Chirpan

Chirpan
Chirpan
Location of Chirpan
Coordinates:
Country Bulgaria
Province
(Oblast)
Stara Zagora
Government
 • Mayor Vasil Donev
Elevation 168 m (551 ft)
Population (31.12.2009)[1]
 • Total 16,355
Time zone EET (UTC+2)
 • Summer (DST) EEST (UTC+3)
Postal Code 6200
Area code(s) 0416

Chirpan (Bulgarian: Чирпан) is a town on the Tekirska River in Stara Zagora Province, South-central Bulgaria. It is the administrative centre of the homonymous Chirpan Municipality. As of December 2009, the town has a population of 16,355 inhabitants.[1]

Chirpan is located north of the Maritsa River on the Chirpan highlands, south-east of the Sredna Gora mountains. The town is a centre for wineries and viticulture.

Contents

History

The modern town is the successor of the Ancient Roman settlement of Sherampol and re-emerged in the beginning of the 15th century, its current name likely being derived from the Roman one. There has been extensive archaeological excavation at the Karasura (Carasura) site. During the Ottoman rule of Bulgaria, Chirpan (Turkish: Çırpan) was known for its craftsmen and agriculture. The town suffered badly from an earthquake on 18 April 1928.

Chirpan was the birthplace of Ottoman Turkish soldier Abdülkerim Nadir Pasha, and the Bulgarian poet Peyo Yavorov, whose native house is now a museum. Chirpan was the home of painter George Danchov. His house in the centre of the town is an excellent example of Bulgarian National Revival architecture.

Climate

Climate data for Chirpan
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Average high °C (°F) 2
(35)
4
(39)
11
(51)
17
(63)
23
(73)
27
(80)
30
(86)
31
(87)
28
(82)
19
(67)
11
(51)
6
(42)
17.2
(63.0)
Average low °C (°F) −7
(20)
−6
(22)
−1
(31)
4
(40)
10
(50)
15
(59)
16
(60)
16
(60)
12
(54)
8
(46)
2
(36)
−3
(26)
5.6
(42)
Precipitation mm (inches) 33
(1.3)
25
(1)
74
(2.9)
81
(3.2)
46
(1.8)
46
(1.8)
69
(2.7)
51
(2)
8
(0.3)
58
(2.3)
51
(2)
13
(0.5)
554
(21.8)
Source: Weatherbase [2]

Economy

There are 23,470 (2009)[3] people in the municipality, two thirds of whom live in the town. 53% of the land is in cultivation, with major crops from wheat, sunflowers, cotton, grapes, and fruit trees. There is a 136 hectare Natura 2000 Special Protection Area for preservation of avian habitat along the Tekirska River.[4]

Honour

Chirpan Peak on Livingston Island in the South Shetland Islands, Antarctica is named after Chirpan.

Notes

References

This article is based in part on material from the Bulgarian Wikipedia.

External links