site.btaBulgaria's Oldest Lighthouse Opens to Visitors on Aug. 18 for International Lighthouse Day

The Shabla lighthouse, which is the oldest and highest lighthouse on the Bulgarian Black Sea coast, opens its doors to visitors on August 18, the Ministry of Tourism said Monday. That is two days ahead of the International Lighthouse Day.

The facility is located 6 km from the town of Shabla and is one of the tourist attractions in the area due to its location making it one of the country's easternmost points, and its rich history of over a hundred years.

The lighthouse is built as a scaled down version of the Lighthouse of Alexandria, one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. 

In 2022, the International Lighthouse Day was celebrated by the Bulgarian Navy with the opening of the renovated lighthouse at Shabla. The celebration was complemented by another event - a ceremony of handing over the post of "Head of the Hydrographic Service". Among the guests at the event was Bulgaria's pioneer lighthouse keeper, 101-year-old Ivan Hadzhiivanov, who cut the ribbon for the refurbished lighthouse. Grandfather Ivan, as he is affectionately called by his fellow citizens, was one of the keepers of the Shabla lighthouse for 43 years and made sure its white light showed the way for ships.