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36-512: The municipality embraces a territory of 481.4 km (185.9 sq mi) with a population of 15,861 inhabitants, as of December 2009. Geographically, the area is best known with the long and narrow headland of Kaliakra . The main road E87 crosses the municipality connecting the port of Varna with the Romanian port of Constanța . Kavarna Municipality includes the following 21 places (towns are shown in bold): The following table shows

72-405: A foghorn . Near Kaliakra, there is a large mediumwave broadcasting facility , which never went into service as planned. As of 2009, several wind power facilities are under development in the vicinity. The area now has three championship golf courses designed by the legendary golfers Gary Player and Ian Woosnam . The earliest naval settlement dates back to the 4th century BC, when the area

108-465: A bas-relief of the Russian Admiral was erected on the headland's tip. On August 10, 2006, the 215th anniversary of this victory, a monument to him was erected. The monument is a figure in full height and is located on a hill, where it is visible from the sea. Probably the most popular legend about the place is one about 40 Bulgarian girls, who preferred to tie their hair together and jump into

144-543: A great supporter for the Eastern Orthodox Church . Mircea the Elder is the first in the region to deal with slaves giving 300 gypsy dwellings to a monastery in 1388. While organizing the country and its institutions, Mircea also formed a system of lasting alliances which enabled him to defend the independence of the country. Through the intermediary of Petru Mușat , the prince of Moldavia , he concluded

180-404: A local race of European shag ). The rest of the reserve also has unusual breeding birds; saker falcon , lesser grey shrike and a host of others. It also features the remnants of the fortified walls, water-main, baths and residence of Despot Dobrotitsa in the short-lived Despotate of Dobruja 's medieval capital. The Bolata Cove with a small sheltered beach lies just north at the mouth of

216-588: A major storm along with his whole fleet. Kaliakra Glacier on Livingston Island in the South Shetland Islands , Antarctica is named after Kaliakra. Mircea the Elder Mircea the Elder ( Romanian : Mircea cel Bătrân , pronounced [ˈmirtʃe̯a tʃel bəˈtrɨn] ; c. 1355 – 31 January 1418) was the Voivode of Wallachia from 1386 until his death in 1418. He

252-761: A navy. Dobrotica's galleys participated in successful combat operations in the Black Sea. In 1393 - 1394 the Carvun principality became one of the last Bulgarian possessions to fall under Ottoman rule. In 1402, the Vlach voivode Mircea Stari took over the lands around Kaliakra, but later that year the area was again occupied by the Ottoman troops. In 1444, the knights of the Polish and Hungarian King Vladislav III Varnenczyk were stopped near Cape Kaliakra in their campaign against

288-449: A picturesque canyon, also part of the nature reserve. The following names have been used for the headland and the fortress throughout their history: The name "Kaliakra" is of Byzantine Greek origin. It is a combination of "καλός" ("beautiful") and "άκρα" ("headland" or "edge" or "extremity") and is traditionally translated as "Beautiful Headland". Kaliakra was the site of the naval Battle of Cape Kaliakra on 11 August 1791, part of

324-584: A treaty of alliance with Władysław II Jagiełło , king of Poland in 1389. The treaty was renewed in 1404 and 1410. He maintained close relations with Sigismund of Luxembourg , the king of Hungary, relying on their common interest in the struggle against Ottoman expansion. His interventions in support of the Bulgarians south of the Danube who were fighting against the Turks brought him into conflict with

360-490: Is steep with vertical cliffs reaching 70 metres (230 ft) down to the sea. Kaliakra is a nature reserve, where dolphins and cormorants can be observed. It sits on the Via Pontica , a major bird migration route from Africa into Eastern and Northern Europe. Many rare and migrant birds can be seen here in spring and autumn and, like much of this coastline, is home to several rare breeding birds (e.g. pied wheatear and

396-571: The Battle of Rovine , which featured a forested and swampy terrain, thus preventing the Ottomans from properly spreading their army; Mircea finally won the fierce battle and threw the Ottomans out of the country. This famous battle was later epically described by the poet Mihai Eminescu in his Third Epistle . However, Mircea had to retreat to Hungary, while the Turks installed Vlad Uzurpatorul on

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432-540: The Black Sea rather than face the prospect of being captured by the Ottomans . An obelisk dedicated to this legend is placed at the entrance to the cape, called The Gate of the 40 Maidens . Another legend tells the story of Saint Nicholas , the patron of seamen, who was running away from the Ottomans when God made the earth under him longer and longer so he could escape, and the cape was formed this way. The saint

468-897: The Hungarian Kingdom and Poland, which were aiming at controlling the mouths of the Danube, but also those of the Ottoman Empire in the Balkans . During the reign of Mircea the Elder, Wallachia controlled the largest area in its history, gaining Dobruja in 1388, the Banate of Severin in 1388/9 and Podunavia (which is suspected to be the Timok Valley , or the name of the Danube river valley in Slavonic as stated in Mircea's letter "both sides of Danube" ). In addition, he

504-469: The Ottoman Empire and enabled Musa to ascend that throne (for a brief reign). It was at this time that the prince reached the height of his power. Towards the end of his reign, Mircea signed a treaty with the Ottomans ; in return for a tribute of 3,000 gold pieces per year, the Ottomans desisted from making Wallachia a province ("pashalik"). The "bravest and ablest of the Christian princes", as he

540-526: The Russo-Turkish War (1787–1792) . The first modern lighthouse on Kaliakra was built in 1866 by the Compagnie des Phares de l’Empire Ottoman; the present one, a 10-metre (33 ft) cylindrical stone masonry tower with lantern and gallery, was erected in 1901, with focal plane height of 68 metres (223 ft) and a white flash (every 5 seconds); it also has a radio navigation emitter and

576-401: The 20th century, the remains of ancient and early Christian necropolises were discovered on Kaliakra. In the 5-6th century, according to Hierocele, the fortress (now known as Accra Castellium or simply Accra-cape) gained the importance of a fortified nucleus against the oncoming barbarian tribes and was one of the 15 cities in the province of Scythia. In 513, a battle ensued between Kaliakra and

612-538: The Byzantine emperor Anastasius I. The settlement and fortress developed in the following centuries, but according to some researchers in the 7th century a decline occurred because the Slavs and Proto-Bulgarians showed no interest in settling this place. In 10th century sources, the area is variously listed as Tetrasida, Tetrasiada, Tetrisias, Trisa, Tirisa, or Tirista. The earliest dated Western European map that mentions

648-521: The First World War included a mine-clearing boat named "Kalatserka". The heyday of Kaliakra was in the second half of the 14th century when it was the capital of the principality (despotate) of Carvun under the Bulgarian rulers Balik and Dobrotitsa. The despotate covered the northeastern Bulgarian lands, and was detached from the central government. Dobrotica is also called Dobrudzha, which is

684-587: The Hellenistic era, a second fortress wall was built inland, and in Roman times the Thracian fortress was expanded. In the years 341–342, round towers were completed, and there was already a city built up around the fortress. In the second half of the 4th century, a third fortification with 10 m walls, 2.90 m thick, was erected even farther from the end of the peninsula. During the archeological excavations made in

720-829: The Middle Ages and one of the great rulers of his era, and starting in the 19th century Romanian historiography has also referred to him as Mircea the Great ( Mircea cel Mare ). Mircea was the son of voivode Radu I of Wallachia and his wife, Doamna Calinichia , thus being a descendant of the House of Basarab . He was the father of Michael I of Wallachia , Radu II of Wallachia , Alexander I Aldea and Vlad II Dracul , and grandfather of Mircea II , Vlad Țepeș (Dracula) , Vlad Călugărul and Radu cel Frumos , all of whom became rulers of Wallachia. Mircea II and Vlad Țepeș were both able military commanders (Vlad Țepeș became one of

756-546: The Ottoman Empire. In 1394, Bayezid I crossed the Danube river, leading 40,000 men, an impressive force at the time. Mircea had only about 10,000 men so he could not survive an open fight. He chose to fight what would now be called a guerrilla war , by starving the opposing army and using small, localized attacks and retreats (a typical form of asymmetric warfare ). On October 10, 1394, the two armies finally clashed at

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792-462: The Ottoman Empire. In the old Turkish lawmen, Kaliakra is mentioned as a port with a Kilagra or Celigra Burun customs. On July 31, 1791, the largest naval battle in the Black Sea began off the coast of Kaliakra during the Russo-Turkish War of 1787–1792. The Russian squadron, led by Admiral Fyodor Ushakov, repeatedly defeated Hussein Pasha's superior Turkish armada, and helped end the war. A plaque with

828-457: The Turkish pronunciation of its name. Written records speak of a powerful, medieval town where the ruler cut his own coins and turned the fortress into a church center. Today there are remains of the fortress walls on the tip of the headlands; some of the water supply, baths and the residence of the prince are still preserved. Kaliakra's despots were the first of the native rulers to begin building

864-646: The change of the population during the last four decades. According to the latest Bulgarian census of 2011, the religious composition, among those who answered the optional question on religious identification, was the following: Kaliakra Kaliakra ( Bulgarian : Калиакра ) is a cape in the Southern Dobruja region of the northern Bulgarian Black Sea Coast , which ends with a long and narrow headland 12 kilometres (7 mi) east of Kavarna , 60 kilometres (37 mi) northeast of Varna and 65 kilometres (40 mi) southwest of Mangalia . The coast

900-404: The country but also in neighboring countries. He gave the merchants of Poland and Lithuania trade privileges and renewed those his predecessors had given to the people of Brașov . As a result, Mircea was able to afford increasing his military power. He fortified the Danube citadels and strengthened "the great army" made up of townspeople and of free and dependent peasants. He also proved to be

936-456: The country. The defeat of Sultan Beyazid I by Timur Lenk (Tamerlane) at Ankara in the summer of 1402 opened a period of anarchy in the Ottoman Empire and Mircea took advantage of it to organize together with the Hungarian king a campaign against the Turks. In 1404 Mircea was thus able to impose his rule on Dobruja again. Moreover, Mircea took part in the struggles for the throne of

972-584: The land of Ungrovlahia [Wallachia] and the parts above the mountains, duke of the Tartar parts and of Amlaș and Făgăraș , and the ruler of the Banat of Severin, and on both sides throughout Podunavia, even to the great sea and ruler of Dârstor 's fortress." Mircea strengthened the power of the state and organized the different high offices, promoted economic development, increased the state's revenue, and minted silver money that enjoyed wide circulation not only inside

1008-566: The largest area in its history: from the Southern Carpathians in the north to the Danube in the south, and from today's Iron Gates on the Danube in the west to the Black Sea in the east. Also Mircea's titles show his lands: "I, in Christ God, the faithful and charitable God and the loving and self-sacrificing Christ, Io Mircea, the great ruler and lord of God's mercy and the gift of God, ruling and reigning over all

1044-537: The modern name Kaliakra is that of the Italian Petrus Vesconta, from 1318. In other Italian maps and 14th-century writings, the peninsula is also described as Capo Calacria or Calacria. The German armored bearer Hans Schiltberger describes the peninsula as Kalacerca, derived from the "καλός" – beautiful / good and "τσέρκι" – a hoop, given the three walls of the Kaliakra fortress. The Bulgarian Navy of

1080-414: The most famous leaders in history, and is commonly believed to be the inspiration for the novel Dracula by Bram Stoker ). His daughter Arina married the Ottoman prince Musa Çelebi in 1403. Mircea's reign is often considered to have brought stability to Wallachia. Found in a volatile region of the world, this principality's borders constantly shifted, but during Mircea's rule, Wallachia controlled

1116-511: The throne of Wallachia. In 1396, Mircea participated in an anti-Ottoman crusade started by Hungary 's monarch. The crusade ended with the Ottoman victory at the Battle of Nicopolis on September 25. In the next year, 1397, Mircea, having defeated Vlad the Usurper with help from the Voivode of Transylvania , Stibor, stopped another Ottoman expedition that crossed the Danube , and in 1400 he defeated yet another expedition of Turks crossing

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1152-521: Was also granted the fiefdoms of Amlaș ( Omlás ) and Făgăraș ( Fugurash ) in Transylvania . The byname "elder" was given to him after his death in order to distinguish him from his grandson Mircea II ("Mircea the Younger"), although some historians believe the epithet was given to him as a sign of respect by later generations. He is considered the most important Wallachian ruler during

1188-542: Was described by German historian Leunclavius , ruled Wallachia for 32 years. Mircea was a ktetor , building among other monuments, the Cozia Monastery near Călimănești in ca. 1390. He had churches built after Serbian architectural styles , after the models of the Lazarica Church , Veluće , Naupara , and Kalenić monastery . Mircea was played by Sergiu Nicolaescu in the 1989 film Mircea , which

1224-403: Was eventually captured and a chapel was built in 1993, symbolizing his grave. A dervish monastery is also said to have existed on the same place during Ottoman rule , which is thought to have preserved the relics of Muslim Bektashi saint Sarı Saltık . A third legend is about Lysimachus , a successor of Alexander the Great , who seized the royal treasure and escaped to Kaliakra, dying in

1260-405: Was inhabited by the Thracian tribe of Tiris and who gave the area its original name of Tirisis. The ancient geographer Strabo , describing Kaliakra, stated that the capital of King Lisimachus, one of Alexander's generals and ruler of Thrace , was located here. According to rumor, he hid in the caves near the peninsula his innumerable treasure, reputedly captured on the campaigns against Persia. In

1296-417: Was the son of Radu I of Wallachia and brother of Dan I of Wallachia , after whose death he inherited the throne. After the death of his step-brother Dan I, Mircea takes over the throne in 1386, as Wallachia , on one side, was going through a process of economic, administrative, religious development, but also of strengthening the army, and on the other side it was confronted with the expansion tendencies of

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