Greek fishing hamlet (19th c. – 1925)
The village was founded in the 19th century by Greek fishermen who found a convenient bay and a river mouth full of fish. Until 1934 it was called Kalandzha (also Kalandzoy), and by a Bulgarian government decree in 1934 it was renamed Sinemorets — a Bulgarian name meaning "blue sea". Until the Balkan Wars and the 1925 population exchange the village was almost entirely Greek.
Border zone (1944 – 1989)
After 1925 Bulgarian refugees from Eastern Thrace and Asia Minor settled here. During the socialist era Sinemorets fell within a strictly guarded border zone — entry required a special permit. This isolation protected the Veleka mouth and surrounding beaches from the mass resort construction of the 1970s and 1980s.
Nature destination (1989 — today)
After 1989 the border opened and Sinemorets quickly became a favourite with nature lovers. In 1995 the surrounding area became part of Strandzha Nature Park. In 2006 the film "The World Is Big and Salvation Lurks Around the Corner" brought wider fame; in the years that followed, family hotels, eco-trails and fish restaurants were built here — while preserving the character of a protected area.