148 Years Since the Liberation of Nessebar: A History Lesson for Children and Students

06.02.2026 | Region

On February 8th, we commemorate 148 years since the Liberation of Nessebar. Children and students from local clubs attended a history lesson dedicated to the event, led by experts from the Old Nessebar Museum.

Снимка от Vahidmasrour, Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)

On February 8th, 148 years will have passed since the liberation of Mesembria (today Nessebar) from Ottoman rule.

The eve of this bright date for Nessebar was marked with an open lesson, attended by children from the local history club at the Children's Palace with the head teacher of history, Vanya Miteva, and ninth graders from the "Lyuben Karavelov" Secondary School.

The students were welcomed by the detector of the "Ancient Nessebar" Museum, Todor Marvakov, who pointed out on the map many of the still-existing buildings that witnessed the Liberation.

The lecture on the topic "Liberation" was prepared by the expert at the "Ancient Nessebar" Museum, Stoyanka Dimova. She presented both well-known facts and lesser-known circumstances surrounding the events in two of the Russo-Turkish wars that led to two liberations of the city.

The first liberation - in 1829, was short-lived - about six months, but according to the terms of the peace treaty following the end of the military actions between the two empires, Mesembria was returned under Ottoman rule. However, the events of 1878 led to a definitive change in the political and social structure of then-Mesembria and marked the beginning of a new stage in the historical development of the city.

From the lecture, the children learned that even before the advent of freedom, Mesambria was a settlement with a flourishing economic life, with developed shipbuilding and active trade relations, carried out both by shipping and by land. In the period around the Liberation War, Nessebar also established itself as a center of attraction for researchers of architecture and history, becoming an object of interest for many scientists and travelers.

History marks February 8, 1878, as the day of the Liberation of Nessebar from Ottoman rule - an event with deep significance for the historical memory and identity of the city.