Varna

In the 18^th and the 19^th centuries the internal postal services in Varna were operated by Tatars and the more distant shipments in the Empire or abroad – by ships sailing under Turkish flag for coastal shipping and by foreign steamers, mostly Austrian (belonging to the Austrian Lloyd) and Russian (mostly belonging to Greeks, sailing under Russian flag) – for abroad.

From the 1840s foreign postal services started to be built in the town. Some of the states who had more sizable commercial, consular, and in some periods military presence in Varna even came into possession of several postal offices each – Austrian, French, English, Russian. Austria maintained three postal offices in the town, two of which belonged to maritime companies (one of them – to the Austrian Lloyd), and the third one – to the consulate. France had two postal offices – a military one during the Crimean War (1853-1856) and a consular one, opened in 1857. The English post was in operation during the same war, and the Russian postal office was in service of the Russian Company for Navigation and Trade, which was created immediately after the end of the War in 1856. The main factor leading to the establishment of many postal offices in Varna in the middle of the 19^th century was the Crimean War (1853-1856), in the course of which the town had turned into headquarters of the joint command of the allied forces. After the war the posts continued their existence and even grew in number as they were used by the foreign consuls and the ship companies. Apart from correspondence, they were also used for sending cash parcels^[1].

[1] Цонев, Ст. Стопански облик на град Варна в навечерието на Освобождението. – Исторически преглед, 1973, № 1, с. 81; Минчев, Д. Н. За пощенско-филателното дело във Варна през XIX в. – Известия на Народния музей – Варна, Т. VIII, 1972, с. 133–151; Русев, И. Варна през Късното Средновековие и Възраждането (края на XІV в. – 1878 г.). – В: Русев, И., В. Плетньов. История на Варна. Т. ІІ (VII в. – 1878 г.). Изд. „Славена” – Варна, 2012, с. 483.

References

Bibliography:
Библиография:

Цонев, Ст. Стопански облик на град Варна в навечерието на Освобождението. – Исторически преглед, 1973, № 1, с. 81;

Минчев, Д. Н. За пощенско-филателното дело във Варна през XIX в. – Известия на Народния музей – Варна, Т. VIII, 1972, с. 133–151;

Русев, И. Варна през Късното Средновековие и Възраждането (края на XІV в. – 1878 г.). – В: Русев, И., В. Плетньов. История на Варна. Т. ІІ (VII в. – 1878 г.). Изд. „Славена” – Варна, 2012, с. 483.