Seasoned ancient mariners caught in a storm along the west Black Sea coast would become weary when they saw a light, indicating the nearby presence of terra firma. This did not always mean that there was a safe haven nearby. Sometimes, people living on the shore would set fires along treacherous cliffs to lure hapless ships to their demise. Then they would rob the wreck.

These parts of the Black Sea coast are now in Bulgaria. Things have changed considerably since Antiquity. There are now 24 lighthouses and navigation signs along the Bulgarian coast, and their sole purpose is to aid navigation.

The earliest of these appeared under the Ottomans as a result of Sultan Abdülmecid I's (1839-1861) modernisation policies. Eager to make his realm fit for the rapidly changing maritime and military trends of 19th-century Europe, but lacking the necessary expertise at home, he awarded the contract for the construction and maintenance of the lighthouses to a concessionaire – the French Compagnie des Phares de l'Empire Ottoman. The company secured 25-year contracts to collect taxes, and between 1856 and 1866 it built lighthouses on the capes of Shabla, Kaliakra, Galata and Varna. By 1879, when the concession was due to end, these capes were no longer part of the Ottoman Empire – the state of Bulgaria had re-emerged the previous year. However, the young Bulgarian government failed to take the management and revenues of the lighthouses – apparently, the High Porte had secretly extended the contract with the French company. Consequently, from 1880 to 1888, the company constructed three additional lighthouses in Bulgaria, including one on Cape Emine and two on the islands of St Ivan and St Anastasia.

The Compagnie des Phares de l'Empire Ottoman left Bulgaria only after the country declared full independence from the Ottoman Empire in 1908. The state took over the maintenance and construction of all lighthouses in 1909.

In 1949, the main lighthouses on the Bulgarian Black Sea coast came under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Defence as they were considered of strategic importance. Since 1972, they have been under the control of Bulgarian naval bases in Varna and Burgas. This is why entering any of them is still forbidden. Even if you manage to obtain permission, you will be explicitly asked not to take photographs inside the buildings.

St Anastasia Island

Altitude above sea level: 27.7 m
When: 1914

Due to its strategic location, there has been a light-emitting facility on the island in Burgas Bay since at least 1614:  a simple lantern hung on a steel post. 

Maps from 1828 show that a "big fire" helped ships navigate the bay. Construction of the first real lighthouse on St Anastasia began in 1883 and was completed in 1888 by the Compagnie des Phares de l'Empire Ottomane. According to the Czech historian Konstantin Jireček, who saw it in 1884, the building was "a wooden structure on a stone foundation with a windmill".

The current lighthouse, built by another French company, Barbier Benard & Turenne, is 12.3 metres high. Its design is similar to the other two lighthouses built by the same company on the Bulgarian Black Sea coast: on Galata Cape and on St Ivan Island. The lighthouse was electrified in 1963.

St Ivan Island

Altitude above sea level: 43.6 m
When: 1911

The first lighthouse on the largest island in Bulgarian territorial waters was built in the early 1880s. 

The 9-metre-high building you see today was constructed later as part of a major programme to develop sea transport at the turn of the 20th century. In 1931, the lighthouse was fitted with a nautophone, a warning horn.

Port Burgas

Altitude above sea level: 16.7 m
When: 1899

Port Burgas was inaugurated by Prince Ferdinand I (1887-1918) in 1903 with a lavish ceremony. However, if everything had gone according to initial plans, the inauguration should have happened years earlier. 

The Bulgarian Parliament decided to build modern ports in Burgas and Varna to accommodate the growing trade as early as 1888. However, difficulties in finding a suitable developer meant that work was postponed several times. Construction of Port Burgas began in earnest in 1899. The 8.6-metre-high metal lighthouse that stands on the eastern mole today was built in the same year. It was installed by the French company Sautri & Harle and is now considered the oldest port lighthouse in Bulgaria.

Cape Shabla

Altitude above sea level: 37 m
When: 1856

The oldest lighthouse on the Bulgarian Black Sea coast was the first facility built by the Compagnie des Phares de l'Empire Ottoman in the region. 

On 31 March 1901, an earthquake measuring 7.2 on the Richter scale damaged the lighthouse; several months later the building was reinforced with a metal frame which can still be seen today. The lighthouse underwent an overhaul in 1934-1935, at a time when this part of the coast belonged to Romania.

Since then, the only changes to the lighthouse have been improvements to its optical system in 1957 and 1987.

Remains of the lighthouse's Ottoman origins are still visible today. A crescent and star adorn its roof, and the red tugra, or personal seal, of Abdülmecid I stands on one of its walls.

Ahtopol Bay

Altitude above sea level: 15 m
When: 1932

In summer, the lighthouse in Ahtopol is popular with amateur photographers and selfie enthusiasts who appreciate its dramatic location and dramatic sunsets.

However, in winter, the structure has to endure rough waves and strong winds. This is why just four years after its construction, in 1936, it had to be rebuilt and made four metres taller – the winter waves were so high that they would hit the top of the lighthouse and cause it to freeze. By 1945, the concrete base had already deteriorated and needed reinforcing. Two years later, a boat carrying fuel for the lighthouse sank in a winter storm. Luckily, the men survived.

The battle between the elements and Ahtopol's lighthouse continues. People have never really managed to connect the lighthouse to the electricity grid without risking power outages in stormy weather. This is why the lighthouse is currently powered by a solar battery.

Port Varna

Altitude above sea level: 14.6 m
When: 1903

The first lighthouse on Cape Varne was built in 1863, but it was demolished at the start of the 20th century when the construction of the new port made it redundant. The three lighthouses that replaced it were built by the French company Sautri & Harle.

The most interesting of these is the main lighthouse, located at the eastern end of the jetty. It is an 8.6-metre-high metal tower on a massive concrete and stone base. Until the 
mid-20th century, the base was adorned with a portrait of King Ferdinand I – a sign of recognition, as the port was built during his reign.

The portrait was removed following the Communist coup of 1944. Five years later, the town's name was changed from Varna to Stalin, and a portrait of the Soviet dictator suddenly appeared on the lighthouse. Things changed again in 1956, when – in line with changes in Kremlin politics, the Bulgarian Communists condemned Stalin's personality cult and began frantically purging all traces of him, from statues to the names of kindergartens. The City of Stalin became Varna again – and the lighthouse got a new portrait. This time it depicted Georgi Dimitrov, the first Bulgarian Communist dictator who was actually an ardent Stalinist.

Dimitrov stood on Varna's lighthouse until the fall of Communism in 1989. In 1994, a mosaic of Saint Nicholas, the patron saint of sailors, was mounted on the lighthouse's base.

Cape Emine

Altitude above sea level: 64.1 m
When: 1880

Arguably the most picturesque lighthouse on the Bulgarian Black Sea coast, the Cape Emine lighthouse stands 9.4 metres high at the vertiginous point where the Stara Planina mountain range meets the sea. Built in 1880 by the Compagnie des Phares de l'Empire Ottoman, it received new optics and electricity in 1962. It is now off limits as it is located within a military area.

The lighthouse remains vital for seafarers, as the waters around the cape are shallow and full of hidden rocks, and the prevailing strong winds often change direction.