weather
| Varna |  | 10°C |
| Sofia | | 10°C |
| Burgas | | 11°C |
| Dobrich | | 11°C |
| Balchik | | 9°C |
| 1.66 |
| 2.19 |
| 1.96 |
| 1.67 |
Leisure in Varna
LEISURE TIME
The Festival and Congress Centre
The Festival and Congress Center in Varna is one of the most prestigious cultural institutions not only in the city, but in the country and in the whole region as well. Located on the Black Sea shore just next to the Maritime Park in the very center of the city, it is a multi functional venue, purpose built for festivals, cinema and theater performances, concerts, shows, exhibitions, congresses, conferences, symposiums. Extended on an area of 4000 sq. m., its volume being 80000 m3, almost half of it situated underground, the building looks both imposing and elegant with the pure lines of its modern silhouette. Under one roof the Festival and Congress Center offers 11 multi functional halls with capacity from 50 to 1000 seats, 3 restaurants, 5 cafe-bars and 2 summer cafe-terraces. The Centre is an organizer of the International Film Festival LOVE IS FOLLY starting in 1993, and co-organizer of The Festival of The Bulgarian Films GOLDEN ROSE, The International Music Festival VARNA SUMMER, The International Jazz Festival of Varna, The International May Choral Competition, The International Ballet Competition, The International Theatre Festival VARNA SUMMER. Besides that, at least 8 different cultural events take place in the halls of the Festival and Congress Centre every day without a single day out throughout the whole year. Over 250 000 spectators visit the cultural events per year.
The Palace of the Culture and Sports
The symbol of the Bulgarian sea capital – Varna, is the “Palace of culture and sports”, where lots of international and local sports events have taken place. The Palace of culture and sports is a multi functional athletic complex consisting of six training and competition halls, recreation center, fitness room, press conference center and a modern business and shopping center. The Palace of culture and sports is situated very close to the resorts Golden Sands, Sts. Konstantin and Elena and Albena. It is placed at 100-m distance from Varna cyti garden and at 350-m distance from the seashore, which has a wide beach. This favorable place gives opportunities to perform pressure and rehabilitating training exercises at Varna Sea garden and directly on the seashore. The highway, which is near by makes it easy to visit the City center that is just 1 km away and the resorts as well. The recreation center has all the equipment necessary for total recovering (saunas, tangentors) and rehabilitation of the sportsmen, electric treatment and physiotherapy as well.
The palace of culture and sports has a big shopping center offering possibilities for relaxation and entertainment.
The “Congress” hall has a play ground with dimensions 50 x 25 m and a height of 15 m, electronic information board for counting the real and playing times and the results.
The hall has direct connections with dressing rooms, medical consulting rooms, press conference center and five training halls The hall is convenient for performing training exercises and competitions in: basketball, volleyball, handball, boxing ,wrestling, judo, karate, rhythmic gymnastic, badminton, table tennis.
The hall is equipped with producer’s command center, audiovisual system with abilities for direct recordings and artistic lighting control.
Over 60 exhibitions: International Graphic Art Exhibitions, The artists in the USA, American Design, The Unlimited Discovery Possibilities in the USA, Philately Exhibition ‘Olympfilex’, exceptionally permitted by the international Olympic committee to be held in Varna even no Olympic Games took place there; the visit of the Czech cultural center, the exhibit of the wax figures from St. Petersburg, etc. One of the most interesting exhibitions are the Automobile Show of Expotim company, licenses by the Automobile Designers organization; Firm New Balkan Tours, host of the exhibition ‘Three keys - apartment, office, villa’.
The Dolphinarium
In 1984 one of the most significant tourist attractions of Varna was found – the dolphinarium in the Seaside Park. It is a favorite spot for both local residents and tourists. The organized attractions and its architecture are unique in the country.The dolphinarium was constructed for seven months. The building is in the form of glass cube with measures 30x30 metres and height 14 metres, and was open for visitors on August 19th 1984. Stairways connect the lobbies and the audience hall with its 1200 seats capacity. In the middle is the main pool for performances with 6 metres in diameter and 3 metres in depth and additional smaller pool. The water needed for the pools is brought from distance 80 metres in sea through a special duct and pumping installation. It circulates constantly through a system of filters, while the desinfection and purification are automatic. The total volume of water in both pools is 1200 cubic metres, every twenty-four hours about 100 cubic metres being purified. Inside you can enjoy the unique Dolphin show covering acrobatics, balance, music and dolphin dances. For 30 minutes you will stay in the world of dolphins – full of emotions and surprises. The attraction show is performed by the lovely dolphins of the breed TURSIOPS TRUNCATOS – KIMBO, POPPI, DOLLY ferried from the Caribbean sea. The youngest of the participants in the team are beautiful YOANNA and PEPPY born in our Dolphinarium. In the pleasant atmosphere of the Dolphinarium cafe you can watch dolphins play underwater.
The Astronomical Observatory and Planetarium “Nikolay Kopernik”
The blast - off to the first artificial satellite of the Earth, provoke a huge interest in Bulgaria and this is the main reason for the formation of lots of clubs, devoted to the space. The enthusiasm was the reason to be established in the town of Varna in 1960 the first astronaut and astronomic club. Only a year later to the club was given the old Summer Theater in the central part of the sea garden in Varna. On 22 th. of May 1968 was opened the first astronomical complex in Bulgaria, named after Nikolai Kopernik. It consists of astronomical observatory, planetarium and a tower with Phuko’s pendulum.
There are two spinning domes on the third floor of the observatory, which were equipped with refractor 80/1200 mm at the beginning and a bigger telescope Kasegren 150/2250 mm.
The observatory is the first of this type in Bulgaria. The diameter of the dome is 10,5 m. It is managed from the lector’s deck and can project over the dome 5500 stars. In addition there are searchlights used for demonstration of the moving planets through the stars. There is also a special device which shows the solar system from 5-milliard km. From the beginning till 1998, the planetarium was visited from over 800 000 of people.
In the planetarium’s tower was assembled the Phuko’s pendulum. It is unique at the Balkan Peninsula and is the only prove that the Earth turns on its axis. In the premise under it, there is a small room where the visitors can observe the swing of the pendulum. In 1998 the Varna municipality took а decision to reconstruct the planetarium building.
Varna Opera House
The Varna Opera House was registered under the name of Varna Public Opera House on 6th April, 1947 and was officially opened on 1st August of the same year. In 1999 the Varna Opera House merged with Varna Philharmonic Orchestra and continued its mission as a state cultural institution under a new name - Opera and Philharmonic society - Varna. The halls where the productions and concerts are staged are in Stoyan Bachvarov Drama Theatre (550 seats), Summer Outdoor Theatre - Varna (2400 seats) and Festival and Congress Center - Varna (800 seats).
The summing-up of the fifty-year-record of the Varna opera house amounts to over 200 productions and nearly 7000 performances for more than three millions of spectators!
The Seaside Garden History
The sea garden is an emblem of Varna town. It is situated on 850 decares along the seaside line. There is a sun-dial representing a flying swan at the entrance of the sea garden.
The region has been used for recreation and walks from the 60s of the 19 th century, but it was only at the beginning of the 20 th that the park was reconstructed after the Conceptual Topical Project of Anton Ian Novak. At that time a project was proposed to place the busts of outstanding renaissance figures in some of its valleys.
ATTRACTIONS
Nowadays the Marine Gardens form an imposing park where you can visit the Natural Science museum, the Naval museum , the Planetarium, the first in the country, the zoo and the Terrarium. Here one can find the only Dolphinarium and Aquarium in the country.
There are also a swimming pool, tennis court, an open-air-theater and a new children s complex (opened on 1 May 2002) with a lot of amusements: water wheels, slide, archery, trampoline.
Along the alley, which runs parallel to the coastline, there are a number of small cafes and restaurants, offering seafood specialties as well as attractive discos.
Coastal alley
During the summer season the Coastal alley of Varna turns in one of the most desired and visited places in the city. The reason behind this is not only the beach, but the fact that here are concentrated all summer night clubs, discos, pizza and fish restaurants.
This gives the great opportunity to the visitors of the city and its residents as well to have a look and assess, which one to enter or why not few of them.
During the summer the Coastal alley offers variety of night life emotions. Here you can choose, the night club, that suits best your life style and taste of music.
If you wish to become a part of the bubbling summer life of Varna, the Coastal alley is the place to be!
Beaches
Varna can be proud of its long and bright beach stripe, which is covered with beautiful, golden sand. The beach stripe is divided into few main beaches, that have relatively marked borders- south beach, central, north, fisher beach and officer's beach
On the south beach the water slide “Rolbata” and its mineral pool could be found, where you could have some aqua fun.
On the central part are located plenty of spots, where you could refresh yourself with some cocktails and drinks.
Typical for the south and the officer's beach are the bright of the beach, as well as the opportunity to play some beach volleyball and football.
Water slide “Rolbata”
Water slide “Rolbata” is situated on the South beach of Varna. In the mineral water swimming pool there swim courses for children are held.
One course comprises of 12 hours at the price of 25 leva. Courses are held every day from 7-8 am and 6-9 pm.
Working hours: 8.00 – 18.00, no day off;
Price for the pool only - 1.00 leva
Price per 1 slide - 1.00 leva, 3 slides - 2.00 leva, 5 slides - 3.00 leva, 7 slides - 5.00 Leva, 10 slides - 7.00 Leva
Children's centers
The children's corner will offer your kids plenty of attractive entertainment for both the older and the younger ones of them. Within the children's corner there is an artificial lake, which offers a variety of fun activities.
At the bank of the lake, there are is a cafe, that offers nice moments to adult and children as well.
“Children's corner” complex could be found in the Sea Garden of Varna, right next to the Summer theater.
SYMBOLS OF VARNA
Asparuh Bridge
The building of the Asparuh Bridge is connected with the development of the town of Varna as an industrial center and the necessity of a convenient sea road to it. It was built in 1976.
Nowadays the Asparuh bridge is a part of the highway “Cherno More” (Black sea) and of the international road E – 87. It is also a connection over the canal sea – lake. There is a big motor flux – about 10 000 conveyed units per 24 hours. The bridge is the only possible connection of the town with the residential quarter of “Asparuhovo”. The Asparuh bridge is not only an important transport section, but also a gathering place for the seekers of excitements and strong emotions. Every one here can try the bungies of sport club “Adrenaline”.
Technical data:
Length: 2050 m
Height: 50 m
Height to the light orifice: 46 m
Width to the roadway: 21 m
Load over one pole: 2400 m
Number of poles: 38 couples
The City Clock-Tower
Even in the middle of the XVIII th century the town of Varna disposed of a clock tower. Sahat-kula was situated in the town garden behind the nowadays building of the theater. It was used by firemen as a fire-tower. It is supposed to have been destroyed during the siege of the town in 1828 or in the great fire in Varna during the Krim war (1856-1858). In two years the new clock tower was completed and officially opened. It was used by the firefighters, because back than higher buildings were something rare and from there the whole city could be seen. Through the day they signaled about fires with colourful flags, whereas at night with torches. The firefighter activity was abandoned after a telephone line was connected in 1898. The mechanism of the clock was bought from England.
Varna Pantheon
The pantheon was unveiled in 1961. The monument was built in honour of the perished soldiers in the struggle against fascism.
That place was chosen for Monument of Freedom by the “Bulgarian Revival” committee but that idea was not realized. It is settled in the Sea garden, in the lovely town of Varna.