Gabrovo

Gabrovo
Gabrovo; Габрово
	The Town Hall
; Flag	; Coat of arms
	Gabrovo Location of Gabrovo
	Coordinates: 42°52′N 25°20′E / 42.867°N 25.333°ECoordinates: 42°52′N 25°20′E / 42.867°N 25.333°E
Country	Bulgaria
Province; (Oblast)	Gabrovo
	Government
• Mayor	Nikolai Sirakov
Elevation	392 m (1,286 ft)
	Population (Census February 2011)
• City	58,950
• Urban	65,268
Time zone	EET (UTC+2)
• Summer (DST)	EEST (UTC+3)
Postal Code	5300
Area code(s)	066

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Gabrovo (Bulgarian: Габрово) is a city in central northern Bulgaria, the administrative centre of Gabrovo Province. It is situated at the foot of the central Balkan Mountains, in the valley of the Yantra River, and is known as an international capital of humour and satire (see Gabrovo humour), as well as noted for its Bulgarian National Revival architecture. Gabrovo is also known as the longest city in Bulgaria, stretching over 25 km^{[citation needed]} along the Yantra, yet reaching only 1 km in width at places. The geographic center of Bulgaria - Uzana is located near the city. According to Census 2011, as of February 2011, the population of the town was 58,950 inhabitants.^[1]

[edit] History

The area around Gabrovo, inhabited since the Neolithic, gained economic importance after Veliko Tarnovo became capital of the Second Bulgarian Empire in the 12th century. Craftsmanship and trade prospered due to the proximity to both the capital and the Balkan passes. Medieval Gabrovo was a small pass village of about 100 houses.

According to the most widespread legend, Gabrovo was founded by a young blacksmith called Racho, close to whose fireplace a hornbeam (габър, gabar in Bulgarian) rose, so the settlement acquired its name.

After the Ottoman invasion of the Balkans in the 14th century, the demographic position of Gabrovo changed significantly, as it was the only settlement in a considerably large geographic area and an attractive place for Bulgarians fleeing from the conquered capital and neighbouring fortresses. It turned from a village into a small town (palanka) and began to develop as an economic, cultural and spiritual centre.

Bulgarian Orthodox Theophany Crucession in Gabrovo. The priests are going to throw a wooden cross in the Yantra. Believers will then jump into the icy waters to "save" the cross.

During Ottoman rule, the rich tradesmen spent plenty of resources for the small town's public planning. The first Bulgarian secular school, the Aprilov National High Shcool, was founded in Gabrovo in 1835 with the aid of Vasil Aprilov and Nikolay Palauzov. Gabrovo was officially proclaimed a town by the Ottoman authority in May 1860.

Shortly before and after the Liberation of Bulgaria in 1878, Gabrovo developed as a centre of industry on the basis of its economic traditions. Joint-stock companies emerged, factories were constructed and connections to the large stock exchanges were created, prompting some to label the city "The Bulgarian Manchester".^{[citation needed]}

The Bulgarian National Revival church of Gabrovo, an architectural monument.

It is hard not to notice that this is the longest city in Bulgaria. With the amazing 28 km (this is a lot for Bulgaria, the Capital Sofia is only 21 km long), Gabrovo represent the past, the "now" and the future of the country. Recently^[when?] the city won one of the biggest prices in the biggest National survey for "The best living city in Bulgaria" - Gabrovo won the "Greenest (Eco) city" and became 2nd in the readers contest. For more information you can see - dariknews.bg. Also Gabrovo is the city with most monumental statues - more than 14 000. The "city" also has an opportunity for business development. The Gabrovo Municipality Agenda says that Gabrovo has an BB+ credit raiting.

[edit] Demographics

Gabrovo saw its most rapid growth in the post-World War II years, when its population was doubled. Following general population trends in Bulgaria, the number of citizens started declining after the fall of Communism in the country. People started emigrating abroad or to the capital of Sofia. Currently, Gabrovo is more than 20,000 people short of its peak, achieved in the period 1985-1991 when the number of the residents exceeded 80,000.^[2] The following table presents the change of the population after the liberation of the country in 1878.

Gabrovo
Year	1887	1910	1934	1946	1956	1965	1975	1985	1992	2001	2005	2009	2011
Population	7,958	8,423	13,668	21,180	37,919	57,920	75,091	81,629	76,529	67,065	63,004	60,281	58,030
	Highest number 81,786 in 1986
Sources: National Statistical Institute,^[1]^[2]^[3] „citypopulation.de“,^[4] „pop-stat.mashke.org“,^[5] Bulgarian Academy of Sciences^[6]

[edit] Culture

Internationally known as a centre of humour and satire, Gabrovo has two theatres, the Racho Stoyanov Drama Theatre and the puppet theatre, a House of Humour and Satire that serves as a cultural institute, a centre, museum and gallery to popularise comic art. There is also a cinema, Aleko Cinema, and a number of museums and menorial houses both in the town and around it, most notably the Etar Architectural-Ethnographic Complex and the National Museum of Education at the Aprilov National High School. A planetarium is also in operation. Gabrovo is twinned with the Belgian town of Aalst and Mogilev in Belarus.

[edit] Tourism

Houses of the late 19th-early 20th century in Gabrovo's central part - the House of Vasil Karagiosov

Places of interest in Gabrovo include the House of Humour and Satire and Aprilov National High School. In Gabrovo Province sites include architectural reserve Bozhentsi. Hiking is widely available in the Central Balkan National Park and in the Bulgarka Nature Park, itself home to Ethnographic Complex Etara, Dryanovo Monastery, Sokolski Monastery, Shipka Pass, and the Uzana area. For admirers of historical tourism Shipka Memorial is a must-see.

[edit] Sports

City's most successfully sports club is FC Yantra Gabrovo, which was founded in 1919.
The city also has long handball traditions.
About 25 km from the city in Central Balkan Mountains is located the renowned winter resort Uzana.

[edit] Honors

A minor planet 2206 Gabrova discovered on April 1, 1976 by Soviet astronomer Nikolai Stepanovich Chernykh is named in honor of the city.^[7]

Gabrovo Knoll on Livingston Island in the South Shetland Islands, Antarctica is named after Gabrovo.

[edit] Notable natives

Vasil Aprilov - revivalist and educator; founder of the first secular school in Bulgaria
Nikolay Palauzov - marchant, donated money for the Gabrovian school
Ivan Kolchev Kalpazanov (1835–1889) - industrialist, ancestor of the modern industry in Gabrovo and Kingdom of Bulgaria (1882)
Vasil Nikolov Karagiosov (1856–1938) - teacher, politician, grantor - contributor, industrialist, German honorary vice consul, monk in the Zograph monastery "St.martyr George" - Mount Athos
Koljo Karagiosov (1896–1972) - industrialist, grantor - contributor, German honorary vice consul,repressed by the Communist Government of Bulgaria (1947–1972)
Tsanko Dyustabanov - revolutionary
Chardafon - Prodan Tishkov - revolutionary
Lyubomir Andreychin - explorer of the Bulgarian language
Dora Boneva - painter
Emanuil Manolov - composer
Ran Bosilek - writer
Christo Yavashev - installation artist
Ivan Vutsov - sportsman
Svilen Noev - pop-singer
Petar Rusev, father of Dilma Rousseff, current and first female president of Brazil