The Foros peninsula, at the southern boundary of the city on the swelling of Mandra Lake, is best known for a memorable battle during the Second Bulgarian Empire. In the spring of 1304, the young Bulgarian Tsar Todor Svetoslav Terter (1300 – 1321) marched towards the Black Sea coast, to restore Bulgarian borders south of the Balkan mountain range, and was able to strategically secure a victory of the Bulgarian Army over the Byzantine rulers, thus liberating the cities of Nessebar (Messembria) and Sozopol (Apollonia). Part of the fortifications can be seen just before entering the Poda nature reserve.New for this summer, the area has been further developed as an 'Ekozone' offering picnic facilities and additional bird watching opportunities.