Kavarna

The town of Kavarna is one of the quite bigger towns along the Black Sea coast: its population is 12,225. The town’s port handles passenger and cargo vessels of medium size. The town is situated 48km north of Varna and just 12km away from the magnifiscent Kaliakra cape. The north part of the coast is high and steep, shining with its limestone rocks against the sea while the south of the town is characterised with an excellent beach.

In ancient Greek times, the area was dominated by the Greek fortress of Bizone built in the 5th century BC. In the 1st century BC, however, the town was almost completely destroyed by an earthquake. Later on, it was renovated and grew into a strong Bulgarian fortress – Karvuna, only to be ruined again soon afterwards by an invasion of Tatar tribes in the Middle Ages. Following a thorough and laborious reconstruction by the Boyar Balik, the town became an independent principality named Karvounska Hora.

After the foundation of the Bulgarian State the town’s name was changeed a few times, from Karvuna to Karbona and then to Karnava, before it eventually received its present name, Kavarna. The Turks conquered it in 1393. Shortly before the liberation of the Bulgarian state from Ottoman rule, Kavarna witnessed a ruthless suppression of a rebellion of the local Bulgarian population, which ended with the setting of the town on fire and 1,200 dead people. The town of Kavarna was once again rebuilt into agricultural and fishing centre.