More about the city
Country: Bulgaria
Stara Zagora is one of the most beautiful and colorful Bulgarian cities, well-known for its straight streets, rich cultural and historical heritage and wonderful parks and gardens, full of lime trees. Because of its many lime trees, the city is also known as “The city of the lime trees”. It is the sixth largest city in the country with a population of 135,715 people as per the National Statistical Institute data as of 31.12.2018. The mineral springs in the region, the modern urban atmosphere and the dynamic social life give the city an incredible charm and make it a preferred tourist destination.
History
Stara Zagora is a city with history that is thousands of years old and is one of the most ancient cities in South-Eastern Europe. It was founded as a Neolithic settlement around the 7-6 millennium BC and nowadays is a home to the best-preserved Neolithic settlements on the Old Continent. Throughout the years, the city has had different names, such as Beroe, Avgusta Trayana, Irinopolis, Boruy, Vereya, Eski Zaara, Zheleznik and it is currently called Stara Zagora. Stara Zagora is a city that has endured many coups, invasions and military raids. It has been burned to the ground and rebuilt over and over again. Its last restoration started in 1878 as its architectural plan was inspired by the Hippodamian Plan (grid plan) famous for its long straight streets crossing at a right angle. The plan was designed by the famous for his time Czech architect Libor Bayer. The reconstruction started on October 5 the same year as this date was further announced as the official city holiday.
Geography
The city is situated in the east site of the Upper Thracian Plain, surrounded by Sarnena Sredna Gora, St. Ilia Hills, Sakar mountain and the Chirpan Hills. It is located 230 km away from the capital, 102 km away from Plovdiv, 110 km away from Veliko Tarnovo, 89 km away from Sliven and 172 km away from Burgas. One of the Bulgarian motorways, Trakia, passes near the city. The nature in the area is a combination of the magnetism and greatness of Sredna Gora and the fruitfulness and endlessness of the Thracian Plain. The region’s average altitude is 357 m while Stara Zagora’s average altitude is 196 m. The transitional continental climate of the city provides for winters that are not especially cold, summers that are relatively hot and rainfalls are evenly spread throughout the seasons.
Infrastructure
Stara Zagora is one of the most significant economic centers in the country. The largest energy complex in Bulgaria, called Maritsa Iztok, is located 40 km south of the city. With its area of 240 sq.km. it is the biggest industrial complex in South-Eastern Europe. This makes the energy industry the main industry in the region. Other developed industries are the food industry, mechanical engineering and the chemical industry. In recent years, the city has been attracting a significant number of foreign investments, mainly in the field of trade, logistics, energetics, and innovations. Stara Zagora’s per-capita GDP is the second highest in the country only lagging behind Sofia. Since 2017 the population’s economic activity has been constantly growing, accompanied by the record growth in employment and the significant decrease of unemployment rates. The city offers wonderful living conditions, modern urban environment and amazing academic opportunities. The city is home to the Trakia University which provides education in pedagogy, veterinary medicine, ecology, agronomy, zoo engineering, etc. Green spaces can be found everywhere in the city and the Ayazmo Park is one of the largest and most beautiful parks in the whole country.
Development
Today Stara Zagora is one of the most developed cities in Bulgaria with its favorable living conditions, modern European environment and rapid growth rate. The city is a unique combination of the historic and modern world, intertwined in perfect harmony. Green and full of attractive business opportunities, the city also has a dynamic social life. The average salary and the standard of living in the city are among the highest in the country. It is also called “the Bulgarian New York” because of its straight streets, the large number of museums and theatres, as well as the spacious green parks and gardens. In 2017, the city was announced the best Bulgarian city to live in and up to this day meets all requirements for a quality of life!
