Stara Zagora

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Downtown Mendoza.jpg Stara Zagora (Template:Lang-bg) is the sixth largest city in Bulgaria, and one of the nationally important economic centres. Stara Zagora is known as the city of straight streets, linden trees, and poets. According to the city's chamber of commerce, it is one of the oldest settlements in Europe, being at least eight thousand years old. According to one unofficial study, Stara Zagora ranks second among the cities in Bulgaria by average salary.<ref>За търсещи работа - Новини - 880 лв. средна заплата в София - KARIERI.bg</ref>

1 Geography and climate
2 History
- 2.1 Historical population
3 Districts
4 Culture
- 4.1 Landmarks
- 4.2 Famous Natives
5 Trivia
6 Twin Towns
7 Notes
8 See also
9 External links

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Geography and climate

Stara Zagora is the administrative centre of its municipality and the Stara Zagora Province. It is located about Template:Km to mi away from Sofia, near the Bedechka river in the historic region of Thrace. The population is about 162,400.

The city is located in an area of transitional continental climate with considerable Mediterranean influence. The average yearly temperature is about Template:C to F.

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History

Assumption of Mary Orthodox Church

Stara Zagora is considered one of the oldest settlements in Bulgaria and Southeastern Europe.Template:Fact It was founded by the Thracians under the name Beroe (meaning iron) about 6th-5th century BCE, with the Neolithic dwellings and the copper mine near the city being the oldest preserved ones in Europe. The area has been a mining region since Antiquity.

Under the Roman Empire, the town was renamed to Ulpia Augusta Traiana in honour of emperor Trajan.

At the time of the Byzantine Empire, it adopted the name Irinopolis after Byzantine empress Irene. The fortifications around the town were reconstructed because of fear of Bulgarian attacks, but Irinopolis and the whole Zagore region were reincorporated into Bulgaria in 717. The land was bestowed on khan Tervel as a Byzantine gift in acknowledgement of the Bulgarian help to fight back the Arabs besieging Constantinople. The region was the first Bulgarian territorial gain south of Stara Planina. The town acquired the name Boruy.

In 1122 Stara Zagora (Beroia) was the site of a battle between Byzantine Emperor John II Komnenos and an invading Pecheneg army, the Battle of Beroia. The Pechenegs suffered a crushing defeat at the hands of John's Byzantine army, and many of the captives were settled as foederati within the Byzantine frontier. In 1208 the Bulgarians defeated the Latin Empire in the battle of Boruy.

The Ottomans conquered Stara Zagora in 1371. A grade school was built in 1840 and the town's name was changed to Zheleznik (Template:Lang; a Slavic translation of Beroe) in 1854 instead of the Turkish Template:Lang, but was renamed once again to Stara Zagora in 1870. After the Liberation of Bulgaria from Ottoman rule in 1878, it became part of autonomous Eastern Rumelia before the two Bulgarian states finally merged in 1886 as a result of the Unification of Bulgaria.

The Roman Amphitheatre

A typical street scene

Daytime view of Stara Zagora

right|thumb|250px|Stronghold Ulpia Augusta Traiana over city's modern map

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Historical population

Year	PopulationTemplate:Fact
1875	23,000
1884	15,500
1901–1913	27,000
1934	34,000
1940	40,000
1956	56,000
1965	87,000
1968	100,000
1975	122,000
1985	157,000
1992	162,000
2002	164,000

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Districts

Image:StaraZagora-districts.svg

Districts of Stara Zagora: 1 - Supercenter; 2 - Central City Part; 3 - Chayka; 4 - Industrial Zone; 5 - Samara-3; 6 - Samara-2; 7 - Samara-1; 8 - Eastern Industrial Zone; 9 - Kolyu Ganchev; 10 - Zora; 11 - APK; 12 - Zagorka; 13 - Lozenets; 14 - Tri Chuchura - north; 15 - Tri Chuchura - center; 16 - Tri Chuchura - south; 17 - Kazanski; 18 - Zheleznik

APK (АПК - named at former Industrial-agricultural complex)
Atyuren (Атюрен - future district of the city)
Bogomilovo (Богомилово - former village of Bogomilovo)
Central City Part (includes Supercenter, Chayka & Zagorka) (Централна градска част (Суперцентър, Чайка и Загорка) - Chayka - Sea-gull, Zagorka - named at Zagorka brewery)
Chumleka (Чумлека)
Dabrava (Дъбрава - former village of Dabrava)
Eastern Industrial Zone (Източна индустриална зона)
Hrishteni (Хрищени - former village of Hrishteni)
Industrial Zone (Индустриална Зона)
Kazanski (Казански)
Kolyu Ganchev (Колю Ганчев - named at famous Bulgarian revolutionary)
Lozenets (Лозенец - from лозе - vineyard)
Malka Vereya (Малка Верея - Vereya - old name of the city, Malka - small)
Samara 1, 2 & 3- (Самара 1, 2 и 3 - named at sister city of Samara, Russia)
Studentski grad - (Студентски град - Student town)
Tri Chuchura north, center & south - (Три чучура север, център и юг - "Three spouts")
Zheleznik (small & big) (Железник - named at former name of the city)
Zora (Зора - Dawn)

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Culture

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Landmarks

The Antique Forum
Thracian Tomb
The Roman Baths
The Samarsko Zname Monument
Ayazmoto Park
Defenders of Stara Zagora Memorial Complex
Memorial House of Geo Milev
The South Gate of Augusta Trajana
The Opera House (built 1925)
Stara Zagora Transmitter with one of the few Blaw-Knox Towers in Europe

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Famous Natives

Anna Tomowa-Sintow, dramatic soprano opera singer
Vesselina Kasarova, coloratura mezzo soprano opera singer
Kiril Hristov, writer

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Trivia

Beroe Hill on Livingston Island, West Antarctica is named after this city, in its previous incarnation as Beroe.
One of the two lighting factories Svetlina is situated here.

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