Pirdop
Pirdop (Пирдоп) | ||||
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Basic data | ||||
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State : | Bulgaria | |||
Oblast : | Sofia | |||
Residents : | 6919 (December 31, 2016) | |||
Coordinates : | 42 ° 42 ′ N , 24 ° 11 ′ E | |||
Height : | 696 m | |||
Postal code : | 2070 | |||
Telephone code : | (+359) 07181 | |||
License plate : | CO | |||
administration | ||||
Website : | www.pirdop.com |
Pirdop ( Bulgarian Пирдоп ) is a small town in western Bulgaria and the seat of government of the municipality of Pirdop .
location
Pirdop is located 90 km east of the capital Sofia , 1–2 km from the sister city Slatitsa . The city is the administrative center of the municipality of the same name. Until the early 1990s, the towns of Pirdop and Slatiza were a common town called Srednogorie.
The city is located in the Slatiza plain of the same name (Златишко поле), which protects against strong winds and ensures a relatively mild climate. In summer 40 ° C can be reached in the shade.
The municipality of Pirdop consists of two localities: Pirdop and Duschanzi
Cityscape
The city makes a run down impression. However, work is being done on the cityscape. For example, more and more houses are getting a new, colorful coat of paint and access road 6 from the east has also been renewed. It leads south past the city center. In contrast to the rest of the city, this is nicely decorated with a fountain, a green area and flags in front of the government building.
history
The origin of the name Pirdop is unclear. There are numerous legends that try to explain the origin. However, none is entirely convincing. Many burial mounds and the remains of a medieval fortress suggest that several tribes lived here. Pirdop was first mentioned in writing in the 12th century. The Battle of Zlatitsa between the troops of the Hungarian King Wladislaw III took place near the city . , the voivode of Transylvania Johann Hunyadi and the Serbian despot Đurađ Branković against the Turks.
The city has given its name to the Pirdop Gate , a mountain pass on Livingston Island in Antarctica , since 2005 .
economy
The largest employer in the city and the region is Aurubis Bulgaria AD (formerly Cumerio Med, Umicore Med and MDK Pirdop), Bulgaria's only major copper producer since 1997 and owned by Aurubis AG since 2008 . Since privatization in 1997, around 350 million euros have been invested in the further development of the plant, including around 80 million euros in environmental protection measures in order to meet the strict environmental standards of the EU. This reduced the specific dust emissions by 90% and the specific CO 2 emissions by 54%. In October 2008, a new, ultra-modern copper electrolysis plant with a capacity of 180,000 tons of copper cathodes per year was put into operation.
Aurubis Bulgaria also produces around 1 million tons of sulfuric acid per year and employs almost 800 people. The large chimney of the copper smelter is 325 meters high and, together with the chimneys of the lignite-fired power plants in Maritza Ost, it is the tallest structure in Bulgaria.
Environment and nature protection
Pirdop is directly adjacent to several EU Natura 2000 protected areas according to Directive 92/43 / EEC (Fauna-Flora-Habitat Directive) and the Birds Directive (2009/147 / EC) for the protection of wild bird species and their habitats. The Natura 2000 protected areas in the Bulgarian Balkans region are finalists of the Natura 2000 Award of the European Union in 2016.
"Central Balkan Buffer" (Natura 2000 Code BG0002128) is a protected area under the Birds Directive. The total proportion of the protected area in the municipality of Pirdop is 0.99%. "Central Balkan Buffer" (Natura 2000 code BG0001493) is a protected area under the Habitat Protection Directive. The total proportion of the protected area in the municipality of Pirdop is 0.63%.
"Sredna Gora" (Natura 2000 Code BG0002054) is a protected area under the Birds Directive. The total share of the protected area in the municipality of Pirdop is 9.48%. “Sredna Gora” (Natura 2000 code BG0001389) is a protected area under the Habitat Protection Directive. The total proportion of the protected area in the municipality of Pirdop is 9.06%.
In the middle of the Natura 2000 protected area “Sredna Gora”, the copper mine operator Medet Assarel operates a sedimentation basin for mining and metallurgical waste . It is the largest in the Balkans.