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Blagoevgrad Province

Coordinates: 41°45′N 23°15′E / 41.750°N 23.250°E / 41.750; 23.250
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41°45′N 23°15′E / 41.750°N 23.250°E / 41.750; 23.250 Template:Infobox Bulgarian province Blagoevgrad Province (Template:Lang-bg, oblast Blagoevgrad or Благоевградска област, Blagoevgradska oblast), also known as Pirin Macedonia[1][2][3][4] (Template:Lang-bg, Pirinska Makedoniya), is a province (oblast) of southwestern Bulgaria. It borders four other Bulgarian provinces to the north and east, to the Greek region of Macedonia to the south, and the Republic of Macedonia to the west. The province has 14 municipalities with 12 towns. Its principal city is Blagoevgrad, while other significant towns include Bansko, Gotse Delchev, Melnik, Petrich, Razlog, Sandanski, and Simitli.

Geography and climate

Geography

The province has a territory of 6,449.5 km² and a population of 323,552[5] (as of 2011). It is the third largest in Bulgaria after Burgas and Sofia Provinces and comprises 5.8% of the country's territory. Blagoevgrad Province includes the mountains, or parts of, Rila (highest point of the Balkans — Musala summit, 2925 m), Pirin (highest point — Vihren summit, 2914 m), the Rhodopes, Slavyanka, Belasitsa, Vlahina, Maleshevo, Ograzhden and Stargach. There are two major rivers — Struma River and Mesta River — with population concentrations along their valleys, which are also the main transport corridors.

Climate

The climate varies from temprerate continental to Mediterranean in the southernmost parts. Natural resources are timber, mineral springs, coal, construction materials, including marble and granite. The beautiful and preserved environment is widely considered an important resource. A number of national parks and protected territories care for the biodiversity. Arable land is 38.8% and forests constitute 52% of the province's territory.

History

Blagoevgrad Province was originally part of ancient Thrace and inhabited by the Thracian tribe Maedi.[6] Alexander the Great founded his first town/colony Alexandrupolis in 340 BC.[citation needed] Afterwards the town was probably destroyed by a local Thracian raid.[7]

Municipalities

Map of Blagoevgrad Province showing the municipal subdivisions and centres

The Blagoevgrad province (oбласт, oblast) contains 14 municipalities (singular: oбщина, obshtina - plural: oбщини, obshtini). The following table shows the names of each municipality in English and Cyrillic, the main town (in bold) or village, and the population of each as of 2011.

Municipality Cyrillic Pop.[5]
census 2011 		Town/Village Pop.[5]
census 2011
Bansko Банско 13,125 Bansko 8,562
Belitsa Белица 9,927 Belitsa 3,362
Blagoevgrad Благоевград 77,441 Blagoevgrad 70,881
Garmen Гърмен 14,981 Garmen 1,982
Gotse Delchev Гоце Делчев 31,236 Gotse Delchev 19,219
Hadzhidimovo Хаджидимово 10,091 Hadzhidimovo 2,730
Kresna Кресна 5,441 Kresna 3,470
Petrich Петрич 54,006 Petrich 28,902
Razlog Разлог 20,598 Razlog 11,960
Sandanski Сандански 40,470 Sandanski 26,472
Satovcha Сатовча 15,444 Satovcha 2,434
Simitli Симитли 14,283 Simitli 6,674
Strumyani Струмяни 5,778 Strumyani 998
Yakoruda Якоруда 10,731 Yakoruda 5,792

Economy

The region is characterized with diversified economic branch structure: food and tobacco processing industries, agriculture, tourism, transport and communications, textile industry, timber and furniture industries, iron processing and machinery industry, construction materials industry, as well as pharmaceuticals, plastics, paper and shoes production. Approximately 10% of the population is unemployed (close to the national average). There are 4 major hospitals in the province.

With its railway line and road connection, the region forms the heart of the land-based trading route between northern Greece, Bulgaria and Romania. Since the early 2000s the province enjoys a mini boom in trade from thousands Greek day-trippers from across the border, purchasing cheaper goods and services (dental, opticians, etc.). Since the early 1990s, the region has also attracted Greek manufacturers who moved their production line from Greece, especially to Petrich. It was an important tourist destination during the communist years for East Germans and is slowly picking up again. The unique town of Melnik was once a wealthy centre built on the back of exiled phanariots from Constantinople. Now it is a centre for wine production and offers eco-tourism.

Infrastructure remains relatively underdeveloped, especially regarding road and rail communications. It remains an important target for potential EU funding. There are two major infrastructural projects in the region. The Struma motorway, which is planned to connect the capital Sofia with the Greek border and the port of Thessaloniki, is going to run through the valley of the Sruma River, and will be ready in a few years. The second project is the airport of Bansko. The cost is currently estimated at around €30,000,000.

Culture, education and monuments

Historical and archaeological monuments include the ruins of antique Thracian and Roman settlements, Early Christian basilicas, medieval Byzantine and Bulgarian towns, monasteries and fortresses, as well as many preserved buildings and whole villages — examples of the architecture from the Ottoman period (like Melnik, the Rozhen Monastery and Bansko).

A theatre, a library with 345,000 tomes, and an opera house are situated in the provincial centre, Blagoevgrad. There are art galleries in Bansko, Blagoevgrad and Sandanski. Many small cultural institutions, chitalishta, are dispersed around the province. The Pirin State Ensemble is the most prominent among the numerous folklore and music bands. There are 10 museums in the province that preserve the rich historical, ethnographic and archaeological heritage. Cultural events include the Theatre Festival in Blagoevgrad, the Jazz Festival in Bansko and the Melnik Evenings of Poetry.

The Southwestern University and the American University in Bulgaria are situated in Blagoevgrad; the latter is the second largest American university campus in Europe and is located in the former headquarters of the communist party. Annually the city draws around 10,000 students from the country and abroad. The number of schools in the province is 182.

Notable Bulgarians from Blagoevgrad Province

A number of the province's towns were renamed in honor of major figures such as Sandanski (after Jane Sandanski), Gotse Delchev and Blagoevgrad (named after Dimitar Blagoev).

Demographics

The province had a population of 324,110 according to the 2011 census, of which 49.2% were male and 50.8% were female.[8][9][10][11]

The following table represents the change of the population in the province after World War II: Template:Table BG Province population

Ethnic groups

Ethnic groups in Blagoevgrad Province (2011 census)
Ethnic group Percentage
Bulgarians
 
 88.6%
Turks
 
 6.0%
Gypsies
 
 3.4%
others and indefinable
 
 2.0%

Total population (2011 census): 324 110
Ethnic groups (2011 census):[12] Identified themselves: 283,556 persons:

  • Bulgarians: 251,097 (88,55%)
  • Turks: 17,027 (6,0%)
  • Gypsies: 9,739 (3,43%)
  • Others and indefinable: 5,693 (2,01%)

A further 40,000 persons in Blagoevgrad Province did not declare their ethnic group at the 2011 census.

Languages

Mother tongues in the province according to 2001 census:[13] 306,118 Bulgarian (89.7%),
19,819 Turkish (5.8%), 9,232 Roma (Gypsy) (2.7%) and 6004 others and unspecified (1.6%).

Religion

Religions in Blagoevgrad Province (2001 census)
Religious group Percentage
Orthodox Christian
 
 78.8%
Muslim
 
 18.3%
Protestant Christian
 
 0.5%
Roman Catholic Christian
 
 0.1%
others and indefinable
 
 2.3%

Religious adherence in the province according to 2001 census:[14]

Census 2001
religious adherence population %
Orthodox Christians 268,968 78.84%
Muslims 62,431 18.30%
Protestants 1,546 0.45%
Roman Catholics 277 0.08%
Other 933 0.27%
Religion not mentioned 7,018 2.06%
total 341,173 100%

Ethnic Macedonians

Main article: Ethnic Macedonians in Bulgaria

The vast majority of the Slavic population in Pirin Macedonia has a Bulgarian self-consciousness and a regional Macedonian identity, similar to that of the Greek Macedonians.[15] According to the last census from 2011, 561 persons described themselves as ethnic Macedonians in Blagoevgrad Province (0.2%).[16] According to a study by the Bulgarian Helsinki Committee performed in 1998, people with a Macedonian national self-consciousness in the entirety of Bulgaria were between 15,000 and 25,000.[15] In 2008, the local ethnic Macedonian political activist Stoyko Stoykov claimed their number to be between 5,000 and 10,000 in the whole of Bulgaria.[17]

Sport

Blagoevgrad Province is currently one of the best-represented provinces in Bulgarian football, with 3 teams playing in the Bulgarian A PFG (second only to Sofia with 4) — FC Vihren Sandanski, PFC Belasitsa Petrich and PFC Pirin 1922 Blagoevgrad. One more team from the province, PFC Pirin Blagoevgrad (as distinct from Pirin 1922), began the 2005/06 season in the highest Bulgarian division, but disbanded shortly afterwards due to financial problems.

Owing to the alpine features and accessible location, the northern and eastern regionof Blagoevgrad Province is also a centre of winter sports. The main centre is Bansko which is becoming a leading skiing resort at European level with rapidly rising property prices.

See also

References

  1. ^ Dr. Boryana Buzhashka, Director of the Archives State Agency. We publish our documents on the population of Pirin Macedonia. Focus News Agency, 7 May 2009. (in Bulgarian) Archived 2011-07-19 at the Wayback Machine
  2. ^ Program for the development of tourism in Sandanski Municipality. Bulgaria State Agency for Tourism, 2004. (in Bulgarian) Archived 2009-02-06 at the Wayback Machine
  3. ^ Pirin Macedonia is becoming a hit in rural tourism. Monitor Daily, Sofia, 26 December 2007. (in Bulgarian)
  4. ^ Legends from Bulgaria - Macedonia. Bulgarian National Radio, 2 March 2005. (in Bulgarian) [dead link]
  5. ^ a b c Cite error: The named reference Census 2011 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  6. ^ Aufstieg und Niedergang der römischen Welt Page 234 By Hildegard Temporini, Wolfgang Haase ISBN 3-11-006875-3, ISBN 978-3-11-006875-7
  7. ^ http://www.livius.org
  8. ^ Template:Bg icon Bulgarian National Statistical Institute - 2011 census
  9. ^ „WorldCityPopulation“
  10. ^ „pop-stat.mashke.org“
  11. ^ Template:Bg icon Population by 01.02.2011 by Area and Sex from Bulgarian National Statistical Institute: Preliminary results of Census 2011
  12. ^ Population by province, municipality, settlement and ethnic identification, by 01.02.2011; Bulgarian National Statistical Institute Template:Bg icon
  13. ^ Template:Bg icon Population to 01.03.2001 by District and Mother Tongue from Bulgarian National Statistical Institute: Census 2001
  14. ^ Template:Bg icon Religious adherence in Bulgaria - census 2001
  15. ^ a b Center for Documentation and Information on Minorities in Europe - Southeast Europe (CEDIME-SE) - Macedonians of Bulgaria
  16. ^ Template:Bg icon Official census data
  17. ^ source

Sources

  • Who are the Macedonians? by Hugh Poulton. London: 1995.
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