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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

Blagoevgrad Province
Област Благоевград
Province
Malyovitsa
Malyovitsa
Location of Blagoevgrad Province in Bulgaria
Location of Blagoevgrad Province in Bulgaria
CountryBulgaria
CapitalBlagoevgrad
Municipalities14
Government
 • GovernorBiser Mihaylov
Area
 • Total
6,449.47 km2 (2,490.15 sq mi)
Elevation
555 m (1,821 ft)
Population
 (December 2022)[1]
 • Total
288,161
 • Density45/km2 (120/sq mi)
Time zoneUTC+2 (EET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+3 (EEST)
Postal codes
2700 to 2969[2]
ISO 3166 codeBG-01[3]
License plateE
Websitewww.bl.government.bg

Blagoevgrad Province (Bulgarian: област Благоевград, oblast Blagoevgrad or Благоевградска област, Blagoevgradska oblast), also known as Pirin Macedonia or Bulgarian Macedonia (Bulgarian: Пиринска Македония; Българска Македония), (Pirinska Makedoniyа oblast) is a province (oblast) of southwestern Bulgaria. It borders four other Bulgarian provinces to the north and east, the Greek region of Macedonia to the south, and North 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

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The province has a territory of 6,449.5 km2 (2,490.2 sq mi) and a population of 323,552[1] (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

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The climate varies from temperate 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

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The Balkan Wars of 1912–1913 saw the annexation of the area to the Bulgarian state. Before the wars, it had been under Ottoman rule for over five centuries.

Municipalities

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Map of Blagoevgrad Province showing the municipal subdivisions and centres

The Blagoevgrad province (област, oblast) contains 14 municipalities (singular: община, obshtina - plural: общини, 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.[1]
census 2011 		Town/Village Pop.[1]
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

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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.[citation needed]

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 of 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

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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.[citation needed]

Notable people from Blagoevgrad Province

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A number of the province's towns were renamed in honor of major figures such as Sandanski (after Yane Sandanski).

Demographics

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Historical population
YearPop.±%
1946252,908—    
1956281,015+11.1%
1965302,503+7.6%
1975322,974+6.8%
1985345,942+7.1%
1992351,637+1.6%
2001341,173−3.0%
2011323,552−5.2%
2021292,227−9.7%
Source: pop-stat.mashke.org[4]

The province had a population of 323,552 according to the 2011 census, of which 49.3% were male and 50.9% were female.[5][6][7][8]

Ethnic groups

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

Total population (2011 census): 323 552
Ethnic groups (2011 census):[9] Identified themselves: 283,556 persons:

  • Bulgarians: 251,097 (88,55%)
  • Turks: 17,027 (6,0%)
  • Romani: 9,739 (3,43%)
  • Others and indefinable: 5,693 (2,01%)
  • Unspecified: 40,524 (this figure is not included in the percentage.)

The ethnic Bulgarian population in the province also has a regional Macedonian identity, distinct from the ethnic Macedonian identity of Macedonians in the Republic of North Macedonia.[10] According to the 2011 Bulgarian census, there were 561 ethnic Macedonians (0.2%) in the Blagoevgrad Province,[11] out of a total of 1,654 Macedonians in the entire country.[12] During the same year, a total of 429 citizens of the Republic of North Macedonia resided in the province.[13] Since registering a permanent residence in Bulgaria is a requirement for becoming naturalized in Bulgaria, a total of 18,000 Macedonian nationals were registered as residents in the Blagoevgrad Municipality alone by 2017. They are citizens of the Republic of North Macedonia, but have also Bulgarian citizenship, based on declared Bulgarian ethnic origin; their number in the whole of the province is higher.[14] However, the vast majority of these people do not permanently reside in the Blagoevgrad Province.

Languages

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Mother tongues in the province according to 2001 census:[15] 306,118 Bulgarian (89.7%), 19,819 Turkish (5.8%), 9,232 Romani (2.7%) and 6004 others and unspecified (1.6%).

Religion

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Religions in Blagoevgrad Province (2011 census)[16]
Religious group Percentage
Orthodox Christian
 
 60.86%
Muslim
 
 12.56%
Protestant Christian
 
 0.46%
Roman Catholic Christian
 
 0.22%
others and indefinable
 
 25.86%

Religious adherence in the province according to 2001 census:[17]

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%

Most Muslims in the province are Bulgarian Muslims, also called Pomaks. That makes Blagoevgrad Province together with Smolyan Province and the area around Velingrad one of the few places where Bulgarian Muslims make up the majority of the Muslims while in Bulgaria general most Muslims are from Turkish background.

Sport

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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.

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See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b c d Census 2011[permanent dead link‍]
  2. ^ "Blagoevgrad (Благоевград) Postal codes". postalcodes.azinfoportal.com. Retrieved 20 May 2024.
  3. ^ "Bulgaria Country Codes". codesofcountry.com. Retrieved 20 May 2024.
  4. ^ "Divisions of Bulgaria". 2024-04-03.
  5. ^ (in Bulgarian) Bulgarian National Statistical Institute - 2011 census Archived 2011-07-14 at the Wayback Machine
  6. ^ „WorldCityPopulation“
  7. ^ „pop-stat.mashke.org“
  8. ^ (in Bulgarian) Population by 01.02.2011 by Area and Sex Archived 2011-04-08 at the Wayback Machine from Bulgarian National Statistical Institute: Preliminary results of Census 2011
  9. ^ Population by province, municipality, settlement and ethnic identification, by 01.02.2011; Bulgarian National Statistical Institute Archived 2013-05-21 at the Wayback Machine (in Bulgarian)
  10. ^ "Center for Documentation and Information on Minorities in Europe - Southeast Europe (CEDIME-SE) - Macedonians of Bulgaria" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2006-07-23. Retrieved 2008-07-03.
  11. ^ Население по етническа група и майчин език в област: Благоевград.[permanent dead link‍]
  12. ^ Преброяване 2011 – окончателни резултати, гл. ІІІ. Основни резултати, стр. 23.
  13. ^ 323 552 души е населението на Пиринско.
  14. ^ в-к Труд, Март 26, 2017, В Благоевградска община има регистрирани 18 хиляди македонци.
  15. ^ (in Bulgarian) Population to 01.03.2001 by District and Mother Tongue from Bulgarian National Statistical Institute: Census 2001 Archived 2017-11-10 at the Wayback Machine
  16. ^ ""Religious composition: 2011 census"". pop-stat.mashke.org. Retrieved 29 June 2018.
  17. ^ (in Bulgarian) Religious adherence in Bulgaria - census 2001 Archived 2010-09-07 at the Wayback Machine

Sources

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