Dobrich

Dobrich

The town of Dobrich is situated

in Northeast Bulgaria in theDobrudzha Plateau. The town, which lies 37 km away from the borderwith Romania, is known as the ‘capital’ of the fertile land ofDobrudzha, the biggest grain-growing region of the country.

Dobrich (Bulgarian: Добрич) is a town in northeastern Bulgaria andthe administrative centre of Dobrich Province. With 92,672inhabitants, as of December 2009, Dobrich is the eighth most populatedtown in Bulgaria, being the centre of the historical region ofSouthern Dobruja. It is located 30 km west of the Bulgarian Black SeaCoast, not far from resorts such as Albena, Balchik, and Golden Sands.

The first evidence of settlement in what is now Dobrich date from4th-3rd centuries BC. Ruins from 2nd-4th century and 7th-11th century have also been found, including a Bulgar necropolis featuring pagan graves in the centre of the city.

During the 11th century, Pecheneg invasions devastated the interior of Dobruja, leaving many settlements in the region uninhabited at the time of the Second Bulgarian Empire.

The settlement was founded for a second time in the 16th century by the Turkish merchant Hacıoğlu Pazarcık, whose name it bore until 1882.According to Turkish data from 1646–1650, there were over 1000 houses in the city, about 100 shops, 3 inns, 3 Turkish baths, twelve mosques and twelve schools.

From the 17th to the 19th century, the city developed as ahandicraft, trade and agricultural centre, being famous for itsweaving, homespun tailoring, coppersmith's trade, leather-work and agricultural products, such as wheat, linseed, wool and cheese.

At the beginning of the 19th

century, the city's population reached12,000, many of whom refugees from eastern Bulgaria after theRusso-Turkish Wars. The cultural appearance of the city was alsoformed. The first Orthodox church was built in 1843.

The city was liberated from the Ottoman Empire on 27 January 1878 andrenamed Dobrich on 19 February 1882 after Dobrotitsa, a medieval rulerof Dobruja. This was done by means of a decree issued by knyazAlexander I.

After the Treaty of Bucharest of

1913 (confirmed by the Treaty ofNeuilly of 1919), Dobrich and the whole of Southern Dobruja wereincorporated in Romania for a period until 1940. During that time, thecity bore the name Bazargic and was centre of Caliacra County (judeţin Romanian).*On 25 September 1940, the Bulgarian army marched into the city aftersigning Treaty of Craiova on September 7, 1940; that date iscelebrated as the city's holiday.

During the period of Communist rule, Dobrich was renamed Tolbukhin(Толбухин) after Marshal of the Soviet Union Fyodor Tolbukhin. On 19September 1990, a presidential decree restored the city's old name ofDobrich.

2001 census data states that about 86% of Dobrich inhabitants are ethnic Bulgarians, followed by Turks at 8% and Roma at 3.5%. The percentage of Orthodox Christians is 86%, whereas 10% of the population areadherents of the Muslim faith.

Higher Education:

* Dobrudzha Technological College http://www.tu-varna.bg/tu-varnakd/

* College of EducationShoumen University

* International University College http://vumk.eu/

Famous People from Dobrich Dora Gabe: a poetess Dimitar Spisarevski:

a famous fighter pilot Ivaylo Petrov: a poet Yordan Yovkov:

a writer

Boncho Genchev: a football

player, 4th in the 1994 FIFA World Cupwith the Bulgarian national team

Preslava: a pop-folk singer

Miro: a singer

Georgi Petrov: an artist

Once in Dobrich, tourists can

visit*The Historical Museum of a renowned Bulgarian writer, Yordan Yovkov.*The Ethnographic Museum, hosted by a beautiful house of the BulgarianRenaissance period, is another interesting sight.*The Old Dobrich ethnographic complex, which exhibits traditional artsand crafts of the region, is worth seeing as well.*Other places of tourist appeal are the Archeological Museum of the city,*the Art Gallery,*remains of a Roman settlement,*St George’s Church,

Thank you for your attention!

Nona Ruseva