A brief history of the Nessebar Peninsula;
The Old Town of Nessebar is only 850 m long and 350 m wide. During various periods of its existence, it has lost 1/3 of its territory, eaten away by the sea.
Nessebar is founded on an ancient Thracian village which dates back to the 2nd Century B.C. Because of its strategic location, the settlement developed into a trading port which was initially called Messembria by the Greeks and later given the name of Nessebar. Architectural remains from the ancient town indicate that there were fortifications, aqueducts, an amphitheatre and a temple to the Greek god Apollo. in 1956 it was declared and recognised as museum city for archaeological and architectural reservation. Today the old part of the town is an attractive place for romantic walks along the narrow cobbled streets, among the little shops offering hand crafted souvenirs – pottery, crocheting, and jewellery. The wonderful ancient ambience is the background for an unforgettable holiday opportunity and Startiat Kesten is in an ideal location to sample this rich cultural history.
In the late 6th century BC, the first Greek colonists arrived. The town gradually grew; temples, a gymnasium and a theatre were built.
Messambria began to mint its own coins around the year 440 BC. It reached its peak in the 2nd century BC, when gold coins were first minted. The town maintained good commercial contacts with other towns along the Black Sea, the Aegean and the Mediterranean. The material testament of the rich economic, cultural and spiritual life of the town are the many finds form this period, exhibited at the very interesting Archaeological museum situated within the old town.
In 72 BC the town was captured without any resistance by the Roman armies. After a short occupation, it became part of the Roman Empire in early 1st century AD. Messemvria as it was called at the time, with its fortress walls and large public buildings preserved intact, continued to mint its own bronze coins and remained an important commercial and cultural centre along the Black Sea coast of Roman Thrace.
The town first became part of the Bulgarian state in 812, when Khan Kroum stormed and conquered it, and Slavs and the Bulgarians settled here. Nessebar as Slavs called it remained in Bulgarian hands for a longer period of time during the reign of Tsar Simeon The Great.
After almost 40 years of Byzantine domination, Nessebar was again incorporated into the Bulgarian state in 1304 by Tsar Todor Svetoslav. The town underwent a great boom during the reign of Tsar Ivan Alexander.
In 1366 the town was captured by the knights of Count Amedeo di Savoya, and later ceded to the Byzantine emperor. The town was first invaded by the Ottoman Turks in 1396. It finally became a part of the Ottoman Empire together with the capital Constantinopol in 1453.
Over the centuries of Ottoman domination, the economic and cultural life did not cease. Churches were built and decorated, icons painted, many of which can still be found and explored in the town.
The port of Nessebar continued to be a major import and export center on the Black Sea coast. Some of the Nessebar monasteries and scriptoria were active until 18th – 19th century. Many houses from Bulgarian Renaissance period are preserved in Nessebar – typical examples of the Black Sea architecture, some of the many windmills, which worked in the town, public baths and fountains.
The cultural heritage of the ancient town is presented in four museum expositions. One of the most popular is the Archaelogical Museum, exhibiting the rich material culture of Messambria - Messemvria – Nessebar from the antiquity, Middle Ages and the Renaissance.