Black Sea Coast - Romania and Bulgaria - page 902

Balchik

Sights

1 City Historical Museum B2

2 Ethnographic Museum B2

Sleeping

3 Hotel Helios D3

4 Hotel Mistral B3

5 Irish Rover C3

6 White House A2

Eating

Francis Drake (see 4)

7 Old Boat C3

History
Greek traders who settled here in the 6th century BC initially called the place Krounoi
(meaning 'town of springs') but later changed the name to Dionysopolis in honour of the
god of wine. The Romans came later and fortified the town, and viticulture remained an
important local industry. In medieval times, Balchik (possibly meaning 'town of clay')
thrived on the export of grain from the hinterlands. In 1913, the town (and the rest of the
region) was annexed by Romania; it was literally sold back to Bulgaria in 1940 for 7000
'golden leva'.

Sights

City Historical Museum
Offline map Google map
(ul Vitosha 3; admission 2 lv; 9am-noon & 1-5pm Mon-Fri) The diverse collection
here includes Roman statuary, medieval pottery and vintage photographs of the town from
the early 1900s.

MUSEUM