Gradets, Sliven Province
Encyclopedia
Gradets is a village in southeastern Bulgaria
, part of Kotel
municipality, Sliven Province
. It lies at 42°47′N 26°32′E, 680 m above sea level. As of 2005, the mayor is the independent
Venko Kavardzhikov, and the population of Gradets is 5,895, which makes it the second most populous village in Bulgaria, after Aydemir
, Silistra Province
, and the most populous in Bulgarian Thrace.
Gradets is situated in the Eastern Balkan Mountains
, along the valley of the Luda Kamchiya
. Gradets is characteristic because the vast majority of its residents are Bulgarian Roma
(in 2000, 5,500 of 6,000 according to the then-mayor). In the early 20th century, Gradets had only around twenty Roma households, but their number later grew rapidly.
Notable natives include politician Petar Gudev
(1862–1932), officer Radko Dimitriev
(1859–1918) and Shibil, a 19th-century Turkish Roma brigand who served as Yordan Yovkov
's prototype for a hajduk
character, as well as possibly the noted socialist
Christian Rakovsky
(1873–1941).
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...
, part of Kotel
Kotel, Bulgaria
Kotel is a town in central Bulgaria, part of Sliven Province. It is the administrative centre of the homonymous Kotel Municipality. As of december 2009, the town has a population of 6,232 inhabitants....
municipality, Sliven Province
Sliven Province
Sliven Province is a province in southeastern Bulgaria, named after its administrative and industrial centre - the city of Sliven. It embraces a territory of 3,544.1 km² that is divided into 4 municipalities, with a total population, as of December 2009, of 204,887...
. It lies at 42°47′N 26°32′E, 680 m above sea level. As of 2005, the mayor is the independent
Independent (politician)
In politics, an independent or non-party politician is an individual not affiliated to any political party. Independents may hold a centrist viewpoint between those of major political parties, a viewpoint more extreme than any major party, or they may have a viewpoint based on issues that they do...
Venko Kavardzhikov, and the population of Gradets is 5,895, which makes it the second most populous village in Bulgaria, after Aydemir
Aydemir
Aydemir is a village in northeastern Bulgaria, part of Silistra Municipality, Silistra Province. As of 2007, it is the most populous village in Bulgaria, with a population of 7,815 according to 2005 data. Aydemir lies at , 31 m above sea level. The village is located in the valley of the Danube, 3...
, Silistra Province
Silistra Province
Silistra Province is a province of Bulgaria, named after its main city - Silistra. It is divided into 7 municipalities with a total population, as of December 2009, of 127,659 inhabitants....
, and the most populous in Bulgarian Thrace.
Gradets is situated in the Eastern Balkan Mountains
Balkan Mountains
The Balkan mountain range is a mountain range in the eastern part of the Balkan Peninsula. The Balkan range runs 560 km from the Vrashka Chuka Peak on the border between Bulgaria and eastern Serbia eastward through central Bulgaria to Cape Emine on the Black Sea...
, along the valley of the Luda Kamchiya
Luda Kamchiya
Luda Kamchiya is a river in eastern Bulgaria, the main tributary of the Kamchiya river. The river has a total length of 201 km and a drainage basin of 1612 km², with an average slope of 5.3%....
. Gradets is characteristic because the vast majority of its residents are Bulgarian Roma
Roma in Bulgaria
The Roma in Bulgaria are the country's second largest minority and third largest ethnic group . According to the 2001 census, there were 370,908 Roma in Bulgaria, equivalent to 4.7% of the country's total population, making Bulgaria the European country with the highest percentage of Roma.Experts'...
(in 2000, 5,500 of 6,000 according to the then-mayor). In the early 20th century, Gradets had only around twenty Roma households, but their number later grew rapidly.
Notable natives include politician Petar Gudev
Petar Gudev
Petar Todorov Gudev was a leading Bulgarian liberal politician, who served as Prime Minister....
(1862–1932), officer Radko Dimitriev
Radko Dimitriev
Radko Dimitriev was a Bulgarian General, Head of the General Staff of the Bulgarian Army from 1 January 1904 to 28 March 1907.-Biography:...
(1859–1918) and Shibil, a 19th-century Turkish Roma brigand who served as Yordan Yovkov
Yordan Yovkov
Yordan Yovkov was a Bulgarian writer, considered one of the best in the country during the period between the two world wars.-Biography:...
's prototype for a hajduk
Hajduk
Hajduk is a term most commonly referring to outlaws, highwaymen or freedom fighters in the Balkans, Central- and Eastern Europe....
character, as well as possibly the noted socialist
Socialism
Socialism is an economic system characterized by social ownership of the means of production and cooperative management of the economy; or a political philosophy advocating such a system. "Social ownership" may refer to any one of, or a combination of, the following: cooperative enterprises,...
Christian Rakovsky
Christian Rakovsky
Christian Rakovsky was a Bulgarian socialist revolutionary, a Bolshevik politician and Soviet diplomat; he was also noted as a journalist, physician, and essayist...
(1873–1941).