SOU “ZHELEZNIK”

STARA ZAGORA PHOTO ALBUM

Vladislav Gunchev

11/28/2010

This is a photo album of our city Stara Zagora.

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Stara Zagora (Bulgarian: Стара Загора) is the sixth largest city in Bulgaria, and a nationally important economic center. Stara Zagora is known as the city of straight streets, linden trees, and poets. It’s population is c. 150 679. The city is located in an area of transitional continental climate with considerable Mediterranean influence. The average yearly temperature is about 13 °C (55.4 °F).

The La k e ( o l d St a r a Za go r a )

Stara Zagora is considered one of the oldest settlements in Bulgaria. It was founded by the Thracians under the name Beroe (meaning iron) about 6th-5th century BCE, with the Neolithic dwellings and the copper mine near the city being the oldest preserved ones in Europe. The area has been a mining region since antiquity. A city was founded by Phillip II of Macedonat 342 BC. Under the Roman Empire, the town was renamed to Ulpia Augusta Traiana in honour of Emperor Trajan. At the time of the Byzantine Empire, it adopted the name Irinopolis (Ειρήνόπόλις) after Byzantine empress Irene.

At the time of the Byzantine Empire, it adopted the name Irinopolis (Ειρήνόπόλις) after Byzantine empress Irene. The fortifications around the town were reconstructed to guard against Bulgarian attacks, but Irinopolis and the whole Zagore region were incorporated into Bulgaria in 717. The land was bestowed on khan Tervel as a Byzantine gift in acknowledgement of the Bulgarian help to fight back the Arabs besieging Constantinople.

The o l d c i t y Pa r k

ПРОЕКТ

“ДА СПОДЕЛИМ КУЛТУРАТА СИ”

СЕКТОРНА ПРОГРАМА “КОМЕНСКИ”

Център

за развитие

на човешките

ресурси

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The o l d St a r a Za go r a

The region was the first Bulgarian territorial gain south of Stara Planina. The town acquired the name Boruy. In 1122 Stara Zagora was the site of a battle between Byzantine Emperor John II Komnenos and an invading Pecheneg army, known as the Battle of Beroia. The Pechenegs suffered a crushing defeat at the hands of John's Byzantine army, and many of the captives were settled as foederati within the Byzantine frontier. In 1208 the Bulgarians defeated the Latin Empire in the battle of Boruy, also fought nearby.

In 1364 the medieval city was captured by the Turks who called it Eski (Hissar) Zagra (the Old fortress Zagora). During the Bulgarian Revival it evolved into an important centre of crafts and trade. It was a kaza centre in Filibe sanjak of Edirne Province before 1878 as "Zağra-i Atik".

The s t r a i gh t s t r e e t s

The Ne w St a r a Za go r a

The Ottomans conquered Stara Zagora in 1371. A grade school was built in 1840 and the town's name was changed to Zheleznik (Железник; a Slavic translation of Beroe).The city's current name, Stara Zagora, appeared for the first time in documents from the Church Council of Tsarigrad in 1875. After the Liberation of Bulgaria from Ottoman rule in 1878, it became part of autonomous Eastern Rumelia as a sanjak centre before the two Bulgarian states finally merged in 1886 as a result of the Unification of Bulgaria.

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