Blagoevgrad

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**Blagoevgrad**
Благоевград

Province (oblast)	Blagoevgrad
Population	77,222 (2004-12-14)
Altitude	560 m
Postal code	2700
Area code	073
License plate province code	E
Geographic coordinates	42° 1' north, 23° 6' east
Time zone	EET (UTC +2; UTC+3 in summer)
Mayor	Lazar Prichkapov

Blagoevgrad (Bulgarian: Благоевград, formerly: Горна Джумая, Gorna Dzhumaya) is a town in southwestern Bulgaria, the administrative centre of Blagoevgrad Province, with a population of about 76,000. It lies on the banks of the Blagoevgradska Bistritsa River.

The city is unarguably the economic and cultural centre of southwestern Bulgaria. It is located in the valley of the Struma River at the foot of the Rila and Pirin Mountains, about 100 km south of Sofia, close to the Greek, Serbian and Republic of Macedonia borders.

The centre of the town

Houses in Varosha, the old quarter of Blagoevgrad

Map of Blagoevgrad City, Bulgaria

Blagoevgrad features a pedestrian downtown with preserved 19th century architecture and numerous restaurants, cafes, coffee shops, and boutiques. Blagoevgrad is home to two universities, the South-West University "Neofit Rilski" and the American University in Bulgaria. The city hosts also the "Sts. Cyril and Methodius National Humanitarian High School", the former Bulgarian Men's High School of Thessaloniki moved from Thessaloniki to Blagoevgrad (then Gorna Dzhumaya) in 1913.

Attractions in the surrounding area include the resort Bodrost.

[edit] History

An ancient Thracian settlement called Scaptopara emerged on the site around 300 BC and was later conquered by the Roman Empire. The settlement was known for the hot springs in the vicinity.

Although the history of the settlement in the Middle Ages is not known, during the Ottoman rule of the Balkans it was initially a Muslim-majority town called Cuma-ı Bala that means Lower Juma in Ottoman Turkish. A Bulgarian quarter called Varosha was formed during the Bulgarian National Revival, with many of its typical houses and the Church of the Presentation of the Mother of God from 1844 being preserved to this day. A chitalishte was founded in 1866 and the Balkan Wars of 1912-1913 saw the occupation of the area from Ottoman rule and its integration in the Bulgarian state. Before the Balkan Wars, Cuma-ı Bala was bounded as kaza to Serez sandjak in Selanik vilayet.

Many Bulgarian refugees from Aegean and Vardar Macedonia arrived in the town in the subsequent decades as the town, then known as Gorna Dzhumaya (a partial translation of the Ottoman name), continued to grow in size and importance.

The town was renamed Blagoevgrad in 1950 after the founder of the Bulgarian Communist Party, Dimitar Blagoev, a Bulgarian from Aegean Macedonia.

Skaptopara Cove in Greenwich Island in the South Shetland Islands, Antarctica is named for the ancient ancestor of Blagoevgrad.

[edit] Twin cities

[edit] External links

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Cities and towns in Bulgaria
Aytos \| Asenovgrad \| Blagoevgrad \| Botevgrad \| Burgas \| Dimitrovgrad \| Dobrich \| Dupnitsa \| Gabrovo \| Gorna Oryahovitsa \| Gotse Delchev \| Harmanli \| Haskovo \| Karlovo \| Karnobat \| Kazanlak \| Kardzhali \| Kyustendil \| Lom \| Lovech \| Montana \| Nova Zagora \| Panagyurishte \| Pazardzhik \| Pernik \| Petrich \| Pleven \| Plovdiv \| Razgrad \| Rousse \| Samokov \| Sandanski \| Sevlievo \| Shumen \| Silistra \| Sliven \| Smolyan \| Sofia \| Stara Zagora \| Svishtov \| Targovishte \| Troyan \| Varna \| Veliko Tarnovo \| Velingrad \| Vidin \| Vratsa \| Yambol

Cities and towns in Bulgaria

edit	Municipalities of Blagoevgrad Province
Bansko \| Belitsa \| Blagoevgrad \| Gotse Delchev \| Garmen \| Kresna \| Petrich \| Razlog \| Sandanski \| Satovcha \| Simitli \| Strumyani \| Hadzhidimitrovo \| Yakoruda