As of this summer, tourists coming to Kamen Bryag village, in the Northern portion of Bulgaria’s Black Sea coast, will be able to watch the stars from a modern astronomical observatory outside the village hall. The observatory has an automated 360-degree dome which allows watchers to follow the movement of the celestial bodies and other cosmic events. Visitors can use a stationary telescope and a high-resolution camera to take pictures of the objects they are observing.

“For a long time we didn’t know where to install the observatory, and in the end we decided on Kamen Bryag. According to specialists, the atmospheric conditions there – in terms of air quality and light pollution levels - are comparable to those at the observatory at Rozhen,” said, in an interview with Radio Bulgaria, Penko Georgiev, Director of the Museum of History in Kavarna, a town nearby.  The aim is to promote what is known as science tourism, targeted at a very specific group, he says and adds:

“It is not for the mass tourism holidaymaker. The idea is for the people with an interest in astronomy to spend several nights in Kamen Bryag, and weather conditions permitting, to spend the evenings at the observatory, but they need to have worked with a telescope before, to have knowledge of the stars, constellations and the planets. Most amateurs can’t afford to buy the expensive equipment, but they are welcome to come to Kamen Bryag and use the equipment at our observatory. 

They can make an astronomical camp in the village and watch space phenomena several nights in a row, and take pictures using the camera. There is an idea to organize school camps as well,” Penko Georgiev goes on to say.

Kamen Bryag occupies one of the Easternmost points on Bulgaria’s Black Sea coastline, which means it is the first to see the sun come up each morning. The village is famous for its fiery sunrises. Every year, on 1 July, tens of thousands of people throng here to celebrate July morning and watch the birth of the new day.

In close proximity to Kamen Bryag is the archaeological reserve Yailata, where humans may have watched the stars in ancient times:

“The archaeological reserve Yailata is a very interesting place – in terms of nature and archaeology,” says Penko Georgiev. “There is a fortress there that has undergone restoration, there are rock sanctuaries which may even have been used as ancient astronomical observatories, according to one theory, as they are positioned according to the stars as they were positioned several thousand years ago. So you can actually make a comparison between the modern and the ancient observatory at Yailata. In the reserve, visitors can find out about many ancient cults of Zalmoxis – a king, a priest and a god of the Thracian tribe of the Getaea – and see the sanctuaries dedicated to him.  He is a very well-known semi-mythical figure, it is even thought Zalmolxis may have been a student of Pythagoras.”

The astronomical observatory at Kamen Bryag was built under a joint European project with Romania called “Joint open window to the Universe’s mysteries”. Two specialized itineraries have also been mapped out which include a visit to the Museum of History in Kavarna, which on its part has developed a 3D film inside VR glasses. “They will show tourists what the archaeological sites once looked like,” Penko Georgiev explains.

More:

• The Guardian recommends Bulgaria's northern Black Sea coast for off-peak season travel

Translated and posted by Milena Daynova

Photos: BTA, BGNES