Velingrad

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Velingrad (Велинград)
Velingrad coat of arms Map of Bulgaria, position of Velingrad highlighted
Basic data
State : BulgariaBulgaria Bulgaria
Oblast : Pazardzhik
Residents : 21,558  (December 31, 2016)
Coordinates : 42 ° 2 '  N , 24 ° 0'  E Coordinates: 42 ° 1 '50 "  N , 23 ° 59' 40"  E
Height : 777 m
Postal code : 4600
Telephone code : (+359) 0359
License plate : PA
administration
Mayor : Stoyan Dulew
Website : www.velingrad.bg
Velingrad (red square) - Bulgaria - neighboring towns: Pazardzhik , Plovdiv , Panagyurishte , Samokow , Blagoevgrad , Razlog , Sandanski , Goze Deltschew , Smoljan

Velingrad [ ˈvɛliŋˌɡrat ] ( Bulgarian Велинград ) is a Bulgarian city and the center of a municipality of the same name in the Rhodope Mountains .

history

The region was Islamized in several waves during the Ottoman rule , the last of which occurred in 1657.

The city was formed in 1948 by the merger of the three villages Tschepino, Ladzene and Kamenitsa. It bears the name of the young partisan Wela Peewa .

In 1977 Velingrad hosted the second world championships in ski orienteering . Since 2010, the city has given its name to the Velingrad Peninsula on the west coast of the Antarctic Graham Land.

Culture and sights

There are over 90 mineral water springs in and around Velingrad. These attract many holidaymakers to the city, making it the most popular spa in Bulgaria. There is also the largest karst spring in Bulgaria - 'Kleptusa' with 580–1180 liters of water per second.

traffic

Velingrad is an important stopover on the narrow-gauge Rhodope Railway from Septemwri to Dobrinište .

sons and daughters of the town

Individual evidence

  1. Methodius Draginow: The Belove Chronicle.