Contents
In Pomorie, ancient Anchialos, sea salt has been produced since time immemorial. This is also home to the only salt museum in Bulgaria and in Eastern Europe — a specialised museum dedicated to salt production through solar evaporation of sea water. It is located 20 km from Burgas.
In brief
- Opened on 7 September 2002, it is one of the 100 National Tourist Sites.
- An exhibition hall and 20 decares of working salt pans, where salt is produced just as it was in antiquity.
- Old photographs, topographic maps, models, authentic salt-workers’ tools and video films.
- Located in the old town, on the narrow strip between Pomorie Lake and the salt pans.
What you will see
The museum presents the ancient Anchialos technology for producing sea salt. The exhibition hall houses a unique collection of photographs from the beginning of the last century, tracing the development of salt production in the region, along with old topographic maps, models and authentic salt-making equipment and tools. Fascinating films can also be viewed using audio-visual displays. Brochures and souvenirs are available.
The salt pans still working today
The most interesting part is outside: the museum’s salt pans produce salt in exactly the same way as in antiquity. Visitors can watch every stage of the work live, talk to the salt workers about the finer points of the craft and soak up the authentic atmosphere of the past.
In the yard of the Salt Museum. Photo: Mojmir Churavy, Wikimedia Commons (CC0)
The salt of Anchialos — from the 5th century BC to the present day
According to Bulgarian historians, the salt pans existed even before the town was founded — around the 5th century BC. Centuries of expertise were passed down from father to son. Salt was the wealth of Anchialos, and it was beside these salt pans that mud therapy was born — the same lake gives us therapeutic mud and lye.
The salt pans and the town of Anchialos, 1907 (public domain)
How the museum came about
The museum was created with the financial support of the European Union under the PHARE programme, and in 2012–2013 a project under the Regional Development Operational Programme turned the Pomorie salt pans and the museum into a year-round tourist attraction. The aim is to preserve the intangible cultural heritage of ancient Anchialos, and the salt pans as an immovable cultural monument.
The museum’s salt pans
Where to find it
The Salt Museum is in the old town area, on the narrow strip between Pomorie Lake and the salt pans, just behind the stadium and the sanatorium. It also has an observation point for watching the birds on the lake.
Source: saltmuseum.bg
About Luga.bg
Maker of natural products with Black Sea lye and liman mud from Pomorie. We have been writing about lye, mud and sea minerals since 2015 — with doctors, physiotherapists and our own experience.
