Dimitrovgrad, Bulgaria

Dimitrovgrad, Bulgaria Димитровград
[[File:BUL Димитровград COA.png Dimitrovgrad park Penyo Penev |100px|Coat of arms of Dimitrovgrad, Bulgaria]] Coat of arms
Dimitrovgrad, Bulgaria Location of Dimitrovgrad, Bulgaria
Coordinates:
Country	Bulgaria
Province (Oblast)	Haskovo
Government
• Mayor	Ivo Dimov
Area
• City	62.436 km2 (24.107 sq mi)
Elevation	125 m (410 ft)
Population (Census February 2011)
• City	38,015
• Density	610/km2 (1,600/sq mi)
• Urban	52,541
Time zone	EET (UTC+2)
• Summer (DST)	EEST (UTC+3)
Postal Code	6400
Area code(s)	0391
Website	Official website

Dimitrovgrad (Bulgarian: Димитровград) is a town in Haskovo Province, south-central Bulgaria, located close to the province capital - Haskovo. It is a newly founded settlement, and was built at the end of the 1940s. The town takes its name from the communist leader Georgi Dimitrov. The town is the administrative centre of the homonymous Dimitrovgrad Municipality. As of February 2011, it had a population of 38,015 inhabitants (municipal population - 52,541).

History

The city was built in 1947 by the Communist government of the time and the brigades organized for that purpose. On the 2 September, 1947 the town's establishment was officially announced, but its construction and expansion continued intensively for several more years, as the three villages (Rakovski, Mariyno and Chernokonyovo) that existed at the place were merged to form Dimitrovgrad. The main practical reason behind the new city was to create a modern industrial centre. Of course, there was also an ideological foundation for building it.

In 1970 the celebration of the national poetry festival 'Penio Penev' took place for the first time, and that tradition continues to the present. In 1980 the biennial Bulgarian theatrical poster was held for the first time. In 1987 the museum – house Penio Penev was opened.

In 1992, the monument to Georgi Dimitrov, the man after which the town is named, was removed by the authorities. This move, however, proved very unpopular with the local residents and in 2012 a plan was adopted by Dimitrovgrad city council to restore the statue and re-mount it by 2013.

Tourism

Architecture in Dimitrovgrad is similar to that of the Roman Empire: it has spacious streets and large parks. It is one of the greenest cities in Bulgaria. There are three large parks with about 15 lakes, dozens of species of rare trees, shrubs and flowers, sculptures, gazebos and fountains.

Population

The population of Dimitrovgrad during the first decade after its foundation was about 34,000. Since then it started growing, mostly because of migrants arriving from rural areas. This migration reached its peak in the period between 1985 and 1992, when it exceeded 50,000. Since this time, and particularly during the 1990s, the population has declined rapidly due to the poor economic situation in the Bulgarian provinces that lead to a new migration in the direction of the country's capital Sofia and abroad.

Dimitrovgrad
Year	1887	1910	1934	1946	1956	1965	1975	1985	1992	2001	2005	2009	2011	2013
Population	---	---	---	---	34,162	41,816	45,595	53,804	50,677	45,918	42,840	41,810	??	??
	Highest number ?? in ??
Sources: National Statistical Institute, „citypopulation.de“, „pop-stat.mashke.org“, Bulgarian Academy of Sciences

Panorama view of downtown of Dimitrovgrad, Bulgaria

Twinnings

• Darkhan, Mongolia
• Dimitrovgrad, Russia
• Kalamaria (Thessaloniki regional unit), Greece
• Grosseto, Italy

External links

• Official website of Dimitrovgrad municipality
• Forum website of Dimitrovgrad (English language supported)
• Portal website of Dimitrovgrad