Roman Baths of Odessos

In southeastern Varna, the remains of the large public baths preserve an important part of Roman Odessos. Built towards the end of the second century AD, the complex combined rooms with different temperatures, substantial masonry and an underfloor heating system. Bathing belonged to a wider social routine that included meeting other people and spending time in public surroundings. The exposed plan helps visitors understand how movement through the building was organised. Its lost upper structures, however, cannot be experienced in their original height. Today the ruins stand within the modern street network, making the ancient city visible inside the present one. These are the large baths; the smaller southern baths constitute a separate monument.