Kaliakra is the most famous and popular cape in Bulgaria. The name comes from Greek and means “beautiful cape”. The site is located at 43 degrees and 21 minutes north latitude and 28 degrees and 27 minutes east longitude, about an hour’s drive north of Varna. Cape Kaliakra juts about two kilometers into the sea in the north-south direction and rises to a height of about 27 meters above sea level. Its shores are very steep and rocky.
There are remains of a fortress, which is one of the reasons to attract thousands of visitors here.
Kaliakra is an interesting tourist spot. Coming here, people can visit the small restaurant or the museum of Kaliakra, enjoying the mystic atmosphere.
One of the most exciting and romantic legends tells the story of 40 virgins, who jumped together into the sea, led by a girl called Kaliakra. They tied their hair together and jumped as they didn’t wish to give their Christian faith, falling into the hands of the Turkish invaders.
At that time Bulgaria was under Ottoman rule and the Bulgarians did not get any respect by their oppressors. At the southern-most tip of the cape there is a stone stairway that descends steeply down.
Shortly before its end, you will find a small but very charming chapel, called “St. Nicholas”. Because of its strategic location, on the cape today works a meteorological station and military radar.
Today there are no towns to be found in the peninsula itself. Here you will find only the people who work on the cape. The nearest settlement to Kaliakra is Bulgarevo village, which is located about 4 km northwest of the cape.