Stara Zagora » Bulgaria » Welcome2Bulgaria.com

Stara Zagora is situated in the central part of Bulgaria, at the foot of Sredna Gora mountain, 197 m above sea level. It is the 5-th biggest city in the country. Stara Zagora is one of the oldest settlements in Europe - at least 8 thousand years old. It is located in the historical region of Thrace near the Bedechka river - in an area with a big importance in Antiquity. The town was founded by the Thracians under the name Beroe (meaning "iron") about 6th millennium BC, with the Neolithic dwellings and the copper mine around the city being the oldest preserved ones in Europe. At the times of the Roman Empire the town was renamed in honour of emperor Trajan to Ulpia Augusta Trajana. Under the Byzantine Empire, it took the name Irinipolis after the Byzantine empress. At the time of Khan Tervel, in 717 the town was given to him as a Byzantine gift in acknowledgement of the Bulgarian help to fight back the Arab besieging Constantinople. The region was the first Bulgarian territorial gain south of Stara Planina and the town acquired the name Boruy. After the foundation of the Bulgarian State, the town became an important military, strategic and cultural centre. In the year 1122 Stara Zagora (Beroia) was the site of a battle - the Battle of Beroia (Beroya) - between Byzantine Emperor John II Komnenos and an invading Pecheneg army. The Pechenegs suffered a crushing defeat, many of the captives were settled as foederati within the Byzantine frontier. After the Liberation from Ottoman yoke Stara Zagora became part of autonomous Eastern Rumelia before the two Bulgarian states finally merged in 1886 as a result of the act of Unification of Bulgaria. The town was conquered by the Ottomans in 1371 and the town's name was changed to Zheleznik (a Slavic translation of Beroe) in 1854 instead of the Turkish Eskiza?ra (Eski Zagra ). At the end of 50s of XIX century the Bulgarian name Jeleznik was given. It was renamed once again to Stara Zagora in 1870. It is also known as the city of straight streets, linden trees and poets. The town is large and important economic centre of southern Bulgaria, located in Stara Zagora Province, about 230 km from Sofia. The climat is transitional continental with a considerable Mediterranean influence. The region is rich in fertile land. It is a strategic crossroad between the East and the West, the North and the South.