Where the road to the lighthouse at Shabla village ends, the easternmost point of Bulgaria starts: Cape Shabla. If one day you want to say that you have traveled Bulgaria from end to end, then you’d better come here - otherwise it doesn’t count.

The oldest lighthouse in Bulgaria is here - it has operated officially since July 1856, when Bulgaria was still under Ottoman rule. Standing at 32 m high, it is the tallest lighthouse along the Black Sea coast. Although today the lighthouse is in a military zone and is usually locked, on special days in the summer you can go inside. Interestingly enough, in the sentry-box there is a built-in monogram of the Ottoman sultan Abdulmecid - a rarity in those days, proving that the lighthouse was definitely an important building. This is the only multicolored lighthouse in Bulgaria - red and white. Until the 1930s it was entirely white. Later, the region of Southern Dobrudzha became part of Romania and the authorities decided to add the red color.


The monogram of sultan Abdulmecid, Cape Shabla, Bulgaria | © Maria Angelova/ 203challenges

Where the paved road ends, there is a summer house with benches right on the coast - you can sit down and contemplate, enjoy the magnificent view or simply hang out without a care, whistling your favorite tune.
All photos: © Maria Angelova/ 203challenges