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Coordinates: 42°17′N 22°41′E / 42.283°N 22.683°E / 42.283; 22.683
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{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2022}}
{{coord|42|17|N|22|41|E|type:city|display=title}}
{{Infobox settlement <!--more fields are available for this Infobox--See Template:Infobox Settlement-->
{{Infobox settlement
<!--more fields are available for this Infobox--See Template:Infobox Settlement-->| official_name = Kyustendil
| settlement_type = Town
|official_name = Kyustendil
| native_name = Кюстендил
|coordinates_region = BG
| image_skyline = Kyustendil-view-and-Konyavska-mountain.jpg
|subdivision_type = [[Countries of the world|Country]]
| image_caption =
|image_skyline=Kyustendil-view-and-Konyavska-mountain.jpg
| image_flag = Flag kn.gif
|image_caption =
| image_shield = Kyustendil-coat-of-arms.svg
|subdivision_name = [[Bulgaria]]
| map_caption = Location of Kyustendil
|subdivision_type1 = [[Provinces of Bulgaria|Province]]<br><small>(Oblast)</small>
| pushpin_map = Bulgaria
|timezone=[[Eastern European Time|EET]]
| pushpin_label_position =
|utc_offset=+2
| pushpin_map_caption = Location of Kyustendil
|timezone_DST=[[Eastern European Summer Time|EEST]]
| coordinates = {{coord|42|17|N|22|41|E|region:BG|display=inline,title}}
|utc_offset_DST=+3
| subdivision_type = [[Countries of the world|Country]]
|map_caption = Location of Kyustendil|
| subdivision_name = [[Bulgaria]]
|pushpin_map =Bulgaria <!-- the name of a location map as per http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Template:Location_map -->
| subdivision_type1 = [[Provinces of Bulgaria|Province]]<br />{{small|(Oblast)}}
|pushpin_label_position = <!-- the position of the pushpin label: left, right, top, bottom, none -->
| subdivision_name1 = [[Kyustendil Province|Kyustendil]]
|pushpin_map_caption =Location of Kyustendil
|pushpin_mapsize =
| leader_title = Mayor
|leader_title =Mayor
| leader_name = Ognyan Atanasov
|area_total_km2 =18.72
| area_total_km2 = 28.72
| area_urban_km2 = 979.91
|population_density_km2 =auto
| elevation_m = 560
|postal_code_type =[[List of postal codes in Bulgaria|Postal Code]]
| population_footnotes =
|
| population_total = 43594
native_name=Кюстендил|
| population_as_of = 2024
image_shield=Kyustendil-coat-of-arms.svg|
| population_density_km2 = 2329
|
| population_urban = 61642
|
| timezone = [[Eastern European Time|EET]]
subdivision_name1=[[Kyustendil Province|Kyustendil]]|
| utc_offset = +2
population_total=44532|population_urban=60681|population_footnotes=|
| timezone_DST = [[Eastern European Summer Time|EEST]]
population_as_of=Census February 2011|
| utc_offset_DST = +3
elevation_m=554|
| postal_code_type = Postal Code
postal_code=2500|
| postal_code = 2500
area_code=078|
| area_code = 078
blank_info=KH|blank_name= [[Bulgarian car number plates|License plate]]||
| registration_plate = [[Bulgarian car number plates|KH]]
latd=42|latm=17|lats=|latNS=N|longd=22|longm=41|longs=|longEW=E|leader_name=Petar Paunov|
}}
}}


'''Kyustendil''' ({{lang-bg|Кюстендил}}) is [[List of cities and towns in Bulgaria|a town]] in the far west of [[Bulgaria]], the capital of [[Kyustendil Province]]. Kyustendil is situated in the southern part of the Kyustendil Valley, 90&nbsp;km southwest of [[Sofia]], 130&nbsp;km northeast of [[Skopje]] and 243&nbsp;km north of [[Thessaloniki]].
'''Kyustendil''' ({{langx|bg|Кюстендил}} {{IPA|bg|kʲustenˈdiɫ|}}) is [[List of cities and towns in Bulgaria|a town]] in the far west of [[Bulgaria]], the capital of the [[Kyustendil Province]], a former bishopric and present Latin Catholic [[titular see]].


The town is situated in the southern part of the [[Kyustendil Valley]], near the borders of [[Serbia]] and [[North Macedonia]]; 90&nbsp;km southwest of [[Sofia]], 130&nbsp;km northeast of [[Skopje]] and 243&nbsp;km north of [[Thessaloniki]]. The population is 37 799, with a Bulgarian majority and a [[Roma (people)|Roma]] minority. During the [[Iron Age]], a [[Thracian]] settlement was located within the town, later known as Roman in the 1st century AD. In the [[Middle Ages]], the town switched hands between the [[Byzantine Empire]], Bulgaria and Serbia, prior to [[Ottoman Empire|Ottoman]] annexation in 1395. After centuries of Ottoman rule, the town became part of an independent Bulgarian state in 1878.
==Etymology==
The city was named after the last Christian lord of the surrounding region, [[Constantine Dragash]]. The ancient name of the town, Pautalia (a town of springs) is [[Thracian language|Thracian]]


==Geography==
== Names ==
The modern name is derived from ''Kösten'', the Turkified name of the 14th-century Serbian magnate [[Constantine Dragaš]], from [[Latin]] ''constans'', "steadfast" + the Turkish ''il'' "shire, county" or "bath/spa".<ref name=Corovic-3-XIII>Ćorović 2001, ch. 3, XIII. Boj na Kosovu</ref><ref name=kyustendil>{{cite book |title=Югозападните български земи през XIV век |chapter=Феодални княжества и владетели през последните десетилетия на XIV век |chapter-url=http://www.promacedonia.org/hm2/hm_3_3.html |last=Матанов |first=Христо |pages=126 |language=bg |year=1986 |publisher =Наука и изкуство |location=София |url=http://www.promacedonia.org/hm2/index.html }}</ref> The town was known as ''[[Pautalia]]'' ({{langx|el|Παυταλία}}) in Antiquity and as ''Velbazhd'' (Latin {{lang|la|Velebusdus}}; [[Medieval Greek]]: ''Belebousda''; [[Bulgarian language|Bulgarian]]: Велбъжд; [[Serbian language|Serbian]]: Велбужд) in the Middle Ages.
Kyustendil is a national [[balneological]] resort at an altitude of 500 metres. There are more than 40 [[mineral spring]]s in the town. The waters have a high content of [[sulfite]] compounds. These are used for the treatment of the locomotory system, [[gynecological]] and other kinds of diseases. The resort region includes several baths, balneological complexes and others.


=== Eponymy ===
Kyustendil is located at the foot of the [[Osogovo]] mountain, on both banks of the [[Banska River]] and is a well-known centre of [[balneology]] and fruit growing. The town is 90 kilometres southwest of [[Sofia]], 69&nbsp;km northwest of [[Blagoevgrad]] and 22&nbsp;km from the border with the [[Republic of Macedonia]] and [[Serbia]]. The fortress was built by the Romans. [[Thermae]], basilicas, floor mosaics have been uncovered.<ref name="room">Adrian Room, "Placenames of the World" ISBN 0-7864-2248-3 McFarland & Company (2005)</ref>
[[Kyustendil Ridge]] in [[Graham Land]], [[Antarctica]] is named after the city,<ref>[https://data.aad.gov.au/aadc/gaz/scar/display_name.cfm?gaz_id=137475 Kyustendil Ridge.] [[Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research|SCAR]] [[Composite Antarctic Gazetteer]].</ref> and [[Pautalia Glacier]] on [[Livingston Island]] in the [[South Shetland Islands]], [[Antarctica]] is named after [[Pautalia]] (its [[Thracians|Thracian]] ancestor settlement).<ref>[https://data.aad.gov.au/aadc/gaz/scar/display_name.cfm?gaz_id=134615 Pautalia Glacier.] [[Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research|SCAR]] [[Composite Antarctic Gazetteer]].</ref>


== History ==
<gallery>
{{Main|History of Kyustendil}}
[[File:Sveti mina kyustendil|thumbnail]]
</gallery>
==Religion==
Kyustendil today belongs to the Sofia diocese in regards of church-administrative structure. The city is the center of the vicarage and the Kyustendil Eparchy. In the past, Kyustendil was the seat of the diocese, that latter was closed in 1884.
The majority of the urban population profess the Orthodox faith today, there are several Christian denominations associated with Protestantism and a small Jewish community. During Ottoman rule Kyustendil had mostly Turkish population profess Islam but of the many mosques of the time, are now saved only two. Today the city has only Christian churches operating.


=== Prehistory and Roman era ===
==Climate==
A [[Thracians|Thracian]] settlement was founded at the place of the modern town in the 5th-4th centuries BC and was known for its [[asclepion]], a shrine dedicated to medicine god Asclepius.
Kyustendil has a continental climate with Mediterranean influence (mostly along the Struma river). The average annual temperature is 11,3 ° C. The highest average temperature in July (22 ° C) and lowest in January (0 ° C). The annual temperature range is 22° C. It is relatively large and is an indicator of the predominant continental nature of the climate. Summers are warm and long, winters are short and cool (only 30 days and air temperature 0 ° C), spring comes early and stays steady after the first days of March and the autumn is long, warm and sunny while maintaining stable until the end of November. Rainfall is moderate - average 624 mm, and there is snow on average 30-35 days in winter. Due to moderately severe cloudy and hazy low (average 22 days per year) duration of sunshine is significant - about 2,400 hours per year. The second half of the summer and early autumn in the town are the sunniest of the year, and the cloud cover is mostly in the winter months. Humidity is moderate. It varies between 65 and 70%, and is relatively low in the summer months (especially in August). Kyustendil valley is characterized by low windiness, spring being the most windy season and autumn the most quiet. The average annual wind speed is 1.4 m / sec. During the winter and spring months in the city appears warm and gusty wind "foehn", which causes sudden warming of time. The temperature regime is characterized by some special features. Winter temperature inversions occur, and in the summer as a result of overheating of the daily maximum air temperatures rise to 35-37 ° C. Summer nights are mild with temperatures in the range of 14-18 ° C. The lowest temperature in the city is measured in January at -27 ° C, and the highest - in August at +42.4 ° C.


Under the name '''Pautalia''' ({{langx|grc|Παυταλία}} or Πανταλία) it was a town in the district of [[Dentheletica]]. Its position in the [[Peutinger Table]] places Pautalia at Kyustendil; and the situation of this town at the sources of the [[Strymon (river)|Strymon]] agrees remarkably with the figure of a river-god, accompanied by the "legend" Στρύμων ("Strymon"), on some of the autonomous coins of Pautalia, as well as with the letters ΕΝ. ΠΑΙΩ. ("En. Paio"), which, on other coins, show that the inhabitants considered themselves to be [[Paeonians]], like the other inhabitants of the banks of that river. On another coin of Pautalia, the productions of its territory are alluded to, namely, gold, silver, wine, and corn.<ref>[[Joseph Hilarius Eckhel]], ''Doctrina numorum veterum'', vol. ii. p. 38</ref> In the reign of [[Hadrian]], the people both of Pautalia and [[Serdica]] added Ulpia to the name of their town, probably in consequence of some benefit received from that emperor. [[Stephanus of Byzantium]] has a district called [[Paetalia]] (Παιταλία), which he assigns to Thrace, probably a false reading.<ref>{{Cite DGRG|title=Pautalia}}</ref>
[[File:Plan of the medieval Bulgarian fortress Velbazhd.png|thumb|170px|Plan of the fortress Velbazhd]]


In the 1st century AD, it was administratively part of [[Macedonia (Roman province)|Macedonia]]. Later the city was part of the province of [[Dacia Mediterranea]] and the third largest city in the province.
{{Weather box
|open= 1
|metric first= 1
|single line= 1
|location= Kyustendil, Bulgaria (1994-)
|Jan high C = 4.8
|Feb high C = 7.9
|Mar high C = 13.1
|Apr high C = 17.8
|May high C = 23.1
|Jun high C = 26.8
|Jul high C = 29.7
|Aug high C = 30
|Sep high C = 24.8
|Oct high C = 19
|Nov high C = 11.9
|Dec high C = 5.3
|year high C = 17.8
|Jan mean C = 0.3
|Feb mean C = 2.3
|Mar mean C = 6.8
|Apr mean C = 11.3
|May mean C = 16.2
|Jun mean C = 19.5
|Jul mean C = 22.1
|Aug mean C = 22
|Sep mean C = 17.4
|Oct mean C = 12.2
|Nov mean C = 6.3
|Dec mean C = 1.2
|year mean C = 11.5
|Jan low C = −4.3
|Feb low C = −3.3
|Mar low C = 0.4
|Apr low C = 4.8
|May low C = 9.3
|Jun low C = 12.4
|Jul low C = 14.4
|Aug low C = 14
|Sep low C = 10
|Oct low C = 5.3
|Nov low C = 0.5
|Dec low C = −2.9
|year low C = 5.1
|Jan rain mm= 48
|Feb rain mm= 45
|Mar rain mm= 42
|Apr rain mm= 52
|May rain mm= 68
|Jun rain mm= 65
|Jul rain mm= 54
|Aug rain mm= 36
|Sep rain mm= 38
|Oct rain mm= 59
|Nov rain mm= 62
|Dec rain mm= 55
|year rain mm=624
|precipitation colour = green
|Jan precipitation days = 8
|Feb precipitation days = 8
|Mar precipitation days = 7
|Apr precipitation days = 8
|May precipitation days = 8
|Jun precipitation days = 7
|Jul precipitation days = 5
|Aug precipitation days = 5
|Sep precipitation days = 5
|Oct precipitation days = 6
|Nov precipitation days = 7
|Dec precipitation days = 12
|year precipitation days=87
|unit precipitation days=1&nbsp;mm
|precipitation colour = blue
|Jan snow days = 11.1
|Feb snow days = 8.6
|Mar snow days = 2.6
|Apr snow days = 0.4
|May snow days = 0
|Jun snow days = 0
|Jul snow days = 0
|Aug snow days = 0
|Sep snow days = 0
|Oct snow days = 0.1
|Nov snow days = 1.6
|Dec snow days = 9
|year total snowy days=33.4
|Jan sun = 105
|Feb sun = 120
|Mar sun = 151
|Apr sun = 183
|May sun = 225
|Jun sun = 273
|Jul sun = 317
|Aug sun = 303
|Sep sun = 255
|Oct sun = 213
|Nov sun = 134
|Dec sun = 112
|year sun = 2391
|source 1 = Stringmeteo.com<ref name="climate">[http://www.stringmeteo.com/synop/bg_climate.php?pr=&n=1], Stringmeteo.com Retrieved May 4, 2013.</ref>
|date=May 2013}}


The Roman fortress of Pautalia of the 2nd to 4th century had an area of over 29 hectares (appr. 72 acres). The fortress wall was built mainly of granite blocks and unusually its façade was supported with pillars and arches behind. The wall was 2.5m wide allowing small catapults to be mounted atop.


A second, smaller fortress of area 2 hectares was built in the town in the 4th century (known by its later Ottoman name ''Hisarlaka'').


Many Thracian and Roman objects are exhibited in the town's [http://www.kyustendilmuseum.primasoft.bg/en/index.php Regional History Museum], most notably an impressive numismatic collection.
==History==
A [[Thracians|Thracian]] settlement was founded at the place of the modern town in the 5th-4th centuries BC and the [[Ancient Rome|Romans]] developed it into an important stronghold, balneological resort and trade junction called ''Pautalia'' in the 1st century AD. Many Thracian and Roman objects are exhibited in the city's [http://www.kyustendilmuseum.primasoft.bg/en/index.php Regional History Museum], most notably an impressive numismatic collection.


Recent excavations have revealed an early Christian, late Roman monumental bishop's palace.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://archaeologyinbulgaria.com/2018/04/28/archaeologists-discover-residence-of-early-christian-bishop-of-ancient-roman-city-pautalia-in-bulgarias-kyustendil/#more-10595 | title=Archaeologists Discover Residence of Early Christian Bishop of Ancient Roman City Pautalia in Bulgaria's Kyustendil | date=28 April 2018 | access-date=28 April 2018 | archive-date=20 September 2019 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190920211706/http://archaeologyinbulgaria.com/2018/04/28/archaeologists-discover-residence-of-early-christian-bishop-of-ancient-roman-city-pautalia-in-bulgarias-kyustendil/#more-10595 | url-status=dead }}</ref>
The ''Hisarlaka'' fortress was built in the 4th century and the town was mentioned under the [[Slavic language|Slavic]] name of ''Velbazhd'' (Велбъжд, meaning "camel")<ref name="room"/> in a 1019 charter by the [[Byzantine]] Emperor [[Basil II]]. It became a major religious and administrative centre.
[[File:Central balkans 1373 1395.png|thumb|left|Medieval [[Principality of Velbazhd]]]]
During the reign of [[Kaloyan of Bulgaria]], the town became part of the [[Second Bulgarian Empire]], acquiring its modern name in the 16th century, named after local feudal lord [[Constantine Dragas|Konstantin Dragash]] (ruled from 1379 to 1395).<ref name="room"/> In 1330 the [[Battle of Velbazhd]] took place in the vicinity of the town. After that war, the city came under [[Serbian Empire|Serbian rule]], which lasted between 1330-1355. About 1355 Velbazhd and its region were included in the semi-independent feudal [[Velbazhd principality]] of Despot [[Deyan]]. In 1372 the Turks conquered the town. It was known as ''Köstendil'' under Ottoman rule. The name ''Köstendil'' was derived from Constantine Dragas' name. The city was a sanjak centre initially in [[Rumelia]] province, after that in the [[Bitola]] and [[Niš]] vilayets. It was a kaza centre in the [[Sofia]] sanjak of [[Danube Province, Ottoman Empire|Danube Province]] until the creation of the [[Principality of Bulgaria]] in 1878.


=== Middle Ages ===
The town was mentioned under the [[Slavic language|Slavic]] name of '''Velbazhd''' (Велбъжд, meaning "camel")<ref name="room" /> in a 1019 charter by the [[Byzantine]] Emperor [[Basil II]]. It became a major religious and administrative centre of the [[Byzantine Empire]], and subsequently the [[Second Bulgarian Empire]] after [[Kaloyan]] conquered the area between 1201 and 1203.
[[File:Battle of Velbužd, detail from Visoki Dečani.jpg|left|thumb|[[Battle of Velbazhd]], a frescoe in the [[Visoki Dečani]]]]

In 1282, Serbian king [[Stefan Milutin]] defeated the Byzantine Empire and conquered Velbazhd.

In 1330, [[Battle of Velbazhd|the Serbs defeated the Bulgarians]] in the vicinity, effectively keeping the region to the [[Kingdom of Serbia (medieval)|Serbian Kingdom]]. Serbian magnate [[Dejan (magnate)|Dejan]], one of the prominent figures of the [[Serbian Empire]] and its subsequent [[Fall of the Serbian Empire|fall]], had initially held a large province in the [[Kumanovo]] region under Dušan, and was later as ''despot'' under [[Uroš V]] assigned the Upper Struma river with Velbuzhd.<ref name=Mihaljcic-79-81>Mihaljčić 1989, pp. 79-81</ref><ref name=Fajfric42>Fajfric, 42</ref> Upon Dejan's death, his possessions in Žegligovo and Upper Struma were given to his two sons, [[Jovan Dragaš]] (d. 1378) and [[Konstantin Dragaš|Konstantin]] (d. 1395). The Dejanović brothers ruled a spacious province in eastern Macedonia,<ref name=Samardzic-22>Samardzic 1892 p. 22: {{blockquote|Синови деспота Дејана заједнички су управљали пространом облашћу у источној Македонији, мада је исправе чешће потписивао старији, Јован Драгаш. Као и његов отац, Јован Драгаш је носио знаке деспотског достојанства. Иако се као деспот помиње први пут 1373, сасвим је извесно да је Јован Драгаш ову титулу добио од цара Уроша. Високо достојанство убрајало се, како је …}}</ref> in the southern lands of the Empire, and remained loyal to Uroš V,<ref name=Fine-1994-358>Fine 1994, p. 358</ref> until 1373, when [[Orhan|Orhan Gazi]]'s Ottoman army compelled Jovan to recognize Ottoman vassalage.<ref>Edition de l'Académie bulgare des sciences, 1986, "Balkan studies, Vol. 22", p. 38</ref>

=== Ottoman era ===
{{Main|Sanjak of Kyustendil}}
[[File:Kyustendil 040 1908.jpg|thumb|{{Ill|Pyrgos Tower|bg|Пиргова кула}} 1908 (by [[Joseph Oberbauer]]]]

The city was a [[sanjak]] centre initially in [[Rumelia]] governorate-general, after that in the [[Bitola]] and [[Niš]] [[vilayet]]s (province). It was a [[kaza]] centre in the [[Sofia]] sanjak of [[Danube Province, Ottoman Empire|Danube Province]] until the creation of the [[Principality of Bulgaria]] in 1878.

=== Modern ===
The residents of Kyustendil took an active part in the [[Bulgarian National Revival]] and crafts and trade flourished. The town was liberated from [[History of Ottoman Bulgaria|Ottoman rule]] on 29 January 1878.
The residents of Kyustendil took an active part in the [[Bulgarian National Revival]] and crafts and trade flourished. The town was liberated from [[History of Ottoman Bulgaria|Ottoman rule]] on 29 January 1878.


==Population==
== Demographics ==
According to the 2021 census, the population of Kyustendil is 37,799 people.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://nsi.bg/bg/content/2981/%D0%BD%D0%B0%D1%81%D0%B5%D0%BB%D0%B5%D0%BD%D0%B8%D0%B5-%D0%BF%D0%BE-%D0%B3%D1%80%D0%B0%D0%B4%D0%BE%D0%B2%D0%B5-%D0%B8-%D0%BF%D0%BE%D0%BB|title=Население по градове и пол &#124; Национален статистически институт|website=nsi.bg|accessdate=3 January 2024}}</ref>


=== Ethnic linguistic and religious composition ===
{{Empty section|date=February 2013}}
According to the 2011 census data, people who chose to declare their ethnic identity were distributed as follows:<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.nsi.bg/ORPDOCS/Census2011_1.pop_by_age.xls|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130908134107/http://www.nsi.bg/ORPDOCS/Census2011_1.pop_by_age.xls|url-status=dead|title=Population by age|archive-date=8 September 2013}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.nsi.bg/ORPDOCS/Census2011_4.pop_by_ethnos.xls|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130521202356/http://www.nsi.bg/ORPDOCS/Census2011_4.pop_by_ethnos.xls|url-status=dead|title=Population by ethnos|archive-date=21 May 2013}}</ref>
* [[Bulgarians]]: 36,732 (82.5%)
* [[Roma in Bulgaria|Roma]]: 5,179 (11.6%)
* [[Turks in Bulgaria|Turks]]: 2 (0.0%)
* Others: 143 (0.3%)
* Indefinable: 296 (0.7%)
** Undeclared: 2,161 (4.9%)
Total: 44,513


Roma people are mainly concentrated within the town limits. In the meantime, about a fourth of Bulgarians live in the surrounding villages, also part of the Municipality of Kyustendil.
==Ethnic linguistic and religious composition==
According to the latest 2011 census data, people who chose to declare their ethnic identity were distributed as follows:<ref>{{bg icon}} [http://www.nsi.bg/ORPDOCS/Census2011_1.pop_by_age.xls Population on 01.02.2011 by provinces, municipalities, settlements and age; National Statistical Institute]</ref><ref>[http://www.nsi.bg/ORPDOCS/Census2011_4.pop_by_ethnos.xls Population by province, municipality, settlement and ethnic identification, by 01.02.2011; Bulgarian National Statistical Institute] {{bg icon}}</ref>
*[[Bulgarians]]: 36,732 (86.7%)
*[[Roma in Bulgaria|Roma]]: 5,179 (12.2%)
*[[Turks in Bulgaria|Turks]]: 21 (0.0%)
*Others: 143 (0.3%)
*Indefinable: 296 (0.7%)
**Undeclared: 2,161 (4.9%)
Total: 44,532


=== Religion ===
Roma people are mainly concentrated within the town limits. In the mean time, about a fourth of Bulgarians live in the surrounding villages, also part of the Municipality of Kyustendil.
Kyustendil today belongs to the Sofia diocese in regards of Orthodox church-administrative structure. The city is the center of the vicarage and the Kyustendil Eparchy; in the past, Kyustendil was the seat of the diocese, that latter was closed in 1884. The majority of the urban population profess the Orthodox faith today.
There are several Christian denominations associated with Protestantism and a small Jewish community. During [[Ottoman Empire|Ottoman]] rule Kyustendil had a population mostly professing [[Islam]], but of the many mosques of the time, now only two remain. Today the city has only Christian churches operating.


In Antiquity, Pautalia was a bishopric in the [[Roman province]] of [[Dacia Mediterranea]], [[suffragan]] to the Metropolitan [[Archdiocese of Sardica]], in the sway of the [[Patriarchate of Constantinople]]. Its only recorded residential bishop was
==Honours==
* Evangelius, who was summoned to Constantinople by [[Byzantine emperor]] [[Anastasius I Dicorus]] in 516 during the controversy against [[Monophysitism]].
[[Kyustendil Ridge]] in [[Graham Land]], [[Antarctica]] is named after the city,<ref>[https://data.aad.gov.au/aadc/gaz/scar/display_name.cfm?gaz_id=137475 Kyustendil Ridge.] [[SCAR]] [[Composite Antarctic Gazetteer]].</ref> and [[Pautalia Glacier]] on [[Livingston Island]] in the [[South Shetland Islands]], [[Antarctica]] is named after Pautalia (its [[Thracians|Thracian]] ancestor settlement).<ref>[https://data.aad.gov.au/aadc/gaz/scar/display_name.cfm?gaz_id=134615 Pautalia Glacier.] [[SCAR]] [[Composite Antarctic Gazetteer]].</ref>


During the brief Late Medieval period, when the Bulgarian Church entered in full communion with Rome (instead of Orthodox Constantinople), one of its three 'Uniate Catholic' (equivalent to modern [[Eastern Catholic]]) sees was Velebusdus, which was even raised to a Metropolitan Latin Archbishopric as [[Pope Innocent III]] sent its incumbent Athanasius the archiepiscopal [[pallium]] on 25 February 1204.
==Notable people==

* [[Constantine Dragaš]], 14th-century local ruler
=== Latin Titular see ===
The archdiocese was nominally restored in 1933 as Latin Metropolitan [[Titular archbishopric]] of Velebusdus (Latin) / Velebusdo (Curiate Italian) / Velesdien(sis) (Latin adjective).

It has had the following incumbents, so far of the fitting Metropolitan (highest; perhaps some merely of intermediary Archiepiscopal) rank :
* {{Ill|Ferdinand Stanislaus Pawlikowski|de}} (1953.12.07 – death 1956.07.31) as emeritate and promotion; formerly Titular Bishop of [[Dadima, Mesopotamia|Dadima]] (1927.02.25 – 1927.04.26) as Auxiliary Bishop of [[Roman Catholic Diocese of Seckau|Diocese of Seckau]] ([[Austria]]) (1927.02.25 – 1927.04.26), succeeded as Bishop of Seckau (1927.04.26 – 1953.12.07)
* [[Aston Chichester|Aston Sebastian Joseph Chichester]], [[Jesuit Order]] (S.J.) (1956.11.23 – death 1962.10.24) as emeritate, formerly Titular Bishop of [[Ubaza]] (1931.03.04 – 1955.01.01) as only [[Apostolic Vicar]] of [[Apostolic Vicariate of Salisbury|Salisbury]] (then in (Southern) Rhodesia, now in [[Zimbabwe]]) (1931.03.04 – 1955.01.01) promoted as first Metropolitan Archbishop of [[Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Salisbury|Salisbury]] (now Harare, Zimbabwe) (1955.01.01 – 1956.11.23)
* [[Antônio de Almeida Lustosa]], [[Salesians]] (S.D.B.) (1963.02.16 – resigned 1971.03.16) as emeritate, formerly Bishop of [[Roman Catholic Diocese of Uberaba|Uberaba]] (Brazil) (1924.07.04 – 1928.12.17), Bishop of [[Roman Catholic Diocese of Corumbá|Corumbá]] (Brazil) (1928.12.17 – 1931.07.10), Metropolitan Archbishop of [[Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Belém do Pará|Belém do Pará]] (Brazil) (1931.07.10 – 1941.07.19), Metropolitan Archbishop of [[Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Fortaleza|Fortaleza]] (Brazil) (1941.07.19 – 1963.02.16); died 1976
* [[Eugène Klein]], [[Sacred Heart Missionaries]] (M.S.C.) (1971.06.05 – 1972.04.07) as [[Coadjutor Archbishop]] of [[Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Nouméa|Nouméa]] ([[New Caledonia]]) (1971.06.05 – 1972.04.07), succeeding as Metropolitan Archbishop of Nouméa (1972.04.07 – 1981); previously Titular Bishop of [[Echinus (Phthiotis)|Echinus]] (1960.06.14 – 1966.11.15) as [[Apostolic Vicar]] of [[Apostolic Vicariate of Yule Island|Yule Island]] ([[Papua New Guinea]]) (1960.06.14 – 1966.11.15), then Bishop of [[Roman Catholic Diocese of Bereina|Bereina]] (Papua New Guinea) (1966.11.15 – retired 1971.06.05), died 1992
* [[Peter Yariyok Jatau]] (1972.06.26 – 1975.04.10) as [[Coadjutor Archbishop]] of [[Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Kaduna|Kaduna]] ([[Nigeria]]) (1972.06.26 – 1975.04.10), next succeeded as Metropolitan Archbishop of Kaduna (1975.04.10 – retired 2007.11.16)
* [[Enzio d'Antonio]] (1979.06.24 – 1982.05.13) as intermezzo : previously Archbishop-Bishop of [[Roman Catholic Diocese of Trivento|Trivento]] (Italy) (1975.03.18 – 1977), [[Coadjutor Archbishop]] of [[Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Boiano–Campobasso|Boiano–Campobasso]] (Italy) (1975.03.18 – 1977.01.31) succeeding as Metropolitan Archbishop of Boiano-Campobasso (1977.01.31 – 1979.06.24); later last Archbishop of [[Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Lanciano|Lanciano]] (Italy) (1982.05.13 – 1986.09.30), restyled first Archbishop of [[Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Lanciano-Ortona|Lanciano–Ortona]] (Italy) (1986.09.30 – retired 2000.11.25)
* [[José Manuel Estepa Llaurens]] (1983.07.30 – 1989.11.18) first as Archbishop [[Military Vicar]] of [[Military Vicariate of Spain|Spain]] ([[Spain]]) (1983.07.30 – 1986.07.21), restyled Archbishop [[Military Ordinary]] of [[Military Ordinariate of Spain|Spain]] (1986.07.21 – retired 2003.10.30); later Titular Archbishop of [[Italica]] (1989.11.18 – 1998.03.07), created [[Cardinal-Priest]] of [[San Gabriele Arcangelo all'Acqua Traversa]] (2010.11.20 [2011.04.29] – ...); previously Titular Bishop of [[Tisili]] (1972.09.05 – 1983.07.30) as [[Auxiliary Bishop]] of [[Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Madrid|Madrid]] (Spain) (1972.09.05 – 1983.07.30)
* Archbishop [[Gábor Pintér]] (2016.05.13 – ...), papal diplomat : [[Apostolic Nuncio]] to [[Belarus]], no previous prelature.

== Economy ==

The city is the center of light and manufacturing industry: logging, footwear, knitwear, ready-made clothes, toys, packaging, alcohol producers, bakery, printing and canning industries. There are companies for the production of condensers, power transformers, household and kitchen furniture and joinery. Hotels and tourism have evolved in recent years. The region has traditions in fruit growing and trade in fresh and dried fruits.

Kyustendil is a center of an agricultural area with centuries-old traditions in the field of fruit growing, which is why the town and its surroundings are known as the "Orchard Garden of Bulgaria".{{cn|date=March 2023}}

== Geography ==
Kyustendil is a national [[balneological]] resort at an altitude of 600 metres. There are more than 40 [[mineral spring]]s in the town. The waters have a high content of [[sulfite]] compounds. These are used for the treatment of the locomotory system, [[gynecological]] and other kinds of diseases. The resort region includes several baths, balneological complexes and others.

Kyustendil is located at the foot of the [[Osogovo]] mountain, on both banks of the Banshtica River and is a well-known centre of [[balneology]] and fruit growing. The town is 90 kilometres southwest of [[Sofia]], 69&nbsp;km northwest of [[Blagoevgrad]] and 22&nbsp;km from the border with [[North Macedonia]] and [[Serbia]]. The fortress was built by the Romans. [[Thermae]], basilicas, floor mosaics have been uncovered.<ref name="room">Adrian Room, "Placenames of the World" {{ISBN|0-7864-2248-3}} McFarland & Company (2005)</ref>

=== Climate ===
Kyustendil has a [[temperate climate]] with mediterranean and continental influence (because of the Struma river). The average annual temperature is around {{convert|13|C|F|0}}. The highest average temperatures are in July and August at {{convert|22|to(-)|23|C|F|0}} and lowest in January at {{convert|1|to(-)|2|C|F|0}}. The annual temperature range is {{convert|23|C-change}}.Summers are hot and long, winters are short and cool, spring comes early and stays steady after the first days of March and the autumn is long, warm and sunny while maintaining stable until the end of November. Rainfall is moderate – average {{convert|604|mm|1|abbr=on}}, and there is snow on average 10–12 days in winter, although it may vary significantly. Due to moderately severe cloudy and hazy low (average 20 days per year) duration of sunshine is significant – about 2,300 hours per year. The second half of the summer and early autumn in the town are the sunniest of the year, and the cloud cover is mostly in the winter months. Humidity is moderate. It varies between 65 and 70%, and is relatively low in the summer months (especially in August). Kyustendil valley is characterized by low windiness, spring being the most windy season and autumn the most quiet. The average annual wind speed is {{convert|1.4|m/s|1|abbr=on}}. During the winter and spring months in the city appears warm and gusty wind "foehn", which causes sudden warming of time. The temperature regime is characterized by some special features. Winter temperature inversions occur, and in the summer as a result of overheating of the daily maximum air temperatures rise to {{convert|35|to(-)|38|C|F|0}}. Summer nights are mild or warm with temperatures in the range of {{convert|18|to(-)|23|C|F|0}}, although temperatures tend to drop below {{convert|19|C|F|0}} in the early mornings for about two hours. The lowest temperature in the city is measured on 20 January 1967 at {{convert|-22.4|C|F|1}}, and the highest {{convert|43.2|C|F|0}} reached both in July and August, most recently on 24 July 2007.

{{Weather box
| location = Kyustendil, Bulgaria (2010–2022)
| metric first = Yes
| single line = Yes
| Jan high C = 6.2
| Feb high C = 8.7
| Mar high C = 13.5
| Apr high C = 18.9
| May high C = 24.0
| Jun high C = 28.1
| Jul high C = 31.8
| Aug high C = 31.5
| Sep high C = 26.2
| Oct high C = 20.1
| Nov high C = 13.5
| Dec high C = 7.5
| year high C = 19.2
| Jan mean C = 1.5
| Feb mean C = 2.5
| Mar mean C = 7.5
| Apr mean C = 12.4
| May mean C = 17.6
| Jun mean C = 21.2
| Jul mean C = 24.0
| Aug mean C = 23.5
| Sep mean C = 19.0
| Oct mean C = 13.4
| Nov mean C = 7.8
| Dec mean C = 2.0
| year mean C = 13.0
| Jan low C = -3.3
| Feb low C = -2.3
| Mar low C = 2.5
| Apr low C = 7.0
| May low C = 10.5
| Jun low C = 14.1
| Jul low C = 15.8
| Aug low C = 15.5
| Sep low C = 12.1
| Oct low C = 7.5
| Nov low C = 2.8
| Dec low C = -1.4
| year low C = 7.1
| precipitation colour = green
| Jan precipitation mm = 48
| Feb precipitation mm = 45
| Mar precipitation mm = 42
| Apr precipitation mm = 52
| May precipitation mm = 68
| Jun precipitation mm = 65
| Jul precipitation mm = 54
| Aug precipitation mm = 36
| Sep precipitation mm = 38
| Oct precipitation mm = 59
| Nov precipitation mm = 62
| Dec precipitation mm = 55
| year precipitation mm = 624
| unit precipitation days = 0.1 mm
| unit snow days = 0.1 cm
| Jan precipitation days = 10
| Feb precipitation days = 9
| Mar precipitation days = 8
| Apr precipitation days = 8
| May precipitation days = 9
| Jun precipitation days = 8
| Jul precipitation days = 4
| Aug precipitation days = 4
| Sep precipitation days = 6
| Oct precipitation days = 7
| Nov precipitation days = 8
| Dec precipitation days = 11
| year precipitation days = 92
| Jan snow days = 4
| Feb snow days = 3
| Mar snow days = 1
| Apr snow days = 0
| May snow days = 0
| Jun snow days = 0
| Jul snow days = 0
| Aug snow days = 0
| Sep snow days = 0
| Oct snow days = 0
| Nov snow days = 1
| Dec snow days = 3
| Jan sun = 85
| Feb sun = 117
| Mar sun = 168
| Apr sun = 214
| May sun = 261
| Jun sun = 314
| Jul sun = 323
| Aug sun = 312
| Sep sun = 223
| Oct sun = 151
| Nov sun = 106
| Dec sun = 75
| year sun = 2349
| source 1 = Stringmeteo.com<ref name="climate">[http://www.stringmeteo.com/synop/bg_climate.php?pr=&n=1 Stringmeteo.com Retrieved May 4, 2013.]</ref>
| date = May 2013}}

{{climate chart
| Kyustendil
| -4 | 6 | 48
| -3 | 9 | 45
| 3 | 14 | 42
| 7.0 | 20.0 | 52
| 10.5 | 24.1 | 68
| 13.5 | 27.8 | 65
| 15.5 | 31.6 | 34
| 15.5 | 31.7 | 36
| 12 | 25.5 | 38
| 7.5 | 19.6 | 59
| 2.6 | 13.7 | 62
| -2.0 | 6.5 | 65
| float = right
| clear = none
| source =<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.stringmeteo.com/synop/index.php|title=Фактически данни » начало|website=www.stringmeteo.com|accessdate=3 January 2024}}</ref>
}}

== Notable people ==
* [[Constantine Dragaš]], 14th-century local Serbian ruler
* [[Ilyo Voyvoda]] (1805–1898), [[hajduk]], revolutionary and Bulgarian liberation fighter (died in Kyustendil)
* [[Ilyo Voyvoda]] (1805–1898), [[hajduk]], revolutionary and Bulgarian liberation fighter (died in Kyustendil)
* [[Vladimir Dimitrov]] (1882–1960), painter
* [[Dimitar Peshev]] (1894–1973), [[World War II]] Minister of Justice and Deputy speaker of the Parliament who prevented the deportation of the [[Bulgarian Jews]] to Nazi death camps
* [[Dimitar Peshev]] (1894–1973), [[World War II]] Minister of Justice and Deputy speaker of the Parliament who prevented the deportation of the [[Bulgarian Jews]] to Nazi death camps
* [[Todor Angelov]] (1900–1943), [[communist]] revolutionary and [[Belgian resistance]] fighter
* [[Todor Angelov]] (1900–1943), [[communist]] revolutionary and [[Belgian resistance]] fighter
* [[Nikolay Diulgheroff]] (1901–1982), [[futurism|futurist]] artist
* [[Nikolay Diulgheroff]] (1901–1982), [[futurism|futurist]] artist
* [[Marin Goleminov]] (1908–2000), composer
* [[Marin Goleminov]] (1908–2000), composer
* [[Irina Taseva]] (1910–1990), actress
* [[Venelin Venev]] (1973- ), Director of the Bulgarian Defense Intelligence Service


==Gallery==
== Gallery ==
<gallery perrow=5>
<gallery perrow="5">
Image:Kyustendil 25.jpg|The municipality hall (architect [[Friedrich Grünanger]])
File:Kyustendil 25.jpg|The municipality hall (architect [[Friedrich Grünanger]])
Image:Kyustendil 34.jpg|The municipality hall
File:Kyustendil 34.jpg|The municipality hall
File:SvetiGeorgi.Kyustendil.1.jpg|10th-11th-century [[Church of St George, Kyustendil|Church of St George]] in the Kolusha neighbourhood
Image:Around kyustendil galleryfull.jpg
File:Kyustendil 67.JPG|[[Timber-framed]] tower
Image:SvetiGeorgi.Kyustendil.1.jpg|10th-11th century [[Church of St George, Kyustendil|Church of St George]] in the Kolusha neighbourhood
File:FatihMehmetCami.jpg|Fatih Mehmet Mosque (15th century)
Image:Kyustendil 67.JPG|[[Timber-framed]] tower
File:CifteHamamKyustendil.jpg|Cifte Spa Bath
Image:FatihMehmetCami.jpg|Fatih Mehmet Mosque (15th century)
File:Pirgova Tower Kyustendil Bulgaria TB.jpg|The 15th-16th-century Pyrgos Tower
Image:CifteHamamKyustendil.jpg|Cifte Spa Bath
File:Kyustendil TB (11).jpg|The Hisarlaka medieval fortress lying atop a hill overlooking the town
Image:Pirgova Tower Kyustendil Bulgaria TB.jpg|The 15th-16th-century Pirgova Tower
Image:Kyustendil TB (11).jpg|The Hisarlaka medieval fortress lying atop a hill overlooking the town
File:Kyustendil Town, Church of Saint Menas, Jan 2012.jpg|The Church of Saint Menas, built in 1859, situated in the west part of Kystendil.
File:Kyustendil Feb 2009 (2).JPG|Building in Kyustendil
Image:Kyustendil Town, Church of Saint Menas, Jan 2012.jpg|The Church of Saint Menas, built in 1859, situated in the west part of Kystendil.
</gallery>
</gallery>


==References==
== See also ==
* [[FC Velbazhd Kyustendil]] (Pautalia during World War II)
* [[List of Catholic dioceses in Bulgaria]]

== References ==
{{reflist}}
{{reflist}}


==External links==
== Sources and external links ==
* {{Commons category-inline}}
* [http://osogovo-mountain.free.bg Kyustendil - Osogovo mountain]
* [http://kn.government.bg/index.php?lang=en/ Kyustendil District Administration Provides information about the region, photos, historical review, and development projects] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303170527/http://kn.government.bg/index.php?lang=en%2F |date=2016-03-03 }}
* [http://pautaliya-asklepion.free.bg Kyustendil - Asklepion of Pautaliya]
* [http://www.visit-kyustendil.eu/ Kyustendil tourist destination – tourism opportunities in the Kyustendil region]
* http://kn.government.bg/index.php?lang=en/Provides information about the region, photos, historical review, and development projects
* [http://www.visit-kyustendil.eu/ Kyustendil tourist destination - tourism opportunities in the Kyustendil region]
* [http://www.kustendil.info/ Kustendil Info, Information web Portal of Kyustendil]
* [http://www.kustendil.info/ Kustendil Info, Information web Portal of Kyustendil]
* [http://www.kncity.info/ KnCity.info, a website about Kyustendil]
* [http://www.kncity.info/ KnCity.info, a website about Kyustendil]
* [http://www.journey.bg/bulgaria/bulgaria.php?&city=1766&gtype=1&gsubtype=68&gtype=1 Kyustendil at Journey.bg]
* [http://www.journey.bg/bulgaria/bulgaria.php?&city=1766&gtype=1&gsubtype=68&gtype=1 Kyustendil at Journey.bg]
* [http://www.bgglobe.net/index.php?l=0&s=-313 Kyustendil at BGGlobe]
* [http://www.bgglobe.net/index.php?l=0&s=-313 Kyustendil at BGGlobe]
* [http://www.kyustendilmuseum.com Regional History Museum]
* [http://www.kyustendilmuseum.com/ Regional History Museum]
* [http://www.gcatholic.org/dioceses/former/t1947.htm GCatholic - former (Pautalia) & titular see of Velebusdus]
; Bibliography - ecclesiastical history
* Pius Bonifacius Gams, ''Series episcoporum Ecclesiae Catholicae'', Leipzig 1931, pp.&nbsp;417 e 432
* Daniele Farlati-Jacopo Coleti, ''Illyricum Sacrum'', vol. VIII, Venece 1817, p.&nbsp;77 e p.&nbsp;246
* Konrad Eubel, ''Hierarchia Catholica Medii Aevi'', vol. 1, p.&nbsp;130
* Jacques Zeiller, ''Les origines chrétiennes dans les provinces danubiennes de l'empire romain'', Paris 1918, p.&nbsp;160
{{DGRG|title=Pautalia}}


{{Geographic location
<br>
| Centre = Kyustendil
| North = [[Bosilegrad]]
| Northeast = [[Pernik]]
| East = [[Bobov Dol]]
| Southeast = [[Dupnica]]
| South = [[Blagoevgrad]]
| Southwest = [[North Macedonia]]
| West = [[Kriva Palanka]]
| Northwest = [[Serbia]]
}}
{{Cities in Bulgaria}}
{{Cities in Bulgaria}}
{{Kyustendil Province}}
{{Kyustendil Province}}
{{Kyustendil}}
{{Kyustendil}}
{{Authority control}}
{{commons category|Kyustendil}}


[[Category:Kyustendil| ]]
[[Category:Spa towns in Bulgaria]]
[[Category:Spa towns in Bulgaria]]
[[Category:Towns in Bulgaria]]
[[Category:Populated places in Kyustendil Province]]
[[Category:Populated places in Kyustendil Province]]
[[Category:Kyustendil]]
[[Category:Dacia Mediterranea]]

Latest revision as of 10:54, 30 November 2024

Kyustendil
Кюстендил
Town
Flag of Kyustendil
Flag
Coat of arms of Kyustendil
Coat of arms
Kyustendil is located in Bulgaria
Kyustendil
Kyustendil
Location of Kyustendil
Coordinates: 42°17′N 22°41′E / 42.283°N 22.683°E / 42.283; 22.683
CountryBulgaria
Province
(Oblast)		Kyustendil
Government
 • MayorOgnyan Atanasov
Area
 • Town
28.72 km2 (11.09 sq mi)
 • Urban
979.91 km2 (378.35 sq mi)
Elevation
560 m (1,840 ft)
Population
 (2024)
 • Town
43,594
 • Density2,329/km2 (6,030/sq mi)
 • Urban
61,642
Time zoneUTC+2 (EET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+3 (EEST)
Postal Code
2500
Area code078
Vehicle registrationKH

Kyustendil (Bulgarian: Кюстендил [kʲustenˈdiɫ]) is a town in the far west of Bulgaria, the capital of the Kyustendil Province, a former bishopric and present Latin Catholic titular see.

The town is situated in the southern part of the Kyustendil Valley, near the borders of Serbia and North Macedonia; 90 km southwest of Sofia, 130 km northeast of Skopje and 243 km north of Thessaloniki. The population is 37 799, with a Bulgarian majority and a Roma minority. During the Iron Age, a Thracian settlement was located within the town, later known as Roman in the 1st century AD. In the Middle Ages, the town switched hands between the Byzantine Empire, Bulgaria and Serbia, prior to Ottoman annexation in 1395. After centuries of Ottoman rule, the town became part of an independent Bulgarian state in 1878.

Names

[edit]

The modern name is derived from Kösten, the Turkified name of the 14th-century Serbian magnate Constantine Dragaš, from Latin constans, "steadfast" + the Turkish il "shire, county" or "bath/spa".[1][2] The town was known as Pautalia (Greek: Παυταλία) in Antiquity and as Velbazhd (Latin Velebusdus; Medieval Greek: Belebousda; Bulgarian: Велбъжд; Serbian: Велбужд) in the Middle Ages.

Eponymy

[edit]

Kyustendil Ridge in Graham Land, Antarctica is named after the city,[3] and Pautalia Glacier on Livingston Island in the South Shetland Islands, Antarctica is named after Pautalia (its Thracian ancestor settlement).[4]

History

[edit]
Main article: History of Kyustendil

Prehistory and Roman era

[edit]

A Thracian settlement was founded at the place of the modern town in the 5th-4th centuries BC and was known for its asclepion, a shrine dedicated to medicine god Asclepius.

Under the name Pautalia (Ancient Greek: Παυταλία or Πανταλία) it was a town in the district of Dentheletica. Its position in the Peutinger Table places Pautalia at Kyustendil; and the situation of this town at the sources of the Strymon agrees remarkably with the figure of a river-god, accompanied by the "legend" Στρύμων ("Strymon"), on some of the autonomous coins of Pautalia, as well as with the letters ΕΝ. ΠΑΙΩ. ("En. Paio"), which, on other coins, show that the inhabitants considered themselves to be Paeonians, like the other inhabitants of the banks of that river. On another coin of Pautalia, the productions of its territory are alluded to, namely, gold, silver, wine, and corn.[5] In the reign of Hadrian, the people both of Pautalia and Serdica added Ulpia to the name of their town, probably in consequence of some benefit received from that emperor. Stephanus of Byzantium has a district called Paetalia (Παιταλία), which he assigns to Thrace, probably a false reading.[6]

Plan of the fortress Velbazhd

In the 1st century AD, it was administratively part of Macedonia. Later the city was part of the province of Dacia Mediterranea and the third largest city in the province.

The Roman fortress of Pautalia of the 2nd to 4th century had an area of over 29 hectares (appr. 72 acres). The fortress wall was built mainly of granite blocks and unusually its façade was supported with pillars and arches behind. The wall was 2.5m wide allowing small catapults to be mounted atop.

A second, smaller fortress of area 2 hectares was built in the town in the 4th century (known by its later Ottoman name Hisarlaka).

Many Thracian and Roman objects are exhibited in the town's Regional History Museum, most notably an impressive numismatic collection.

Recent excavations have revealed an early Christian, late Roman monumental bishop's palace.[7]

Middle Ages

[edit]

The town was mentioned under the Slavic name of Velbazhd (Велбъжд, meaning "camel")[8] in a 1019 charter by the Byzantine Emperor Basil II. It became a major religious and administrative centre of the Byzantine Empire, and subsequently the Second Bulgarian Empire after Kaloyan conquered the area between 1201 and 1203.

Battle of Velbazhd, a frescoe in the Visoki Dečani

In 1282, Serbian king Stefan Milutin defeated the Byzantine Empire and conquered Velbazhd.

In 1330, the Serbs defeated the Bulgarians in the vicinity, effectively keeping the region to the Serbian Kingdom. Serbian magnate Dejan, one of the prominent figures of the Serbian Empire and its subsequent fall, had initially held a large province in the Kumanovo region under Dušan, and was later as despot under Uroš V assigned the Upper Struma river with Velbuzhd.[9][10] Upon Dejan's death, his possessions in Žegligovo and Upper Struma were given to his two sons, Jovan Dragaš (d. 1378) and Konstantin (d. 1395). The Dejanović brothers ruled a spacious province in eastern Macedonia,[11] in the southern lands of the Empire, and remained loyal to Uroš V,[12] until 1373, when Orhan Gazi's Ottoman army compelled Jovan to recognize Ottoman vassalage.[13]

Ottoman era

[edit]
Main article: Sanjak of Kyustendil
Pyrgos Tower [bg] 1908 (by Joseph Oberbauer

The city was a sanjak centre initially in Rumelia governorate-general, after that in the Bitola and Niš vilayets (province). It was a kaza centre in the Sofia sanjak of Danube Province until the creation of the Principality of Bulgaria in 1878.

Modern

[edit]

The residents of Kyustendil took an active part in the Bulgarian National Revival and crafts and trade flourished. The town was liberated from Ottoman rule on 29 January 1878.

Demographics

[edit]

According to the 2021 census, the population of Kyustendil is 37,799 people.[14]

Ethnic linguistic and religious composition

[edit]

According to the 2011 census data, people who chose to declare their ethnic identity were distributed as follows:[15][16]

  • Bulgarians: 36,732 (82.5%)
  • Roma: 5,179 (11.6%)
  • Turks: 2 (0.0%)
  • Others: 143 (0.3%)
  • Indefinable: 296 (0.7%)
    • Undeclared: 2,161 (4.9%)

Total: 44,513

Roma people are mainly concentrated within the town limits. In the meantime, about a fourth of Bulgarians live in the surrounding villages, also part of the Municipality of Kyustendil.

Religion

[edit]

Kyustendil today belongs to the Sofia diocese in regards of Orthodox church-administrative structure. The city is the center of the vicarage and the Kyustendil Eparchy; in the past, Kyustendil was the seat of the diocese, that latter was closed in 1884. The majority of the urban population profess the Orthodox faith today.

There are several Christian denominations associated with Protestantism and a small Jewish community. During Ottoman rule Kyustendil had a population mostly professing Islam, but of the many mosques of the time, now only two remain. Today the city has only Christian churches operating.

In Antiquity, Pautalia was a bishopric in the Roman province of Dacia Mediterranea, suffragan to the Metropolitan Archdiocese of Sardica, in the sway of the Patriarchate of Constantinople. Its only recorded residential bishop was

During the brief Late Medieval period, when the Bulgarian Church entered in full communion with Rome (instead of Orthodox Constantinople), one of its three 'Uniate Catholic' (equivalent to modern Eastern Catholic) sees was Velebusdus, which was even raised to a Metropolitan Latin Archbishopric as Pope Innocent III sent its incumbent Athanasius the archiepiscopal pallium on 25 February 1204.

Latin Titular see

[edit]

The archdiocese was nominally restored in 1933 as Latin Metropolitan Titular archbishopric of Velebusdus (Latin) / Velebusdo (Curiate Italian) / Velesdien(sis) (Latin adjective).

It has had the following incumbents, so far of the fitting Metropolitan (highest; perhaps some merely of intermediary Archiepiscopal) rank :

Economy

[edit]

The city is the center of light and manufacturing industry: logging, footwear, knitwear, ready-made clothes, toys, packaging, alcohol producers, bakery, printing and canning industries. There are companies for the production of condensers, power transformers, household and kitchen furniture and joinery. Hotels and tourism have evolved in recent years. The region has traditions in fruit growing and trade in fresh and dried fruits.

Kyustendil is a center of an agricultural area with centuries-old traditions in the field of fruit growing, which is why the town and its surroundings are known as the "Orchard Garden of Bulgaria".[citation needed]

Geography

[edit]

Kyustendil is a national balneological resort at an altitude of 600 metres. There are more than 40 mineral springs in the town. The waters have a high content of sulfite compounds. These are used for the treatment of the locomotory system, gynecological and other kinds of diseases. The resort region includes several baths, balneological complexes and others.

Kyustendil is located at the foot of the Osogovo mountain, on both banks of the Banshtica River and is a well-known centre of balneology and fruit growing. The town is 90 kilometres southwest of Sofia, 69 km northwest of Blagoevgrad and 22 km from the border with North Macedonia and Serbia. The fortress was built by the Romans. Thermae, basilicas, floor mosaics have been uncovered.[8]

Climate

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Kyustendil has a temperate climate with mediterranean and continental influence (because of the Struma river). The average annual temperature is around 13 °C (55 °F). The highest average temperatures are in July and August at 22 to 23 °C (72–73 °F) and lowest in January at 1 to 2 °C (34–36 °F). The annual temperature range is 23 °C (41 °F).Summers are hot and long, winters are short and cool, spring comes early and stays steady after the first days of March and the autumn is long, warm and sunny while maintaining stable until the end of November. Rainfall is moderate – average 604 mm (23.8 in), and there is snow on average 10–12 days in winter, although it may vary significantly. Due to moderately severe cloudy and hazy low (average 20 days per year) duration of sunshine is significant – about 2,300 hours per year. The second half of the summer and early autumn in the town are the sunniest of the year, and the cloud cover is mostly in the winter months. Humidity is moderate. It varies between 65 and 70%, and is relatively low in the summer months (especially in August). Kyustendil valley is characterized by low windiness, spring being the most windy season and autumn the most quiet. The average annual wind speed is 1.4 m/s (4.6 ft/s). During the winter and spring months in the city appears warm and gusty wind "foehn", which causes sudden warming of time. The temperature regime is characterized by some special features. Winter temperature inversions occur, and in the summer as a result of overheating of the daily maximum air temperatures rise to 35 to 38 °C (95–100 °F). Summer nights are mild or warm with temperatures in the range of 18 to 23 °C (64–73 °F), although temperatures tend to drop below 19 °C (66 °F) in the early mornings for about two hours. The lowest temperature in the city is measured on 20 January 1967 at −22.4 °C (−8.3 °F), and the highest 43.2 °C (110 °F) reached both in July and August, most recently on 24 July 2007.

Climate data for Kyustendil, Bulgaria (2010–2022)
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Mean daily maximum °C (°F) 6.2
(43.2) 		8.7
(47.7) 		13.5
(56.3) 		18.9
(66.0) 		24.0
(75.2) 		28.1
(82.6) 		31.8
(89.2) 		31.5
(88.7) 		26.2
(79.2) 		20.1
(68.2) 		13.5
(56.3) 		7.5
(45.5) 		19.2
(66.6)
Daily mean °C (°F) 1.5
(34.7) 		2.5
(36.5) 		7.5
(45.5) 		12.4
(54.3) 		17.6
(63.7) 		21.2
(70.2) 		24.0
(75.2) 		23.5
(74.3) 		19.0
(66.2) 		13.4
(56.1) 		7.8
(46.0) 		2.0
(35.6) 		13.0
(55.4)
Mean daily minimum °C (°F) −3.3
(26.1) 		−2.3
(27.9) 		2.5
(36.5) 		7.0
(44.6) 		10.5
(50.9) 		14.1
(57.4) 		15.8
(60.4) 		15.5
(59.9) 		12.1
(53.8) 		7.5
(45.5) 		2.8
(37.0) 		−1.4
(29.5) 		7.1
(44.8)
Average precipitation mm (inches) 48
(1.9) 		45
(1.8) 		42
(1.7) 		52
(2.0) 		68
(2.7) 		65
(2.6) 		54
(2.1) 		36
(1.4) 		38
(1.5) 		59
(2.3) 		62
(2.4) 		55
(2.2) 		624
(24.6)
Average precipitation days (≥ 0.1 mm) 10 9 8 8 9 8 4 4 6 7 8 11 92
Average snowy days (≥ 0.1 cm) 4 3 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 3 12
Mean monthly sunshine hours 85 117 168 214 261 314 323 312 223 151 106 75 2,349
Source: Stringmeteo.com[17]
Kyustendil
Climate chart (explanation)
J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
 
 
48
 
 
6
−4
 
 
45
 
 
9
−3
 
 
42
 
 
14
3
 
 
52
 
 
20
7
 
 
68
 
 
24
11
 
 
65
 
 
28
14
 
 
34
 
 
32
16
 
 
36
 
 
32
16
 
 
38
 
 
26
12
 
 
59
 
 
20
8
 
 
62
 
 
14
3
 
 
65
 
 
7
−2
█ Average max. and min. temperatures in °C
█ Precipitation totals in mm
Source: [18]
Imperial conversion
JFMAMJJASOND
 
 
1.9
 
 
43
25
 
 
1.8
 
 
48
27
 
 
1.7
 
 
57
37
 
 
2
 
 
68
45
 
 
2.7
 
 
75
51
 
 
2.6
 
 
82
56
 
 
1.3
 
 
89
60
 
 
1.4
 
 
89
60
 
 
1.5
 
 
78
54
 
 
2.3
 
 
67
46
 
 
2.4
 
 
57
37
 
 
2.6
 
 
44
28
█ Average max. and min. temperatures in °F
█ Precipitation totals in inches

Notable people

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[edit]
  • The municipality hall (architect Friedrich Grünanger)
    The municipality hall (architect Friedrich Grünanger)
  • The municipality hall
    The municipality hall
  • 10th-11th-century Church of St George in the Kolusha neighbourhood
    10th-11th-century Church of St George in the Kolusha neighbourhood
  • Timber-framed tower
    Timber-framed tower
  • Fatih Mehmet Mosque (15th century)
    Fatih Mehmet Mosque (15th century)
  • Cifte Spa Bath
    Cifte Spa Bath
  • The 15th-16th-century Pyrgos Tower
    The 15th-16th-century Pyrgos Tower
  • The Hisarlaka medieval fortress lying atop a hill overlooking the town
    The Hisarlaka medieval fortress lying atop a hill overlooking the town
  • The Church of Saint Menas, built in 1859, situated in the west part of Kystendil.
    The Church of Saint Menas, built in 1859, situated in the west part of Kystendil.
  • Building in Kyustendil
    Building in Kyustendil

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Ćorović 2001, ch. 3, XIII. Boj na Kosovu
  2. ^ Матанов, Христо (1986). "Феодални княжества и владетели през последните десетилетия на XIV век". Югозападните български земи през XIV век (in Bulgarian). София: Наука и изкуство. p. 126.
  3. ^ Kyustendil Ridge. SCAR Composite Antarctic Gazetteer.
  4. ^ Pautalia Glacier. SCAR Composite Antarctic Gazetteer.
  5. ^ Joseph Hilarius Eckhel, Doctrina numorum veterum, vol. ii. p. 38
  6. ^ Public Domain Smith, William, ed. (1854–1857). "Pautalia". Dictionary of Greek and Roman Geography. London: John Murray.
  7. ^ "Archaeologists Discover Residence of Early Christian Bishop of Ancient Roman City Pautalia in Bulgaria's Kyustendil". 28 April 2018. Archived from the original on 20 September 2019. Retrieved 28 April 2018.
  8. ^ a b Adrian Room, "Placenames of the World" ISBN 0-7864-2248-3 McFarland & Company (2005)
  9. ^ Mihaljčić 1989, pp. 79-81
  10. ^ Fajfric, 42
  11. ^ Samardzic 1892 p. 22:

    Синови деспота Дејана заједнички су управљали пространом облашћу у источној Македонији, мада је исправе чешће потписивао старији, Јован Драгаш. Као и његов отац, Јован Драгаш је носио знаке деспотског достојанства. Иако се као деспот помиње први пут 1373, сасвим је извесно да је Јован Драгаш ову титулу добио од цара Уроша. Високо достојанство убрајало се, како је …
  12. ^ Fine 1994, p. 358
  13. ^ Edition de l'Académie bulgare des sciences, 1986, "Balkan studies, Vol. 22", p. 38
  14. ^ "Население по градове и пол | Национален статистически институт". nsi.bg. Retrieved 3 January 2024.
  15. ^ "Population by age". Archived from the original on 8 September 2013.
  16. ^ "Population by ethnos". Archived from the original on 21 May 2013.
  17. ^ Stringmeteo.com Retrieved May 4, 2013.
  18. ^ "Фактически данни » начало". www.stringmeteo.com. Retrieved 3 January 2024.
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Bibliography - ecclesiastical history
  • Pius Bonifacius Gams, Series episcoporum Ecclesiae Catholicae, Leipzig 1931, pp. 417 e 432
  • Daniele Farlati-Jacopo Coleti, Illyricum Sacrum, vol. VIII, Venece 1817, p. 77 e p. 246
  • Konrad Eubel, Hierarchia Catholica Medii Aevi, vol. 1, p. 130
  • Jacques Zeiller, Les origines chrétiennes dans les provinces danubiennes de l'empire romain, Paris 1918, p. 160

 This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Smith, William, ed. (1854–1857). "Pautalia". Dictionary of Greek and Roman Geography. London: John Murray.

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