Dobrich
| Dobrich Добрич |
|||
|---|---|---|---|
| The Church of Saint George | |||
|
|||
  Dobrich
|
|||
| Coordinates: | |||
| Country |  Bulgaria |
||
| Province (Oblast) |
Dobrich | ||
| Government | |||
| - Mayor | Detelina Nikolova | ||
| Elevation | 225 m (738 ft) | ||
| Population (2006-03-15) | |||
| - Total | 114,990 | ||
| Time zone | EET (UTC+2) | ||
| - Summer (DST) | EEST (UTC+3) | ||
| Postal Code | 9300 | ||
| Area code(s) | 058 | ||
Dobrich (Bulgarian: Добрич) is a town in northeastern Bulgaria and the administrative centre of Dobrich Province. Dobrich is the eighth most populated town in Bulgaria, being the centre of the historical region of Southern Dobruja, and is located 30 km west of the Bulgarian Black Sea Coast, not far from resorts such as Albena, Balchik, and Golden Sands.
Dobrich Knoll on Livingston Island in the South Shetland Islands, Antarctica is named after Dobrich. A point of interest is the Dobrich TV Tower.
Contents |
History
The first evidence of settlement in what is now Dobrich date from 4th-3rd century BC. Ruins from 2nd-4th century and 7th-11th century have also been found, including a Bulgar necropolis featuring pagan graves in the centre of the town.
During the 11th century, Pecheneg invasions devastated the interior of Dobruja, leaving many settlements in the region uninhabited at the time of the Second Bulgarian Empire.
The settlement was founded for a second time in the 16th century by the Turkish merchant Hacıoğlu Pazarcık, whose name it bore until 1882. According to Turkish data from 1646–1650, there were over 1000 houses in the town, about 100 shops, 3 inns, 3 Turkish baths, twelve mosques and twelve schools.
From the 17th to the 19th century, the town developed as a handicraft, trade and agricultural centre, being famous for its weaving, homespun tailoring, coppersmith's trade, leather-work and agricultural products, such as wheat, linseed, wool and cheese.
At the beginning of the 19th century, the town's population reached 12,000, many of whom refugees from eastern Bulgaria after the Russo-Turkish Wars. The cultural appearance of the town was also formed. The first Orthodox church was built in 1843.
The town was liberated from the Ottoman Empire on 27 January 1878 and renamed Dobrich on 19 February 1882 after Dobrotitsa, a medieval ruler of Dobruja. This was done by means of a decree issued by knyaz Alexander I.
After the Treaty of Bucharest of 1913 (confirmed by the Treaty of Neuilly of 1919), Dobrich and the whole of Southern Dobruja were incorporated in Romania for a period until 1940. During that time, the city bore the name Bazargic and was centre of Caliacra County (judeţ in Romanian). On 25 September 1940, the Bulgarian army marched into the town after signing Treaty of Craiova in September 7, 1940; that date is celebrated as the town's holiday.
During the period of Communist rule, Dobrich was renamed Tolbukhin (Толбухин) after Russian military commander Fyodor Tolbukhin. On 19 September 1990, a presidential decree restored the town's old name of Dobrich.
Social institutions
Education
Higher Education:
- Dobrudza Technological College http://www.tu-varna.bg/tu-varnakd/
- College of Education of Shoumen University "Ep. Konstatine Preslavski"
- International University College http://vumk.eu/
- Medical college (closed in 2006)
There are about 30 high schools, 19 kindergartens and 3 mangers in Dobrich.
Demographics
2001 census data states that about 86% of Dobrich's inhabitants are ethnic Bulgarians, followed by Turks at 8% and Roma at 3.5%. The percentage of Orthodox Christians is 86%, whereas 10% of the population are adherents of the Muslim faith.
|
Notable natives
- Dora Gabe - poetess
- Dimitar Spisarevski - famous fighter pilot
- Ivaylo Petrov - football player
- Boncho Genchev - footbal player, 4th in the 1994 FIFA World Cup with the Bulgarian national team
- Preslava - pop-folk singer
- Miro - singer
See also
- List of cities in Bulgaria
- Dobrudja
Twin cities
Pinsk, Belarus
Golmud, People's Republic of China
Zalaegerszeg, Hungary
Kavadarci, Republic of Macedonia
Nowy Sącz, Poland
Constanţa, Romania
Saratov, Russia
Schaffhausen, Switzerland
Kırklareli, Turkey
Izmail, Ukraine
Gallery
 Khan Asparuh (reign 668–695) monument, credited for establishment of the First Bulgarian Empire in 681 |
 The clock tower in the "Old Dobrich" |
 A street in the "Old Dobrich" |
 The Church of St George in the centre of Dobrich, to the left is the statue of Vasil Levski by Kolyo Bogdanov |
||
 Dobrich park entrance |
 130 years city park Dobrich 1997 |
The park in Dobrich (TV tower at the distance on the right) |
Dobrich park art |
External links
- The modern website of Dobrich (Bulgarian)
- Info Dobrich (Bulgarian)
- City of Dobrich
- The official site of Municipality Dobrich (Bulgarian)
- A guide to Dobrich (Bulgarian)
- Dobrich Information and Photos
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|||||