Kaliakra Lighthouse, the White Beacon of Cape Kaliakra
Kaliakra Lighthouse stands at the end of a long, narrow headland on the northern Bulgarian Black Sea coast, about 12 km east of Kavarna. The cylindrical stone tower was built in 1901 and still serves as a sea light. It sits inside a nature and archaeological reserve with steep cliffs, fortress remains and legends, which makes it one of the most scenic detours on the coast.
A white lighthouse only 10 metres tall guides ships from 68 metres above the sea, and the cape beneath it holds a medieval capital, a famous naval battle and a legend of forty girls.
The history of Kaliakra Lighthouse and its cape
The lighthouse is only the latest chapter in a long story. The first modern lighthouse on the cape was built in 1866 by the Compagnie des Phares de l'Empire Ottoman, the company that ran lights along the Ottoman coasts. The present one, a 10-metre cylindrical stone tower with a lantern and a gallery, was erected in 1901. Its light stands 68 metres above sea level and gives a white flash every five seconds, and the station also has a radio navigation emitter and a foghorn.
The headland had been used long before. The earliest settlement dates from the fourth century BCE, when the Thracian tribe of the Tiris lived here and gave the place its first name, Tirizis. The ancient geographer Strabo wrote that the capital of King Lysimachus, a general of Alexander the Great, stood here, and rumour said he hid his treasure in the caves near the cape. Over the centuries the fortress was extended with a second and then a third wall, and in the fifth and sixth centuries it became one of the fortified towns of the province of Scythia.
The cape's heyday came in the second half of the fourteenth century, when it was the capital of the Karvuna principality, a despotate ruled by Balik and then Dobrotitsa. Written records speak of a powerful medieval town where the ruler minted his own coins and made the fortress a church centre. Dobrotitsa's galleys took part in successful actions on the Black Sea. In 1393–1394 the principality became one of the last Bulgarian possessions to fall under Ottoman rule.
In 1791, during the Russo-Turkish War of 1787–1792, the largest naval battle of the Black Sea was fought off Kaliakra. The Russian squadron under Admiral Fyodor Ushakov repeatedly defeated the stronger fleet of Hussein Pasha and helped to end the war. A plaque with a relief of the admiral was placed on the tip of the headland, and in 2006 a full-length monument to him was unveiled on a hill where it can be seen from the sea.
Today the lighthouse shares the cape with fortress remains, a museum, a chapel and a nature reserve. The steep coast, with vertical cliffs up to 70 metres high, falls to the sea, and the reserve is a place where dolphins and cormorants can be seen.
Curious facts about Kaliakra Lighthouse
- The name Kaliakra comes from Byzantine Greek and is traditionally translated as “Beautiful Headland”.
- The lighthouse tower is only 10 metres tall, but because it stands on the cliff its light is 68 metres above the sea.
- The best-known legend tells of 40 Bulgarian girls who tied their hair together and jumped into the sea rather than be captured by the Ottomans; an obelisk called the Gate of the 40 Maidens stands at the entrance to the cape.
- Another legend says Saint Nicholas, patron of seamen, fled the Ottomans while God made the land under him longer and longer, creating the cape. A chapel built in 1993 symbolises his grave.
- A third legend says Lysimachus, a successor of Alexander the Great, escaped here with the royal treasure and died in a great storm along with his fleet.
- Kaliakra Glacier on Livingston Island in Antarctica is named after the cape.
Tours near Kaliakra Lighthouse
Experiences in the area that you can book online with Viator:
Visiting Kaliakra Lighthouse: what to expect
- The lighthouse stands on the cliffs of Cape Kaliakra, which is a nature and archaeological reserve about 12 km east of Kavarna.
- Bulgarian sources list a museum, a restaurant, a weather station, a radar station, a military base and a chapel on the cape as well as the lighthouse.
- The cape is a site for birdwatching, since it lies on the Via Pontica migration route, and dolphins and cormorants can be seen from the shore.
- Walk to the tip of the headland to see the fortress walls, the Gate of the 40 Maidens and the monument to Admiral Ushakov.
- Bolata Cove, with a small sheltered beach, lies just to the north. Check the current visiting conditions and opening hours before you go.
Opening hours, access and conditions can change. Check before you go.
Map: where Kaliakra Lighthouse is
Photos of Kaliakra Lighthouse
Questions
What is Kaliakra Lighthouse?
Kaliakra Lighthouse is a cylindrical stone lighthouse on Cape Kaliakra, on the northern Bulgarian Black Sea coast. The present tower was built in 1901.
Where is Kaliakra Lighthouse and how far is it from Kavarna?
It stands at the end of Cape Kaliakra, about 12 km east of Kavarna and about 60 km from Varna, in Southern Dobruja.
When was Kaliakra Lighthouse built?
The first modern lighthouse on the cape was built in 1866. The present 10-metre stone tower dates from 1901.
How high is the light of Kaliakra Lighthouse?
Its light stands 68 metres above sea level and gives a white flash every five seconds.
What else is there to see on Cape Kaliakra?
The cape has fortress remains, a museum, a chapel, a monument to Admiral Ushakov and the Gate of the 40 Maidens. It is also a nature reserve with dolphins and cormorants.
What else is worth seeing near Kaliakra Lighthouse?
Shabla Lighthouse is about 23 km away and Balchik Palace about 26 km. The Durankulak archaeological complex lies roughly 35 km away.
Also nearby
Shabla Lighthouse
Cape Shabla · oldest lighthouse at Bulgaria's easternmost tip
23 km away
Balchik Palace
Balchik · Queen Marie's summer palace, minaret and cactus garden
26 km away
Durankulak Archaeological Complex
Durankulak · stone houses and a vast cemetery from 7,000 years ago
35 km away
Aladzha Monastery
Varna · medieval cave monastery in a forest cliff
38 km away