Blagoevgrad Province
Encyclopedia
Blagoevgrad Province also known as Pirin Macedonia , is a province (oblast
) of southwestern Bulgaria
. It borders four other Bulgarian provinces to the north and east, Greece
to the south, and the Republic of Macedonia
to the west. The province has 14 municipalities with 12 towns. Its principal city is Blagoevgrad
, while other significant towns include Bansko
, Gotse Delchev
, Melnik
, Petrich
, Razlog
, Sandanski
and Simitli
.
and Sofia Province
s and comprises 5.8% of the country's territory. Blagoevgrad Province includes the mountains, or parts of, Rila
(highest point of the Balkans
— Musala
summit, 2925 m), Pirin
(highest point — Vihren
summit, 2914 m), the Rhodopes, Slavyanka, Belasitsa, Vlahina
, Maleshevo
, Ograzhden
and Stargach
. There are two major rivers — Struma River
and Mesta River
— with population concentrations along their valleys, which are also the main transport corridors.
in the southernmost parts. Natural resources are timber, mineral springs, coal, construction materials, including marble
and granite
. The beautiful and preserved environment is widely considered an important resource. A number of national parks and protected territories care for the biodiversity. Arable land is 38.8% and forests constitute 52% of the province's territory.
and inhabited by the Thracian
tribe Maedi
. Alexander the Great founded his first town/colony
Alexandrupolis in 340 BC. Afterwards the town was probably destroyed by a local Thracian
raid.
The Blagoevgrad province (oбласт, oblast) contains 14 municipalities (singular: oбщина, obshtina - plural: oбщини, obshtini). The following table shows the names of each municipality in English and Cyrillic, the main town (in bold) or village, and the population of each as of 2009.
and tobacco
processing industries, agriculture
, tourism
, transport
and communications
, textile industry
, timber and furniture industries, iron processing and machinery industry, construction materials industry, as well as pharmaceuticals, plastics, paper and shoes production. Approximately 10% of the population is unemployed (close to the national average). There are 4 major hospitals in the province.
With its railway line and road connection, the region forms the heart of the land-based trading route between northern Greece, Bulgaria and Romania. Since the early 2000s the province enjoys a mini boom in trade from thousands Greek day-trippers from across the border, purchasing cheaper goods and services (dental, opticians, etc.). Since the early 1990s, the region has also attracted Greek manufacturers who moved their production line from Greece
, especially to Petrich
. It was an important tourist destination during the communist years for East Germans and is slowly picking up again. The unique town of Melnik
was once a wealthy centre built on the back of exiled phanariots from Constantinople
. Now it is a centre for wine production and offers eco-tourism.
Infrastructure remains relatively underdeveloped, especially regarding road and rail communications. It remains an important target for potential EU funding. There are two major infrastructural projects in the region. The Struma motorway
, which is planned to connect the capital Sofia
with the Greek border and the port of Thessaloniki
, is going to run through the valley of the Sruma River, and will be ready in a few years. The second project is the airport of Bansko. The cost is currently estimated at around €
30,000,000.
and Roman
settlements, Early Christian basilicas, medieval Byzantine
and Bulgarian towns, monasteries and fortresses, as well as many preserved buildings and whole villages — examples of the architecture from the Ottoman period (like Melnik
, the Rozhen Monastery
and Bansko
).
A theatre, a library with 345,000 tomes, and an opera house are situated in the provincial centre, Blagoevgrad
. There are art galleries in Bansko
, Blagoevgrad and Sandanski
. Many small cultural institutions, chitalishta, are dispersed around the province. The Pirin State Ensemble
is the most prominent among the numerous folklore and music bands. There are 10 museums in the province that preserve the rich historical, ethnographic and archaeological heritage. Cultural events include the Theatre Festival in Blagoevgrad, the Jazz Festival in Bansko and the Melnik Evenings of Poetry.
The Southwestern University and the American University in Bulgaria
are situated in Blagoevgrad; the latter is the second largest American university campus in Europe and is located in the former headquarters of the communist party
. Annually the city draws around 10,000 students from the country and abroad. The number of schools in the province is 182.
(after Jane Sandanski), Gotse Delchev
and Blagoevgrad
(named after Dimitar Blagoev).
of 324,110 according to the 2011 census
, of which were male
and were female
.
The following table represents the change of the population in the province after World War II
:
306,118 Bulgarian
,
19,819 Turkish
,
9,232 Roma (Gypsy) and 6004 others and unspecified .
286,491 Bulgarians
,
31,857 Turks ,
12,405 Roma (Gypsy) ,
3,117 ethnic Macedonians
and 7303 others and unspecified .
in Blagoevgrad Province (0,2%). According to a study by the Bulgarian Helsinki Committee performed in 1998, people with a Macedonian national self-consciousness in the entirety of Bulgaria were between 15,000 and 25,000. In 2008, the local ethnic Macedonian political activist Stoyko Stoykov claimed their number to be between 5,000 and 10,000 in the whole of Bulgaria.
with 4) — FC Vihren Sandanski
, PFC Belasitsa Petrich
and PFC Pirin 1922 Blagoevgrad. One more team from the province, PFC Pirin Blagoevgrad
(as distinct from Pirin 1922), began the 2005/06 season in the highest Bulgarian division, but disbanded shortly afterwards due to financial problems.
Owing to the alpine features and accessible location, the northern and eastern regionof Blagoevgrad Province is also a centre of winter sports. The main centre is Bansko which is becoming a leading skiing resort at European level with rapidly rising property prices.
Oblast
Oblast is a type of administrative division in Slavic countries, including some countries of the former Soviet Union. The word "oblast" is a loanword in English, but it is nevertheless often translated as "area", "zone", "province", or "region"...
) of southwestern Bulgaria
Bulgaria
Bulgaria , officially the Republic of Bulgaria , is a parliamentary democracy within a unitary constitutional republic in Southeast Europe. The country borders Romania to the north, Serbia and Macedonia to the west, Greece and Turkey to the south, as well as the Black Sea to the east...
. It borders four other Bulgarian provinces to the north and east, Greece
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
to the south, and the Republic of Macedonia
Republic of Macedonia
Macedonia , officially the Republic of Macedonia , is a country located in the central Balkan peninsula in Southeast Europe. It is one of the successor states of the former Yugoslavia, from which it declared independence in 1991...
to the west. The province has 14 municipalities with 12 towns. Its principal city is Blagoevgrad
Blagoevgrad
Blagoevgrad is а city in southwestern Bulgaria, the administrative centre of Blagoevgrad Province, with a population of about 74,302 . It lies on the banks of the Blagoevgradska Bistritsa River....
, while other significant towns include Bansko
Bansko
Bansko is a town and a popular ski resort in southwestern Bulgaria, located at the foot of the Pirin Mountains at an elevation of 925 m above sea level....
, Gotse Delchev
Gotse Delchev (town)
Gotse Delchev , is a town in Blagoevgrad Province of Bulgaria with a population of 23,573.In 1951 the town was renamed after the Bulgarian revolutionary Georgi Nikolov Delchev. It had hitherto been called Nevrokop ....
, Melnik
Melnik, Bulgaria
Melnik is a town in Blagoevgrad Province, southwestern Bulgaria, in the southwestern Pirin Mountains, about 440 m above sea level. The town is an architectural reserve and 96 of its buildings are cultural monuments...
, Petrich
Petrich
Petrich is a town in Blagoevgrad Province in southwestern Bulgaria, located at the foot of the Belasica Mountains in the Strumeshnitsa Valley. , the town has 29920 inhabitants.Petrich is located close to the borders with Greece and the Republic of Macedonia...
, Razlog
Razlog
Razlog is a town and ski resort in Razlog Municipality, Blagoevgrad Province in southwestern Bulgaria. It is situated in the Razlog Valley and was first mentioned during the reign of Byzantine emperor Basil II....
, Sandanski
Sandanski
-Municipality:Sandanski is the seat of Sandanski municipality , which includes the following 54 places:-Honour:Sandanski Point on Livingston Island in the South Shetland Islands, Antarctica is named after the town of Sandanski....
and Simitli
Simitli
Simitli is a small city in Blagoevgrad Province in southwestern Bulgaria. It has a population of 7,454 and is located 17 km south of Blagoevgrad.-Geography:...
.
Geography
The province has a territory of 6,449.5 km² and a population of 341,245. It is the third largest in Bulgaria after BurgasBurgas Province
-Municipalities:The Burgas province contains 13 municipalities . The following table shows the names of each municipality in English and Cyrillic, the main town or village , and the population of each as of 2009.-Demography:The Burgas province had a population of 423,608 -Municipalities:The Burgas...
and Sofia Province
Sofia Province
Sofia Province is a province of Bulgaria. The province does not include Sofia in its territories, but Sofia however remains its administrative center...
s and comprises 5.8% of the country's territory. Blagoevgrad Province includes the mountains, or parts of, Rila
Rila
Rila is a mountain range in southwestern Bulgaria and the highest mountain range of Bulgaria and the Balkans, with its highest peak being Musala at 2,925 m...
(highest point of the Balkans
Balkans
The Balkans is a geopolitical and cultural region of southeastern Europe...
— Musala
Musala
Musala is the highest peak in Bulgaria and the entire Balkan Peninsula, standing at 2,925 m . The summit of the Rila mountain in southwestern Bulgaria, Musala is the highest peak between the Alps and the Caucasus and the highest in Eastern Europe bar the Caucasus.Between 1949–1962 the peak was...
summit, 2925 m), Pirin
Pirin
The Pirin Mountains are a mountain range in southwestern Bulgaria, with Vihren the highest peak, situated at . The range extends about 40 km northwest-southeast, and about 25 km wide. Most of the range is protected in the Pirin National Park...
(highest point — Vihren
Vihren
Vihren is the highest peak of Bulgaria's Pirin Mountains. Reaching 2914 m, it is Bulgaria's second and the Balkans' third highest, after Musala and Mount Olympus. The peak is located in Pirin's northern parts. The easiest route is from the Vihren chalet , reaching the summit from the south...
summit, 2914 m), the Rhodopes, Slavyanka, Belasitsa, Vlahina
Vlahina
Vlahina or Vlaina , meaning "Vlach [mountain]" is a mountain range on the border of southwestern Bulgaria and eastern Republic of Macedonia. The highest peak is Ogreyak at 1,924 m. Nearby towns include Simitli to the northeast in Bulgaria and Pehchevo to the southwest in the Republic of Macedonia....
, Maleshevo
Maleshevo
The Maleshevo Mountain or Maleševo Mountain is situated in southwestern Bulgaria and eastern Republic of Macedonia. It is the third of the five mountains of the Osogovo-Belasitsa mountain group, known also as the Western Border Mountains...
, Ograzhden
Ograzhden
Ograzhden is a mountain shared by northeastern Republic of Macedonia and southwestern Bulgaria, part of the Belasitsa-Osogovo group. It is located north of Belasitsa, northeast of the Macedonian town of Strumica and northwest of the Bulgarian town of Petrich...
and Stargach
Stargach
Stargach is a border mountain, situated between Bulgaria and Greece. It is located east of Slavyanka mountain, west of Beslen hill, south of Pirin Mountains and north of Kato Novrokopi valley....
. There are two major rivers — Struma River
Struma River
The Struma or Strymónas is a river in Bulgaria and Greece. Its ancient name was Strymōn . Its catchment area is 10,800 km²...
and Mesta River
Mesta River
The Nestos or Mesta , formerly the Mesta Karasu , is a river in Bulgaria and Greece. It rises in the Rila Mountains and flows into the Aegean Sea near the island of Thasos. It plunges down towering canyons toward the Aegean Sea through mostly metamorphic formations...
— with population concentrations along their valleys, which are also the main transport corridors.
Climate
The climate varies from temprerate continental to MediterraneanMediterranean climate
A Mediterranean climate is the climate typical of most of the lands in the Mediterranean Basin, and is a particular variety of subtropical climate...
in the southernmost parts. Natural resources are timber, mineral springs, coal, construction materials, including marble
Marble
Marble is a metamorphic rock composed of recrystallized carbonate minerals, most commonly calcite or dolomite.Geologists use the term "marble" to refer to metamorphosed limestone; however stonemasons use the term more broadly to encompass unmetamorphosed limestone.Marble is commonly used for...
and granite
Granite
Granite is a common and widely occurring type of intrusive, felsic, igneous rock. Granite usually has a medium- to coarse-grained texture. Occasionally some individual crystals are larger than the groundmass, in which case the texture is known as porphyritic. A granitic rock with a porphyritic...
. The beautiful and preserved environment is widely considered an important resource. A number of national parks and protected territories care for the biodiversity. Arable land is 38.8% and forests constitute 52% of the province's territory.
History
Blagoevgrad Province was originally part of ancient ThraceThrace
Thrace is a historical and geographic area in southeast Europe. As a geographical concept, Thrace designates a region bounded by the Balkan Mountains on the north, Rhodope Mountains and the Aegean Sea on the south, and by the Black Sea and the Sea of Marmara on the east...
and inhabited by the Thracian
Thracians
The ancient Thracians were a group of Indo-European tribes inhabiting areas including Thrace in Southeastern Europe. They spoke the Thracian language – a scarcely attested branch of the Indo-European language family...
tribe Maedi
Maedi
The Maedi , were a Thracian or Illyrian tribe, which in historic times, occupied the area between Paionia and Thrace, on the southwestern fringes of Thrace, along the middle course of the Strymon, between the Kresna Gorge and the Rupel Pass...
. Alexander the Great founded his first town/colony
Polis
Polis , plural poleis , literally means city in Greek. It could also mean citizenship and body of citizens. In modern historiography "polis" is normally used to indicate the ancient Greek city-states, like Classical Athens and its contemporaries, so polis is often translated as "city-state."The...
Alexandrupolis in 340 BC. Afterwards the town was probably destroyed by a local Thracian
Thracians
The ancient Thracians were a group of Indo-European tribes inhabiting areas including Thrace in Southeastern Europe. They spoke the Thracian language – a scarcely attested branch of the Indo-European language family...
raid.
Municipalities
| Municipality | Cyrillic | Pop. | Town/Village | Pop. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bansko Bansko Municipality Bansko Municipality is situated in southwestern Bulgaria and is one of the municipalities of Blagoevgrad Province.-Settlements:-External links:* *... |
Банско | 13,556 | Bansko Bansko Bansko is a town and a popular ski resort in southwestern Bulgaria, located at the foot of the Pirin Mountains at an elevation of 925 m above sea level.... |
9,183 |
| Belitsa Belitsa Municipality Belitsa Municipality is located in the southwestern part of Bulgaria in the northeastern part of the Blagoevgrad Province. The adminastrative center is the town of Belitsa and there are yet 11 villages and the ski resort Semkovo.- Geography :... |
Белица | 10,356 | Belitsa Belitsa Belitsa is a town in southwestern Bulgaria, located in the Belitsa Municipality of the Blagoevgrad oblast .-External links:* *... |
3,580 |
| Blagoevgrad Blagoevgrad Municipality Blagoevgrad Municipality is the most populated municipality in Blagoevgrad Province. It includes Blagoevgrad and 25 villages with population of 77 441 .- Geography :... |
Благоевград | 88,457 | Blagoevgrad Blagoevgrad Blagoevgrad is а city in southwestern Bulgaria, the administrative centre of Blagoevgrad Province, with a population of about 74,302 . It lies on the banks of the Blagoevgradska Bistritsa River.... |
80,140 |
| Garmen Garmen Municipality Garnen Municipality is situated in the southeastern part of Blagoevgrad Province in Southwestern Bulgaria.It is a rural municipality, composed of 16 villages. The seat is the village of Garmen,but the most populated village is Ribnovo... |
Гърмен | 16,799 | Garmen Garmen Garmen is a village and a municipality in Blagoevgrad Province in Bulgaria.It is located in southwestern Bulgaria in the Western Rhodopes Mountains in the Chech region... |
1,982 |
| Gotse Delchev | Гоце Делчев | 35,884 | Gotse Delchev Gotse Delchev (town) Gotse Delchev , is a town in Blagoevgrad Province of Bulgaria with a population of 23,573.In 1951 the town was renamed after the Bulgarian revolutionary Georgi Nikolov Delchev. It had hitherto been called Nevrokop .... |
22,255 |
| Hadzhidimovo | Хаджидимово | 11,207 | Hadzhidimovo Hadzhidimovo Hadzhidimovo is a small town and a centre of a municipality in Blagoevgrad Province , south-western Bulgaria.It is located in the southernmost part of Bulgaria, bordering on Greece in the Chech region.-Geography:... |
3,040 |
| Kresna | Кресна | 5,982 | Kresna Kresna Kresna is a town and municipality in Blagoevgrad Province in Bulgaria.It is located in the southwestern part of Bulgaria.-Geography:The town of Kresna lies at the north end of the Kresna Gorge of the Struma River at the foot of Pirin mountain. The Melo hills are striking sandstone formations... |
3,866 |
| Petrich | Петрич | 64,367 | Petrich Petrich Petrich is a town in Blagoevgrad Province in southwestern Bulgaria, located at the foot of the Belasica Mountains in the Strumeshnitsa Valley. , the town has 29920 inhabitants.Petrich is located close to the borders with Greece and the Republic of Macedonia... |
36,776 |
| Razlog Razlog Municipality Razlog Municipality is located in Blagoevgrad Province, Bulgaria. It has 22,124 inhabitants .The town of Razlog is the administrative centre.Places include:-References:... |
Разлог | 22,681 | Razlog Razlog Razlog is a town and ski resort in Razlog Municipality, Blagoevgrad Province in southwestern Bulgaria. It is situated in the Razlog Valley and was first mentioned during the reign of Byzantine emperor Basil II.... |
13,434 |
| Sandanski | Сандански | 45,722 | Sandanski Sandanski -Municipality:Sandanski is the seat of Sandanski municipality , which includes the following 54 places:-Honour:Sandanski Point on Livingston Island in the South Shetland Islands, Antarctica is named after the town of Sandanski.... |
30,826 |
| Satovcha Satovcha municipality The Satovcha Municipality is a municipality in Southwestern Bulgaria and is one of the municipalities in the Blagoevgrad Province.- Geography :... |
Сатовча | 19,025 | Satovcha Satovcha Satovcha is a village in Southwestern Bulgaria. It is the administrative center of the Satovcha Municipality in Blagoevgrad Province.-Geography:The village of Satovcha is located in the Western Rhodope Mountains... |
2,434 |
| Simitli | Симитли | 15,746 | Simitli Simitli Simitli is a small city in Blagoevgrad Province in southwestern Bulgaria. It has a population of 7,454 and is located 17 km south of Blagoevgrad.-Geography:... |
7,567 |
| Strumyani | Струмяни | 6,284 | Strumyani Strumyani Strumyani is a village in southwestern Bulgaria, part of Blagoevgrad Province. It is the administrative centre of Strumyani municipality, which lies in the southwestern part of Blagoevgrad Province.... |
998 |
| Yakoruda | Якоруда | 11,271 | Yakoruda Yakoruda Yakoruda is a Bulgarian town located in the southwestern part of the country. A part of the Blagoevgrad Province, it is the seat of the municipality which is the north-easternmost in the province. The town lies in the Rhodope Mountains, along the Mesta River, 26 km west of the town of Velingrad... |
6,216 |
Economy
The region is characterized with diversified economic branch structure: foodFood processing
Food processing is the set of methods and techniques used to transform raw ingredients into food or to transform food into other forms for consumption by humans or animals either in the home or by the food processing industry...
and tobacco
Tobacco
Tobacco is an agricultural product processed from the leaves of plants in the genus Nicotiana. It can be consumed, used as a pesticide and, in the form of nicotine tartrate, used in some medicines...
processing industries, agriculture
Agriculture
Agriculture is the cultivation of animals, plants, fungi and other life forms for food, fiber, and other products used to sustain life. Agriculture was the key implement in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that nurtured the...
, tourism
Tourism
Tourism is travel for recreational, leisure or business purposes. The World Tourism Organization defines tourists as people "traveling to and staying in places outside their usual environment for not more than one consecutive year for leisure, business and other purposes".Tourism has become a...
, transport
Transport
Transport or transportation is the movement of people, cattle, animals and goods from one location to another. Modes of transport include air, rail, road, water, cable, pipeline, and space. The field can be divided into infrastructure, vehicles, and operations...
and communications
Telecommunication
Telecommunication is the transmission of information over significant distances to communicate. In earlier times, telecommunications involved the use of visual signals, such as beacons, smoke signals, semaphore telegraphs, signal flags, and optical heliographs, or audio messages via coded...
, textile industry
Textile industry
The textile industry is primarily concerned with the production of yarn, and cloth and the subsequent design or manufacture of clothing and their distribution. The raw material may be natural, or synthetic using products of the chemical industry....
, timber and furniture industries, iron processing and machinery industry, construction materials industry, as well as pharmaceuticals, plastics, paper and shoes production. Approximately 10% of the population is unemployed (close to the national average). There are 4 major hospitals in the province.
With its railway line and road connection, the region forms the heart of the land-based trading route between northern Greece, Bulgaria and Romania. Since the early 2000s the province enjoys a mini boom in trade from thousands Greek day-trippers from across the border, purchasing cheaper goods and services (dental, opticians, etc.). Since the early 1990s, the region has also attracted Greek manufacturers who moved their production line from Greece
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
, especially to Petrich
Petrich
Petrich is a town in Blagoevgrad Province in southwestern Bulgaria, located at the foot of the Belasica Mountains in the Strumeshnitsa Valley. , the town has 29920 inhabitants.Petrich is located close to the borders with Greece and the Republic of Macedonia...
. It was an important tourist destination during the communist years for East Germans and is slowly picking up again. The unique town of Melnik
Melnik, Bulgaria
Melnik is a town in Blagoevgrad Province, southwestern Bulgaria, in the southwestern Pirin Mountains, about 440 m above sea level. The town is an architectural reserve and 96 of its buildings are cultural monuments...
was once a wealthy centre built on the back of exiled phanariots from Constantinople
Constantinople
Constantinople was the capital of the Roman, Eastern Roman, Byzantine, Latin, and Ottoman Empires. Throughout most of the Middle Ages, Constantinople was Europe's largest and wealthiest city.-Names:...
. Now it is a centre for wine production and offers eco-tourism.
Infrastructure remains relatively underdeveloped, especially regarding road and rail communications. It remains an important target for potential EU funding. There are two major infrastructural projects in the region. The Struma motorway
Struma motorway
The Struma Motorway is a planned expressway that will lead from the Daskalovo junction 5 km away of Sofia to the Bulgarian border with Greece at the village of Kulata. Around 20 km of the expressway have already been built, with four more sections left.Tenders for Struma Motorway will...
, which is planned to connect the capital Sofia
Sofia
Sofia is the capital and largest city of Bulgaria and the 12th largest city in the European Union with a population of 1.27 million people. It is located in western Bulgaria, at the foot of Mount Vitosha and approximately at the centre of the Balkan Peninsula.Prehistoric settlements were excavated...
with the Greek border and the port of Thessaloniki
Thessaloniki
Thessaloniki , historically also known as Thessalonica, Salonika or Salonica, is the second-largest city in Greece and the capital of the region of Central Macedonia as well as the capital of the Decentralized Administration of Macedonia and Thrace...
, is going to run through the valley of the Sruma River, and will be ready in a few years. The second project is the airport of Bansko. The cost is currently estimated at around €
Euro
The euro is the official currency of the eurozone: 17 of the 27 member states of the European Union. It is also the currency used by the Institutions of the European Union. The eurozone consists of Austria, Belgium, Cyprus, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg,...
30,000,000.
Culture, education and monuments
Historical and archaeological monuments include the ruins of antique ThracianThracians
The ancient Thracians were a group of Indo-European tribes inhabiting areas including Thrace in Southeastern Europe. They spoke the Thracian language – a scarcely attested branch of the Indo-European language family...
and Roman
Ancient Rome
Ancient Rome was a thriving civilization that grew on the Italian Peninsula as early as the 8th century BC. Located along the Mediterranean Sea and centered on the city of Rome, it expanded to one of the largest empires in the ancient world....
settlements, Early Christian basilicas, medieval Byzantine
Byzantine Empire
The Byzantine Empire was the Eastern Roman Empire during the periods of Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages, centred on the capital of Constantinople. Known simply as the Roman Empire or Romania to its inhabitants and neighbours, the Empire was the direct continuation of the Ancient Roman State...
and Bulgarian towns, monasteries and fortresses, as well as many preserved buildings and whole villages — examples of the architecture from the Ottoman period (like Melnik
Melnik, Bulgaria
Melnik is a town in Blagoevgrad Province, southwestern Bulgaria, in the southwestern Pirin Mountains, about 440 m above sea level. The town is an architectural reserve and 96 of its buildings are cultural monuments...
, the Rozhen Monastery
Rozhen Monastery
The Rozhen Monastery of the Nativity of the Mother of God is the biggest monastery in the Pirin Mountains in southwestern Bulgaria. It is one of the few medieval Bulgarian monasteries well preserved until today....
and Bansko
Bansko
Bansko is a town and a popular ski resort in southwestern Bulgaria, located at the foot of the Pirin Mountains at an elevation of 925 m above sea level....
).
A theatre, a library with 345,000 tomes, and an opera house are situated in the provincial centre, Blagoevgrad
Blagoevgrad
Blagoevgrad is а city in southwestern Bulgaria, the administrative centre of Blagoevgrad Province, with a population of about 74,302 . It lies on the banks of the Blagoevgradska Bistritsa River....
. There are art galleries in Bansko
Bansko
Bansko is a town and a popular ski resort in southwestern Bulgaria, located at the foot of the Pirin Mountains at an elevation of 925 m above sea level....
, Blagoevgrad and Sandanski
Sandanski
-Municipality:Sandanski is the seat of Sandanski municipality , which includes the following 54 places:-Honour:Sandanski Point on Livingston Island in the South Shetland Islands, Antarctica is named after the town of Sandanski....
. Many small cultural institutions, chitalishta, are dispersed around the province. The Pirin State Ensemble
Pirin Folk Ensemble
The Pirin Folk Ensemble is a Bulgarian performance group. It consists of a folk orchestra, a dance troupe, and a women's choir. The ensemble strives to preserve Bulgarian culture by performing traditional music and dance from throughout Bulgaria...
is the most prominent among the numerous folklore and music bands. There are 10 museums in the province that preserve the rich historical, ethnographic and archaeological heritage. Cultural events include the Theatre Festival in Blagoevgrad, the Jazz Festival in Bansko and the Melnik Evenings of Poetry.
The Southwestern University and the American University in Bulgaria
American University in Bulgaria
American University in Bulgaria is a private, selective, residential liberal arts university located in Blagoevgrad, Bulgaria. Courses are taught in English by high-quality faculty coming from four continents, experienced in teaching in a multicultural, learner-centered environment...
are situated in Blagoevgrad; the latter is the second largest American university campus in Europe and is located in the former headquarters of the communist party
Bulgarian Communist Party
The Bulgarian Communist Party was the communist and Marxist-Leninist ruling party of the People's Republic of Bulgaria from 1946 until 1990 when the country ceased to be a communist state...
. Annually the city draws around 10,000 students from the country and abroad. The number of schools in the province is 182.
Notable Bulgarians from Blagoevgrad Province
A number of the province's towns were re-named in honor of major figures such as SandanskiSandanski
-Municipality:Sandanski is the seat of Sandanski municipality , which includes the following 54 places:-Honour:Sandanski Point on Livingston Island in the South Shetland Islands, Antarctica is named after the town of Sandanski....
(after Jane Sandanski), Gotse Delchev
Gotse Delchev (town)
Gotse Delchev , is a town in Blagoevgrad Province of Bulgaria with a population of 23,573.In 1951 the town was renamed after the Bulgarian revolutionary Georgi Nikolov Delchev. It had hitherto been called Nevrokop ....
and Blagoevgrad
Blagoevgrad
Blagoevgrad is а city in southwestern Bulgaria, the administrative centre of Blagoevgrad Province, with a population of about 74,302 . It lies on the banks of the Blagoevgradska Bistritsa River....
(named after Dimitar Blagoev).
- Paisiy Hilendarski (1722–1773)
- Neofit RilskiNeofit RilskiNeofit Rilski or Neophyte of Rila , born Nikola Poppetrov Benin was a 19th-century Bulgarian monk, teacher and artist, and an important figure of the Bulgarian National Revival....
(1793–1881) - Boris SarafovBoris SarafovBoris Petrov Sarafov was a revolutionary from the region of Macedonia, one of the leaders of Supreme Macedonian-Adrianople Committee and Internal Macedonian Revolutionary Organization...
(1872–1907) - Yane SandanskiYane SandanskiYane Ivanov Sandanski or Jane Ivanov Sandanski, was a revolutionary, one of the leaders of the Internal Macedonian-Adrianople Revolutionary Organization in the Serres region and head of the extreme leftist wing of the organization...
(1872–1915) - Nikola VaptsarovNikola VaptsarovNikola Yonkov Vaptsarov was a Bulgarian poet, communist and revolutionary. Working most of his life as a machinist, he only wrote in his spare time. Despite the fact that he ever published only one poetry book, he is considered one of the most important Bulgarian poets...
(1909–1942) - Georgi PirinskiGeorgi PirinskiGeorgi Pirinski is a Bulgarian politician of the Bulgarian Communist Party and after 1990 of the Bulgarian Socialist Party . Born in New York City, U.S. in the emigrant family of Communist functionary Georgi Pirinski, Sr., he has roots from Pirin Macedonia...
(1948)
Demographics
The province had a populationPopulation
A population is all the organisms that both belong to the same group or species and live in the same geographical area. The area that is used to define a sexual population is such that inter-breeding is possible between any pair within the area and more probable than cross-breeding with individuals...
of 324,110 according to the 2011 census
Census
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...
, of which were male
Male
Male refers to the biological sex of an organism, or part of an organism, which produces small mobile gametes, called spermatozoa. Each spermatozoon can fuse with a larger female gamete or ovum, in the process of fertilization...
and were female
Female
Female is the sex of an organism, or a part of an organism, which produces non-mobile ova .- Defining characteristics :The ova are defined as the larger gametes in a heterogamous reproduction system, while the smaller, usually motile gamete, the spermatozoon, is produced by the male...
.
The following table represents the change of the population in the province after World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
:
Religion
Religious adherence in the province according to 2001 census:| Census 2001 | ||
|---|---|---|
| religious adherence | population | % |
| Orthodox Christians | 268,968 | 78.84% |
| Muslim Muslim A Muslim, also spelled Moslem, is an adherent of Islam, a monotheistic, Abrahamic religion based on the Quran, which Muslims consider the verbatim word of God as revealed to prophet Muhammad. "Muslim" is the Arabic term for "submitter" .Muslims believe that God is one and incomparable... s |
62,431 | 18.30% |
| Protestants Protestantism Protestantism is one of the three major groupings within Christianity. It is a movement that began in Germany in the early 16th century as a reaction against medieval Roman Catholic doctrines and practices, especially in regards to salvation, justification, and ecclesiology.The doctrines of the... |
1,546 | 0.45% |
| Roman Catholics | 277 | 0.08% |
| Other | 933 | 0.27% |
| Religion not mentioned | 7,018 | 2.06% |
| total | 341,173 | 100% |
Languages
Mother tongues in the province according to 2001 census:306,118 Bulgarian
Bulgarian language
Bulgarian is an Indo-European language, a member of the Slavic linguistic group.Bulgarian, along with the closely related Macedonian language, demonstrates several linguistic characteristics that set it apart from all other Slavic languages such as the elimination of case declension, the...
,
19,819 Turkish
Turkish language
Turkish is a language spoken as a native language by over 83 million people worldwide, making it the most commonly spoken of the Turkic languages. Its speakers are located predominantly in Turkey and Northern Cyprus with smaller groups in Iraq, Greece, Bulgaria, the Republic of Macedonia, Kosovo,...
,
9,232 Roma (Gypsy) and 6004 others and unspecified .
Ethnic groups
Ethnic groups in the province according to 2001 census:286,491 Bulgarians
Bulgarians
The Bulgarians are a South Slavic nation and ethnic group native to Bulgaria and neighbouring regions. Emigration has resulted in immigrant communities in a number of other countries.-History and ethnogenesis:...
,
31,857 Turks ,
12,405 Roma (Gypsy) ,
3,117 ethnic Macedonians
Macedonians (ethnic group)
The Macedonians also referred to as Macedonian Slavs: "... the term Slavomacedonian was introduced and was accepted by the community itself, which at the time had a much more widespread non-Greek Macedonian ethnic consciousness...
and 7303 others and unspecified .
Ethnic Macedonians
The vast majority of the Slavic population in Pirin Macedonia has a Bulgarian self-consciousness and a regional Macedonian identity, similar to that of the Greek Macedonians. According to the last census from 2011, 561 persons described themselves as ethnic MacedoniansMacedonians (ethnic group)
The Macedonians also referred to as Macedonian Slavs: "... the term Slavomacedonian was introduced and was accepted by the community itself, which at the time had a much more widespread non-Greek Macedonian ethnic consciousness...
in Blagoevgrad Province (0,2%). According to a study by the Bulgarian Helsinki Committee performed in 1998, people with a Macedonian national self-consciousness in the entirety of Bulgaria were between 15,000 and 25,000. In 2008, the local ethnic Macedonian political activist Stoyko Stoykov claimed their number to be between 5,000 and 10,000 in the whole of Bulgaria.
Sport
Blagoevgrad Province is currently one of the best-represented provinces in Bulgarian football, with 3 teams playing in the Bulgarian A PFG (second only to SofiaSofia
Sofia is the capital and largest city of Bulgaria and the 12th largest city in the European Union with a population of 1.27 million people. It is located in western Bulgaria, at the foot of Mount Vitosha and approximately at the centre of the Balkan Peninsula.Prehistoric settlements were excavated...
with 4) — FC Vihren Sandanski
FC Vihren Sandanski
FC Vihren is a Bulgarian football club from the town of Sandanski, currently playing in the West B PFG, the second division of Bulgarian football. The club's home ground is the Sandanski Stadium in Sandanski with a capacity of 6,000. Vihren Sandanski's team colours are green and...
, PFC Belasitsa Petrich
PFC Belasitsa Petrich
PFC Belasitsa is a Bulgarian football club from the town of Petrich, currently playing in the Bulgarian South-West V AFG. The team founded 1923...
and PFC Pirin 1922 Blagoevgrad. One more team from the province, PFC Pirin Blagoevgrad
PFC Pirin Blagoevgrad
PFC Pirin Blagoevgrad was a Bulgarian professional football club based in Blagoevgrad.Club was founded in 1931 as Makedonska Slava . In 1948 the club joined the newly established FD Julius Dermendzhiev and cease its independent existence...
(as distinct from Pirin 1922), began the 2005/06 season in the highest Bulgarian division, but disbanded shortly afterwards due to financial problems.
Owing to the alpine features and accessible location, the northern and eastern regionof Blagoevgrad Province is also a centre of winter sports. The main centre is Bansko which is becoming a leading skiing resort at European level with rapidly rising property prices.
See also
- Provinces of BulgariaProvinces of BulgariaSince 1999, Bulgaria has been divided into 28 provinces which correspond approximately to the 28 districts that existed before 1987. In 1987, during the Communist regime of Todor Zhivkov, the districts were consolidated into nine larger provinces , which survived until 1999.Each province is named...
- Municipalities of BulgariaMunicipalities of BulgariaThe 28 provinces of Bulgaria are divided into 264 municipalities .-Blagoevgrad Province:# Bansko Municipality # Belitsa Municipality # Blagoevgrad Municipality...
- List of cities and towns in Bulgaria
- List of villages in Blagoevgrad Province
External links
- Blagoevgrad Province — information on all of cities and villages
- Provincial administration of Blagoevgrad Province
- Municipality of Blagoevgrad
- Municipality of Gotse Delchev
- Municipality of Sandanski
- Municipality of Petrich
- Official website of Bansko
- Pirin National Park
- Rila National Park
- Neofit Rilski Southwestern University
- American University in Bulgaria
- Pirin Folk song and dances State Ensemble
- Historical and Architectural Reserve Village Kovachevitza
- Rozhen Monastery St. Nativity of Virgin Mary
- Bansko Ski Zone
- Kordopulova House in Melnik
- Radio Blagoevgrad online, regional station of the Bulgarian National Radio
- Informative site about South-Western Bulgaria
- Struma Daily newspaper of South-Western Bulgaria
- Village Dabrava - Blagoevgrad