Ancient town of Sozopol

The Archaeological Museum, the Ethnographic Museum, the Art Gallery, the Old Sozopol Exposition, the St. Nicholas the Wonderworker Archaeological Complex, the South Fortress Wall and the Tower, the Medieval Monastery Complex, the church of St. George the Victorious, the church of St. Cyril and St. Methodius, the church of St.  Zosim of Sozopol, the church of St. Marina, the Acra Fortress, the Sozopol houses and chapels.

A sensational discovery was made in 2010 on the island of St. Ivan: a reliquary with relics of St. John the Baptist was found there. The relic was stored in a special relic vault in the Church of St. George the Victorious. This made Sozopol the second city, after Bari in Italy, possessing a precious Christian relic.

During the excavations of the St. Nicholas the Wonderworker archaeological complex, archaeologists discovered a skeleton of a man pierced through the heart with a metal pole. The discovery, called by archaeologists „the Sozopol vampire“, is now housed in the Archaeological Museum.

The places of great interest include the islands of St. Ivan and St. Kirik and St. Yulita, cape Scamnius, the remains of the thousand-year-old settlement of Acra on Cape Akin, as well as the St. Nicholas the Wonderworker archaeological complex, which is also a major sight. There is also the eastern gate of ancient Sozopol, which today is one of the first sights that welcome tourists in the ancient part of the town. 

On the relatively small territory of the Ancient Sozopol architectural-historical reserve, many discoveries of great scientific importance were made and traces of the continuous occupation of the town for over 2600 years were found. On the island of Sozopol St. Kirik and St. Yulita, the remains of the temple of the god Apollo the Healer, where the earliest Christian Basilica was built in the 4th - 6th centuries, have been located. After many years of research, one of the richest collections in Bulgaria of ancient Greek painted ceramics, which often is exhibited in prestigious international exhibitions, was formed in Sozopol. You can see it in the Archaeological Museum.

Thanks to the unceasing archaeological activity over the years, tourists can get to know many objects from the past, including exquisite ceramic vases, amphorae, bronze candlesticks, lead spouts, beautiful ceramic linings and various household items, metal anchors, coins minted here from different periods, as well as traces of burials of noble personalities. That is why a walk around Sozopol, its ancient part and museums, as well as the surrounding areas, gives a real sense of timelessness that continues winding around the city.