Thompson, Bulgaria
Encyclopedia
Thompson is a village in central western Bulgaria
, part of Svoge
municipality, Sofia Province
. As of 2008, it has a population of 838http://grao.bg/tna/tab02.txt and the mayor is Kiril Tsvetanov. Thompson lies at 42°56′N 23°23′E, 729 metre
s above mean sea level
.
The village lies in the scenic Iskar Gorge
of the western Balkan Mountains
. It is a railway station on the Bulgarian State Railways
' Sofia
-Mezdra
railway line. It was founded shortly after World War II
through the merger of the neighbouring villages of Livage, Lipata, Tsarevi Stragi, Malak Babul, Babul and Zavoya. Thompson was named after the British
officer William Frank Thompson
(1920–1944), liaison officer
between the British Army
and the Bulgaria
n communist partisans during the war, who was captured by the Bulgarian Gendarmerie
and executed in the nearby village of Lilakovo on 10 June 1944.
The village has two monuments to Major Thompson, one unveiled on 13 May 2007 in front of the mayor's office (see photo) that uses natural light
to project Thompson's image over a plaque, and one at the railway station.
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 Svoge
Svoge
Svogue is a town in western Bulgaria, part of Sofia Province. It is located in the gorge of the Iskar River, at the place where the mountains Mala planina, Golema planina and Ponor meet, 40 km north of the capital Sofia....
municipality, 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...
. As of 2008, it has a population of 838http://grao.bg/tna/tab02.txt and the mayor is Kiril Tsvetanov. Thompson lies at 42°56′N 23°23′E, 729 metre
Metre
The metre , symbol m, is the base unit of length in the International System of Units . Originally intended to be one ten-millionth of the distance from the Earth's equator to the North Pole , its definition has been periodically refined to reflect growing knowledge of metrology...
s above mean sea level
Above mean sea level
The term above mean sea level refers to the elevation or altitude of any object, relative to the average sea level datum. AMSL is used extensively in radio by engineers to determine the coverage area a station will be able to reach...
.
The village lies in the scenic Iskar Gorge
Iskar Gorge
The Iskar Gorge is a gorge passing through the Balkan Mountains in Bulgaria. It connects Sofia and Mezdra.The road and railroad follow the course of the Iskar River through a winding, scenic canyon.-References:*...
of the western 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...
. It is a railway station on the Bulgarian State Railways
Bulgarian State Railways
The Bulgarian State Railways are Bulgaria's state railway company and the largest railway carrier in the country, established as an entity in 1885. The company's headquarters are located in the capital Sofia. Since the 1990s the BDZ has met serious competition from automotive transport...
' 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...
-Mezdra
Mezdra
Mezdra is a town in northwestern Bulgaria, part of Vratsa Province. It is located on the left bank of the Iskar River just north of its gorge through the Balkan Mountains....
railway line. It was founded shortly 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...
through the merger of the neighbouring villages of Livage, Lipata, Tsarevi Stragi, Malak Babul, Babul and Zavoya. Thompson was named after the British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
officer William Frank Thompson
William Frank Thompson
William Frank Thompson was a British officer who acted as a liaison officer between the British Army and the Bulgarian communist and antifascist partisans during World War II....
(1920–1944), liaison officer
Liaison officer
A liaison officer or LNO is a person that liaises between two organizations to communicate and coordinate their activities. Generally, they are used to achieve the best utilization of resources or employment of services of one organization by another. In the military, liaison officers may...
between the British Army
British Army
The British Army is the land warfare branch of Her Majesty's Armed Forces in the United Kingdom. It came into being with the unification of the Kingdom of England and Scotland into the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707. The new British Army incorporated Regiments that had already existed in England...
and the 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...
n communist partisans during the war, who was captured by the Bulgarian Gendarmerie
Bulgarian Gendarmerie
The Bulgarian Gendarmerie is a part of the Bulgarian Ministry of Internal Affairs or "MIA". In Bulgaria the initials "MBP" are used in a fashion similar to “FBI” in America when describing the national police forces.Bulgarian “MBP" is divided into five...
and executed in the nearby village of Lilakovo on 10 June 1944.
The village has two monuments to Major Thompson, one unveiled on 13 May 2007 in front of the mayor's office (see photo) that uses natural light
Sunlight
Sunlight, in the broad sense, is the total frequency spectrum of electromagnetic radiation given off by the Sun. On Earth, sunlight is filtered through the Earth's atmosphere, and solar radiation is obvious as daylight when the Sun is above the horizon.When the direct solar radiation is not blocked...
to project Thompson's image over a plaque, and one at the railway station.