Today, two monuments in Varna honor Khan Asparukh, the founder of the First Bulgarian Kingdom. One is a bust located in the park in front of the “Prosveta 1927” Library, and the other depicts Asparukh as a warrior near Asparuh’s Rampart, easily reached via the seaside alley next to the Sports Complex in Asparuhovo.
The history of these monuments began in 1934 with an initiative by Colonel Petar Dimkov, who formed a committee to establish a park around the Asparuhovo embankment, where a monument was to be erected. At the time, the neighborhood was called Tihina, meaning “Silence,” a name that was unpopular with the local residents. Public attention on the embankment project provided an opportunity for change, and on December 17, 1934, following a proposal by Father Haralampi Zlatarov, the area was officially renamed Asparuhovo.
On Dimkov’s initiative, the creation of the Asparoukh Warrior statue was commissioned to sculptor Kiril Shivarov, while the bust was entrusted to Kiril Georgiev. The bust monument of Khan Aspaorukh was placed at the beginning of the rampart, and the Asparoukh Warrior was cast on site about 600 meters to the southwest. The warrior appeared particularly majestic, gazing toward the open sea.
In addition, a third monument was erected about 100 meters southwest of the Asparoukh Warrior. It consists of an authentic Proto-Bulgarian marble column approximately 2.5 meters high and about 30 cm in diameter, bearing the carved symbol IYI slightly above its midpoint. The column had been discovered some twenty years earlier on the rampart during excavations by Karel Škorpil, who identified it as authentic and dating to the time of Khan Asparoukh.
On August 3, 1935, the three monuments, together with the park in Asparuhovo, were officially inaugurated amid grand celebrations. At the same time, a copy of Khan Asparukh's bust was placed on the Asparoukh Tower (the Roman Thermae), but it was later removed during more extensive excavations at the site. Between 1974 and 1976, the construction of the second sea-lake canal affected the rampart, isolating the bust and leaving it neglected. In May 2000, the bust of Khan Asparukh was dismantled and relocated to its current location on the lawn in front of the “Prosveta 1927” Library.
GPS: 43°10'47.5"N 27°53'49.3"E
