properties on the Tentative List.[5]Nestinarstvo, a ritual fire-dance of Thracian origin,[6] is included in the list of UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage.
The Bulgarian cultural heritage has many faces and manifestations - archaeological reserves and monuments, museums, galleries, rich cultural calendar, preserved folklore and magnificent architectural monuments.
Thracians made beautifully ornate golden and silver objects such as various kinds of vessels, rhytons, facial masks, pectorals, jewelry, weapons, etc. They used to bury rich hoards of precious objects both to hide them in times of enemy invasions and unrest as well as for ritual purposes. To date, more than 80 Thracian treasures have been excavated in Bulgaria which was the cradle of the Thracian civilization.
The Bulgarian town house is an embodiment of the owner's social status, craft and traditions. Many old buildings that demonstrate this type of architecture—e.g. in the villages of Arbanasi, Leshten, Kovachevitsa, Melnik—have been preserved to the present day.
During the 13th and especially during the 14th centuries the construction of monasteries thrived. Due to the troubled times many monasteries resembled fortresses. They usually had rectangular shape, the buildings surrounded a yard in which the main church was located. From the outside they had high stone walls reinforced with counterforts, and from the inside there were galleries with several stores which led towards the dwellings of the monks.
The Bulgarian Black Sea Coast is picturesque and diverse. White and golden sandy beaches occupy approximately 130 km of the 378 km long coast. The temperatures during the summer months are very suitable for marine tourism and the water temperature allows sea bathing from May to October. Prior to 1989 the Bulgarian Black Sea coast was internationally known as the Red Riviera. Since the fall of the Iron Curtain, however, its nickname has been changed to the Bulgarian Riviera.
As of 2002, there are around 4,500 discovered underground formations in Bulgaria.[9] The earliest written records about the caves in Bulgaria are found in the manuscripts of the 17th century Bulgarian National Revival figure and historian Petar Bogdan. The first Bulgarian speleological society was established in 1929. The caves in the country are inhabited by more than 700 invertebrate species and 32 of the 37 species of bats found in Europe.
^(PDF). Statlib.nsi.bg. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2015-04-12. Retrieved 2017-08-29.
^"UNESCO World Heritage Centre - Tentative List: Bulgaria". UNESCO World Heritage Centre. from the original on 2009-06-23. Retrieved 2019-09-28.
^MacDermott, Mercia (1998). Bulgarian Folk Customs. Jessica Kingsley Publishers. p. 226. ISBN1-85302-485-6. Retrieved 20 December 2011. While dancing round fires and jumping over fires forms part of many Slav customs, dancing on fire does not, and it is therefore likely that nestinarstvo was inherited by the Bulgarians from the Hellenized Thracians who inhabited the land before them.
^Centre, UNESCO World Heritage. "UNESCO World Heritage Centre - New Inscribed Properties (2017)". Whc.unesco.org. from the original on 2022-07-06. Retrieved 2017-08-29.
^"Register of protected areas in Bulgaria". Executive Environment Agency. from the original on 2018-03-11. Retrieved 2016-04-04.
^География на България. Физическа и социално-икономическа география. „ФорКом“. 2002. p. 64. ISBN954-464-123-8.
^"Tourism figures : Purpose of visit" (XLS). Nsi.bg. from the original on 2019-08-22. Retrieved 2017-08-29.
^. Archived from the original on November 18, 2019.
^"Резултат от справка". from the original on 2018-08-31. Retrieved 2018-05-01.
External linksedit
Wikivoyage has a travel guide for Bulgaria.
Official Bulgaria tourism website 2021-05-09 at the Wayback Machine
Media related to Tourism in Bulgaria at Wikimedia Commons
April 13, 2024
tourism, bulgaria, significant, contributor, country, economy, situated, crossroads, east, west, bulgaria, been, home, many, civilizations, thracians, greeks, romans, eastern, romans, byzantines, slavs, bulgars, ottomans, country, rich, tourist, sights, histor. Tourism in Bulgaria is a significant contributor to the country s economy Situated at the crossroads of the East and West Bulgaria has been home to many civilizations Thracians Greeks Romans Eastern Romans or Byzantines Slavs Bulgars and Ottomans The country is rich in tourist sights and historical artifacts scattered through a relatively small and easily accessible territory Bulgaria is internationally known for its seaside and winter resorts Boyana ChurchMadara RiderRock Hewn Churches of IvanovoKazanlakNessebarRila MonasterySveshtariPirinSrebarnaPrimeval Forestsclass notpageimage Location of World Heritage Sites within Bulgaria Bulgaria attracted nearly 12 million foreign tourists in 2017 according to the World Bank 1 Tourists from five countries Romania Turkey Greece Germany and Russia account for approximately 50 of all visitors 2 The sector contributed to 15 of GDP and supported 150 000 workplaces in 2014 3 4 Contents 1 Tourist attractions 1 1 UNESCO World Heritage Sites and Intangible Cultural Heritage List 1 2 Ethnic cultural and historical tourism 1 2 1 Historical monuments and sites 1 2 2 Museums 1 2 3 Thracian treasures 1 2 4 Rural tourism 1 2 5 City tourism 1 2 6 Monasteries 1 2 7 Churches 1 2 8 Festivals and events 1 3 Resorts and nature tourism 1 3 1 Seaside resorts 1 3 2 Hiking and skiing 2 National Parks 2 1 Caves and waterfalls 2 2 Nature landforms and formations 3 Statistics 3 1 Arrivals by country 4 See also 5 References 6 External linksTourist attractions editUNESCO World Heritage Sites and Intangible Cultural Heritage List edit Main article List of World Heritage sites in Bulgaria There are ten UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Bulgaria The first four properties were inscribed in the World Heritage List in 1979 and the last in 2017 Bulgaria currently has sixteen additional properties on the Tentative List 5 Nestinarstvo a ritual fire dance of Thracian origin 6 is included in the list of UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage nbsp Rila Monastery nbsp Thracian Tomb of Kazanlak nbsp Boyana Church nbsp Madara Rider nbsp Thracian Tomb of Sveshtari nbsp Rock hewn Churches nbsp Ancient City of Nessebar nbsp Pirin National Park nbsp Srebarna Nature Reserve nbsp Primeval Beech Forests of the Central Balkans 7 nbsp Nestinarstvo nbsp Chiprovtsi carpet nbsp Surva Masquerade games nbsp Koprivshtitsa folklore fair nbsp Martenitsa Ethnic cultural and historical tourism edit This section contains an unencyclopedic or excessive gallery of images Please help improve the section by removing excessive or indiscriminate images or by moving relevant images beside adjacent text in accordance with the Manual of Style on use of images August 2017 Learn how and when to remove this template message The Bulgarian cultural heritage has many faces and manifestations archaeological reserves and monuments museums galleries rich cultural calendar preserved folklore and magnificent architectural monuments Historical monuments and sites edit nbsp Tsarevets and Veliko Tarnovo nbsp Alexander Nevsky Cathedral nbsp Bulgaria National Assembly nbsp Shipka Memorial nbsp Plovdiv Roman theatre nbsp Perperikon nbsp Baba Vida nbsp Balchik Palace nbsp Dyavolski most nbsp Nicopolis ad Istrum nbsp Aleksandrovo Thracian tomb nbsp Belogradchik Fortress nbsp Dohodno Zdanie nbsp Great Basilica Pliska nbsp Covered Bridge Lovech nbsp Asen s Fortress nbsp Euxinograd nbsp 1300 Years of Bulgaria nbsp Cherven fortress nbsp Villa Armira nbsp Buzludzha nbsp Vrana Palace nbsp Asenevtsi monument nbsp Thracian Tomb of Tatul Museums edit nbsp National Historical Museum nbsp National Archaeological Museum nbsp National Gallery for Foreign Art nbsp National Museum of Military History nbsp National Museum of Natural History nbsp Sofia History Museum nbsp National museum Vasil Levski Karlovo nbsp National Transport Museum nbsp Dorkovo Museum nbsp Pleven Panorama nbsp Agushevi konatsi Mogilitsa nbsp Museum of the rose Kazanlak nbsp Rozhen Observatory nbsp Wine Museum nbsp House of Humour and Satire nbsp Varna dolphinarium nbsp Mining museum Pernik nbsp Varna Archaeological Museum nbsp Museum of Socialist Art Sofia nbsp Museum of Mosaics Devnya Thracian treasures edit Thracians made beautifully ornate golden and silver objects such as various kinds of vessels rhytons facial masks pectorals jewelry weapons etc They used to bury rich hoards of precious objects both to hide them in times of enemy invasions and unrest as well as for ritual purposes To date more than 80 Thracian treasures have been excavated in Bulgaria which was the cradle of the Thracian civilization nbsp Panagyurishte Treasure nbsp Rogozen Treasure nbsp Valchitran Treasure nbsp Golden mask of Teres I nbsp Bronze head of Seuthes III found in Golyamata Kosmatka nbsp Lukovit Treasure nbsp Letnitsa treasure nbsp Yakimovo Thracian Treasure nbsp Ravnogor Thracian Treasure nbsp A thracian golden necklace found in Arabadjiiska Mogila nbsp Sinemorets Gold figurines nbsp Thracian helmet found in Pletena nbsp Vazovo Thracian Pegasus nbsp Kralevo Treasure nbsp Golden treasure found in the Sveshtari Mound nbsp King Cotys I s Borovo Treasure nbsp Odrysian Wreath of Cersobleptes Zlatinica Malomirovo nbsp Mogilanska Mogila funeral offerings Rural tourism edit The Bulgarian town house is an embodiment of the owner s social status craft and traditions Many old buildings that demonstrate this type of architecture e g in the villages of Arbanasi Leshten Kovachevitsa Melnik have been preserved to the present day nbsp Koprivshtitsa nbsp Troyan nbsp Etar nbsp Dryanovo nbsp Elena nbsp Tryavna nbsp Lovech Varosha nbsp Bozhentsi nbsp Kovachevitsa nbsp Zheravna nbsp Arbanasi nbsp Zlatograd nbsp Shiroka Laka nbsp Melnik nbsp Leshten nbsp Dolen nbsp Brashlyan nbsp Stefanovo nbsp Kosovo nbsp Tutrakan City tourism edit nbsp Sofia nbsp Plovdiv nbsp Varna nbsp Burgas nbsp Ruse The Little Vienna nbsp Veliko Tarnovo nbsp Svishtov Monasteries edit During the 13th and especially during the 14th centuries the construction of monasteries thrived Due to the troubled times many monasteries resembled fortresses They usually had rectangular shape the buildings surrounded a yard in which the main church was located From the outside they had high stone walls reinforced with counterforts and from the inside there were galleries with several stores which led towards the dwellings of the monks nbsp Rila Monastery nbsp Rozhen Monastery nbsp Bachkovo Monastery nbsp Troyan Monastery nbsp Drianovo Monastery nbsp Sokolski Monastery nbsp Cherepishki Monastery nbsp Shipka Monastery nbsp Zemen Monastery nbsp Aladzha Monastery nbsp Basarbovo Monastery nbsp Transfiguration Monastery Churches edit nbsp Boyana Church nbsp Rock hewn Churches nbsp Churches of Nessebar nbsp Church of the Nativity of Christ in Arbanasi nbsp Church of Sveta Arhangeli Mikhail amp Gavril Arbanasi nbsp Church of St Petka Vukovo nbsp Church of St Demetrius Boboshevo nbsp Church of the Holy Mother of God Asen s Fortress nbsp Church of St Peter Berende nbsp Saint Nicholas Slokostitsa Festivals and events edit nbsp Rozhen National Folklore Fair nbsp Epiphany s horo in Kalofer nbsp Festival of the rose Kazanlak nbsp Spirit of Burgas nbsp Kavarna Rock Fest nbsp July Morning at Kamen Bryag nbsp Paneurhythmy dances at the Seven Rila Lakes nbsp Tsarevets Sound and Light nbsp Surva Masquerade games nbsp Koprivshtitsa folklore fair Resorts and nature tourism edit Seaside resorts edit nbsp nbsp Golden Sandsclass notpageimage Beaches in Bulgaria The Bulgarian Black Sea Coast is picturesque and diverse White and golden sandy beaches occupy approximately 130 km of the 378 km long coast The temperatures during the summer months are very suitable for marine tourism and the water temperature allows sea bathing from May to October Prior to 1989 the Bulgarian Black Sea coast was internationally known as the Red Riviera Since the fall of the Iron Curtain however its nickname has been changed to the Bulgarian Riviera nbsp Rusalka nbsp Primorsko nbsp Kavarna nbsp Albena nbsp Kiten nbsp Golden Sands nbsp Constantine and Helena nbsp Irakli nbsp Ahtopol nbsp Sinemorets nbsp Kamchia nbsp Dyuni nbsp Sozopol nbsp Pomorie nbsp Shkorpilovtsi nbsp Byala nbsp Sunny Beach nbsp Balchik nbsp Obzor nbsp Sveti Vlas Hiking and skiing edit The country has several ski areas which offer excellent conditions for skiing snowboarding ski running and other winter sports nbsp Bansko nbsp Borovets nbsp Pamporovo nbsp Osogovo nbsp Razlog nbsp Malyovitsa nbsp Vitosha nbsp UzanaNational Parks editBulgaria has 3 national parks 11 nature parks and 55 nature reserves 8 The first nature park in Bulgaria and the Balkan Peninsula is Vitosha Nature Park established in 1934 nbsp Pirin National Park nbsp Rila National Park nbsp Central Balkan National Park nbsp Belasitsa Nature Park nbsp Bulgarka Nature Park nbsp Vitosha Nature Park nbsp Golden Sands Nature Park nbsp Persina Nature Park nbsp Sinite Kamani Nature Park nbsp Strandzha Nature Park nbsp Rusenski Lom Nature Park nbsp Shumensko Plato Nature Park Caves and waterfalls edit As of 2002 there are around 4 500 discovered underground formations in Bulgaria 9 The earliest written records about the caves in Bulgaria are found in the manuscripts of the 17th century Bulgarian National Revival figure and historian Petar Bogdan The first Bulgarian speleological society was established in 1929 The caves in the country are inhabited by more than 700 invertebrate species and 32 of the 37 species of bats found in Europe nbsp Devil s Throat Cave nbsp Bacho Kiro cave nbsp Devetashka cave nbsp Ledenika nbsp Magura Cave nbsp Prohodna nbsp Saeva dupka nbsp Snezhanka cave nbsp Uhlovitsa nbsp Babsko Praskalo nbsp Borov Kamak nbsp Emen nbsp Raysko Praskalo nbsp Etropole Waterfall nbsp Karlovsko Praskalo nbsp Krushuna Falls nbsp Popinolashki waterfall nbsp Skakavitsa Waterfall Nature landforms and formations edit nbsp Seven Rila Lakes nbsp The Stone Mushrooms nbsp Belogradchik Rocks nbsp The Stone Desert nbsp Trigrad Gorge nbsp Stob Pyramids nbsp Zlatnite Mostove nbsp Marvelous Bridges nbsp Iskar Gorge nbsp Ritlite nbsp Melnik Earth Pyramids nbsp Rock wedding KardzhaliStatistics editArrivals by country edit Most visitors arriving in Bulgaria on short term basis came from the following countries of nationality 2 10 11 12 Rank Country 2019 2018 2017 2016 20151 nbsp Romania 3 400 340 2 035 606 1 943 436 1 743 697 1 499 8542 nbsp Turkey 1 628 231 1 534 809 1 437 276 1 312 895 1 237 8413 nbsp Greece 1 277 610 1 290 313 1 272 997 1 157 062 1 024 5274 nbsp Germany 1 245 400 1 063 502 1 046 219 1 003 030 826 1425 nbsp Serbia 679 336 632 902 541 303 490 668 501 0916 nbsp North Macedonia 670 450 609 591 583 026 562 365 506 0527 nbsp Ukraine 596 993 487 400 388 645 342 214 310 7778 nbsp United Kingdom 589 342 424 384 352 054 281 777 250 0389 nbsp Russia 460 770 522 085 565 754 589 844 493 98910 nbsp Poland 445 316 474 984 424 724 388 833 285 45511 nbsp France 250 014 260 099 231 348 195 571 171 30512 nbsp Israel 246 404 245 567 209 304 183 846 155 27613 nbsp Czech Republic 214 550 236 265 209 218 219 349 160 97814 nbsp Austria 214 179 217 541 216 986 204 489 175 02415 nbsp Netherlands 176 122 193 362 183 755 147 882 125 37816 nbsp Italy 167 658 181 770 177 250 152 078 143 44617 nbsp Belgium 155 367 170 146 152 739 119 429 100 77718 nbsp Hungary 111 132 102 956 111 405 118 805 102 18919 nbsp United States 109 283 101 220 90 963 82 465 81 97920 nbsp Slovakia 87 227 101 887 81 318 78 167 74 770Total 13 14 450 400 11 596 167 10 604 396 9 316 624See also editList of World Heritage Sites in BulgariaReferences edit Worldbank Tourism in Bulgaria Worldbank org Archived from the original on 2019 02 23 Retrieved 2017 08 01 a b Arrivals of visitors from abroad to Bulgaria by months and by country of origin National statistical institute Nsi bg Archived from the original on 2017 11 23 Retrieved 2019 09 28 Stranicata ne e namerena Statistical references 2013 National Statistical Institute PDF Statlib nsi bg Archived from the original PDF on 2015 04 12 Retrieved 2017 08 29 UNESCO World Heritage Centre Tentative List Bulgaria UNESCO World Heritage Centre Archived from the original on 2009 06 23 Retrieved 2019 09 28 MacDermott Mercia 1998 Bulgarian Folk Customs Jessica Kingsley Publishers p 226 ISBN 1 85302 485 6 Retrieved 20 December 2011 While dancing round fires and jumping over fires forms part of many Slav customs dancing on fire does not and it is therefore likely that nestinarstvo was inherited by the Bulgarians from the Hellenized Thracians who inhabited the land before them Centre UNESCO World Heritage UNESCO World Heritage Centre New Inscribed Properties 2017 Whc unesco org Archived from the original on 2022 07 06 Retrieved 2017 08 29 Register of protected areas in Bulgaria Executive Environment Agency Archived from the original on 2018 03 11 Retrieved 2016 04 04 Geografiya na Blgariya Fizicheska i socialno ikonomicheska geografiya ForKom 2002 p 64 ISBN 954 464 123 8 Tourism figures Purpose of visit XLS Nsi bg Archived from the original on 2019 08 22 Retrieved 2017 08 29 TUR 1 3 For en Archived from the original on 2019 08 22 TUR 1 4 For en Archived from the original on November 18 2019 Rezultat ot spravka Archived from the original on 2018 08 31 Retrieved 2018 05 01 External links edit nbsp Wikivoyage has a travel guide for Bulgaria Official Bulgaria tourism website Archived 2021 05 09 at the Wayback Machine nbsp Media related to Tourism in Bulgaria at Wikimedia Commons Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Tourism in Bulgaria amp oldid 1192830275, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
