Burgas

Burgas, is the second-largest city on the Bulgarian Black Sea Coast and fourth-largest in Bulgaria after Sofia, Plovdiv and Varna, with a population of 200,271 inhabitants according to Census 2011. It is the capital of Burgas Province and an important industrial, transport, cultural and tourist centre.
Surrounded by the coastal Burgas Lakes and located at the westernmost point of the Black Sea, the large Burgas Bay, Burgas has the largest and most important Bulgarian port and the second most important Bulgarian Airport. The LUKOIL Neftochim Burgas ist the largest oil refinery in Southeastern Europe and the largest industrial enterprise in Bulgaria. The Burgas Airport with 2,253,320 passengers (2011) is the second largest and the Port of Burgas is the largest in Bulgaria. Despite being more famous for its business reputation, Burgas has a thriving arts scene and many splendid museums and galleries.


Classical antiquity
The Thracians built the first settlements in the area now known as Burgas: the mineral baths of Aqua Calidae and the fortress Tyrsis. Under Darius I they were a part of the Achaemenid Empire, before the Odrysian kingdom was built.
During the rule of the Ancient Romans, near Burgas, Colonia Flavia Deultemsium (or Dibaltum, or Develtum) was established as a military colony for veterans by Vespasian. The Romans built the Colonia on the main road Via Pontica. It was the second most important city in the province Haemimontus.
In 376 the Goths destroyed an elite roman company near Develtum.


Between wars
Later, it became a major centre on the southern Bulgarian Black Sea Coast and a city of well-developed industry and trade. A number of oil and chemical companies were gradually built. Salt and iron are also mined and traded abroad.
In the 19th century, with the increasing maritime trade in the Black Sea, Burgas became one of the most important port cities. In 1903, the Burgas Central railway station opened, giving an additional boost to the city's expansion. Burgas, unlike many other Bulgarian cities, was not much affected by Communist-type urbanization and has kept much of its 19th- and early-20th-century architecture.


Today
Today the local port is the largest in Bulgaria adding significantly to the regional economy. Burgas also holds annual national exhibitions and international festivals and has a vibrant student population of over 6,000 that add to the city's appeal. The historical society also maintains an open-air museum at Beglik Tash.
Several countries have consulates in Burgas, among them Turkey, Belarus, Romania, Russia and Ukraine.
Burgas Peninsula on Livingston Island in the South Shetland Islands, Antarctica is named after the city of Burgas.


Population


During the first decade after the liberation of Bulgaria, in the 1880s the population of Burgas numbered about 6,000 inhabitants. Since then it started growing decade by decade, mostly because of the migrants from the rural areas and the surrounding smaller towns, reaching its peak in the period 1988-1991 exceeding 200,000.