The Bulgarian Navy - Friend or Foe?

Sometime friend, sometime foe and sometime neither the Bulgarian navy, has under different guises sailed from and defended the harbour in Varna both as a strategic and commercial port.  Hopping off the No. 20 bus, not in front of the museum but next to the roundabout on ul. "Devnya".  The railway station is just ahead of us on the left but I want to venture a short way up ul. "Preslav" just off the roundabout.  The home of the Bulgaria Navy is situated here in its magnificent dome topped Headquarters here. It now flies the flags of Bulgaria, the EU and NATO so we now are friends. A while ago during the "Cold War" we were foes, during the World Wars both and occasionally neutral. That is why I am so surprised when people are shocked that nations spy on each other "friend or foe" and have done since time immemorial. It is now interesting to see from the other sides perspective.



The HQ, an elaborate four story building as befits its status, is a hollow square with a large courtyard in the centre.  The outside wall has a plaque commemorating one of their most famous Admirals. I thought it a fitting start to my visit to the main attraction of the day. Backtracking to ul "Primorski" we pass the Maritime Headquarters opposite to the main entrance to the port, seen on my previous excursion to the railway station. Crossing the road before the grand "Hotel Panorama" opposite South Beach we arrive at the start of the "Sea Park" and take the lower road past the swimming pool.

Promenading along on this fine afternoon I am aghast to observe that Varna has suffered from a "Tsunami" in the not so distant past as I observe a ship stuck up in a tree.  You will be relieved to hear that this is not the case but, as we walk on the photographs may give a hint of our destination. But first we continue on the pleasant walk reaching the point where the path continues on to the main entrance to the beach. Remember the 'sun dial' and exhibition of photography? If, facing the sea, we had turned left there we would have walked along the path I have now turned onto.

I stop for a pleasant lunch of chicken cooked in blue cheese with mashed potatoes.  Whilst sitting enjoying this repast and observing the sunlight dappled leaves of the surrounding trees I suddenly observe ' my little pony' wandering by. Trying to grab a photograph through the heads of the people at the table in between I am afraid that my focus is slightly off.  There is an object which I thought had been a mult-coloured, sculptured paddling pool next to the alfresco dining area. It was full of children so I hesitated to take a photograph, but, on closure examination, it is the surrounding mountains, rivers and sea bed.

Lunch over, I progressed to my final destination.  A passing remark from another ex-pat implied that an hour or two here would suffice but, if you browse the photographs which I have taken you will realise as I did that several visits can be made, especially at 2 lev entrance fee. I wandered around the external exhibits first.  There are clear instructions to remain behind the ropes. Unfortunately this prevents the reading of many of the information plaques around the site. It is a shame as these are also inscribed in English as are the internal exhibits. I had been told that this was not the case in museums, we shall see!  There is a wealth of material here and it illustrates how long Varna has been recognised from the Thracians, through Greek, Roman, Ottoman and Russian empires to modern times. Bus numbers 17, 20 and 39 all stop on the main road outside the museum for direct access.


As I suspected when walking down the road the brick wall was part of the sea defences.  The first exhibit is the preserved 240-mm naval gun positioned to defend the harbour during the Balkan War of 1912-1913. This is a mighty beast with its barrel disappearing into the leaves. Next is the torpedo boat "Druski" which we saw through the trees. There is a step ladder up to the deck and for an additional 2 lev the boat can be explored both inside and out. There is a contrasting latter model further along before entering the main area.

Both inside and out, not all displays are of a military nature. This yacht marks a very proud moment in Bulgarian naval accomplishments when Captain Gueorgi Gueorgiev took part in the transatlantic regatta and, immediately afterwards on the 20th December 1970 became the first man in Bulgarian history to sail around the world in a yacht. Starting and ending in Havana, Cuba exactly one year later. The yacht "Kor Karolli" was built in Poland for the Varna Port Yacht Club, a club which still thrives today.

Of all of the external exhibits ranging from mines to periscopes, cannon to anchors all spanning the period 1773 to the 1970s this was the one that surprised me. Remember all we hear about the Blitz, doodlebugs and V2 rockets. The Russian supplied "B-163- Sopka" with "Sputic-2" rocket was used by the Bulgarian Navy between 1962 - 1979 for coastal defences. Presumably we would have come face to face with similar had the Russians advanced through Germany at the time.

Entering the museum building note that there are arrows on the floor which guide you down to the basement first and around the exhibits in chronological order, being repeated upstairs. As there was no-one to greet me, i.e take my ticket, I went up the imposing staircase and so did the tour backwards so bare with me.  The order in which you look around is important if you wish to absorb something of the complex history of the area.  I have taken photographs which give a feel of the place, some of specific items, some general views and some to outline the history of the Bulgarian Navy and its predecessors. The photographs I have taken of the information panels can be zoomed in order to read them and it is well worth doing so.  I intend to revisit the museum to browse at leisure as this was all behind the "Iron Curtain" when I was younger.

As I have previously mentioned the land known as "Thracia" took up a good part of what is now Bulgaria. I shall be visiting the home town of "Spartacus" in due course. The harbour in Varna was on the trade routes of the Aegean and Mediterranean seas sailed by the Greeks, Romans and Turks. During the Crimean war the English and allied fleets used the harbour as a base although much of Bulgaria was pro-Russian. The merchant shipping was very important to the economy and still is today afforded by the Bulgarian Merchant Navy.

My ticket to explore the motor torpedo boat remains to be used another day.  There is a cutaway model of the boat amongst the exhibits which I photographed. There are also uniforms and equipment, artefacts and curiosities. Right may not be on the side of the enemy but there are brave men on all sides. A plaque to acts of bravery of individual men of the Bulgarian Navy remind us that "For those in peril on the sea" the only common constant enemy is the sea itself.

View my "Bulgarian Navy" photos album

In the mean time "keep yer powder dry"!