Karlovo

Karlovo ( _bg. Карлово) is a picturesque and a historically important town in central Bulgaria located in a fertile valley along the river Stryama at the southern foot of the Balkan Mountains. It is administratively part of Plovdiv Province and has a population of about 28,321 (as of 2005), the mayor being Nayden Naydenov.

Karlovo is famous for the worldwide-known rose oil, which is grown there and used in producing perfume. In addition to this, Karlovo is the birthplace of Vasil Levski, the most distinguished Bulgarian to start preparing the national liberation from the Ottoman rule in the late 19th century. There is a museum and large monument dedicated to him. Karlovo is also a popular location for tourism in the region.

During the 2000s, Bulgarian archaeologists made discoveries in Central Bulgaria which were summarized as "The Valley of the Thracian Kings". On 19 August 2005, some archaeologists announced they had found the first Thracian capital, which was situated near Karlovo in Bulgaria. A lot of polished ceramic artifacts (pieces of roof-tiles and Greek-like vases) were discovered revealing the fortune of the city. The Bulgarian Ministry of Culture declared its support to the excavations.

History

Karlovo is a successor of the medieval fortress of Kopsis, a feudal possession of Smilets of Bulgaria in the 13th-14th century and the likely capital of his brother "despotēs" Voysil's short-lived realm. The modern town originated in 1483 at the place of the village of Sushitsa (still today Sushitsa is one of Karlovo's districts), but grew in importance in the 19th century as a centre of Bulgarian culture and revolutionary activity.From 1953 until 1962, the city was called "Levskigrad"

Geography

Karlovo lies at coord|42|38|N|24|48|E, 386 m above sea level. It is located in the Valley of Roses, famous for the big-scale production of roses. When arriving in the city, one is immediately struck by the austere beauty of the Stara Planina mountain, which virtually hangs above the city. The highest peak of this famous mountain range — Botev, 2376m — is actually pretty close to Karlovo.The city is located 140km east from the Bulgarian capital — Sofia, and 60km north from Plovdiv, the second biggest Bulgarian city and the capital of the Plovdiv Province

Climate

The climate of the region is temperate continental, with mild and warm summers, refreshed by the wind coming down the Balkan Mountain , and snowy winters. The average January temperature is 0.1 °C (with an absolute minimum of -25.8 °C). The average July temperature is 22.9 °C (with an absolute maximum of 39.6 °C).

Average total annual rainfall is 694mm, being highest in the summer (221mm) and lowest in the winter (169mm).

Infrastructure and transport

Karlovo is located on the main road E 78, one of the two roads which connect the capital Sofia to the southern part of the Black Sea.The city is an important point on the railway between Sofia and the commercially important Black Sea port of Burgas. There are frequent trains to the second biggest railway station in the country — Plovdiv.The total road length on the territory of Karlovo municipality is 301,4 km. Karlovo is only 50km away from the most important road in Bulgaria - Trakiya motorway, which is actually the main road between Sofia and Istanbul. The international road to Bucharest is also just 50km away.

Municipality

Karlovo is the seat of Karlovo municipaluty (part of Plovdiv Province). The population of the Karlovo municipality is approximately 73,000 people. It includes the following 27 towns and villages (towns in bold):

Notable natives

* Botyo Petkov (1815–1869), teacher and father of Hristo Botev
* Evlogi Georgiev (1819–1897), merchant, banker and entrepreneur
* Ivan Bogorov (c. 1820–1892), encyclopedist
* Vasil Levski (1837–1873), revolutionary and national hero of Bulgaria
* Hristo Prodanov (1943–1984), first Bulgarian to climb Mount Everest

Notable events

* The Day of the Rose in the first days of June
* Anniversary of Vasil Levski's death

Honour

Karlovo Peak on Livingston Island in the South Shetland Islands, Antarctica is named after Karlovo.

Gallery

References

*

External links

* [http://www.karlovo.name/]
* [http://www.karlovo.info/ Site about Karlovo]
* [http://www.karlovo.bg/ Official web site]
* [http://www.karlovobg.eu/ Info site about the region of Karlovo] (in Bulgarian and English)

Geographic Location (8-way)
Centre = Karlovo
North = Troyan
Northeast = "Gabrovo"
East = Kazanlak
Southeast = "Stara Zagora"
South = "Plovdiv"
Southwest = Pazardjik
West = Sopot
Northwest = Troyan

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