Varna General Information
The biggest city at the Bulgarian Black Sea coast, Varna is situated 470 km east of Sofia. In the course of more than 7 millennia, the Gulf of Varna has been the cradle of several significant civilizations - humankind's oldest gold was excavated in Varna, created by people who inhabited that place around the 4th millennium BC and long before the Thracians, Greeks, Bulgarians and Turks. The third largest city, Varna, after Sofia and Plovdiv is Bulgaria's most animated metropolis and it rivals Sofia and Plovdiv in providing a wide range of sights and museums. The outstanding treasures of the Archeological Museum include the Chalcolithic necropolis with the oldest examples of gold jewelry ever discovered, and impressive Greek, Thracian and Bulgarian artifacts. Of particular interest are the National Revival Museum, the Ethnographic and City Historical Museum, the Art Gallery, the Navy Museum and the Aquarium, the Natural History Museum, the Zoo and the Dolphinarium, the Sea Gardens. Of more historical value are 17th century Cathedral of the Holy Mother, the Church of St Atanas, the 2 century Roman thermae. As well as being a beach resort in its own right, Varna offers access to the first-class resorts of Sveti Konstantin, Sunny Day, Golden Sands and Albena, the natural reserve at Kamchiya, the rock monastery of Aladja.

INFRASTRUCTURE

Port Varna - http://www.port-varna.bg/

• Crossing point of several European transport corridors. Its cross- roads position on the Black Sea west coast and the excellent transport links make Varna a proper logistic bridge between Europe, Russia, Ukraine, Caucasus, Near and Far East.
• The structure of Port of Varna PLC includes 3 component port units : Varna East, Varna West, Balchik.
• It handles all types of cargo, including liquid. Typical cargoes for Varna are grain, containers, chemicals nad general cargo. In 2001 Varna is Number One in handling of dry cargo in the country.
• Varna has the only rail ferry terminal in the Black Sea where it is possible to change the bogies of rail wagons from European to Russian standard. With this unique advantage, the terminal provides one of the shortest and the cheapest routes for the traffic between Europe and Asia.
• Varna has 2 container terminals - one in Varna East and the other in Varna West.
• Berths : 34.
• Total quay length: 5765 m.
• Open storage area: 240.100 sq.m.
• Closed storage area: 77.400 sq.m.
• Terminals: 10.

The International Airport Varna - http://www.varna-airport.bg

• The second largest airport after Sofia.
• Connection to 35 countries and 101 cities around the world.
• Maintenance and repair of all basic types of Russian airplanes; an airport for charter flights.
• Marked seasonal busyness; depending on the share in the financial results, the traffic serviced can be divided in the following groups:
• Passenger's charter, servicing the Black sea resorts during the summer season.
• Regular international flights.
• Cargo charter flights.
• Flights of general purpose ( General aviation ).
• The vision of the Government is concession granting.
• Interest in investments has been declared by the Wiggins Group, United Kingdom; Brussels Airport; a consortium of 6 multi-national companies, among them Credit Swiss First Boston, Montgomery Asset Management, Copenhagen Airport and the Belgian BIAC.

Telecommunications

• The best telecommunication network in Bulgaria.
• One of the highest rates of digitalization in the country: 44.4% for the city of Varna, 36% for the district of Varna, average figure for the country - 21%.
• The telephone lines density is 481 per 1000 city dwellers.
• The digitalization rate of Varna telecommunication network is three times higher than the average rate for the country. The digital telephone systems used are Siemens and Ericsson.
• 300 km of fiber-optic cables; MAN - ATM/STM.
• Varna is one of the main junctions of two international submarine optic cables: KAFOS - connecting Varna, Istanbul (Turkey) and Mangalia (Romania) as well as the telecommunication infrastructures of Bulgaria and the European countries; BSFOCS (Black Sea Fiber Optic Cable System) - an optic cable connecting Varna, Odessa (Ukraine) and Novorosiysk (Russia).

Water supply

• Sufficient water resource available for water supply of the towns and villages.
• Percentage of the population provided with water supply - 100%.
• Total length of the water supply network - 4 701 000 m, 120 water supply pump stations.
• Total produced water – 84,106 m3 per year .
• Major water sources: Kamchiya Dam-Lake, the Springs of Devnya and the water supply systems of Zlatina, Batova and Pchelnik
• 67,5% of the towns and villages /with population over 10 000 inhabitants/ are provided with sewerage networks, the percentage being more than 90% for the city of Varna and the town of Devnya, while in the rest of the towns the sewerage network has been constructed to 30-60%.
Electricity supply network
• The district of Varna is supplied with electricity by:
Varna Thermal-Electric Power Plant – 6 ? 220 ?W.
“Dobrudzha” Electric Substation /in the town of Suvorovo/ - 2x220 MW.
• Main distribution lines: two lines of 220 kV each from Varna Thermal-Elctric Power Plant to "Dobrudzha' Substation; 40 ? 110 ?V lines, servicing the towns and villages outside Varna - Devnya agglomeration.
Substations: two big substations - "Varna" and "Dobrudzha"; 18 substations of 110/20 kV; generating substations and traction substations owned by different companies .
• The transmission network of 110 kV, 220 kV and 440 kV is rather dense and provides effective power supply of the region.
Heat supply
• Toplofikatsia Plc. Varna supplies the central heating of schools, nursery homes, houses and flats, etc. equal to 14 000 flats 38 000 inhabitants in Varna municipality. The central heating system comprises a heating station, 426 distribution stations and 28 KM of conveying network.

Gas supply

• Available gas-pipe network in the region. The system is with high pressure – 55 bar. With diameter 700mm., property of Bulgargas JSC.
• The price of gas- methane from 27.03.2003 is 287.19 lv. for 1 000 cubic meters, from the distributor "Bulgargas" JSC. Caloricity of the marsh gas sold in the network of "Bulgargas" JSC. is 8 000 Kkal/ m3 at 20o C.
• At the cape Galata, there is a methane gas field in the Black sea Shelf. The mine equipment is forthcoming in 2004 parallel with the construction of the necessary gas pipelines.

Railway transport

• The total length of the railway network in Varna district is 307.12 km excluding the railway network within the station areas.
• 2-nd and 3-rd Republican railway lines are the basic ones:
• 2-nd railway line Sofia - Varna has a railway length of 121.111 km and connects all the directions of Northern Bulgaria. Due to its connection to Ruse direction, passing through the territory of Varna district this line is of great importance for the cargo transportation from Ruse to Varna port. The line is double and entirely electrified.
• 3-rd railway line Karnobat – Sindel connects the North-eastern part of Bulgaria to its southern parts and appears to be an element of the VIII trans-European transport corridor concerning its railway infrastructure.

Road network

• Varna district is characterized by an average road network density of 328.99 km / km2 and total length of 1256.60 km (1337.2 km including 80.60 km without surface, are in project).
• Hemus and Cherno more highways have the greatest significance to the development of the Republican road network on the territory of Varna district. They also represent an integral part of the pan-European road network and particularly of corridors No.7 and 8. Setting these two highways of national importance in compliance with the European standards will greatly improve the transport activity between the district and the rest of the country, the Central and West European potential markets as well as the countries of the Black Sea Economic Co-operation.
• Strategic importance considering Varna-Poti ro-ro connection. There is also a Ruse-Shumen-Varna E70 road available.

Varna Economy
The economic profile of the Region includes: machine-building, shipbuilding, chemical industry, sea and air transport, tourism, food processing and wine industries. The industrial zones of Varna and Provadia are composed of over 100 enterprises, shipbuilding and repair, diesel engines, communications, sea-navigation, medical and household goods, textile and ready-made clothes, furniture and metallurgy. Food and wine industries produce over 50,000 tons per year. Fruits and vegetable conserves, sugar, salt, beer, soft drinks, fresh and processed meat and milk products are processed. Concentrated in Devnya and Beloslav are large scale chemical industries. The plants produce soda ash, cement, polyvinilchloride, fertilizers, detergents, washing and cleaning products, glass and sanitary glass, household chemical products. Port Varna is the second largest port (after Bourgas port) in Bulgaria. The ferryboat Varna - Ilichovsk is a direct bridge to Ukraine. Agriculture: Prevailing in the region are grains and fodder cultures, vineyards and orchards. Main priorities are restoration of the vineyards (20 000 dka), creation of orchards (20 000 dka), rehabilitation of the irrigation systems, creation of small grain-depots, reconstruction of the stock-breeding farms, establishment of stock-exchanges and Agrobusiness centre.