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Revision as of 18:49, 8 July 2012

Haskovo
Coat of arms of Haskovo
Coat of arms
CountryBulgaria
Province
(Oblast)		Haskovo
Government
 • MayorGeorgi Ivanov
Elevation
196 m (643 ft)
Population
 (Census February 2011)[1]
 • City
74,843
 • Urban
92,278
Time zoneUTC+2 (EET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+3 (EEST)
Postal Code
6300
Area code038

Haskovo (Template:Lang-bg), is a city, an administrative centre of the homonymous Haskovo Province in southern Bulgaria, not far from the borders with Greece and Turkey. As of February 2011, it has a population of 74,843 inhabitants.[1]

The first settlement found in Haskovo are from circa 5000 bc. The Thracian name of the settlement was Marsa. Haskovo celebrated its 1,000th anniversary as a town in 1985. To mark the event, a new clock tower was erected in the centre of the town. In medieval times it was known for the nearby Uzundzhovo fair, famous in all of Bulgaria.

Ivan Dimov Dramatic Theatre (1921)
The Monument of the Holy Mother of God, the world's highest monument to Virgin Mary

History

According to the archeologists, the area of Haskovo was originally settled about seven thousand years ago. In and around Haskovo, evidence has been preserved that confirms its long history during the prehistoric, Thracian, Greek, Roman, and Byzantine periods.

In the 9th century — during the First Bulgarian Empire — a fortress was built in Haskovo that soon was transformed into a town. The town was located at the centre of a sizable region between the Klokotnitsa, Harmanliyska, and Maritsa rivers.

In 1395 the Eski cami (the Old Mosque) was built as one of the first in the Balkans. It is interesting that its minaret is slightly inclined. In 1782, the town was known as Marsa. By 1830, it was known as Uzundja-ova.[2] Many[who?] speculate that the current name came from the Arabic word "has" (هس; possession) and the Turkish word "köy" (village) (Template:Lang-tr). Several historians have ascertained that the Turkish word "has" has roots to the meaning "clean." Strengthening this argument, the town was called "Clean Town" during the Bulgarian Revival period. The Turkish "köy" was subsequently substituted with the Bulgarian (and common Slavic) placename suffix "-ovo".

Most Bulgarians began to re-settle in Haskovo at the beginning of the nineteenth century. At this time, the settlement was a trading centre for merchants from Edirne, Enez, and Istanbul. Slowly, the area acquired a strong reputation for producing cotton materials, silk fabrics, and carpets.

After the liberation in 1878 Haskovo became a centre of high-quality tobacco region. However, now there is no cigarette production in the region as the once big Tobacco company "BT Haskovo" was closed. Nowadays there are some enterprises producing food, machinery and fabric.

Haskovo Cove in Greenwich Island in the South Shetland Islands, Antarctica is named for the city of Haskovo.

Population

The population of Haskovo during the first decade after the liberation of Bulgaria exceeded 10,000, being 14,191 in 1887.[3] Since then it started growing decade by decade, mostly because of the migrants from the rural areas and the surrounding smaller towns, reaching its peak in the period 1987-1991 exceeding 90,000.[4]

Haskovo
Year 1887 1910 1934 1946 1956 1965 1975 1985 1992 2001 2005 2009 2011 2021
Population 14,191 15,067 26,516 27,435 38,812 57,777 75,259 87,847 80,773 80,303 78,668 77,050 74,843 ??
Highest number 95,807 in 1990
Sources: National Statistical Institute,[1][4][5] citypopulation.de,[6] pop-stat.mashke.org,[7] Bulgarian Academy of Sciences[3]

Culture

The cultural life in the town is presented by the newly renovated Ivan Dimov Dramatic Theatre, the historical museum and an art gallery. The annual Colourful Thrace Sings and Dances folk festival takes place in the nearby park Kenana.

A 32-metre-high monument of the Mother of God and the Infant Jesus was erected on the Hill of Youth near Haskovo in 2003. The monument was inaugurated on 8 September on the occasion of the Nativity of Holy Virgin Mary, when the day of the town of Haskovo is celebrated. It entered the Guinness Book of Records as the highest monument to Our Lady in the world.

The town centre has recently been the subject of many investments and renovation.

Municipal landmarks include the Thracian Aleksandrovo tomb as well as Uzundzhovo's Church of the Assumption, built originally as a mosque during Ottoman times.

Notable natives

International relations

Main article: List of twin towns and sister cities in Bulgaria

Twin towns — Sister cities

Haskovo is twinned with:

References

  1. ^ a b c Template:Bg iconNational Statistical Institute - Main Towns Census 2011
  2. ^ Arrowsmith, John. Turkey in Europe. 1832.
  3. ^ a b Template:Bg icon Bulgarian Academy of Sciences
  4. ^ a b Template:Bg iconNational Statistical Institute - Towns population 1956-1992
  5. ^ Template:En icon Bulgarian National Statistical Institute - towns in 2009
  6. ^ Template:En icon „WorldCityPopulation“
  7. ^ „pop-stat.mashke.org“
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