Construction of Huge ‘Historical Park’ Starts near Bulgaria’s Black Sea City Varna
The groundbreaking ceremony for the construction of the Historical Park near Varna. The creators of the idea, Ivelin Mihaylov and Nikolay Ninov, are the first and the second on the right, respectively. Photo: Historical Park
A huge “Historical Park” that is going to feature replicas of archaeological and historical monuments and sites found in Bulgaria from the Prehistory until the Middle Ages is already under construction near the Black Sea city of Varna.
The formal start of the “Historical Park” located near the town of Neofit Rilski, Vetrino Municipality, Varna District, 33 kilometers west of the city, has been given with a groundbreaking ceremony by its initiators, Ivelin Mihaylov and Assoc. Prof. Nikolay Ninov, and by Varna District Governor Stoyan Pasev, and Vetrino Mayor Dimitar Dimitrov.
The future Historical Park has been conceived as a facility for cultural tourism, education, and entertainment as it will feature replicas of archaeological, historical, and cultural monuments as well as historical reenactments, related activities, and developed tourism infrastructure, the Historical Park company has said.
The park is located close to Bulgaria’s Black Sea coast, with its numerous resorts bustling with foreign tourists all throughout the summer, near the Hemus Highway connected Varna and Bulgaria’s Sofia, and is also rather close to Romania’s capital Bucharest.
The park will seek to represent in an authentic fashion life in what is today’s Bulgaria over of several thousand years, including the Prehistory (the Neolithic and Chalcolithic period, the Antiquity of Ancient Thrace, the early medieval period with the Ancient Bulgars and the Slavs, and Early, High, and Late Middle Ages of the First Bulgarian Empire (632/680 – 1018 AD), and the Second Bulgarian Empire (1185 – 1396/1422).
Computer-generated images showing what the future Historical Park near Bulgaria’s Varna is supposed to look like. Photos: Historical Park
Ivelin Mihaylov, the CEO of “Historical Park” Jsc, who came up with the idea, is known for actively supporting through his foundation “Ascent” (Vazdigane) the erecting of a monument of Ancient Bulgar leader Khan Altsek in the town of Celle di Bulgheria in Italy to celebrate the Ancient Bulgar heritage of the Italian Peninsula.
Back in 2016, the Historical Park company launched a pilot project, the Neolithic Settlement complex also located in the town of Neofit Rilski, Varna District.
The investment in the future Historical Park near Varna is estimated at EUR 50 million, with a third of the funding already secured from hundreds of private investors, with the largest investment being EUR 500,000 (about BGN 1 million), Mihaylov has revealed.
The Historical Park will be built and opened for visitors in five phases, and the entire facility is expected to be fully completed in 2022, when it will cover a territory of 130 decares (app. 32 acres).
CEO Ivelin Mihaylov breaking a bottle of champagne at the groundbreaking ceremony for the construction of the Historical Park near Varna. Photo: Historical Park
The project has been officially consulted by archaeologists Prof. Margarita Vaklinova and Prof. Hitko Vachev, and by thracologist Prof. Ivan Marazov.
The Prehistory section of the Historical Park will recreate the life of Europe’s first human civilization, the Neolithic and Chalcolithic civilization that inhabited today’s Bulgaria and other parts of the Balkans, with a special emphasis on its 7,000-year-old Varna Gold Treasure, the world’s oldest gold treasure.
The section on Ancient Thrace will seek recreate the time of Orpheus and Spartacus, the two best known Thracians in today’s global popular culture. It will feature a Thracian palace, a temple, and two Thracian tombs.
The other Antiquity section, the one about the Roman Empire, will include, among other things, a Roman villa, and an Antiquity theater based on the Antiquity theater of ancient Philipopolis, today’s city of Plovdiv in Southern Bulgaria.
Another section will be dedicated to the life of the Ancient Bulgars and the Slavs, together with a section on the First Bulgarian Empire (632/680 – 1018 AD), which will be based on the archaeological discoveries in its 10th century capital Veliki Preslav, including its palace and throne room as well as a scriptorium to present the creation of the Bulgarian (Bulgaric) alphabet, more widely known as the Cyrillic.
Yet another section will present the life of the Second Bulgarian Empire (1185 – 1396/1422), and it will be based on discoveries in the Tsarevets Fortress in its capital Tarnovgrad.
Computer-generated images showing what the future Historical Park near Bulgaria’s Varna is supposed to look like. Photos: Historical Park
Historical Park CEO Mihaylov has pointed out that Bulgaria’s history and culture is still very little known abroad. He thinks the establishment of the Historical Park will also boost cultural tourism all over Bulgaria since once they see the replicas in the park, tourists would also want to visit the original archaeological and historical monuments in other parts of the country.
“In addition to boosting our national self-awareness and pride, the Historical Park will create many jobs in the region, and will also be a plus in tourism which is a priority field for the District of Varna,” District Governor Pasev has said at the groundbreaking ceremony.
