Nesebar Несебър | |
|---|---|
City | |
 From top left: Northern harbour,Church of Christ Pantokrator, The wooden windmill on the isthmus,Church of St John Aliturgetos, Old house and town walls,Church of St Sophia, Southern bay of the old town | |
 Coat of arms | |
  Nesebar Position of Nesebar in Bulgaria | |
| Coordinates:42°39′N27°44′E / 42.650°N 27.733°E /42.650; 27.733 | |
| Country | Bulgaria |
| Province | Burgas |
| Government | |
| • Mayor | Nikolay Dimitrov |
| Area | |
• City | 31.852 km2 (12.298 sq mi) |
| Elevation | 30 m (98 ft) |
| Population (15.12.2010) | |
• City | 13,347 |
| • Metro | 28,957 |
| Demonym | Neseberian |
| Time zone | UTC+2 (EET) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+3 (EEST) |
| Postal code | 8230 |
| Area code | 0554 |
UNESCO World Heritage Site | |
 Interactive map of Nesebar | |
| Official name | Ancient City of Nessebar |
| Criteria | Cultural: iii, iv |
| Reference | 217 |
| Inscription | 1983 (7thSession) |
| Area | 27.1 ha |
| Buffer zone | 1,245.6 ha |
Nesebar (often transcribed asNessebar and sometimes asNesebur,Bulgarian:Несебър, pronounced[nɛˈsɛbɐr]) is an ancientcity and one of the major seaside resorts on theBulgarian Black Sea Coast, located inBurgas Province. It is the administrative centre of the homonymousNesebar Municipality. Often referred to as the "Pearl of the Black Sea", Nesebar is a rich city-museum defined by more than three millennia of ever-changing history. The small city exists in two parts separated by a narrow human-madeisthmus with the ancient part of the settlement on the peninsula (previously an island), and the more modern section (i.e., hotels and later development) on the mainland side. The older part bears evidence of occupation by a variety of different civilisations over the course of its existence.
It is one of the most prominent tourist destinations and seaports on the Black Sea, in what has become a popular area with several large resorts—the largest,Sunny Beach, is situated immediately to the north of Nesebar.
Nesebar has on several occasions found itself on the frontier of a threatened empire, and as such it is a town with a rich history. Due to the city's abundance of historic buildings,UNESCO came to include Nesebar in its list ofWorld Heritage Sites in 1983.[1]
As of December 2019, the town has a population of 13,600 inhabitants.[2]
The settlement was known in Greek asMesembria (Greek:Μεσημβρία), sometimes mentioned asMesambria orMelsembria, the latter meaning the city of Melsas.[3] According to a reconstruction the name might derive from ThracianMelsambria.[4] Nevertheless, the Thracian origin of that name seems to be doubtful. Moreover, the tradition pertaining to Melsas, as founder of the city is tenuous and belongs to a cycle of etymological legends abundant among Greek cities. It also appears that the story of Melsas was a latter reconstruction of the Hellenistic era, when Mesembria was an important coastal city.[5]
Before 1934, the common Bulgarian name for the town was Месемврия,Mesemvriya. It was replaced with the current name, which was previously used in theErkech dialect spoken close to Nesebar.[6] Both forms are derived from the Greek Mesembria.
Bulgarian archaeologistLyuba Ognenova-Marinova led six underwater archaeological expeditions for theBulgarian Academy of Sciences (BAS) between 1961 and 1972[7][8] in the waters along theBulgarian Black Sea Coast. Her work led to the identification of five chronological periods of urbanization on the peninsula surrounding Nesebar through the end of the second millennium B.C., which included the Thracian protopolis, the Greek colony Mesambria, a Roman-ruled village to theEarly Christian Era, theMedieval settlement and aRenaissance era town, known as Mesembria or Nessebar.[7]
Engineering around the peninsula coastline was undertaken in 1980s both to preserve the coastline (and its historic significance) and to consolidate the area as a port.[9]
Originally aThracian settlement, known asMesembria, the town became aGreek colony when settled byDorians fromMegara at the beginning of the 6th century BC, then known as Mesembria. It was an important trading centre from then on and a rival of Apollonia (Sozopol). It remained the onlyDorian colony along the Black Sea coast, as the rest were typicalIonian colonies. At 425-424 BC the town joined theDelian League, under the leadership ofAthens.[10]
Remains date mostly from theHellenistic period and include theacropolis, a temple ofApollo and anagora. A wall which formed part of the Thracian fortifications can still be seen on the north side of the peninsula.
Bronze and silver coins were minted in Mesembria since the 5th century BC and gold coins since the 3rd century BC. The town fell underRoman rule in 71 BC, yet continued to enjoy privileges such as the right to mint its own coinage.[11]???
It was one of the most important strongholds of theEastern Roman Empire from the 5th century AD onwards, and was fought over byByzantines andBulgars, being captured and incorporated in the lands of theFirst Bulgarian Empire in 812 by KhanKrum after a two-week siege only to be ceded back to Byzantium byKnyazBoris I in 864 and reconquered by his sonTsarSimeon the Great. During the time of theSecond Bulgarian Empire it was also contested by Bulgarian and Byzantine forces and enjoyed particular prosperity under Bulgarian tsarIvan Alexander (1331–1371) until it was conquered byCrusaders led byAmadeus VI, Count of Savoy in 1366. The Bulgarian version of the name,Nesebar orMesebar, has been attested since the 11th century.
Monuments from theMiddle Ages include the 5–6th centuryStara Mitropoliya ("old bishopric"; alsoSt Sophia), abasilica without atransept; the 6th centurychurch of the Virgin; and the 11th centuryNova Mitropoliya ("new bishopric"; alsoSt Stephen) which continued to be embellished until the 18th century. In the 13th and 14th century a remarkable series of churches were built:St Theodore,St Paraskeva,St Michael St Gabriel, andSt John Aliturgetos.
The city was conquered by the Ottomans during theBulgarian-Ottoman wars, but was then returned to the Byzantine Empire by the terms of the 1403Treaty of Gallipoli.
The capture of the town by theOttoman Empire in 1453 marked the start of its decline, but its architectural heritage remained and was enriched in the 19th century by the construction of wooden houses in style typical for theBulgarian Black Sea Coast during this period. At the early 19th century many locals joined the Greek patriotic organization,Filiki Eteria, while at the outbreak of theGreek War of Independence (1821) part of the town's youth participated in the struggle underAlexandros Ypsilantis.[12][dead link]
Nesebar (Misivri) was a kaza centre inİslimye sanjak ofEdirne Province before 1878.[13]
After theLiberation of Bulgaria from Ottoman rule in 1879, Nesebar became part of the autonomous Ottoman province ofEastern Rumelia inBurgaz department until itunited with thePrincipality of Bulgaria in 1885.Around the end of the 19th century Nesebar was a small town ofGreek fishermen and vinegrowers. In 1900 it had a population of approximately 1.900,[12] of which 89% were Greeks,[14] but it remained a relatively empty town.[15] It developed as a key Bulgarian seaside resort since the beginning of the 20th century. After 1925 a new town part was built and the historic Old Town was restored.
Nesebar is sometimes said to be the town with the highest number of churches per capita.[1],[2] Today, a total of forty churches survive, wholly or partly, in the vicinity of the town.[12] Some of the most famous include:
Whether built during the Byzantine, Bulgarian or Ottoman rule of the city, the churches of Nesebar represent the rich architectural heritage of the Eastern Orthodox world and illustrate the gradual development from Early Christian basilicas to medieval cross-domed churches.
The local team ofPFC Nesebar participates in theSecond Professional Football League. The stadium capacity is 6000 spectators, field dimensions are 100/50 m and some complementary fields are available for rent or practicing.
There are many possibiltes to play tennis in the area during the summer season. The two main clubs with outdoor and indoor courts are TC Egalite[16] and Tennis academy Nesebar.
Nesebar Gap onLivingston Island in theSouth Shetland Islands,Antarctica is named after Nesebar.
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