Okolija

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An Okolija (feminine, Bulgarian Околия , plural Okolii ) is a former name for a larger administrative district in Bulgaria , similar to the German district.

At the Berlin Congress in 1878 , the territory of the later Kingdom of Bulgaria was divided among other things into the Principality of Bulgaria , which was separated from the Ottoman Empire , but whose sovereignty was nominally still subject to the Ottoman Empire, and Eastern Rumelia , a province of the Ottoman Empire.

Okolii existed both in the Principality of Bulgaria and in Eastern Rumelia.

Principality of Bulgaria

On April 28, 1879, the Tarnowo Constitution was passed, which also regulates the administrative-territorial structure of the Principality of Bulgaria . The constitution stipulates that the territory of Bulgaria is divided into okraschie , okolii and obschtini (municipalities).

In the following year, with decree number 317 of Prince Alexander I von Batenberg of June 26, 1880, the 21 okra in Bulgaria were divided into 58 okolii:

In the following year, 1881, the number of okrags in the Principality of Bulgaria was reduced to 14 and in 1884 three former okrags were re-established.

Eastern Rumelia

First project

On April 14, 1879, a European commission specially formed for this purpose completed its work, which was supposed to draw up a kind of constitution for Eastern Rumelia (Bulgarian Органически устав на Източна Румелия) in accordance with Section 18 of the Berlin Treaty (concluded at the Berlin Congress in 1878) . Finally, the members of the commission signed a policy document that came into force after confirmation by the Ottoman Sultan and governed the administrative structure of Eastern Rumelia in principle. In administrative terms, Eastern Rumelia was divided into 6 departments (bulg. Окръг / okrag; the translation "districts" is also possible) and 28 cantons (bulg. Околия / Okolija).

With the law on administrative subdivision of November 29, 1879, which was not confirmed by the Sublime Porte , the 6 departments of Eastern Rumelia were additionally divided into 28 okolii:

Second project

On November 6, 1880, another law was passed by the regional assembly (Областно събрание). It differed from the previous law in that the Okolija Kopriwschtiza was no longer provided in the Tatarpasardzhik department, but the Okolija Sejmen - with the center of Sejmen (today Simeonowgrad ) in the Stara Sagora department . Some villages were also moved from one Okolija to another in their administrative assignment. The new law was not approved by the High Phorde either, but it was applied by the area assembly.

After the unification of Bulgaria

After the unification of Bulgaria in 1885 (unification of the Principality of Bulgaria with Eastern Rumelia) and the subsequent development, the Okolija became a secondary administrative-territorial unit between 1885 and 1947, after the primary administrative units: okra, okrag and oblast. Administratively, Bulgaria comprised 23 okra and 84 okolii.

In the People's Republic of Bulgaria , the oblasts were replaced as an administrative unit in 1947 and 102 Okolii remained as the primary administrative units, seven of which were pure cities: Sofia, Plovdiv, Stara Sagora, Burgas, Varna, Russe and Pleven.

In 1959 30 rural districts (bulg. Окръг / okrag) were formed as the primary administrative unit and the Okolii were abolished.

Bulgarian Orthodox Church

Today the Bulgarian Orthodox Church divides its eparchies (dioceses) in Okolija.

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ http://rdp-bg.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=168&Itemid=40

Web links