- Varvara, Burgas Province
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Varvara ( _bg. Варвара) is a village and seaside resort on the
Black Sea coast ofBurgas Province ,Bulgaria , between the towns ofTsarevo andAhtopol , near the border withTurkey . It lies at coord|42|7|N|27|55|E and the mayor is Irina Petkova. As of 2005, the population is 250.GR|BulgariaIn the middle of the 19th century, the site of the modern village was uninhabited, except for the small monastery or chapel of
Saint Barbara with holy springs, after which the village was named. An older settlement may well have existed, as indicated by the marking of the name "Vardarah" on Max Šimek's 1748 and Christian Ludwig's 1788 map in that area. Until theBalkan Wars , Varvara was a small Ottoman village of ethnic Turkish refugees from northern Bulgaria which settled there following theLiberation of Bulgaria in theRusso-Turkish War of 1877-78 . After 1913, the Turks moved out and were replaced by Bulgarian refugees fromEastern Thrace The village is best known for its intellectual community of artists and writers. Many young artists came to Varvara in the 1970s and 1980s and populated a small camp called "The Sea Club" which the Academy of Arts in
Sofia had purchased for them. Over the years a larger group of artists established themselves in Varvara and started to buyreal estate and build a small community.Many fishermen also live in the village. The population is from many backgrounds with an increasing number of
Western Europe ans taking up residence both seasonally and full time. There is also a well integrated Roma community. The size of the village and its intellectual values have helped in the creation of a diverse yet close community who undertake many projects together such as the recent building of a new small church that was constructed in a combined effort of locals and some of the Bulgarians who form part of this community.The newly renovated road to Burgas puts the International Airport within an hour's drive. Besides fishing, the major source of income today is
tourism . There is a secluded sandy beach, and one of the most famous diving areas on the Black Sea known as the Dardaneli lies next to the village. This is a series of underwater caves and canyons offering snorkeling and diving on the coast. There are 12 small family hotels and 11 bars and restaurants.References
*External links
* [http://forthenature.org/cases/strandja The destruction of Varvara beach and the illegal building "Golden Pearl" near Varvara]
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