SALT MUSEUM, POMORIE
The only salt museum not just in Bulgaria, but in the whole of Eastern Europe, is located in the town of Pomorie, 20 km from Burgas.
The Salt Museum in Pomorie opened on 7 September 2002. It was created with the financial support of the European Union through the PHARE programme, under the projects “All About Salt (ALAS)” 2001-2002 and “Developing the Salt Museum in Pomorie as a Complete Cultural Tourism Attraction” 2004-2005.
The museum in Pomorie is the only specialised museum in Bulgaria and Eastern Europe dedicated to the production of salt through solar evaporation of sea water.
In 2012-2013, the project “Pomorie – Tourist Attraction – City of Salt, Ancient History and Traditions” was carried out with a grant under the Operational Programme “Regional Development” (2007-2013). Thanks to this project, the Pomorie salt pans and the Salt Museum have become a year-round tourist attraction.
The aims of the project were to promote and preserve the intangible cultural heritage of ancient Anchialos and to safeguard the salt pans as an immovable cultural monument. Funds were allocated for the complete landscaping of the museum and the surrounding area, as well as for various innovative ways of attracting visitors.
The museum presents the ancient Anchialos technology for producing sea salt. It consists of an exhibition hall and 20 decares of working salt pans. It holds 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 be viewed with the help of modern audio-visual facilities.
The Salt Museum is included in the 100 National Tourist Sites, and brochures, souvenirs and more are available.
The museum’s salt pans produce salt in exactly the same way as it was made in ancient times. Visitors can see every stage of the process live, talk to the salt workers about the finer points of the craft and experience the authentic atmosphere of the past.
In Pomorie, ancient Anchialos, sea salt has been harvested since time immemorial.
According to Bulgarian historians, the salt pans existed even before the town was founded (around the 5th century BC). This centuries-old expertise has been passed down from father to son.
The Salt Museum is located in the old town area, on the narrow strip between Pomorie Lake and the salt pans, just behind the stadium and the sanatorium of the Ministry of Health.
http://saltmuseum.bg/
