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{{Infobox settlement
| official_name                   = Nesebar
| native_name                     = Несебър
| settlement_type                 = City
| image_skyline                   = Nessebar lead collage.jpg
| image_caption                   = From top left: Northern harbour, [[Church of Christ Pantocrator, Nesebar|Church of Christ Pantokrator]], The wooden windmill on the isthmus, [[Church of St John Aliturgetos]], Old house and town walls, [[Hagia Sophia Church, Nesebar|Church of St Sophia]], Southern bay of the old town
| image_shield                    = Nessebar-coat-of-arms.gif
| pushpin_map                     = Bulgaria
| coordinates                     = {{coord|42|39|N|27|44|E|region:BG|display=inline,title}}
| mapsize                         = 
| map_caption                     = Position of Nesebar in Bulgaria
| subdivision_type                = [[Countries of the world|Country]]
| subdivision_type1               = Province
| subdivision_name                = [[Bulgaria]]
| subdivision_name1               = [[Burgas Province|Burgas]]
| leader_title                    = [[Mayor]]
| leader_name                     = Nikolay Dimitrov
| area_magnitude                  = 
| area_total_km2                  = 31.852
| area_land_km2                   = 
| area_water_km2                  = 
| population_as_of                = 15.12.2010
| population_demonym              = Neseberian
| population_note                 = 
| population_total                = 13347
| population_metro                = 28957
| population_density_km2          = 
| timezone                        = [[Eastern European Time|EET]]
| utc_offset                      = +2
| timezone_DST                    = [[Eastern European Summer Time|EEST]]
| utc_offset_DST                  = +3
| elevation_m                     = 30
| area_code                       = 0554
| postal_code_type                = [[List of postal codes in Bulgaria|Postal code]]
| postal_code                     = 8230
| website                         = 
| footnotes                       = {{Infobox UNESCO World Heritage Site 
  |child = yes
  |Official_name = Ancient City of Nessebar
  |ID = 217
  |Year = 1983
  |Criteria = Cultural: iii, iv
  |Area = 27.1 ha
  |Buffer_zone = 1,245.6 ha
  }}
}}

'''Nesebar''' (often transcribed as '''Nessebar''' and sometimes as '''Nesebur''', {{langx|bg|Несебър}}, pronounced {{IPA|bg|nɛˈsɛbɐr|}}) is an ancient [[List of cities and towns in Bulgaria|city]] and one of the major seaside resorts on the [[Bulgarian Black Sea Coast]], located in [[Burgas Province]]. It is the administrative centre of the homonymous [[Nesebar Municipality]]. Often referred to as the "''Pearl of the Black Sea''", Nesebar is a rich city-museum defined by more than three millennia of ever-changing history. The small city exists in two parts separated by a narrow human-made [[isthmus]] with the ancient part of the settlement on the peninsula (previously an island), and the more modern section (i.e., hotels and later development) on the mainland side. The older part bears evidence of occupation by a variety of different civilisations over the course of its existence.

It is one of the most prominent tourist destinations and seaports on the Black Sea, in what has become a popular area with several large resorts&mdash;the largest, [[Sunny Beach]], is situated immediately to the north of Nesebar.

Nesebar has on several occasions found itself on the frontier of a threatened empire, and as such it is a town with a rich history. Due to the city's abundance of historic buildings, [[UNESCO]] came to include Nesebar in its list of [[World Heritage Site]]s in 1983.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Ancient City of Nessebar |url=https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/217 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240523133328/https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/217 |archive-date=May 23, 2024 |website=UNESCO World Heritage Centre}}</ref>

As of December 2019, the town has a population of 13,600 inhabitants.<ref name="statistika">{{Cite web |url=http://www.nsi.bg/otrasalen.php?otr=53&a1=1583&a2=1584&a3=1588#cont |title= 6.1.4. Population by towns and sex – Table data |website=Bulgarian National Statistical Institute  |access-date=2011-01-08 |archive-date=2010-11-13 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101113165731/http://www.nsi.bg/otrasalen.php?otr=53&a1=1583&a2=1584&a3=1588#cont |url-status=dead }}</ref>

==Name==
The settlement was known in Greek as ''Mesembria'' ({{langx|el|Μεσημβρία}}), sometimes mentioned as ''Mesambria'' or ''Melsembria'', the latter meaning the city of Melsas.<ref>{{cite book|editor-last=Shuckburgh|editor-first=E.S.|title=Herodotos, VI, Erato|year=1976|publisher=University Press|location=Cambridge|isbn=9780521052481|page=236|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=HJ5BAvDnlSoC&pg=PA236 |edition=[Reprinted].}}</ref>  According to a reconstruction the name might derive from Thracian ''Melsambria''.<ref>{{cite book|last=Ivanov|first=Rumen Teofilov|title=Roman cities in Bulgaria, Vol. 2|year=2007|publisher=National Museum of Bulgarian Books and Polygraphy|page=41|isbn=9789544630171|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=xCQXAQAAIAAJ&q=%22Perhaps+initially+the+settlement+was+called+Melsambria+%28the+City+of+Melsa%29%2C+and+later+the+Greeks+altered+it+to+Mesambria.%22}}</ref> Nevertheless, the Thracian origin of that name seems to be doubtful. Moreover, the tradition pertaining to Melsas, as founder of the city is tenuous and belongs to a cycle of etymological legends abundant among Greek cities. It also appears that the story of Melsas was a latter reconstruction of the Hellenistic era, when Mesembria was an important coastal city.<ref>{{cite book|last=Nawotka|first=Krzysztof|title=The Western Pontic cities: history and political organization|year=1997|publisher=Hakkert|isbn=9789025611125|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=oMhtAAAAMAAJ&q=%22Even+the+Thracian+origin+of+the+name+Melsas+is+doubtful.31+Indeed+the+whole+tradition+pertaining+to+Melsas%2C+the+founder+of+Mesambria+is+tenuous+It+belongs+to+a+cycle+of+etymological+legends+abundant+in+Greek+cities+of+the+Hellenistic+and%22}}</ref>

Before 1934, the common Bulgarian name for the town was Месемврия, ''Mesemvriya''. It was replaced with the current name, which was previously used in the [[Erkech dialect]] spoken close to Nesebar.<ref>{{cite book|last=Deliradev|first=Pavel|title=Contribution to the historical geography of Thrace|year=1953|publisher=Publisher of the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences|page=189|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ZSM8AAAAMAAJ&q=%22%D0%B1%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5+%D0%B7%D0%B0%D0%BC%D0%B5%D0%BD%D0%B5%D0%BD%D0%BE+%D1%81+%D0%B1%D1%8A%D0%BB%D0%B3%D0%B0%D1%80%D1%81%D0%BA%D0%B0%D1%82%D0%B0+%D0%BC%D1%83+%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%BE%D0%B8%D0%B7%D0%BC%D0%B5%D0%BD%D0%B8%D1%86%D0%B0+%D0%9D%D0%B5%D1%81%D0%B5%D0%B1%D1%8A%D1%80%22|language=bg}}</ref> Both forms are derived from the Greek Mesembria.

==History==
[[File:Nessebar Festungsmauern.jpg|thumb|right|Fortifications at the entrance of Nesebar|305x305px]]
Bulgarian archaeologist [[Lyuba Ognenova-Marinova]] led six underwater archaeological expeditions for the [[Bulgarian Academy of Sciences]] (BAS) between 1961 and 1972<ref name="Ilieva & Preshenov (2005)">{{cite book|last1=Илиева (Ilieva)|first1=Павлина (Pavlina)|last2=Прешленов (Preshlenov)|first2=Христо (Christo)|editor1-last=Стоянов (Stoyanov)|editor1-first=Тотко (Totko)|editor2-last=Тонкова (Tonkova)|editor2-first=Милена (Milena)|editor3-last=Прешленов (Preshlenov)|editor3-first=Христо (Christo)|editor4-last=Попов (Popov)|editor4-first=Христо (Christo)|title=Heros Hephaistos: Studia In Honorem: Liubae Ognenova-Marinova|date=2005|publisher=Археологически институт с Музей на БАН & Cobrxiur Университет “Св. Кл. Охридски”|location=Sofia, Bulgaria|pages=7–11|url=http://naim.bg/issuesFiles/_HEROS_HEPHAISTOS.pdf|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120722085110/http://www.naim.bg/issuesFiles/_HEROS_HEPHAISTOS.pdf|archive-date=22 July 2012|language=bg|chapter=Люба Огненова-Маринова—Ученият, Учителят И Човекът|isbn=954-775-531-5|trans-title=Luba Ognenova-Marinova—scientist, teacher and man|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal|last1=Огненова-Маринова|first1=Люба|title=Как Започнаха Подводните Археологически Проучвания В Несебър|journal=Morski Vestnik|date=30 October 2009|url=http://www.morskivestnik.com/mor_kolekcii/izsledwaniq/u_14.html|access-date=22 October 2016|trans-title=What started underwater archaeological research in Nessebar|publisher=Morski Svyat Publishing House|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160414203419/http://www.morskivestnik.com/mor_kolekcii/izsledwaniq/u_14.html|archive-date=14 April 2016|location=Varna, Bulgaria|language=bg|url-status=dead}}</ref> in the waters along the [[Bulgarian Black Sea Coast]]. Her work led to the identification of five chronological periods of urbanization on the peninsula surrounding Nesebar through the end of the second millennium B.C., which included the Thracian protopolis, the Greek colony Mesambria, a Roman-ruled village to the [[Anno Domini|Early Christian Era]], the [[Middle Ages|Medieval]] settlement and a [[Ottoman Empire|Renaissance era]] town, known as Mesembria or Nessebar.<ref name="Ilieva & Preshenov (2005)" />

Engineering around the peninsula coastline was undertaken in 1980s both to preserve the coastline (and its historic significance) and to consolidate the area as a port.<ref>{{cite journal | last1 = Preshlenov | first1 = H. | year = 2022 | title = Postglacial Black Sea Level Rising, Urban Development and Adaptation of Historic Places. The case study of the city-peninsula of Nesebar (Bulgaria) | journal = Internet Archaeology | issue = 60 | doi = 10.11141/ia.60.5| doi-access = free }}</ref>

===Antiquity===
{{main|Mesembria}}
Originally a [[Thracians|Thracian]] settlement, known as ''Mesembria'', the town became a [[Greek colony]] when settled by [[Dorians]] from [[Megara]] at the beginning of the 6th century BC, then known as Mesembria. It was an important trading centre from then on and a rival of Apollonia ([[Sozopol]]). It remained the only [[Dorians|Dorian]] colony along the Black Sea coast, as the rest were typical [[Ionians|Ionian]] colonies. At 425-424 BC the town joined the [[Delian League]], under the leadership of [[Classical Athens|Athens]].<ref>{{cite web|last=Petropoulos|first=Ilias|title=Mesembria (Antiquity)|url=http://www.ehw.gr/blacksea/Forms/fLemmaBodyExtended.aspx?lemmaID=11229|work=Εγκυκλοπαίδεια Μείζονος Ελληνισμού, Εύξεινος Πόντος|access-date=8 June 2011}}</ref>

Remains date mostly from the [[Hellenistic]] period and include the [[acropolis]], a temple of [[Apollo]] and an [[agora]]. A wall which formed part of the Thracian fortifications can still be seen on the north side of the peninsula.

Bronze and silver coins were minted in Mesembria since the 5th century BC and gold coins since the 3rd century BC. The town fell under [[Ancient Rome|Roman]] rule in 71 BC, yet continued to enjoy privileges such as the right to mint its own coinage.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://conservationenvironment.weebly.com/|title=Blog|website=conservation environment|access-date=5 April 2018}}</ref>???

===Medieval era===
[[File:Mesembria Fortress plan.png|thumb|left|240px|Mesembria Fortress plan]]
It was one of the most important strongholds of the [[Eastern Roman Empire]] from the 5th century AD onwards, and was fought over by [[Byzantine Empire|Byzantines]] and [[Bulgars|Bulgar]]s, being captured and incorporated in the lands of the [[First Bulgarian Empire]] in 812 by Khan [[Krum]] after a two-week siege only to be ceded back to Byzantium by [[Knyaz]] [[Boris I of Bulgaria|Boris I]] in 864 and reconquered by his son [[Tsar]] [[Simeon I of Bulgaria|Simeon the Great]]. During the time of the [[Second Bulgarian Empire]] it was also contested by Bulgarian and Byzantine forces and enjoyed particular prosperity under Bulgarian tsar [[Ivan Alexander of Bulgaria|Ivan Alexander]] (1331–1371) until it was conquered by [[Crusade]]rs led by [[Amadeus VI, Count of Savoy]] in 1366. The Bulgarian version of the name, ''Nesebar'' or ''Mesebar'', has been attested since the 11th century.

Monuments from the [[Middle Ages]] include the 5–6th century ''Stara Mitropoliya'' ("old bishopric"; also [[Church of St Sophia or the Old Bishopric|St Sophia]]), a [[basilica]] without a [[transept]]; the 6th century [[Basilica of the Holy Mother of God Eleusa, Nesebar|church of the Virgin]]; and the 11th century ''Nova Mitropoliya'' ("new bishopric"; also [[Church of St Stephen or the New Bishopric|St Stephen]]) which continued to be embellished until the 18th century. In the 13th and 14th century a remarkable series of churches were built: [[Church of St Theodore, Burgas|St Theodore]], [[Church of St Paraskeva|St Paraskeva]], [[Church of the Holy Archangels Michael and Gabriel, Nesebar|St Michael St Gabriel]], and [[Church of St John Aliturgetos|St John Aliturgetos]].

The city was conquered by the Ottomans during the [[Bulgarian-Ottoman wars]], but was then returned to the Byzantine Empire by the terms of the 1403 [[Treaty of Gallipoli]].

===Ottoman rule===
The capture of the town by the [[Ottoman Empire]] in 1453 marked the start of its decline, but its architectural heritage remained and was enriched in the 19th century by the construction of wooden houses in style typical for the [[Bulgarian Black Sea Coast]] during this period. At the early 19th century many locals joined the Greek patriotic organization, [[Filiki Eteria]], while at the outbreak of the [[Greek War of Independence]] (1821) part of the town's youth participated in the struggle under [[Alexandros Ypsilantis]].<ref name=ehw/>{{dead link|date=October 2019}}

Nesebar (Misivri) was a kaza centre in [[Sliven|İslimye]] sanjak of [[Edirne Province]] before 1878.<ref>http://acikarsiv.ankara.edu.tr/fulltext/3066.pdf{{dead link|date=February 2018 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref>

===Third Bulgarian state===
After the [[Liberation of Bulgaria]] from Ottoman rule in 1879, Nesebar became part of the autonomous Ottoman province of [[Eastern Rumelia]] in [[Burgas|Burgaz]] department until it [[Bulgarian unification|united]] with the [[Principality of Bulgaria]] in 1885.
Around the end of the 19th century Nesebar was a small town of [[Greeks|Greek]] fishermen and vinegrowers. In 1900 it had a population of approximately 1.900,<ref name=ehw/> of which 89% were Greeks,<ref>{{cite book |last=Dragostinova |first=Theodora K. |year=2011 |title=Between Two Motherlands: Nationality and Emigration among the Greeks of Bulgaria, 1900–1949 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=eUjV1Fd3W8oC |publisher=[[Cornell University Press]] |page=26 |isbn=978-0801461163 }}</ref> but it remained a relatively empty town.<ref>Fermor, Patrick Leigh, "The Broken Road," (2016: John Murray)({{ISBN|9781590177549}}), at 259. "A strange, rather sad, rather beguiling spell haunted the cobbled lanes of this twinkling, twilight little town of Mesembria. Only secured by its slender tether to the mainland, the Black Sea seemed entirely to surround it. At first glance, churches appeared to outnumber the dwelling houses...But still some [people] remained, languishing and reluctant to leave their habitat of two and a half thousand years."</ref> It developed as a key Bulgarian seaside resort since the beginning of the 20th century. After 1925 a new town part was built and the historic Old Town was restored.

==Churches==
Nesebar is sometimes said to be the town with the highest number of churches per capita.<sup>[https://web.archive.org/web/20070222105747/http://www.villabeneia.com/Site/okolnostite.htm], [http://bg.zonebulgaria.com/cherno_more/nesebar/istoria/]</sup> Today, a total of forty churches survive, wholly or partly, in the vicinity of the town.<ref name=ehw>{{cite web|last=Doncheva|first=Svetlana|title=Mesimvria (Nesebar)|url=http://www.ehw.gr/blacksea/Forms/fLemmaBodyExtended.aspx?lemmaID=11561|work=Εγκυκλοπαίδεια Μείζονος Ελληνισμού, Εύξεινος Πόντος|access-date=8 June 2011}}</ref> Some of the most famous include:
* the [[Church of St Sophia or the Old Bishopric]] (''Stara Mitropoliya'') (5th–6th century)
* the [[Basilica of the Holy Mother of God Eleusa, Nesebar|Basilica of the Holy Mother of God Eleusa]] (6th century)
* the [[Church of Saint John the Baptist, Nesebar|Church of John the Baptist]] (11th century)
* the [[Church of St Stephen or the New Bishopric]] (''Nova Mitropoliya'') (11th century; reconstructed in the 16th–18th century)
* the [[Church of St Theodore]] (13th century)
* the [[Church of Saint Paraskevi, Nesebar|Church of St Paraskevi]] (13th–14th century)
* the [[Church of the Holy Archangels Michael and Gabriel, Nesebar|Church of the Holy Archangels Michael and Gabriel]] (13th–14th century)
* the [[Church of Christ Pantocrator]] (13th–14th century)
* the [[Church of St John Aliturgetos]] (14th century)
* the [[Church of St Spas]] (17th century)
* the [[Church of St Clement]] (17th century)
* the [[Church Assumption of the Holy Virgin]] (19th century)

Whether built during the Byzantine, Bulgarian or Ottoman rule of the city, the churches of Nesebar represent the rich architectural heritage of the Eastern Orthodox world and illustrate the gradual development from Early Christian basilicas to medieval cross-domed churches.

== Sports ==

; Football

The local team of [[PFC Nesebar]] participates in the [[Second Professional Football League]]. The stadium capacity is 6000 spectators, field dimensions are 100/50 m and some complementary fields are available for rent or practicing.

; Tennis

There are many possibiltes to play tennis in the area during the summer season. The two main clubs with outdoor and indoor courts are TC Egalite<ref>{{Cite web|last=Tzvetanov|first=Tzvetan|title=Tennis club Egalite|url=https://egalitetennis.net}}</ref> and Tennis academy Nesebar.

==Namesakes==
[[Nesebar Gap]] on [[Livingston Island]] in the [[South Shetland Islands]], [[Antarctica]] is named after Nesebar.

==Gallery==
<gallery perrow="6">
File:Church of Christ Pantocrator, Nesebar (by Pudelek).JPG|Church of Christ Pantokrator
File:St Stephen church - Nesebar.jpg|Church of St. Stephen
File:Church of Saint John the Baptist Nesebar.jpg|Church of St. John the Baptist
File:Nessebar, Bulgaria - panoramio (69).jpg|The wooden windmill before the town entrance
File:8230 Nessebar, Bulgaria - panoramio (11).jpg|Typical revival houses in the old town
File:Church of Saint Sophia in Nesebar 10.JPG|Church of St. Sophia
File:Nessebar city.jpg|Nessebar center
File:Panorama Nesebar.jpg|Panorama of Nesebar
File:Big beach hotels New town Nessebar southside.jpg|New town Nesebar
File:Nessebar - panoramio (27).jpg|Statue of the fisherman/St. Nicholas/the new Noah
</gallery>

==See also==
*[[Sozopol]], rival city state during antiquity
*[[Norilsk]],<ref>{{Citation |title=Norilsk |date=2023-11-18 |url=https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Norilsk&oldid=1185644940 |work=Wikipedia |access-date=2023-11-26 |language=en}}</ref> Twin City of Nesebar

==References==
{{reflist}}
* [https://whc.unesco.org/archive/advisory_body_evaluation/217.pdf Evaluation] of the [[International Council on Monuments and Sites]], June 1983 ([[Portable Document Format|PDF]] file)

==External links==
{{Commons category|Nesebar}}
{{wikivoyage|Nesebar}}
* [http://www.pbase.com/ngruev/nesebur Gallery of pictures from Nesebar]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20100613005536/http://nessebar-folk.com/ Folklore Ensemble Slanchev Bryag – Nessebar]
* [http://www.ancient-nessebar.com/ Ancient Nesebar]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20051024091259/http://www.nessebar-bulgaria.com/ Portal of Nessebar]

{{Unesco-bg}}
{{Burgas Province}}
{{Nesebar}}
{{Bulgarian Black Sea resorts}}
{{Cities in Bulgaria}}

{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Nesebar| ]]
[[Category:Populated places in Burgas Province]]
[[Category:Populated coastal places in Bulgaria]]
[[Category:World Heritage Sites in Bulgaria]]
[[Category:Archaeological sites in Bulgaria]]
[[Category:Populated places established in the 2nd millennium BC]]
[[Category:Greek colonies on the Black Sea coast]]
[[Category:History of Burgas Province]]