Haskovo is a city in southern Bulgaria’s Northern Thrace area and the administrative capital of the Haskovo Province. It is located near the borders with Greece and Turkey. According to the Bulgarian Operative Program for Regional Development, Haskovo is the sixth biggest urban area in the country, with a population of 184,731 residents.
Haskovo’s initial habitation dates from about 5000 BC. In 1985, Haskovo marked its 1,000th anniversary as a town. To commemorate the occasion, a new clock tower was constructed in the town’s center.
Climate in Haskovo
Due to its closeness to the Aegean Sea, the climate in summer is fairly similar to that of the Mediterranean, however in winter, particularly with northerly winds, temperatures drop to those of the continental climate. The annual average temperature is approximately 14 °C (57 °F). Winters are chilly but not as snowy as those in the west and north. Haskovo’s summer season starts in mid-May and lasts until October.
Population in Haskovo
In 1887, Haskovo had a population of 14,191. Since then, it has grown decade after decade, mostly due to migration from rural regions and neighboring smaller towns. It peaked between 1987 and 1991, when the population topped 90,000.
Haskovo had a population of 71,214 people in December 2017. Haskovo Municipality had a population of 87,780, including the legally associated surrounding settlements.
According to the most recent 2011 census statistics, those who indicated their ethnic identification were divided into the following categories:
Bulgarians: 54,869 (79.3%)
Turks: 12,507 (18.1%)
Roma: 691 (1.0%)
Others: 400 (0.8%)
Indefinable: 709 (0.7%)
Undeclared: 7,221 (9.5%)
Culture of Haskovo
The Ivan Dimov drama theater, restored in 2004, the Museum of History, and an art gallery are Haskovo’s most significant cultural monuments. In the neighboring park Kenana, the annual Colourful Thrace Sings and Dances folk festival takes place.
On the Hill of Youth in Haskovo, a 32-metre-high monument to the Mother of God and the Infant Jesus was constructed in 2003. The monument was dedicated on 8 September, the day of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, which is also the town of Haskovo’s day. It was inscribed in the Guinness Book of World Records as the world’s tallest monument to the Mother of God.
Haskovo has invested in revitalizing the town center, with the addition of several new statues and fountains.
Municipal features include the Thracian Aleksandrovo tomb and the Church of the Assumption in Uzundzhovo, which was initially constructed as a mosque during Ottoman times. In 1395, the Eski cami (the Old Mosque) was constructed as one of the Balkans’ earliest mosques. Its minaret is slanted somewhat.
Haskovo is a town with a rich cultural heritage and major scientific and artistic accomplishments. For three decades, debutants in poetry and prose from around the nation have gathered in April, drawn by the annual literary festival „Southern Spring.“ In May, the beautiful park Kenana in Haskovo transforms into the setting for another typical local event – the singing and dancing at the local art festival „Kitna Trakya (Colorful Thracia). Amateur singing and dance ensembles from all of Bulgaria’s traditional regions compete.
For many years, the music days, named for famed Haskovo violinist Nedyalka Simenova, have attracted new classical artists. The end-of-October instrumentalist competition is supported by several concerts by the local Symphony Orchestra and renowned guest performers and formations.
Haskovo is a welcoming town that hosts the Republican Championship in Sports Dances, the customary Week of Community and Library Centers, which begins on November 1st, and the Christmas Folklore Festival, which showcases real national traditions and melodies.
The town boasts its own Historical Museum, which houses the forebears’ century-long wealth, as well as a Cultural Club, many art galleries, a Regional Library, several Community and Library Centers, and different choir, music, and dance organizations.
Haskovo is proud of the Zaria Library and Culture Center, established in 1858, and the Theater „Ivan Dimov,“ named after one of Bulgaria’s greatest performers, who also worked in Haskovo. The town’s 125th anniversary of theatrical life was commemorated on 8th September 2004 with the formal inauguration of the theater’s entirely refurbished and rebuilt structure. Georgi Parvanov, President of the Republic of Bulgaria, was a special guest at the ceremony held on the day of Haskovo.
Haskovo’s singers, dancers, and instrumentalists have received several accolades and medals both in the nation and abroad. Their abilities contribute to the wide palette of cultural acts that the Municipality organizes each year for Haskovo Day – September 8th.
Sights & Landmarks In Haskovo
The „Holy Mother of God“ monument was included into the Guinness Book of World Records as the world’s highest statue of the Blessed Virgin Mary holding the Infant. The monument was dedicated to the Mother of God with reverence, love, and thanks. It was dedicated in 2003 by Metropolitan Arseniy with the consecration of water. It was inducted into the Guinness Book of World Records in 2005 and has been included on Bulgaria’s Hundred National Tourist Sites list since 2009.
The Bulgarian National Revival Residences – The elegant houses of the Bulgarian national revival era, erected in Haskovo in the mid-nineteenth century, were a rarity in Haskovo’s monotonous townscape. They are the property of affluent merchants and artisans and demonstrate not just their owners’ growing prosperity and national self-reliance, but also the emerging art styles of the period. The fretwork-decorated ceilings, the abundance of windows, columns, cornices, and oriels, and the French styles all reflect architectural influences from neighboring towns, most notably Plovdiv.
The bell tower – with its amazing size and unmatched vistas – towers over Haskovo. The almost 29-meter-tall bell tower was built alongside the Holy Mother of God monument in 2010 and soon found a home in the ensuing architectural ensemble.
• The Old Mosque (Eski Mosque) is Bulgaria’s oldest mosque. It was constructed soon after the Ottoman Turks’ conquest of Bulgaria in 797. The Eski Mosque was designated a cultural monument in 1968. At the moment, the mosque is heavily excavated into the earth (probably due to the rising level of the surrounding streets).
The Church of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin in Uzundzhovo, near Haskovo, is remarkable not only in terms of construction, but also in terms of the tale it conveys. Originally a Christian temple, it was demolished by the Ottoman Empire and replaced with a mosque. Turkey restored the land to Bulgaria at the start of the twentieth century and subsequently began converting the mosque into a church. The church was repaired in 2007 with the assistance of the Municipality of Haskovo. During the repair, two undated medieval Arabic inscriptions with religious and philosophical topics were discovered. The Church of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary in the hamlet of Uzundzhovo was designated a cultural monument earlier this century.
Haskovo’s Unknown Soldier Memorial – The Unknown Soldier Memorial has stood in Haskovo’s major city plaza for over 80 years. The proposal to place it there originated with the Haskovo community and honors all Haskovo residents who died in the Balkan Wars between 1912 and 1918. Toma Deliradev’s Memorial was dedicated on 2 June 1927 (St. Spas’ Day). On 4 July, Tsar Boris III attended the event and unveiled the monument. He was greeted with a large colorful arch proclaiming, „Welcome Our Blessed Tsar!“ The local newspaper at the time described the occasion thus: „Yesterday, Haskovo saw an incredible celebration.“ The memorial to the Unknown Soldier was dedicated in the presence of 20,000 people from around the Haskovo area“ /Haskovo Post Newspaper 1927/. A memorial ceremony was held for local troops who perished in the wars. The Tsar gave a speech, and Minister Kulev delivered the address on behalf of the Prime Minister and the Government. In 2007, we will mark the 80th anniversary of these occurrences. Since its inauguration, the Unknown Soldier monument has served as a customary site of homage for all events relating to Bulgarian history.
The Nymph sanctuary in Kasnakovo – This is the best preserved Thracian sanctuary in Bulgaria and the unique Nymphaeum. It was designated a National Cultural Site in 1968. The Nymph sanctuary is located in a lovely location about a kilometer and a half south of Kasnakovo hamlet, on the boundary between the municipalities of Haskovo and Dimitrovgrad. Image In the second century, Titus Flavius Esbenerius, a Roman citizen of Thracian ancestry, was rewarded with a plot of land near Rome for his 30-year loyalty to Rome. The Roman Army veteran and his wife created a temple in honor of Aphrodite’s nymphs. Apart from the three curative springs, the complex has a large amphitheatre, temple, and devotees’ quarters. During the period of Christening, a church named St. Spas was established there, but little remains of it. Each year, the residents of the hamlet hold festivities in honor of the Saint, leaving presents, lighting candles, and offering sacrifice near the springs. They claim that the water is curative for a variety of ailments.
History of Haskovo
According to archaeologists, the Haskovo region was populated around seven thousand years ago. Evidence from the prehistoric, Thracian, Greek, Roman, and Byzantine eras has been preserved in and around Haskovo. In the ninth century – during the reign of the First Bulgarian Empire – a fortification was constructed in Haskovo, which was quickly developed into a town. The settlement was situated in the heart of a large territory formed by the rivers Klokotnitsa, Harmanliyska, and Maritsa. It was famed in medieval times for the adjacent Uzundzhovo fair, which was popular across Bulgaria.
Following its freedom from Ottoman dominion in 1878, the Haskovo area gained a reputation for producing high-quality tobacco. However, the area now lacks cigarette manufacture due to the closure of the once-dominant tobacco business „Haskovo-BT“ in 2005. At the moment, the largest businesses manufacture food, machinery, and textiles.
Haskovo
Haskovo
Haskovo is a city in southern Bulgaria’s Northern Thrace area and the administrative capital of the Haskovo Province. It is located near the borders with Greece and Turkey. According to the Bulgarian Operative Program for Regional Development, Haskovo is the sixth biggest urban area in the country, with a population of 184,731 residents.
Haskovo’s initial habitation dates from about 5000 BC. In 1985, Haskovo marked its 1,000th anniversary as a town. To commemorate the occasion, a new clock tower was constructed in the town’s center.
Climate in Haskovo
Due to its closeness to the Aegean Sea, the climate in summer is fairly similar to that of the Mediterranean, however in winter, particularly with northerly winds, temperatures drop to those of the continental climate. The annual average temperature is approximately 14 °C (57 °F). Winters are chilly but not as snowy as those in the west and north. Haskovo’s summer season starts in mid-May and lasts until October.
Population in Haskovo
In 1887, Haskovo had a population of 14,191. Since then, it has grown decade after decade, mostly due to migration from rural regions and neighboring smaller towns. It peaked between 1987 and 1991, when the population topped 90,000.
Haskovo had a population of 71,214 people in December 2017. Haskovo Municipality had a population of 87,780, including the legally associated surrounding settlements.
According to the most recent 2011 census statistics, those who indicated their ethnic identification were divided into the following categories:
Culture of Haskovo
The Ivan Dimov drama theater, restored in 2004, the Museum of History, and an art gallery are Haskovo’s most significant cultural monuments. In the neighboring park Kenana, the annual Colourful Thrace Sings and Dances folk festival takes place.
On the Hill of Youth in Haskovo, a 32-metre-high monument to the Mother of God and the Infant Jesus was constructed in 2003. The monument was dedicated on 8 September, the day of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, which is also the town of Haskovo’s day. It was inscribed in the Guinness Book of World Records as the world’s tallest monument to the Mother of God.
Haskovo has invested in revitalizing the town center, with the addition of several new statues and fountains.
Municipal features include the Thracian Aleksandrovo tomb and the Church of the Assumption in Uzundzhovo, which was initially constructed as a mosque during Ottoman times. In 1395, the Eski cami (the Old Mosque) was constructed as one of the Balkans’ earliest mosques. Its minaret is slanted somewhat.
Haskovo is a town with a rich cultural heritage and major scientific and artistic accomplishments. For three decades, debutants in poetry and prose from around the nation have gathered in April, drawn by the annual literary festival „Southern Spring.“ In May, the beautiful park Kenana in Haskovo transforms into the setting for another typical local event – the singing and dancing at the local art festival „Kitna Trakya (Colorful Thracia). Amateur singing and dance ensembles from all of Bulgaria’s traditional regions compete.
For many years, the music days, named for famed Haskovo violinist Nedyalka Simenova, have attracted new classical artists. The end-of-October instrumentalist competition is supported by several concerts by the local Symphony Orchestra and renowned guest performers and formations.
Haskovo is a welcoming town that hosts the Republican Championship in Sports Dances, the customary Week of Community and Library Centers, which begins on November 1st, and the Christmas Folklore Festival, which showcases real national traditions and melodies.
The town boasts its own Historical Museum, which houses the forebears’ century-long wealth, as well as a Cultural Club, many art galleries, a Regional Library, several Community and Library Centers, and different choir, music, and dance organizations.
Haskovo is proud of the Zaria Library and Culture Center, established in 1858, and the Theater „Ivan Dimov,“ named after one of Bulgaria’s greatest performers, who also worked in Haskovo. The town’s 125th anniversary of theatrical life was commemorated on 8th September 2004 with the formal inauguration of the theater’s entirely refurbished and rebuilt structure. Georgi Parvanov, President of the Republic of Bulgaria, was a special guest at the ceremony held on the day of Haskovo.
Haskovo’s singers, dancers, and instrumentalists have received several accolades and medals both in the nation and abroad. Their abilities contribute to the wide palette of cultural acts that the Municipality organizes each year for Haskovo Day – September 8th.
Sights & Landmarks In Haskovo
History of Haskovo
According to archaeologists, the Haskovo region was populated around seven thousand years ago. Evidence from the prehistoric, Thracian, Greek, Roman, and Byzantine eras has been preserved in and around Haskovo. In the ninth century – during the reign of the First Bulgarian Empire – a fortification was constructed in Haskovo, which was quickly developed into a town. The settlement was situated in the heart of a large territory formed by the rivers Klokotnitsa, Harmanliyska, and Maritsa. It was famed in medieval times for the adjacent Uzundzhovo fair, which was popular across Bulgaria.
Following its freedom from Ottoman dominion in 1878, the Haskovo area gained a reputation for producing high-quality tobacco. However, the area now lacks cigarette manufacture due to the closure of the once-dominant tobacco business „Haskovo-BT“ in 2005. At the moment, the largest businesses manufacture food, machinery, and textiles.
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