Tsarevo
Encyclopedia
Tsarevo is a town and seaside resort in southeastern Bulgaria
, an administrative centre of the homonymous Municipality of Tsarevo in Burgas Province
. It lies on a cove 70 km southeast of Burgas
, on the southern Bulgarian Black Sea Coast
at the eastern foot of Strandzha
mountain. As of December 2009, the town has a population of 5,884 inhabitants.
s from the Late Antiquity
(4th–6th century) and import red-polished pottery made in Constantinople
, Syria
and North Africa
, which indicates prospering trade in the area at the time. The city's southern peninsula has remains of a medieval fortress.
The town was first mentioned as Vasiliko by the 12th-century Arab geographer Muhammad al-Idrisi
. Whether it existed during the First Bulgarian Empire
is unknown. In the 15th and 16th century, Vasilikoz was an Ottoman
port. According to 17th-century traveller Evliya Çelebi
, in 1662 the town Vasilikoz Burgas comprised a square fortress on a ridge overlooking the Black Sea
surrounded by plenty of vineyards. Although its cove was suitable even for the largest of ships, it was usually avoided by the seamen because it offered little protection from the powerful eastern winds.
Vasilikoz was featured in the Ottoman tax registers in the late 17th and the 18th century, as part of the kaza of Anchialos (Pomorie
). According to the Austria
n ambassador in Constantinople, in 1787 it was a town of 200 houses and a lively port. In 1829, another western traveller mentioned Vasiliko as a town of 220 houses, the main occupation of its residents being ship building and fishing. Another source lists its population in 1831 as 1,800 (with 434 houses).
The old town was located in the southern part of the cove, where the modern quarter of Tsarevo called Vasiliko is. In the first half of the 19th century, Vasiliko had a marine of 42 ships. There were 10 windmill
s and a watermill
in the vicinity, and the nearby vineyards produced up to 6,000 pails of wine a year. There was a Greek school which was also visited by many Bulgarians, contributing to their partial Hellenization
.
In 1882, a fire destroyed almost the entire town, forcing the locals to re-establish the city on a new site, on the peninsula of the northern cove called Limnos. In 1903, the new Vasiliko had 150 houses, but other statistics list 460 houses in 1898 (160 Bulgarian and 300 Greek) and 240 Greek-only houses in 1900.
After the village was ceded to Bulgaria in 1913, following the Balkan Wars
, its Greek population moved to Greece
and was replaced by Bulgarians
from Eastern Thrace. In 1926, Vasiliko had 409 households. After a new wharf was constructed 1927–1937 with the financial aid of Tsar Boris III of Bulgaria
, the town was renamed to Tsarevo (a literal Bulgarian translation of Vasiliko, "royal place") in his honour.
Between 1950 and 1991, it was known as Michurin, in honour of the Soviet
botanist Ivan Vladimirovich Michurin
.
, which includes the following 13 localities:
Bulgaria
Bulgaria , officially the Republic of Bulgaria , is a parliamentary democracy within a unitary constitutional republic in Southeast Europe. The country borders Romania to the north, Serbia and Macedonia to the west, Greece and Turkey to the south, as well as the Black Sea to the east...
, an administrative centre of the homonymous Municipality of Tsarevo in Burgas Province
Burgas Province
-Municipalities:The Burgas province contains 13 municipalities . The following table shows the names of each municipality in English and Cyrillic, the main town or village , and the population of each as of 2009.-Demography:The Burgas province had a population of 423,608 -Municipalities:The Burgas...
. It lies on a cove 70 km southeast of Burgas
Burgas
-History:During the rule of the Ancient Romans, near Burgas, Debeltum was established as a military colony for veterans by Vespasian. In the Middle Ages, a small fortress called Pyrgos was erected where Burgas is today and was most probably used as a watchtower...
, on the southern Bulgarian Black Sea Coast
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...
at the eastern foot of Strandzha
Strandzha
Strandzha is a mountain massif in southeastern Bulgaria and the European part of Turkey, in the southeastern part of the Balkans between the plains of Thrace to the west, the lowlands near Burgas to the north and the Black Sea to the east. Its highest peak is Mahya Dağı in Turkey, while the...
mountain. As of December 2009, the town has a population of 5,884 inhabitants.
History
Underwater archaeological surveys have discovered amphoraAmphora
An amphora is a type of vase-shaped, usually ceramic container with two handles and a long neck narrower than the body...
s from the Late Antiquity
Late Antiquity
Late Antiquity is a periodization used by historians to describe the time of transition from Classical Antiquity to the Middle Ages, in both mainland Europe and the Mediterranean world. Precise boundaries for the period are a matter of debate, but noted historian of the period Peter Brown proposed...
(4th–6th century) and import red-polished pottery made in Constantinople
Constantinople
Constantinople was the capital of the Roman, Eastern Roman, Byzantine, Latin, and Ottoman Empires. Throughout most of the Middle Ages, Constantinople was Europe's largest and wealthiest city.-Names:...
, Syria
Syria
Syria , officially the Syrian Arab Republic , is a country in Western Asia, bordering Lebanon and the Mediterranean Sea to the West, Turkey to the north, Iraq to the east, Jordan to the south, and Israel to the southwest....
and North Africa
North Africa
North Africa or Northern Africa is the northernmost region of the African continent, linked by the Sahara to Sub-Saharan Africa. Geopolitically, the United Nations definition of Northern Africa includes eight countries or territories; Algeria, Egypt, Libya, Morocco, South Sudan, Sudan, Tunisia, and...
, which indicates prospering trade in the area at the time. The city's southern peninsula has remains of a medieval fortress.
The town was first mentioned as Vasiliko by the 12th-century Arab geographer Muhammad al-Idrisi
Muhammad al-Idrisi
Abu Abd Allah Muhammad al-Idrisi al-Qurtubi al-Hasani al-Sabti or simply Al Idrisi was a Moroccan Muslim geographer, cartographer, Egyptologist and traveller who lived in Sicily, at the court of King Roger II. Muhammed al-Idrisi was born in Ceuta then belonging to the Almoravid Empire and died in...
. Whether it existed during the First Bulgarian Empire
First Bulgarian Empire
The First Bulgarian Empire was a medieval Bulgarian state founded in the north-eastern Balkans in c. 680 by the Bulgars, uniting with seven South Slavic tribes...
is unknown. In the 15th and 16th century, Vasilikoz was an Ottoman
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...
port. According to 17th-century traveller Evliya Çelebi
Evliya Çelebi
Evliya Çelebi was an Ottoman traveler who journeyed through the territory of the Ottoman Empire and neighboring lands over a period of forty years.- Life :...
, in 1662 the town Vasilikoz Burgas comprised a square fortress on a ridge overlooking the Black Sea
Black Sea
The Black Sea is bounded by Europe, Anatolia and the Caucasus and is ultimately connected to the Atlantic Ocean via the Mediterranean and the Aegean seas and various straits. The Bosphorus strait connects it to the Sea of Marmara, and the strait of the Dardanelles connects that sea to the Aegean...
surrounded by plenty of vineyards. Although its cove was suitable even for the largest of ships, it was usually avoided by the seamen because it offered little protection from the powerful eastern winds.
Vasilikoz was featured in the Ottoman tax registers in the late 17th and the 18th century, as part of the kaza of Anchialos (Pomorie
Pomorie
Pomorie is a town and seaside resort in southeastern Bulgaria, located on a narrow rocky peninsula in Burgas Bay on the southern Bulgarian Black Sea Coast. It is situated in Burgas Province, 20 km away from the city of Burgas and 18 km from the Sunny Beach resort. The ultrasaline lagoon...
). According to the Austria
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
n ambassador in Constantinople, in 1787 it was a town of 200 houses and a lively port. In 1829, another western traveller mentioned Vasiliko as a town of 220 houses, the main occupation of its residents being ship building and fishing. Another source lists its population in 1831 as 1,800 (with 434 houses).
The old town was located in the southern part of the cove, where the modern quarter of Tsarevo called Vasiliko is. In the first half of the 19th century, Vasiliko had a marine of 42 ships. There were 10 windmill
Windmill
A windmill is a machine which converts the energy of wind into rotational energy by means of vanes called sails or blades. Originally windmills were developed for milling grain for food production. In the course of history the windmill was adapted to many other industrial uses. An important...
s and a watermill
Watermill
A watermill is a structure that uses a water wheel or turbine to drive a mechanical process such as flour, lumber or textile production, or metal shaping .- History :...
in the vicinity, and the nearby vineyards produced up to 6,000 pails of wine a year. There was a Greek school which was also visited by many Bulgarians, contributing to their partial Hellenization
Hellenization
Hellenization is a term used to describe the spread of ancient Greek culture, and, to a lesser extent, language. It is mainly used to describe the spread of Hellenistic civilization during the Hellenistic period following the campaigns of Alexander the Great of Macedon...
.
In 1882, a fire destroyed almost the entire town, forcing the locals to re-establish the city on a new site, on the peninsula of the northern cove called Limnos. In 1903, the new Vasiliko had 150 houses, but other statistics list 460 houses in 1898 (160 Bulgarian and 300 Greek) and 240 Greek-only houses in 1900.
After the village was ceded to Bulgaria in 1913, following the Balkan Wars
Balkan Wars
The Balkan Wars were two conflicts that took place in the Balkans in south-eastern Europe in 1912 and 1913.By the early 20th century, Montenegro, Bulgaria, Greece and Serbia, the countries of the Balkan League, had achieved their independence from the Ottoman Empire, but large parts of their ethnic...
, its Greek population moved to Greece
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
and was replaced by Bulgarians
Bulgarians
The Bulgarians are a South Slavic nation and ethnic group native to Bulgaria and neighbouring regions. Emigration has resulted in immigrant communities in a number of other countries.-History and ethnogenesis:...
from Eastern Thrace. In 1926, Vasiliko had 409 households. After a new wharf was constructed 1927–1937 with the financial aid of Tsar Boris III of Bulgaria
Boris III of Bulgaria
Boris III the Unifier, Tsar of Bulgaria , originally Boris Klemens Robert Maria Pius Ludwig Stanislaus Xaver , son of Ferdinand I, came to the throne in 1918 upon the abdication of his father, following the defeat of the Kingdom of Bulgaria during World War I...
, the town was renamed to Tsarevo (a literal Bulgarian translation of Vasiliko, "royal place") in his honour.
Between 1950 and 1991, it was known as Michurin, in honour of the Soviet
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
botanist Ivan Vladimirovich Michurin
Ivan Vladimirovich Michurin
Ivan Vladimirovich Michurin , was a Russian practitioner of selection, Honorable Member of the Soviet Academy of Sciences, and academician of the Lenin All-Union Academy of Agriculture....
.
Municipality
Tsarevo is the seat of Tsarevo municipality of Burgas ProvinceBurgas Province
-Municipalities:The Burgas province contains 13 municipalities . The following table shows the names of each municipality in English and Cyrillic, the main town or village , and the population of each as of 2009.-Demography:The Burgas province had a population of 423,608 -Municipalities:The Burgas...
, which includes the following 13 localities:
|
Lozenets, Burgas Province Lozenets is a village and seaside resort on the southern Bulgarian Black Sea Coast. It is part of Tsarevo municipality, Burgas Province, and lies at... Rezovo Rezovo is a village and seaside resort in southeastern Bulgaria, part of Tsarevo municipality, Burgas Province, in the coastal Strandzha geographical region. Lying at the mouth of the Rezovo River in the Black Sea, Rezovo is the southernmost point of the Bulgarian Black Sea Coast and the... Sinemorets Sinemorets is a village and seaside resort on the Black Sea coast of Bulgaria, located in the very southeast of the country close to the border with Turkey, where the river Veleka flows into the sea. Sinemorets is part of Tsarevo municipality, Burgas Province, and has a population of 216... Velika, Bulgaria Velika, Bulgaria is a village in the municipality of Tsarevo, in Burgas Province, in southeastern Bulgaria.-References:... |