Sweti Konstantin
| Sweti Konstantin (Св. Св. Константин и Елена) | |||||
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| Basic data | |||||
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| State : |
 Bulgaria
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| Oblast : | Varna | ||||
| Coordinates : | 43 ° 14 ' N , 28 ° 0' E | ||||
| Height : | 0 m | ||||
| Telephone code : | (+359) 052 | ||||
| License plate : | B. | ||||
Sts , after the usual in Bulgaria designation Sweti sweti Konstantin i Elena ( Bulgarian Св. Св. Константин и Елена ) is a known holiday in North Bulgaria , even if it is substantially smaller than the resorts Gold beach ( Golden Sands ), sun beach or Albena is . It was the first Bulgarian resort on the Black Sea coast in the country's history.
Surname
The literal translation of the Bulgarian name Св. св. Константин и Елена / Sweti Sweti Konstantin i Elena reads "Saints Constantine and Helena" ; the majority is formed by doubling Sweti (saint, abbreviated Sw. ). In the German-speaking area, however, the shorter term Sweti Konstantin (literally: Saint Konstantin) has become naturalized. The term Курорт / Kurort, which is common in Bulgaria and borrowed from the German language , is no longer used with the German meaning of Kurort , but has to be translated as resort or holiday resort, in this specific case also with seaside resort . Internationally and in Bulgaria, the English transcription (with v) is preferred: Sveti Sveti Konstantin i Elena.
location
"Sweti Konstantin" is located 10 km northeast of the city center of Varna . Since the entire Black Sea coast north of Varna is built on, the seaside resort is almost seamlessly connected to the suburbs of Varna. Sweti Konstantin is located 6 km northeast of the city limits of Varna. The sandy beach is about 3.5 km long. "Sweti Konstantin" is particularly known for its thermal springs , which distinguish it from all other holiday resorts on the Black Sea coast.
The seven thermal springs gush at a temperature of 40 to 60 ° C from a depth of 1800 to 2050 meters and provide a total of 175 liters of water per second. That is why there is also a thermal bath in Sweti Konstantin , an open-air swimming pool that, fed by a hot thermal spring, constantly maintains a pool water temperature of 38 ° C.
Sveti Konstantin is located on naturally formed terraces that gently rise about 15 meters above sea level. The whole area is overgrown with old deciduous forests that extend to the coast. Every now and then they are enriched by exotic conifers. The hotel complexes are equipped for the demanding entertainment of tourists and local guests - tennis courts, children's areas, soccer fields, outdoor and indoor swimming pools - are available everywhere. Outside of the hotel complexes and in the area of the hotel areas, the infrastructure required for a holiday destination - post office, pharmacy, health center and police station - are easily accessible. A variety of water sports are available on the beach, including jet skiing , water skiing , surfing and diving . There is a regular bus service from Sweti Konstantin to the center of Varna, to the Varna train station and back again.
history
"Sweti Konstantin" was the first Bulgarian holiday resort that was founded on the Black Sea. The monastery “Saints Constantine and Elena” played a major role in its creation .
The history of the monastery after the liberation of Bulgaria (1878) from more than 500 years of Ottoman-Turkish rule indirectly led to the creation of the holiday resort. In 1880 the Bulgarian Prince Alexander Battenberg I visited the monastery “Saints Constantine and Elena”. Enthusiastic about the nature in Varna and its surroundings, he decided to build his summer residence there, where the ruins of the monastery “Saint Dimitar” stood - two kilometers southwest of the monastery “Saints Constantine and Elena”.
The monastery of "Saint Dimitar" was converted into the royal residence of Euxinograd . From the original monastery there is only a small chapel in today's residence. The choice for the location of the residence fell on the monastery “Saint Dimitar” and not the monastery “Saints Constantine and Elena”, so that the holiday resort developed in the vicinity of the second.
The construction of the royal residence led to, for that time, "huge" investments and thus stimulated economic development in the region - a very good road was built to the residence. It was later built up to the place "Saints Constantine and Elena", which had gradually developed near the monastery. That contributed to its development as a vacation spot.
Leading personalities of the state elite began to purchase land near the royal residence and built their villas there. In this way, the inhabited area was expanded to include the monastery. Interest in the place grew and it turned into an attractive place for walks and relaxation even before it became a vacation spot.
Foundation and health resort
The first attempts to use this lovely coast for recreation and healing date back to the time before the liberation of Bulgaria (1878): because of the good climate, the natural features and the particularly warm mineral springs. For example, the Russian traveler and historian Viktor Tepljakow described in his "Letters from Bulgaria" how the rich merchants from Varna rented rooms in the monastery "Saints Constantine and Elena" to spend their summer vacation there "to the sound of harmonica and tambourines" spend.
In 1907 the place around the monastery "Saints Constantine and Elena" was declared a holiday destination by the regional administration of Varna. The following year the first tourists were received in a building attached to the monastery. In the 1930s it was called the “Prague” hotel. The holiday season lasted two months - from mid-June to mid-August. A building with 12 rooms was finished there by 1912, but after the start of the Balkan Wars (1912/13) the holiday resort was neglected.
First balneological center for children
With the support of Tsarina Eleonora of Bulgaria , the second wife of the Bulgarian Tsar Ferdinand I , the first balneological sanatorium for children with bone tuberculosis and cartilage tuberculosis was moved to the holiday resort in 1909 . It was in 1905 based on an idea by Dr. Paraskew Stojanow was founded and at first only had unsuitable shacks in the area "Karantinata". Children from three to fifteen years of age from all over Bulgaria, regardless of their social situation, were treated in the sanatorium. 95 percent of the treated children either improved or completely healed.
Many new buildings were erected in Sweti Konstantin in the 1930s. In 1929 construction of the post office began. A picture postcard from 1934 shows the restaurant-beer hall in the holiday resort “The Saints Constantine and Elena”. The fact that there was a restaurant with a dance floor and orchestra that played first-class jazz was a small sensation for that time. A regular bus route was established from the city to the resort, not only because of the beer hall, but also because of the avenues and the small parks with flowers.
The vacation spot "Saints Constantine and Elena" was called the "Pearl of the Black Sea Coast", compared with the Riviera and also called "Slavic Nice". The Bulgarian Black Sea resort was the only one of its kind in the country. The first grape sanatorium was set up in 1933 and was located in the monastery building. It had 120 sunny rooms. The menu included a compulsory 3 kg of free fresh grapes, usually of the Dimjat variety .
Attractions
Monastery "Saints Constantine and Helena"
The well-preserved monastery of Saints Constantine and Helena was renovated three times - the last time in 1973. It is not known who founded this monastery and for what reasons. At that time the monastery was surrounded by a dense, impassable forest and was in the immediate vicinity of many medicinal drinking water sources (today's mineral bath is only 300 m southeast of the monastery), and the sea was very close (only 350 m southeast of the monastery).
Parts of Saint Valentine's bones are kept in the monastery. They were born in 2006 with the blessing of Pope Benedict XVI. transported there, making Bulgaria the third country after Italy and Russia to keep the remains of the saint. According to legends, the bones have healing powers, and on February 14th every year many gather in the monastery to light a candle and recharge their batteries. It is said that anyone who drinks St. Valentine's water will have a second life. The monastery belongs to the diocese of Varna and Veliky Preslav .
Euxinograd residence
The residence was built as the summer residence of Prince Alexander I Battenberg . At first her name was Sandrowo . The state later bought the residence for 1,400,000 golden leva and gave it to Tsar Ferdinand I as a gift. The current name was given by Queen Marie Louise in 1893 and comes from the Greek "Euxenos pontos", which means "Black Sea", and from the Bulgarian "град / grad" which means "city": Euxinograd - city on the Black Sea. Tsarina Eleonore of Bulgaria died here on September 12, 1917.
The total area of Euxinograd is 800 ha, 550 ha of which belong to the park. The project was developed by the French dendrologist Neumeyer. Other architects and dendrologists have also worked on it. Among the sights are 310 species of plants, some of which were imported from the south of France.
The Euxinograd wine cellar is as famous as the castle. It was built in 1891 for the royal family and their guests and is located on two floors below the ground floor. The largest barrels hold up to 3,145 liters. Nowadays the wine cellar produces around 120 bottles of wine. Connoisseurs can taste 12 types of white wine and 7 types of brandy, the best of which is Euxignak.
Gallery of the vacation spot Sweti Konstantin
mass tourism
The year 1948 was also important for the development of the tourism industry, when the State Business Association for International Tourism Balkan Tourism was founded by a decree of the Council of Ministers of the People's Republic of Bulgaria , which also administered the resorts of Golden Sands and "Sweti Konstantin and Elena".
From its establishment until 1957, the resort was called "Sweti Sweti Konstantin i Elena". In 1957 it was renamed "Druzhba" (to German friendship) until it was given its old name again in 1991: "The Saints Constantine and Helena".
Web links
- Official website
- Sveti Konstantin at Bulgaria Business Travel Company
Individual evidence
- ↑ Hans-Joachim Böttcher: Ferdinand von Sachsen-Coburg and Gotha 1861-1949 - A cosmopolitan on the Bulgarian throne . Osteuropazentrum Berlin-Verlag (Anthea Verlagsgruppe), Berlin 2019, ISBN 978-3-89998-296-1 , p. 326 .