2021 has arrived and it’s time to hit the road again. I made a list of few places near Varna that I would like to visit this year and I started with the first ones – the Museum of Glass and Submarine “Slava” (which means “glory” in Bulgarian) in Beloslav near Varna, Bulgaria.
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How to get there from Varna to Beloslav?
First, it literally takes 30 minutes to get from Varna Railway Station to both museums in Beloslav. So, you take the train from Varna Railway Station and it takes 20 minutes to arrive in Beloslav Railway Station. Then, you have to walk for 5 minutes and you will arrive at the Beloslav Ferry. To reach the Museum of Glass and the Submarine “Slava” you have to cross the canal by ferry. A very important key point is that the ferry is for free and takes 5 minutes to arrive on the other side. Thus, you don’t need to buy a ticket for the ferry.
Opening hours of Museum of Glass and Submarine “Slava” in Beloslav
Both museums go together and their opening hours are the same: from Monday to Saturday from 10.00 to 15.00. However, call the manager of the museums beforehand on 0888 224 784 to be sure that the Submarine “Slava” is not under renovation.
Submarine “Slava”
We visited first the Submarine “Slava”. The guide that was in charge of the tour is a former Submarine crew member and was very knowledgeable.
Submarine “Slava” was built up in 1959 and is the last Bulgarian submarine. It’s renovated nowadays and it’s been transformed into a museum since 2019.
Also, the submarine is 76m long, 7m high and can go 6m under the water. All the equipment you can imagine on board is authentic and you can visit a few of the renovated compartments – the sleeping rooms, the kitchen, the operation desk among others.
Therefore, one of the most interesting facts about Submarine “Slava” is that one of its recent crew members has done a record sending the longest message – 160 symbols!!! As per the guide, no one has bitten this record so far.
Museum of Glass and Factory Inhom
Furthermore, next to the Submarine “Slava” is located the Museum of Glass which is a part of the Glass factory Inhom Glass.
The guided tour of the museum began with a demonstration of how glass is made and how to make different figures out of melted glass.
Next, we “entered” one of the furnaces that is no longer active and serves only as a part of the museum’s exposition.
In the main hall of the gallery, we saw icons made out of the glass as well as giant “glass sculptures and paintings”.
To sum up, there is a souvenir shop at the entrance/ exit of the museum. You can also bring your perfume bottles and creme tubes for recycling and leave them there.
I have to say that I was impressed by the whole trip to Beloslav – taking the train and the ferry, visiting both museums – Museum of Glass and Submarine “Slava” in Beloslav. I did not expect to find such hidden gems around the corner of Varna.
How about you? Do you like exploring your hometown and region?
Thanks for reading!