Golden Sands
Encyclopedia
Golden Sands is a major seaside resort town on the northern Bulgarian Black Sea Coast
, adjacent to a national park
of the same name in the municipality of Varna
.
Located 17 km north of downtown Varna, it is virtually connected to the city by a continuous swath of resorts and villa communities. It is a popular tourist destination, drawing many visitors from Romania
, Poland
, Germany
, the United Kingdom
, Russia
, Scandinavia
, France
, Central and Eastern Europe
, the Persian Gulf
, Israel
, and other countries, attracted by the favourable climate, scenic landscape, and reasonable prices.
, bus 409 connects to Varna International Airport
via the city centre and buses 209 and 309 connect to other areas of Varna.
and Dionysopolis were first mentioned by Pliny
as the home of mythical dwarfs, visited by the Argonauts
. Byzantine
sources name the local fortress Gerania; there are 4-7 century AD remains of massive stone ramparts and a basilica along the edge of the Franga plateau. The cave Aladzha Monastery
, 3 km to the west, was a monastic centre from antiquity through the Second Bulgarian Empire
. In the days of Ottoman Empire
, Uzunkum was known as a hideaway for outlaws. It was largely uninhabited until the 1950s, although used for outings.
Resort development started in 1957 and in about two decades, the place was transformed into a modern holiday complex with numerous hotels (many open year-round), villas, apartment buildings, spa centres, restaurants, clubs, casinos, attractions, shopping centres, and sports facilities, including a yacht marina, a horse riding school, and the Aquapolis water park. Golden Sands was privatized in the 1990s and attracted considerable investment through the 2000s. Designed initially for 13,000 hotel beds, it had over 30,000 beds reported in 2007; according to Varna Tourist Chamber sources, the actual number was significantly higher http://www.moreto.net/novini.php?n=20254, by some unverified critical estimates even approaching 90,000. http://www.segabg.com/online/article.asp?issueid=2667§ionid=5&id=0001401 Currently, most hotels offer all inclusive vacations but there are also concerted efforts to reposition the resort as a high-end destination.
The area is labelled to have the purest quartz sand on the coast and abounds in old trees, landscaped gardens, and pedestrian malls. Golden Sands authorities resist demands to provide more automobile roads and parking lots, citing the resort's reputation as family friendly, green, and largely pedestrian place.
Hot mineral water springs and lush woodlands cascading from the Franga Plateau, forming the Golden Sands Nature Park
, turn the town into one of the most popular tourist spots in Eastern Europe. It also comprises the Holiday Club Riviera luxury resort, several villa communities including Panorama, Chaika, Kabakum, and Alen Mak, and the historic grotto
of Aladzha Monastery in the vicinity. A contemporary chapel of John the Baptist was recently added. Just north is perhaps the best known gay
beach in the nation. Three 18-hole golf courses designed by Gary Player
and Ian Woosnam
are currently (2007) being developed around Balchik
and Kavarna
a short drive to the north.
Golden Sands urban development took place within a protected area declared in 1943 (its original name was Hachuka State Forest); some nature landmarks were lost in the process, such as beach freshwater ponds abounding in tortoises and snakes and beach nesting bird habitats. But the bulk of the nature park was preserved and its area expanded almost twice to over 1,300 hectares. In the 2000s, although Golden Sands managed to a large extent to avoid being overdeveloped as other large resorts were, parts of the protected forest adjacent to the urban area were cleared for the construction of the Aquapolis water park.
In 2007, a larger-capacity water purification plant was also badly needed. The scenic route Varna-Golden Sands, ruptured by a small landslide caused by overdevelopment in the Lipov Kladenets villa district in 2004, remained closed and all traffic redirected to inland roads. In 2007, all roads proved inadequate to handle an unexpected surge of Romanian motorists looking for all inclusive deals during the Easter and May Day vacations, causing massive traffic jams and accidents.
with an observation deck
and a restaurant has been erected.
Bulgarian Black Sea Coast
The Bulgarian Black Sea Coast covers the entire eastern bound of Bulgaria stretching from the Romanian Black Sea resorts in the north to European Turkey in the south, along 378 km of coastline. White and golden sandy beaches occupy approximately 130 km of the 378 km long coast...
, adjacent to a national park
Golden Sands Nature Park
Golden Sands Nature Park is a national park on the Bulgarian Black Sea Coast in Varna Province. It is spread on an area of 1320.7 hectares. The park is 9.2 km long and on the average 1.2 km wide; it was declared a protected territory in 1943...
of the same name in the municipality of Varna
Varna
Varna is the largest city and seaside resort on the Bulgarian Black Sea Coast and third-largest in Bulgaria after Sofia and Plovdiv, with a population of 334,870 inhabitants according to Census 2011...
.
Located 17 km north of downtown Varna, it is virtually connected to the city by a continuous swath of resorts and villa communities. It is a popular tourist destination, drawing many visitors from Romania
Romania
Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeastern Europe, on the Lower Danube, within and outside the Carpathian arch, bordering on the Black Sea...
, Poland
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
, Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
, Scandinavia
Scandinavia
Scandinavia is a cultural, historical and ethno-linguistic region in northern Europe that includes the three kingdoms of Denmark, Norway and Sweden, characterized by their common ethno-cultural heritage and language. Modern Norway and Sweden proper are situated on the Scandinavian Peninsula,...
, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, Central and Eastern Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
, the Persian Gulf
Persian Gulf
The Persian Gulf, in Southwest Asia, is an extension of the Indian Ocean located between Iran and the Arabian Peninsula.The Persian Gulf was the focus of the 1980–1988 Iran-Iraq War, in which each side attacked the other's oil tankers...
, Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
, and other countries, attracted by the favourable climate, scenic landscape, and reasonable prices.
Transportation
Golden Sands is served by several regular bus lines of the Varna public transit system. Buses 9, 89 and 109 connect the resort to Varna Railway StationVarna Railway Station
Varna railway station serves the Black Sea city and municipality of Varna, the third most populous city in Bulgaria.The station is one of Bulgaria's oldest railway stations...
, bus 409 connects to Varna International Airport
Varna Airport
-Seasonal Charter flights:-Passenger statistic:-See also:* List of airports in Bulgaria* List of airlines of Bulgaria* List of the busiest airports in Europe by passenger traffic-External links:* *...
via the city centre and buses 209 and 309 connect to other areas of Varna.
Development
The old-growth forests between ancient OdessosOdessos
Odessos may refer to:* The ancient Milesian colony in Varna, Bulgaria* The Greek name for Odessa,Ukraine...
and Dionysopolis were first mentioned by Pliny
Pliny the Elder
Gaius Plinius Secundus , better known as Pliny the Elder, was a Roman author, naturalist, and natural philosopher, as well as naval and army commander of the early Roman Empire, and personal friend of the emperor Vespasian...
as the home of mythical dwarfs, visited by the Argonauts
Argonauts
The Argonauts ) were a band of heroes in Greek mythology who, in the years before the Trojan War, accompanied Jason to Colchis in his quest to find the Golden Fleece. Their name comes from their ship, the Argo, which was named after its builder, Argus. "Argonauts", therefore, literally means...
. Byzantine
Byzantine
Byzantine usually refers to the Roman Empire during the Middle Ages.Byzantine may also refer to:* A citizen of the Byzantine Empire, or native Greek during the Middle Ages...
sources name the local fortress Gerania; there are 4-7 century AD remains of massive stone ramparts and a basilica along the edge of the Franga plateau. The cave Aladzha Monastery
Aladzha Monastery
Aladzha Monastery is a medieval Orthodox Christian cave monastery complex in northeastern Bulgaria, 17 km north of central Varna and 3 km west of Golden Sands beach resort, in a protected forest area adjacent to the Golden Sands Nature Park.The monastery caves were hewn into a 25-m high...
, 3 km to the west, was a monastic centre from antiquity through the Second Bulgarian Empire
Second Bulgarian Empire
The Second Bulgarian Empire was a medieval Bulgarian state which existed between 1185 and 1396 . A successor of the First Bulgarian Empire, it reached the peak of its power under Kaloyan and Ivan Asen II before gradually being conquered by the Ottomans in the late 14th-early 15th century...
. In the days of Ottoman Empire
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman EmpireIt was usually referred to as the "Ottoman Empire", the "Turkish Empire", the "Ottoman Caliphate" or more commonly "Turkey" by its contemporaries...
, Uzunkum was known as a hideaway for outlaws. It was largely uninhabited until the 1950s, although used for outings.
Resort development started in 1957 and in about two decades, the place was transformed into a modern holiday complex with numerous hotels (many open year-round), villas, apartment buildings, spa centres, restaurants, clubs, casinos, attractions, shopping centres, and sports facilities, including a yacht marina, a horse riding school, and the Aquapolis water park. Golden Sands was privatized in the 1990s and attracted considerable investment through the 2000s. Designed initially for 13,000 hotel beds, it had over 30,000 beds reported in 2007; according to Varna Tourist Chamber sources, the actual number was significantly higher http://www.moreto.net/novini.php?n=20254, by some unverified critical estimates even approaching 90,000. http://www.segabg.com/online/article.asp?issueid=2667§ionid=5&id=0001401 Currently, most hotels offer all inclusive vacations but there are also concerted efforts to reposition the resort as a high-end destination.
The area is labelled to have the purest quartz sand on the coast and abounds in old trees, landscaped gardens, and pedestrian malls. Golden Sands authorities resist demands to provide more automobile roads and parking lots, citing the resort's reputation as family friendly, green, and largely pedestrian place.
Hot mineral water springs and lush woodlands cascading from the Franga Plateau, forming the Golden Sands Nature Park
Golden Sands Nature Park
Golden Sands Nature Park is a national park on the Bulgarian Black Sea Coast in Varna Province. It is spread on an area of 1320.7 hectares. The park is 9.2 km long and on the average 1.2 km wide; it was declared a protected territory in 1943...
, turn the town into one of the most popular tourist spots in Eastern Europe. It also comprises the Holiday Club Riviera luxury resort, several villa communities including Panorama, Chaika, Kabakum, and Alen Mak, and the historic grotto
Grotto
A grotto is any type of natural or artificial cave that is associated with modern, historic or prehistoric use by humans. When it is not an artificial garden feature, a grotto is often a small cave near water and often flooded or liable to flood at high tide...
of Aladzha Monastery in the vicinity. A contemporary chapel of John the Baptist was recently added. Just north is perhaps the best known gay
Gay
Gay is a word that refers to a homosexual person, especially a homosexual male. For homosexual women the specific term is "lesbian"....
beach in the nation. Three 18-hole golf courses designed by Gary Player
Gary Player
Gary Player DMS; OIG is a South African professional golfer. With his nine major championship victories, he is widely regarded as one of the greatest players in the history of golf. He was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame in 1974. Player has won 165 tournaments on six continents over six...
and Ian Woosnam
Ian Woosnam
Ian Harold Woosnam OBE is a Welsh professional golfer.Nicknamed 'Woosie', 'Woosers', or the 'Wee Welshman', Woosnam was one of the "Big Five" generation of European golfers, all born within 12 months of one another, all of whom have won majors, and made Europe competitive in the Ryder Cup...
are currently (2007) being developed around Balchik
Balchik
Balchik is a Black Sea coastal town and seaside resort in the Southern Dobruja area of northeastern Bulgaria. It is located in Dobrich Oblast and is 42 km northeast of Varna...
and Kavarna
Kavarna
Kavarna is a Black Sea coastal town and seaside resort in the Dobruja region of northeastern Bulgaria. It lies 64 km northeast of Varna and 49 km from Dobrich on the international road E87. As of December 2009, the town has a population of 11,397 inhabitants. A little yacht port, a...
a short drive to the north.
Golden Sands urban development took place within a protected area declared in 1943 (its original name was Hachuka State Forest); some nature landmarks were lost in the process, such as beach freshwater ponds abounding in tortoises and snakes and beach nesting bird habitats. But the bulk of the nature park was preserved and its area expanded almost twice to over 1,300 hectares. In the 2000s, although Golden Sands managed to a large extent to avoid being overdeveloped as other large resorts were, parts of the protected forest adjacent to the urban area were cleared for the construction of the Aquapolis water park.
In 2007, a larger-capacity water purification plant was also badly needed. The scenic route Varna-Golden Sands, ruptured by a small landslide caused by overdevelopment in the Lipov Kladenets villa district in 2004, remained closed and all traffic redirected to inland roads. In 2007, all roads proved inadequate to handle an unexpected surge of Romanian motorists looking for all inclusive deals during the Easter and May Day vacations, causing massive traffic jams and accidents.
Buildings and structures
In 2007, a 1:10 replica of the Eiffel TowerEiffel Tower
The Eiffel Tower is a puddle iron lattice tower located on the Champ de Mars in Paris. Built in 1889, it has become both a global icon of France and one of the most recognizable structures in the world...
with an observation deck
Observation deck
__FORCETOC__ An observation deck, observation platform or viewing platform is an elevated sightseeing platform usually situated upon a tall architectural structure such as a skyscraper or observation tower...
and a restaurant has been erected.