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Following the Greek steps

Dionysopolis, Odessos, Mesembria, Pyrgos and Apollonia: all of these names would have featured on a seventh century BCE map of what is today called the Bulgarian Black Sea coast. Before the arrival of the first Bulgarians, the coast was dominated by Slavs and Greeks.

Slavs were quickly and successfully incorporated into the new Bulgarian state, established in the year 681 CE, while Greek settlers continued to exist in their settlements. It took a while for Greeks to be included in the life of the new state, whose main rival was the east Roman empire, also dominated, ironically, by the Greeks. Hence, the names of these towns remained unchanged for many years as if to prove to subsequent generations that Greeks were the first conquerors of the Black Sea coast. In return, Greeks had to offer their new neighbours the possibility of trading with other successors to Greek colonies along the Black Sea and the Mediterranean.

The trade-off was beneficial to the Greeks because they were allowed to preserve their language for the next 1400 years. If English is currently seen as the universal language, Greek enjoyed the same status in 681 CE. Bulgarians found it easier to use Greek in their writing than their own language, at least until 886 CE when Cyrillic was adopted as the first Bulgarian state’s official alphabet.

After the Balkans fell to Ottoman rule, Greek remained one of the languages recognised by the sultan. All Orthodox Christians (Bulgarians, Serbs and Greeks) also remained under the rule of the Greek Patriarch in Constantinople (Istanbul). Bulgarians’ lack of seafaring prowess also helped the Greeks retain control over the Black Sea. Bulgarians, who hailed from Asia, were known rather for their riding skills, acquiring a reputation as people who were born, lived and waged war on horseback, even dying in the saddle. Cut off from their motherland (today’s Greece), the former Greek settlements were “surrounded” by Slavs and Bulgarians who managed to create a unified people called Bulgarians.

Over the centuries the Bulgarian modus vivendi encroached on the Greek one. Gradually, Greek towns and villages adopted new names. Hence, Dionysopolis is known today as Balchik, Odessos as Varna, Mesembria as Nessebar, Pyrgos as Bourgas and Apollonia as Sozopol. History shows us that names are easier to change than people. Perversely, the Ottoman empire helped the Greeks retain their influence. Following the invasion, Bulgarians deserted the plains and ventured to the mountains in search of safety, leaving the Greeks behind. It was not until Bulgaria was liberated from Ottoman rule in 1878 that Bulgarian was once again spoken along the Black Sea coast. 

The subsequent Balkan wars of 1912-1914 saw the emergence of nationalism in the newly liberated Balkan states, including Bulgaria and Greece. This saw an inevitable migration of Bulgarians and Greeks on both sides of the border, a painful process for both peoples. In the wake of post-World War 2 migration, the local Greek population lived in these towns together with refugees from the eastern and Aegean Thrace and Macedonia. This was how a strange hybrid of cultures was formed, a blend of Greek culture but seen through the eyes of people living on opposite sides of the Balkan peninsula. Those who stayed had to satisfy themselves living in small communities named mahala (borough) in Bulgarian. Hence, one of the most prestigious and expensive enclaves of Varna is called Grutska mahala (the Greek borough). Few Greeks live there today but the name has become an essential part of the local toponymy. Its location is another sign that the Grucka mahala is Greek in nature. The area around the harbour, just metres from the sea, is the oldest part of the city to have uncovered relics from the ancient Greek era.

In smaller towns such as Nessebar and Sozopol a new trend emerged: the creation of “old” and “new” towns. The “old” towns in this sense are historical sites where Greeks formed the main core of settlers, while “new” towns are the areas now dominated by luxury hotels attracting wealthy holidaymakers from the other side of Europe. A dichotomy has arisen between 19th century Bulgarian and Greek architecture and the new wave of concrete, glass and iron.

Fortunately, all is not lost. Thanks to some families who keep the Greek link alive you can still find a small taverna hidden behind the hotels and nightclubs and enjoy the essence of what used to be the home of the Black Sea conquerors.