Major Cities in Bulgaria

The 1987 law-enforced administrative-territorial division of the country divides the territory into 9 administrative regions, 279 municipalities and 3913 mayoralties. The local authorities are responsible for the implementation of the laws and the fulfilment of the approved regional development programmes.The community network comprises 5336 communities, of which 238 towns, 4445 villages and 653 hamlets.

Administrative Regions (and some big cities):

THE CITY OF SOFIA (Sofia)
SOFIA REGION (Pernik, Kyustendil, Blagoevgrad)
PLOVDIV REGION (Plovdiv, Pazardzhik, Smolian)
HASKOVO REGION (Haskovo, Stara Zagora, Kardjali)
BOURGASS REGION (Bourgass, Yambol, Sliven)
VARNA REGION (Varna, Shoumen, Dobrich)
ROUSSE REGION (Rousse, Silistra, Razgrad)
LOVECH REGION (Lovech, Pleven, Gabrovo)
MONTANA REGION (Montana, Vratsa, Vidin)

Sofia

"Crescit, Non Senescit"

Sofia is the capital city of Bulgaria. The city is located in the southern part of the Sofia valley and at the foot of the mountains Vitosha and Lyulin. The town occurred in the 8th - 7th century B.C. arround the mineral spring which is now in the center of the city. The Romans conquered the town in the Ist BC and called it Serdica. In the 9th century is was given the name Sredets. It has been bearing the name of Sofia since 14th century - the name comes from the name of the church St.Sofia. Since 1878 Sofia has been the capital city of Bulgaria.

A great number of monuments of architecture have been preserved, such as

  the Alexander Nevsky Catedral

  the Public Theater Ivan Vazov

  the chuches St.George and St.Sofia

Sofia University "St. St. Clement Ohridsky is another landmark of the capital.

The city has several beautiful parks, and stopes of the Vitosha mountain rise above it - Vitosha is a wonderful place of for recreation of the residents of Sofia and the guests of the city.

Plovdiv

The second biggest city in Bulgaria is situated beatifully on the two banks of the Maritsa river and on six unique syenite hills (called "tepeta"). Around the three eastern hills the Thracians estabilished the ancient settlement of Evmolpiass, which was later on called Pulpudeva.

Situated on three hills in the Thracian Plain, encircled by the slow running waters of the Maritza river, Bulgaria's second largest city today, Plovdiv has a 24 centuries long history and is one of the ancient crossroads between East and West. Landmarks remaining from Roman times include the Philip- popolis Amphitheatre and the restored 2nd century Antique Theatre. The marble-tiled Forum, the Ethnogrphic museum, the art galleries, churches and the street of folk arts and crafts are major landmarks of Old Plovdid.

Plovdiv is divided into two parts - the old town "Stariyat grad", which occupies the three eastern hills, and the lower town spread in the plain below. The modern part of the city offers entertainment and vigorous sights but the old town /conveys best/ carries the atmosphere and the culture of the city.

OLD PLOVDIV  

  The ancient part of the three-hill city is an architectural reserve. The Ancient Plovdiv has preserved until nowadays the athmosphere of the Renaissance.

More ancient than Bulgaria itself, this singular city preserves vivid memories of its turbulent and dramatic fate. In 342 B.C. Philip 11 of Macedon conquered the Thracian town of Evmolpia leaving it his name - Philippopolis. At the start of our millennium the Romans conquered Thrace and called the city Trimontium and later the Slavs gave it the name Plovdiv.

  During the 19th century Bulgarian master builders erected the National Revival city of Plovdiv (the Old Town) with steep cobbled lanes, lovely houses with large bay windows and slender columns, latticed eaves and heavy oak gates, quiet green yards and rippling marble fountains. Every house here has its own style and atmosphere.

  The Old Plovdiv on Trimontzium hill is famous fot its National Revival architecture (from 18th-19th c.). Many of the houses are now museums: the Ethnographic Museum, the Museum of the National Revival and the National Liberation struggles, the Alphonse de Lamartine museum house.

The modern part of the city is the trade and cultural centre. It consists of many museums, churches, banks,hotels, cafes, restaurants, cinemas, shops, bars, bazaars, music clubs, casinos etc. In this part of the city rest the ruins of a Roman stadium and remnants of the Roman forum. Several mosques and original Turkish baths are also a magnificant landmarks of this part of the city. The modern centre provides entertainment and rich cultural life. Classical concerts take place at the Plovdiv Philharmonic Orchestra's concert hall where in January the Winter festival of Symphony Music is held. The City Opera is near the concert hall. The Mesalitinov Theater is the venue for classical drama, kids entertainmentand shows, and modern theater. The building of the TV and the Radio, and the biggest cinemas are situated in the modern city. In the Fair Camp different international exhibitions and expoes are held twice a year - in the spring when the Consumer Goods International Fair takes place and in the fall when the Industrial Goods International Fair takes place.

To view a list of the hotels in Plovdiv click here:

Varna

  Varna is Bulgaria's Sea Capital. The gem of the Bulgarian Black Sea is situated at the end of the big Varna Bay, with a convenient and well conserved water area a port wich in years handles up to 18 million tons of cargo. The ciry's peculiar sea charm is sublime and moving. Ancient, medival, renaissance and modern cultures mingle and coexist through the city.

Varna lies on the same latitude of the famous Atlantic resorts Bayonne and Biarritz in France, on a large, flat and high terrace on the northwestern most curve of the bay wich just some 7km inland. The city occupies some 24sq km, measuring 6km northeast-southwest and is about 4km wide. During the holiday season, July and August, the sunshine allows 10-11 hours of sunbathing. There is nothing of the col Baltic wind or the summer Riviera heat.

The city is clean and green. Of the green miracles at least three are a must see: the Marine Gardens which are the largest in the Balkans; Euxinograd park, the former Royal Palace; the paradise of St.Constantine.

Varna is a city of old culture, living traditions and ambitious undertakings. Some 20 percent of its population are students in various educational institutions, four of wich are higher.

There is hardly a city in Bulgaria apart from the capital that has so many museum opportunities.

The former Girls High Scool, which used to be the biggest in the Balkans, houses the Archaeological Museum that holds one of the country's richest collections. A special treasury displays priceless gold jewels and amazing ancient toreutic works. The icon and church plate exposition is very impressive.

The National Revival Museum has a rich collection. The Ethnographic Museum has exhibits showing traditional means of livelihood and costumes with vatying demographic features.

The Naval Museum is in the shady alleys of the Marine Gardens. The Museum of the Histhory of Medicine in in what used to be the city's first hospital and possesses the richest paleoanthropologic collection in Bulgaria. The Museum of New History is in the oldest surviving house in Varna, that was built in 1851. Bulgaria's only Aquarium with unique facade covered in ivy attracts many visitors.

Burgas

   Bourgas is the fourth largest city in Bulgaria, situated in the south-eastern part of the country. The climate here is temperately continental with a distinct impact from the Black Sea. One of the biggest industrial plants on the Balkan peninsula, Neftochim-EAD, is located in the vicinity of the city. The Port of Bourgas is the biggest sea port in the country. A Duty Free Zone was established in 1989 with the objective to create most attractive conditions for foreign investors. The favourable geographical location and advanced transport infrastructure of Bourgas are good prerequisites for development of tourism and trade.

  Bourgas is not only an important industrial centre in the country, it has also considerable resources for tourism. What attracts people here mostly is undoubtedly the sea. The city is a starting point for visiting the seaside resorts in the area - The Slantchev Bryag resort (Sunny Beach) and The Elenite holiday village to the north and The Duni holiday village, renowned for its unique architectural compostition, to the south. Art and culture, together with propagation of cultural values is fostered by 7 state-owned and 11 municipal institutes. On the territory of Bourgas municipality there are 2 universities and 4 colleges comprising more than 6200 Bulgarian and foreign students.

Veliko Tarnovo

  Veliko Tarnovo is located at 250km from the capital of Bulgaria - Sofia near the Balkan mountain The town was founded at the foot of the Northern Fore-Balkan Range. Historians date it back to 4th millenium B.C. The town of Veliko Tarnovo has inherited centuries-old Prehistoric, Thracian and Antique culture and in 1185 it became a center of the Bulgarian Uprising against Byzantine domination and the capital of the restored Bulgarian state.

  The medieval town of Tarnovo was rapidly expanding and developed into the strongest Bulgarian fortress during the 12-14th cc. It became the most significant political, economic, cultural and religious center of Bulgaria. The Tarnovo Schools of Literature and Arts were established and developed here.

  Remarkable architectural monuments were created; miniature and monumental painting, literature, plastic arts and crafts achieved high artistic level.

Russe

 The Rousse district is located in North-East Bulgaria, on the northern boundary and at the same time the biggest transport highway in Europe – the Danube River. The Rousse district is one of the intermediate in territory and inhabitants districts in Bulgaria (277 456.8 m2 and 267 063 inhabitants). The district includes eight municipalities, Rousse being the dominant one. Administrative center is Rousse with 167 thousand inhabitants.

Rousse is the biggest Bulgarian city situated on the Danube River with the biggest port. The transport geographic location is favorable because on the territory of the district cross two European transport corridors (N7 and N9 – the Danube River), which connect Europe and Asia (The Baltic and the North Sea / The Mediterranean and the Black Sea). Through Rousse is also established the connection between the Danube and the Black Sea on Bulgarian territory (Rousse-Varna). The only bridge on the Danube – “The Danube Bridge” is here. The district is near the project highway “Hemus”.

Lovech

  Lovech is the center of an administrative region. It is situated along the two banks of the Osam river. It was founded as a Bulgarian fortress in the Middle Ages over the ruins of a Roman road station. It has been known under name Lovech since 12th century. Houses of Ranaissance architecture have been preserved in the ancient part of the town, called Varosha. On the place where there was a covered bridge built by Kolyo Ficheto in 1874, nowadays there is a covered iron-concrete bridge with shops along it.

Smolyan

   The town of Smolian is the most important location in the Central Rhodopes, lying in a scenic valley about 1000 m above sea level. The town boasts a fascinating combination of old and new architecture. The experts say that the best of the typical folk houses, from the time of Bulgarian national revival in the 19th century, are to be found in the Rhodopes. An excellent example is Pangalova's house (built in 1860).

  Other notable buildings include the palace of Ali Bey in Raikovo quarter, whose oldest part was constructed in 1780, and the old houses in the neighborhood of Cheshitev.

The construction of the new town centre was completed in 1983. Buildings, like the Planetarium, Post Office, Municipality, and the Rhodopean Dramatic Theatre make up the core of the town.

The famous Smolian lakes, "the emerald eyes of the Rhodopes", line up in the close proximity of Smolian. Once there were about twenty but only seven of them still remain now. The highest lake, called "The Muddy Lake", is the deepest and the most beautiful. On a small plateau, near the two lakes, there is the chapel of the Holy Spirit which is still in use.

Blagoevgrad

   The municipality of Blagoevgrad is located in the southwestern corner of Bulgaria and covers an area of approximately 628 km2, on which Blagoevgrad itself and 25 adjacent villages are situated. The region of Blagoevgrad includes parts of three of the biggest Bulgarian mountains - Rila, Pirin and the Rhodopes and is well known under the name of Pirin region. The city of Blagoevgrad is the major city in the region and one the most important economic and cultural centers in Southwest Bulgaria. The main international routes connecting Bulgaria with Greece and Bulgaria with the Republic of Macedonia pass through it. Blagoevgrad also allows easy access to the Bulgarian capital of Sofia (approximately 100 kilometers to the north) and to all towns in the region.

The region around Blagoevgrad has abundant natural resources. The Blagoevgrad area is part of the region, known as "Pirin" which is characterized by its unique geographic location, physical beauty of the surrounding mountains, and rich flora and fauna. Three majestic mountain ranges grace the plain -- the Rila, Pirin and Rhodopes. Picturesque lakes and roaring rivers provide the region with pure, fresh spring water. The names of the local rivers Bistritsa, Glazene, Struma and Mesta echo in the songs and the folklore of the region. The Blagoevgrad municipality has an ample supply of pure mineral water, river systems and lush mountain forests. The landscape is varied and beautiful. The physical characteristics combine to make Blagoevgrad the largest and most important town in southwestern Bulgaria. It is an important cultural, administrative, and industrial center for the entire southwestern part of the country

Sliven

  Sliven is nestling at the foot of the eastern Balkan Range. The town is birthplace of Hadzhi Dimitar, Panayot Hitov, Dobri Chintoulov and many Bulgarian voyvodi and cultural acivists..

Churches, houses and school from the Renaissance have been preserved.

To the north-east of Sliven is the picturesque area Sinite kamani (the Blue Stones). The rocky groups here are called with different names, such as Kouklite (the Dolls), Bachvata (the Butt), Kamilata (the Camel), Zhabcheto (the baby-frog), the tower of Kaloyan, etc.

Sliven municipality is one of the biggest in the country. Its territory is 1366 sq. km and it comprises of 48 settlements. Its population is 148 000 people, 110 000 of whom live in Sliven.

The town of Sliven is situated at the foot of the unique rock massif "Sinite Kamani"(The Blue Stones), very close to mineral springs.

Sliven is famous for its clean fresh air, clean water sources, meak winter and cool summer.

The town is situated on the international highway A-773 which connects Sofia with Bourgas. Sliven is only 110 km away from the biggest commercial port of Bulgaria - Bourgas. Alongside with this road route, there is a railroad.

The east part of the Balkan Range (Stara Planina), where the town is situated is cut by passages which are very important for the communications between northern and southern Bulgaria. There is an airport with the necessary facilities for passengers and cargo service.

Sliven is one of the oldest settlements in Europe. Here lived Thracians, Romans, Slavs, Ancient Greeks. The first Roman settlement on this place - Tuida ( III century BC) was a famous trade center. Sliven is mentioned as a big town for the first time in 1153 by the Arab traveller Idrisi.

The beautiful nature, mineral water springs and the numerous cultural and historical monuments are an important part of the biggest potential opportunities of Sliven in the sphere of international tourism. The park "Sinite Kamani"("The Blue Stones") comprises of about 7 thousand hectares and it is the third biggest after Pirin and Vitosha. Apart the fact that it is extremely picturesque, the region is remarkable with the preserved in its boundaries rare vegetative and animal species, some of which are under the protection of the country and Europe. The nearest and the most frequently visited part - Karandila - can be reached by a rope lift line.

Sliven is a town with cultural traditions starting from the epoch of the National Revival, with significant contribution in the cultural treasure of the country. Three state Cultural Institutes work in Sliven - a Drama Theatre, a Puppet Theatre and a National Museum of the textile industry. The Municipal professional cultural institutes are: The Historical Museum, The Art Gallery, Folk Song and Dance Ensemble, The Symphony Orchestra, the Universal scientific library and community centres, some of which have over a 100-years history.

Sozopol

  Apolonia - this is how it was called in 610 B.C. by its founders - Greek settlers from Miletus, who erected a majestic bronze statue of the God of Health, Sun and Beauty Apollo above the town.

Numerous red and black figural vases, coloured glass vessels, jewellry, amphoras and anchors, now exhibited in the town's Museum of Ancient Art, date from the heyday of this flourishing town and state. The Bulgarian National Revival period left its own vivid marks on the appearance of this unusual town, some 30 km south of Bourgas, fine architectural ensembles of solid wooden houses.

Thr unaproachable stone houses resenble fortress with secret stores and only through secret entrances one can get into them..

Veliki Preslav

The ancient Capitals of Bulgaria

   Veliki Preslav ( The Great Preslav ) was the se- cond Capital of the First Bulgarain Kingdom. Tzar Simeon ( 893-927 ) erected the new capital which became a powerful cultural, political and admini- strative centre of the young christian state. The town had area of about 5 km2 surrounded by fortress walls up to 3 m thick

Pliska

   The ruins of the first Bulgarian Capital are 2km away from the present-day town of Pliska. It lies on a large undulating plain locked between the hills of Shoumen and Madara. Mighty fortress there defended the approaches to the capital on the plain because as a people of the steppe the Proto-Bulgarians preferred to live on plains. Pliska was a product of a large-scale construction effort with three successieve defence fortifications and solid stone walls that reached up to 12 meters.

As matter of fact, there were twi cities. The outer city sprawled over 23sq km and the inner city occupied 0,5sq km. The citadel, the palace of the khan, in the centre, had a remarkably monumental architecture; 56 rectulangar premises can be detected in the ruins.

A secret tunnel connected the palace with the Grand Basilica, a three-nave church of 2920 sq m, which was the largest in the Balkans those days.

Veliko Tarnovo (see above)
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