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Blagoevgrad (until 1950 Gorna Jumaya) is a city in Bulgaria. It is the economic, cultural and educational center of Southwest Bulgaria and the administrative center of the region and municipality of the same name. As of December 15, 2021, the city is the 14th most populous in Bulgaria with 73,463 inhabitants.
Of particular interest to visitors to the city is the Varosha
Renaissance district with its unique architecture. 200 m west of it
begins the "Bachinovo" nature park, along the Bistrica river.
Restaurants, children's playgrounds, Blagoevgrad Water Park and an
indoor pool are located along the 2.5-kilometer promenade. At the end of
the avenue there is an artificial lake with a depth of between 2 and 4
meters, which is filled with water from the Bistrica river and in which
float water wheels made in the form of swans. 30 km from the city is the
Kartala ski resort near Bodrost.
Traditionally, on October 5, a
dawn inspection is held at Macedonia Square for the more than 30,000
Bulgarian soldiers who died in the Balkan War.
The Blagoevgrad
Clock Tower is a famous landmark and one of the symbols of the city.
Parks
Bachinovo Park
Hunting Lodge Park
Skaptopara Park
City Garden
Blagoevgrad Zoo
Zaeva Polyana
Volga Park
The Eastern Orthodox population of the city in the 19th and 20th
centuries was traditionally part of the Nevrokop Diocese (part of the
Bulgarian Exarchy since 1894). After the division of the diocese between
Bulgaria and Greece in 1913, from 1921 to 1928 Gorna Jumaya was its
center. From 1928 to 1941 and from 1945 to 1951, the seat of the diocese
was temporarily in Nevrokop, and from 1951 it was finally moved to
Blagoevgrad. The diocese was headed by Metropolitan Nathanael from 1994
to 2013. An Orthodox information center functions for the Nevrokop
Metropolis. The Orthodox churches in the city are:
"Introduction of
the Virgin Mary", cathedral church in the Varosha district;
"St.
Archangel Michael" in Elenovo district;
"St. Nicholas" in Gramada
district;
"Saint Dimitar" in Strumsko district.
There is a
district mufti of the Islamic religion in Bulgaria in the city, as there
are almost 40,000 Sunni Muslims in the Blagoevgrad region, but the city
itself has a negligible number of Muslims. The regional mufti since 2011
is Aydan Nesib Mohammed. There is a mosque in the city, and the temple
is inactive according to the National Public Register of Temples in
Bulgaria and active according to the Chief Mufti. In October 2009, the
temple suffered a fire.
There is also a Congregational church
community in the city, part of the Union of Evangelical Congregational
Churches.
Drama Theater "N. J. Vaptsarov" (architect Vitomir Gabrovski)
Municipal puppet theater
Educational theater "USET"
Drama Theater
"Prof. Encho Halachev" (From 2010 to June 8, 2015 bears the name
Blagoevgrad Youth Theater) - private theater, Branimir Mitov-Brano)
Blagoevgrad Chamber Opera
"Cinemax" cinema - The cinema has one hall
with 234 seats, the opening of two more halls is expected. The first
cinema in the country was equipped with a Sony Cinealta 4K digital
machine.
Museums and galleries
Blagoevgrad Regional Historical
Museum
House Museum "Georgi Izmirliev"
The ensemble for folk songs
and dances "Pirin"
The fame of the city and Bulgaria is spread around
the world by the Ensemble for folk songs and dances "Pirin", winner of
many state and international awards.
Sports are generally well developed, but the traditionally strong sports
for the city, such as handball and basketball, are in financial crisis
and without representative teams in the championships in the last year;
only children's and youth teams are supported. At their expense, the
baseball (Bisonites), taekwondo (Falcon) and Canadian wrestling
(Armsport Club - Blagoevgrad) clubs are on the rise, which have been
without competition in Bulgaria for several years and have won numerous
awards on the international scene. Chess Club (Victory) and Chess Club
(Pirin).
Facilities
There are two multi-purpose sports halls
in the city, the second one - the "Skaptopara" hall in the Zapad
district was opened in 2007. It has a capacity of over 1,000 seats and
meets all the requirements of international handball, basketball and
volleyball federations, and the playing area can also be used for
rhythmic gymnastics and martial arts competitions. The city also has
three well-maintained tennis complexes, a football stadium, six
mini-soccer fields, an Olympic-sized indoor and outdoor swimming pool, a
go-kart track and one of the best baseball fields in the Balkans. In
2008, the construction of the new sports complex at the "Neofit Rilski"
SSU for the needs of the students began.
Football
Blagoevgrad
is a football town, famous for the children's and youth school of Pirin,
which gave Bulgarian and world football talents such as Dimitar Berbatov
and regularly supplied the wealthier clubs with football players. Only
the lack of serious investments prevents a club with a similar school
and audience from being among the leaders in the championship.
After the merger between the "Ticha" and "Levski" clubs in 1934, Botev
Sports Club was born in Gorna Jumaya. In 1937, SK Botev (Gorna Jumaya)
became the regional champion after a victory over Makedonska Slava with
2-1, and on June 17, 1945, it was renamed the Macedonia Physical Culture
Society. Three years later, he joined the newly established FD Yuliy
Dermendzhiev.
In 1970, Botev Blagoevgrad adopted the name DFS
Pirin. The most successful season for the team in "A" group was in 1985
- 5th place. The "Eagles" are three times finalists for the National Cup
- 1981, 1992 and 1994, but the big distinction is still missing. In the
2004/05 season, Pirin managed to win a position in the "A" group, but at
the beginning of the new season he was relegated to the "B" group due to
obligations to the National Olympic Committee.
In the years
between 2006 and 2008, several clubs with the name "Pirin" were formed
in Blagoevgrad, such as the newly formed PFC "Pirin Blagoevgrad", which
uses the license of the disbanded PFC "Pirin 1922" and is majority-led
by Nikolay Galchev, competes in B then in A group. The team thrown out
in Group B also continued its existence for two years, supported by a
group of Blagoevgrad businessmen - G15, succeeding in entering Group B.
At the end of 2008, all the teams bearing the name Pirin united,
with the united team participating in the "A" group, and with the quota
for the Western "B" group until the end of the season, the team of Pirin
Bansko participated, which hosted the stadium in Bansko. The united team
of Pirin is the successor of the authentic Pirin, who has over 20
seasons in the elite of Bulgaria. The club does not have a majority
owner, but is owned by 17 businessmen. A few months after the merger,
the club achieved its first success - qualifying for the final of the
Bulgarian Cup. On the way to the final, Pirin eliminated the giants CSKA
and Levski.
Blagoevgrad is located in the Struma valley and the smaller Bistrica
river flows through it. It is located at 360 m above sea level in the
Blagoevgrad valley between the Rila and Vlahina mountains and is in
close proximity to the Pirin mountain. Blagoevgrad is located 102 km
from the capital Sofia, 237 km from Plovdiv, 545 km from Varna and 476
km from Burgas.
Blagoevgrad is characterized by a mostly
mountainous and hollow relief, and the groundwater is fed by Bistrica.
Blagoevgrad is among the cities with the most sunny days a year. The
climate is transitional-continental, due to the air masses that
penetrate from the south along the valley of the Struma River. The city
is protected from the cold northern winds due to the natural barrier of
the high Rila massifs and the hills near the village of Belo Pole. The
mountain breeze, descending from Rila along the Bistrica river, cools
the air during the summer heat. The wind speed is moderate - 1.6 m/s.
Thanks to the many mountain forests around the city and the lack of
industrial pollutants, the air in Blagoevgrad is clean. The winter is
mild, short and almost snowless, the average temperature in January is
0.6 °C. The summer is long and dry, characterized by the small amount of
precipitation. The average July temperature is 23.4 °C, and the maximum
measured temperature in Blagoevgrad is 41.6 °C. The average annual
temperature is approximately 12.6 °C.
Blagoevgrad is a village with a rich history. The favorable
conditions created by the warm mineral springs contributed to the
emergence around 300 BC. of the Thracian settlement Skaptopara
(Σκαπτοπάρα) on the site of today's Gramada district. In the year 238,
the inhabitants of Scaptopara, also called Gresites (Γρεσειται), sent a
petition to the Roman emperor Gordian III, from which it is clear that
two miles from the settlement, crowded fairs were held several times a
year, the most visited being the fair of 1 until October 15, when sales
were tax-free.
Remains of a late antique church were found in
today's "Strumsko" district.
With the arrival of the Slavs, life
in Skaptopara died down, and there is no data for the following
centuries.
After the Ottoman conquest of the peninsula, from the 15th century on
the site of Skaptopara there was again a city with a large population,
which repeatedly changed its name - Juma Bazari, Juma, Banya, Orta Juma,
Jumaya, Gorna Jumaya. Jumaya is a Turkish word meaning "Friday", that
is, the market day.
In the middle of the 17th century, the
Ottoman traveler Evliya Çelebi passed through here, who wrote that the
town of Orta Jumaa had 200 tiled houses, a large mosque with many
worshipers and 80 shops, and many mineral springs.
During the
Renaissance, Varosha - the Bulgarian neighborhood of the city - was
built on the eastern side of Bistrica. In the 1930s, the French
geologist Ami Buet passed through here, describing Jumaya as a town with
3,000 to 4,000 inhabitants, where a hereditary duke lived. The mosques
prove that there are a lot of Turks and Pomacs, along with Bulgarians.
The streets are laid out and too irregular. According to the French, the
Bulgarians call the city Shuma (from "shuma" - forest).
In the
19th century, pilgrims to the Rila Monastery came most regularly from
Jumaya. In 1836, jumalia donated 864 groshy alms, in 1837 – 3859 groshy,
and in 1840 – 813 groshy. Residents of Jumaya also make personal
donations to the monastery. In the settlement, the monastery has an "aid
box" as well as shops, an inn, fields and meadows.
In 1844, after
the issuance of a sultan's firman, the Church of the Introduction of the
Virgin was consecrated in Varosha, completed and painted over the next
50 years. In 1845, the Russian Slavist Viktor Grigorovich, on his way
from Melnik to the Rila Monastery, visited the city and wrote in "Essay
on Travels in European Turkey":
"...after leaving the village of
Semitlia, I entered a valley adorned by the town of Jumaya on the Struma
River. I spent the night with its hospitable inhabitants. Jumaya has one
church "Introduction of the Blessed Virgin Mary" and a small Bulgarian
school. "
The house of the revolutionary Georgi Izmirliev is also
located in Varosha. In 1866, the town's community center was also
founded.
In 1891, Georgi Strezov wrote about the city:
The
center of Gorna Jumaya (Juma-balya) is a neat little town with no more
than 1,200 houses. During the stormy years of 1877-1879, the majority of
the population in the city, as well as in the surrounding area,
emigrated; the city was plundered, devastated. Most of the houses are
new; and the inhabitants are immigrants from various countries. The
Tsinzis and Greeks from Melnik and Syar invaded the most, and they took
away all the trade. The city as a border town grows and succeeds day by
day. It's just a pity that all the work is running into foreign hands,
and the Bulgarian language is weakening. Some time ago this city was one
of the most awakened; now it is scary that a Greek school will not be
opened in this purely Bulgarian city. There are two mineral water baths
in Jumaya: one in the bazaar, one outside. There is also a stone with an
inscription in the basement. In the churchyard there is a stone with a
Greek inscription, brought from the Strum farm. 1 school. One church,
Bulgarian. "
During the time of the Ottoman rule until 1934 of
the Kingdom of Bulgaria, Gorna Jumaya was part of the Dupnishka okoliya
(kaaza/district/region), and after May 1934 it was separated into an
independent (Gorno Jumaya) district.
By 1900, according to the
famous statistics of Vasil Kanchov, the population of Gorna Jumaya
(Yokari Jumaya) numbered 6,440 people, of which 1,250 were Christian
Bulgarians, 4,500 Turks, 60 Greeks, 250 Vlachs, 180 Jews and 200
Gypsies.
At the outbreak of the Balkan War in 1912, sixty-four
people from the town volunteered in the Macedonian-Odrina militia.
On October 5, 1912, Gorna Jumaya was liberated by the Bulgarian
army. After the Inter-Allied War in 1913, the Turkish population
largely emigrated and numerous masses of Bulgarian refugees, coming
from Aegean and Vardar Macedonia, settled in the city. According to
Dimitar Gadjanov, in 1916 Gorna Jumaya had about 7,000 people, of
which only 30 Turkish families, 100 wealthy Vlach families and a few
Jews and Gypsies.
Improvements and sanitization of the city
gradually began. In 1920, the Thessaloniki High School moved here,
today the National Humanitarian High School "St. St. Cyril and
Methodius". Initially, two primary schools were opened - Junior High
School and Agricultural High School. An Archaeological Museum is
also being built.
In 1919, the first newspaper in Gorna
Jumaya, "Macedonian Tear", was published. In the summer of 1923, at
the upper end of today's city garden, the Rozen brothers screened
the first film. After 1925, the more thorough improvement of the
center began. In 1926, the first stone of today's community center
building was laid, and then "Macedonia" square and its adjacent
streets were formed. Until 1929, Gorna Jumaya had no electric
current. In certain places, gas lanterns were lit in the evening. It
was the same in homes, cafes, pubs and inns. In the fall of 1929,
the ceremonial start-up of the electricity took place, celebrated
with national joy and merriment in the square. However, private
homes were electrified only in the following decade.
On the
site of today's "Golden Chicken" was housed the "Sofia" hotel. In
the 1920s, the "London" hotel was located opposite today's "Cosmos",
there was also the "Pirin" hotel on the same street. The first cars
in the city appeared in 1928, being only owned by larger traders and
companies. In February 1933, the First Great Macedonian Assembly of
the Bulgarian refugee community from Macedonia was organized in
Gorna Jumaya. On the occasion of the 30th anniversary of the
Ilinden-Preobrazhensky Uprising, the Monument to the Unknown
Macedonian Chetnik was built, but it was destroyed after the
September 9 coup of 1944.
It was not until 1934 that a water
pipe was laid, as until then water was obtained from wells. At
first, fountains appeared on the main streets, and later on in
homes. In 1937, the railway station connecting Gorna Jumaya with
Dupnitsa was opened, which was again celebrated with universal
rejoicing.
The town hall at that time was housed in the
building of today's "Raffy" cafe, and the square - in the old
Turkish inn. On May 9, 1950, the town of Gorna Jumaya was renamed
Blagoevgrad in honor of the political figure Dimitar Blagoev. In
1954, the village of Gramada was added to it, and in 1973, the
village of Strumsko. In 1955, a monument to Gotse Delchev was built,
8 meters high. In an amazingly short time, known as the construction
era for the diplomatic corps, at the end of the 80s of the 20th
century, Blagoevgrad literally dawned with a new center and
transformed municipal buildings. The sewer is being replaced; the
Party House (today the American University), the town hall, the
polyclinic were built; "Georgi Izmirliev" square is formed and the
fountains are launched.
Blagoevgrad's economy is relatively diverse and well-balanced, with
no clearly dominant industries. The biggest contributor to the volume of
output and number of jobs is the industry sector, followed by trade and
transport.
Characteristic
Due to the large number of students
(partly due to the American University in the city), its crossroads
geographical position, nature and a number of social factors, the city
has a relatively well-developed economy. Many clothing stores, cafes and
restaurants are open. A large number of unskilled labor is employed in
construction companies and tailor shops.
There are 6 hypermarkets
in the city: Metro, Technopolis, Technomarket Europe, Monsieur
Bricolage, Kaufland, Lidl and Billa. In 2007, the first mall opened -
MOL Blagoevgrad.
Since 2015, the largest mall in Southwest
Bulgaria - "Largo" - has been operating in the city.
Before 1990,
factories for the production of electronic devices such as "ZMKET",
"Speaker Factory" and "ZIIU" were functioning. The Blagoevgrad BT plant
was one of the most undesirable places to work due to unhealthy working
conditions. As the privatization negotiations began, pay there improved
and employees received wages above the city average for several years.
In recent years, the steering wheel factory, the cigarette factory, and
other businesses have closed or moved to other cities.
Blagoevgrad has real opportunities to grow in the direction of the
"Elenovo" and "Strumsko" districts and will most likely "swallow" the
nearby villages in the near future. A few years ago, the city garden was
overhauled and a new bridge was also built. The new building, which
turned the stall market into a modern shopping center, is now ready.
The city is located on the pan-European transport corridor 4, on the
European road E79 and on the national road I-1. Blagoevgrad is 31 km
away from North Macedonia, 83 km from Greece, 88 km from Serbia. The
distance to Sofia is 96 km, to Plovdiv – 193 km, to the North Macedonian
capital Skopje – 183 km and to the Greek port city of Thessaloniki – 199
km. Blagoevgrad is a distribution point of the tourist flow for the
nearby mountains with their centers - Bansko, Sandanski and Dobrinishte.
Struma highway connects Blagoevgrad with the capital and the
republican highway network. The section from Dupnitsa to Blagoevgrad
began to be built in 2013 and was opened on October 22, 2015. The
section in the direction of Greece is under construction, and the newly
built road to Simitli through the "Zheleznitsa" tunnel - the longest car
tunnel in Bulgaria - is expected to be launched in October.
One of the four regional centers of BNT is located in Blagoevgrad -
RTTVC Blagoevgrad, broadcasting its own production since 1975 and its
Pirin Channel, broadcast on the air throughout the territory of
Southwestern Bulgaria. Here is also the headquarters of the OKO regional
channel, which is distributed by cable in the populated areas of the
Blagoevgrad region. There are 2 cable TVs Telecom Group and Pirin TV.
Radio Blagoevgrad, a division of the Bulgarian National Radio, which
has been broadcasting from Sofia to Kulata, Eastern North Macedonia and
Northern Greece for 35 years, stands out among the regional radio
stations. The private radio networks Focus Pirin and Darik Blagoevgrad
also have their own local program. The Blagoevgrad student radio Aura,
the regional Ultra and Vega Plus, as well as numerous radios with
national coverage complete the airwaves of Blagoevgrad.
There are
two dailies that are published in Blagoevgrad - "Struma" and "Vira",
they are distributed throughout Southwestern Bulgaria. In addition,
"Pirin Trud" and "Mesten 24 chasa" are published, which are also
distributed in the city and the region.
Medical Center - I Blagoevgrad EOOD - 60 "Slavyanska" Street
Provision of specialized outpatient medical care.
Center for
Mental Health - Bratya Miladinovi Street No. 21
Active search,
diagnosis, treatment, periodic monitoring and rehabilitation of patients
with mental illnesses.
Specialized hospital for active oncology
treatment - 62 Vasil Levski Street
Active search, diagnosis,
treatment and periodic monitoring of patients with malignant diseases
and precancers, consultations requested by a doctor from another medical
institution.
The dispensary has 81 hospital beds distributed in
three wards.
Center for Skin and Venereal Diseases - Bratya
Miladinovi Street No. 21
"Regional dispensary for skin and
venereal diseases with a hospital - Blagoevgrad" EOOD offers specialized
outpatient and hospital medical care for skin and venereal diseases,
including: 1. Examinations; consultations; 2. Preventive examinations
and certification of medical documents; 3. Tests for: - sexually
transmitted diseases/syphilis, gonorrhea, AIDS, chlamydia, hepatitis B/
with issuance of a certificate. - fungal infections /skin, nails/. 4.
AIDS and syphilis research under the National HIV, AIDS and Sexually
Transmitted Diseases Program. 5. Treatment with liquid nitrogen and
electrocoagulation. 6. Treatment with state-of-the-art phototherapy
equipment for psoriasis, endogenous eczema, etc. 7. Dispensary
monitoring of patients with chronic dermatological and venereal
diseases. 8. Hospital treatment.
Specialized hospital for active
treatment of pneumo-phthisiatric diseases - Tsanko Tserkovski Street No.
4
The only specialized medical facility for outpatient and inpatient
care, in which patients with tuberculosis, chronic and non-specific lung
diseases in all age groups are searched for, diagnosed, periodically
monitored and treated. Performs treatment of acute and acute lung
pathology.
General hospital for active treatment with "Pulse"
Medical Center - 62 "Slavyanska" Street
"MBAL Pulse" AD and "MC
Pulse" are located in an eight-story luxury building with a modern
architectural design, intended solely for medical purposes. The staff of
the hospital and center is 82 people, with all 21 doctors having
recognized specialties. In the multi-specialty hospital for active
treatment, 5 inpatient wards have been opened - 86 beds, located 2 and 3
each in luxuriously furnished rooms. "MBAL Pulse" AD and "MC Pulse" AD
have a contract with the NHIF and with a number of health insurance
funds. They have the latest generation of medical equipment: Nuclear
Magnetic Resonance, Spiral Axial Computed Tomograph (Scanner),
Ultrasound machine with various transducers, Mammograph, S-arm, "A"
Ultrasound and computer perimeter, Phakomachine, Doppler, EEG and EMG.
Modern diagnostic equipment allows obtaining highly reliable results in
a short time for a wide range of research.
Universities
Southwestern University "Neofit Rilski"
American
University in Bulgaria
College of Tourism
Technical College at the
Neofit Rilski University of Applied Sciences
Schools in
Blagoevgrad
Dimitar Blagoev Second Primary School
Dimitar Talev
Third Primary School
Fourth Primary School "Dimcho Debelyanov"
Fifth Secondary School "Georgi Izmirliev"
Sixth secondary school
"Ivan Vazov"
Kuzman Shapkarev Seventh Secondary School
Eighth
secondary school "Arseni Kostentsev"
The ninth primary school "Peyo
Yavorov"
Tenth Elementary School "Anton Popstoilov"
The eleventh
elementary school "Hristo Botev"
St. Kliment Ohridski Secondary
School with the Study of Foreign Languages
Academician Sergey
Pavlovich Korolev Science and Mathematics High School
Academic
Lyudmil Stoyanov Language High School
National Humanitarian High
School "St. St. Cyril and Methodius"
"Ivan Iliev" Vocational High
School of Economics
Vocational High School of Construction,
Architecture and Geodesy "Vasil Levski"
Vocational High School of
Textiles and Clothing
Professional High School of Electrical
Engineering and Electronics "Nikola Vaptsarov"
Vocational Technical
High School "Ichko Boychev"
Private Vocational School of
Entrepreneurship and New Technologies "Polet"
Others
United
children's complex - Blagoevgrad
Interschool Center, Blagoevgrad
Due to the large number of students (partly due to the American
University in the city), its crossroads geographical position, nature
and a number of social factors, the city has a relatively well-developed
economy. Many clothing stores, cafes and restaurants are open. A large
number of unskilled labor is employed in construction companies and
tailor shops.
Currently, there are 6 hypermarkets in the city: METRO,
Technopolis, Technomarket Europe, Monsieur Bricolage, Kaufland, Trade
Chain Europe (TV Europe) and BILLA. In 2007, the first mall, Mall of
Blagoevgrad, opened.
The presence of 30 mineral springs with a water temperature of 55C
determines the development of the city as a balneological resort. But
besides tourism, the main branch of the local industry is also the food
and processing industry.
Local companies specialize in the
processing of animal products, fruits, vegetables, as well as the
production of alcoholic products. Foreign investment is helping to
develop numerous garment manufacturing companies. Easy access to local
resources provides the woodworking and furniture industries with
prospects for development. So far, there are mostly small companies in
this industry in the city. The interest of foreign investors has
increased. Other developed industries are tourism, pharmaceuticals,
plastics, footwear, paper and printing.