Bulgarian Ports Infrastructure Company brings together the captivating stories of Bulgarian Black Sea lighthouses. The iconic Sailor’s House in Varna will host the presentation of the book “Lighthouses and other means of navigation support along the Bulgarian Black Sea Coast /1878 – 2018/” on June 20, 2018 (Wednesday) at 5:30 PM. BPI Co.’s General Director Angel Zaburtov and the authors – journalist Atanas Panayotov, who has dedicated much of his work to port affairs, and Mariana Krasteva, director of the Naval Museum in Varna, will reveal some of the mysteries of the illuminating towers and their construction and maintenance over the years.
The illuminating lights of Bulgarian Black Sea lighthouses will “shine” across 240 pages. Readers will discover fascinating facts about our oldest navigational facilities, becoming forever captivated by their impressive history, beauty, and technical specifications. The book will tell the story of the iconic lighthouse bearing the image of “St. Nicholas the Wonderworker” in Varna, the Cape Kaliakra lighthouse – impressive with its strong projection into the sea and its vertical cliffs, the Cape Emine lighthouse – one of the most strategic maritime lighthouses in the Black Sea, and the northernmost Bulgarian lighthouse located at Bulgaria’s easternmost point – the Shabla lighthouse, among others. The modern 21st-century lighthouses are also featured – the coastal vessel traffic management and information centers in Burgas and Varna. This bilingual publication presents all navigation support, guidance, and traffic control facilities along the Bulgarian Black Sea coast, navigation channels, and port waters in greater detail than any previous publications.
Since mid-1909, all maritime lighthouses and navigational signs along the Bulgarian Black Sea coast have been under the care of the Bulgarian state. By that time, lighthouses had already been built at Cape Shabla, Cape Kaliakra, Cape Galata, Cape Emine, St. Ivan Island, St. Anastasia Island, and in Burgas and Varna. Between 1910-1939, new lighthouses were constructed in Euxinograd, Cape Maslen, Cape St. Athanasius, Nessebar, Pomorie, Tsarevo, Ahtopol, and Sozopol. In 1928, a program was developed to modernize all lighthouses along our Black Sea coast. Some of these are managed by BPI Co..
Mysterious and enigmatic, majestic and commanding, symbols of human civilization and progress, of security and prosperity, of anticipation, hope, and romance – the illuminating towers have always attracted the curiosity of both young and old. The book tells the story of our light signals’ past and present while casting an ambitious look toward the future, because… “as long as there are seafarers, maritime lighthouses will continue to shine.”