Ancient volcanoes, dinosaurs and healing mud in Pomorie’s planned geopark

Ancient volcanoes, traces of the age of dinosaurs and healing mud are among the attractions of a planned geopark on Bulgaria’s Black Sea coast. The project, which would bring together natural, cultural and historical sites in what could become the country’s first geopark, was presented at the Dechko Stoev City Art Gallery in Pomorie. Developed by the Pomorie Local Action Group, it aims to attract more tourists and create new opportunities for local businesses.

“We have been working on this project for two years and will also apply for inclusion in UNESCO’s Global Geoparks Network,” said Pomorie Mayor Ivan Aleksiev. He hopes the geopark will give visitors more to see and do, while drawing tourists to places beyond the town’s best-known attractions.

The planned geopark will cover the whole of Pomorie municipality, as well as an area near the village of Golitsa in Dolni Chiflik municipality, Varna region. Among the sites it will include are three ancient volcanoes near Dabnik, Kableshkovo and Kamenar, the Pomorie Lagoon, Lake Pomorie, the salt pans and deposits of therapeutic mud.

Also included is an area near the village of Kozichino, where geological traces of events dating back some 66 million years have survived. They tell the story of one of the great turning points in Earth’s history – the mass extinction that brought an end to the age of the non-avian dinosaurs.

Editor: Diana Tsankova