Misplaced Pages

#537462

43-613: According to the latest Bulgarian census of 2011, the religious composition, among those who answered the optional question on religious identification, was the following: 43°28′01″N 23°55′59″E  /  43.4670°N 23.9330°E  / 43.4670; 23.9330 This Vratsa Province , Bulgaria location article is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Vratsa Province 43°31′N 23°36′E  /  43.517°N 23.600°E  / 43.517; 23.600 Vratsa Province ( Bulgarian : Област Враца Oblast Vraca , former name Vraca okrug )

86-421: A lion on their kings' royal seal: a symbol of the bravery, courage and invincibility of Bulgarian warriors, who fought "like lions." Lion images on revolutionary flags, used in the 1876 freedom-seeking April uprising, provide a proof that the lion continued to be considered as a national symbol . In the immediate period leading up to the revolt, revolutionary flags were made, featuring a golden lion rampant and

129-426: A new lev replaced the original lev at a rate of 1 "new" lev = 100 "old" leva. However the rate for banking accounts was different, ranging from 100:3 to 200:1. Prices for goods were replaced at a rate of 25:1. The new lev was pegged to the U.S. dollar at a rate of 6.8 leva = 1 dollar, falling to 9.52 leva on July 29, 1957. In 1952, coins (dated 1951) were introduced in denominations of 1, 3, 5, 10 and 25 stotinki, with

172-520: A policy of euro adoption only after five Euro convergence criteria have been met. In 2011 the Bulgarian finance minister Simeon Djankov acknowledged his earlier eagerness for Bulgaria to join the euro, but considered 2015 as a more likely date. If Bulgaria follows the standard path to euro adoption, it would use the euro two years after joining the European exchange rate mechanism (ERM II) (a formality given

215-441: A result of the reforms in health care, there are also private medical services available, as well as stomatological services. Three hotels are available within the province - Valdi Palace, Hotel Tourist in the town and Vratsa, and Hotel Istar in the town of Kozloduy. In the surroundings of Vratsa - 12 kilometres inside the mountain there is a modern centre for recreation with facilities such as sauna, fitness suite and others. Within

258-452: Is a Bulgarian province located in the northwestern part of the country, between Danube river in the north and Stara Planina mountain in the south. It is named after its main town: Vratsa . As of 2016, the province had a population of 170 367, on territory of 3,619.7 km (1,397.6 sq mi). The Vratsa Province contains ten municipalities (singular: община, obshtina - plural: общини, obshtini ). The following table shows

301-518: Is the currency of Bulgaria . In old Bulgarian, the word "lev" meant " lion "; the word "lion" in the modern language is lаv ( IPA: [ɫɤf] ; in Bulgarian: лъв ). The lev is divided in 100 stotinki ( стотинки , singular: stotinka , стотинка ). Stotinka in Bulgarian means "a hundredth" and in fact is a translation of the French term "centime." Grammatically, the word "stotinka" comes from

344-739: Is to promote small and medium enterprises as an alternative way to develop the industry. Because of the close distance to the capital Sofia (site of the main universities in Bulgaria), only one local centre of New Bulgarian University, one pedagogical college - branch of the Veliko Tarnovo University and one medical college exists in the province. The vocational schools have their main disciplines mostly in agricultural techniques, mechanics and electrotechnics, chemical technologies, civil engineering and construction, language school and mathematical secondary school. The total number of primary schools in

387-954: The Soviet occupation in September 1944, the lev was pegged to the Soviet ruble at 15 leva = 1 ruble. A series of pegs to the U.S. dollar followed: 120 leva = 1 dollar in October 1945, 286.50 leva in December 1945 and 143.25 leva in March 1947. No coins were issued after 1943; only banknotes were issued until the currency reform of 1952. Between 1881 and 1884, bronze 2, 5, and 20 stotinki, and silver 50 stotinki, 1, 2, and 5 leva were introduced, followed, in 1888, by cupro-nickel 2 + 1 ⁄ 2 , 5, 10, and 20 stotinki. Gold 10 and 20 leva were issued in 1894. Bronze 1 stotinka were introduced in 1901. Production of silver coins ceased in 1916, with zinc replacing cupro-nickel in

430-469: The 2 leva coin was issued. These coins are not found in general circulation. Many commercial commemorative coins have also been minted. In 1999, banknotes were introduced in denominations of 1, 2, 5, 10, 20, and 50 leva. 100 leva notes were added in 2003. The 1 and 2 lev notes were later replaced by coins of similar value and withdrawn from circulation. The fourth lev was pegged to the German mark at par from

473-417: The 2011 census. Religious adherence in the province according to 2001 census: The regional road system consists of 1,277 km (793 mi) of the republican road system. Predominating are the 4th class roads. Their maintenance and control are under the responsibilities of the municipalities. The rehabilitation of these roads is a priority of the regional policy. Mezdra is a key railway station connecting

SECTION 10

#1732870072538

516-478: The 5, 10, and 20 stotinki in 1917. In 1923, aluminum 1 and 2 leva coins were introduced, followed by cupro-nickel pieces in 1925. In 1930, cupro-nickel 5 and 10 leva and silver 20, 50, and 100 leva were introduced, with silver coins issued until 1937, in which year aluminium-bronze 50 stotinki were issued. In 1940, cupro-nickel 20 and 50 leva were issued, followed, in 1941, by iron 1, 2, 5, and 10 leva. In 1943, nickel-clad-steel 5, 10 and 50 leva were struck. These were

559-466: The Bulgarian revolutionaries' image. "Young Bulgarian heroes...lion signs on their foreheads, fire blazing in their eyes," says a most popular Bulgarian Revival period song. The lev was introduced as Bulgaria's currency in 1881 with a value equal to the French franc . The gold standard was suspended between 1899 and 1906 and suspended again in 1912. Until 1916, Bulgaria's silver and gold coins were issued to

602-580: The Middle Ages, Bulgarian kings such as Ivan Shishman , one of the last rulers of the Second Bulgarian kingdom, celebrated the lion as a symbol of power. In the time of Bulgarian national awakening in the years of Ottoman bondage, the lion was considered and widely used as a major national symbol. Paisii of Hilendar, a discerning monastic and a key Revival figure, mentioned in his ground-breaking tome Istorija Slavjanobolgarskaja that Bulgarians had

645-908: The Soviet Union during the same period, particularly in design and size. The state emblem is depicted on the obverse of all coins, which went through several changes. The first change in 1962 with the introduction of the new coinage, and the second change in 1974, with the ribbons being the most noticeable change. A number of commemorative 2 leva coins also circulated during this period, often released into circulation as they had relatively high production numbers and little collector's value. Higher denomination lev coins have also been introduced into circulation at an irregular basis with varying sizes and metallic compositions, including silver. Mostly due to an overstock of numismatic coins not getting sold to collectors. Similar occurrences to this can be seen with high denomination coins from East Germany and Poland during

688-517: The conditions are met, Bulgaria should join the Eurozone as soon as the price stability criterion is met. In November 2023, Bulgarian euro coin designs have been revealed and approved by the Bulgarian National Bank . The currency's name comes from the archaic Bulgarian word "lev," which meant lion . The lion has been the national symbol of Bulgaria over the centuries. Lions were common in

731-591: The denomination. In 1952, state notes (dated 1951) were issued in 1, 3 and 5 leva, together with notes of the National Bank for 10, 25, 50, 100 and 200 leva. 500-lev notes were printed but not issued. 1 lev notes were withdrawn after the introduction of a coin in 1960. 1, 3, and 5 leva depict the state emblem, while all denominations 10 leva and up depict Georgi Dimitrov , who had a postmortem cult of personality built up around him by that time period. The reverse side of 1 lev, 3 and 5 leva notes depict hands holding up

774-404: The development of the transport infrastructure, water supply and sewerage, agriculture - vegetables, cattle breeding, silk-worm breeding, mushroom cultivation, development and strengthening of the existing industrial plants, development of alternative forms of tourism - rural, ecotourism, cultural, religious, spaeology, mountaineering, hang gliding etc. The long-term strategy for the regional economy

817-421: The euro no earlier than two years after joining assuming the other convergence criteria are met. In 1999, coins in denominations of 1, 2, 5, 10, 20 and 50 stotinki were introduced. A 1 lev coin replaced the 1 lev banknote 2002, and a 2 lev coin the 2 lev banknote in 2015. In 2004, 2005, and 2007, commemorative circulation issues were struck of the 50 stotinkas coin. In 2018, a commemorative circulation issue of

860-501: The expected end of the lev: towards the end of that year 1 January 2012 was a possible date; however, the 2007–2008 financial crisis and the Eurozone crisis reduced the initial enthusiasm for the euro. Nevertheless, in 2009 The Economist noted suggestions to accelerate Bulgaria's path to the euro, or even let it be adopted immediately, despite the EU institutions' unwillingness to deviate from

903-500: The first to lack a metal designation. In 1928, a new series of notes (dated 1922 and 1925) was introduced which gave the denominations solely in leva. Denominations introduced were 5, 10, 20, 50, 100, 500, 1000 and 5000 leva. These were followed in 1929 by 200 and 250 leva. In 1930, coins up to 100 leva replaced notes, although 20-lev notes were issued between 1943 and 1950. Between 1943 and 1945, State Treasury Bills for 1000 and 5000 leva were issued. In 1952, following wartime inflation,

SECTION 20

#1732870072538

946-433: The hammer and sickle, while higher denominations each depict workers at various trades. In 1962, another redenomination took place at the rate of 10 to 1, setting the exchange rate at 1.17 leva = 1 U. S. dollar, with the tourist rate falling to 2 leva on February 1, 1964. The ISO 4217 code was BGL . After this, the lev remained fairly stable for almost three decades. However, like other Communist countries' currencies, it

989-428: The industry - 38.9%, in the agriculture - 4.5% and in services - 56.6%. The decrease of the number and relative share of the employees in the public sector is matched by an increase in the private sector. The proportion of workforce in state and private sectors is 44.2% to 55.8%. The higher level of education stipulates a higher employment rate. In the province predominates the number of employees of secondary education. On

1032-1073: The labour market, the number of specialists of higher education decreases in favour of those without education. The average salary level for the province is 297 levs . The natural peculiarities of Vratsa Province contribute to the development of agriculture, lumber industry and electricity production. Major companies are the Kozloduy Nuclear Power Plant, of national importance; Chimco AD - fertilizer factory, Beloizvorski cement - cement factory and brewery; Ledenika AD - joint stock company; Centromet AD - centrifugal casting; Vratitsa LTD - yarns, raw and finished fabrics, sewing articles; OMK Holding - machining and machinery, tooling equipment, foundry, special production; Hemus-M AD - limestone, slabs, tiles, blocks, columns; Sunnytex AD - production of household linen, weaving etc.; Metizi AD - steel wires, ropes and their products, spare parts; Variana LTD - concrete articles, greyiron cast, metal safes; Enemona Holding - civil engineering. The main projects are related to

1075-545: The last coins issued for this version of the lev. In 1885, the Bulgarian National Bank introduced notes for 20 and 50 gold leva, followed in 1887 by 100 gold leva and, in 1890, by 5 and 10 gold leva notes. In 1899, 5, 10 and 50 silver leva notes were issued, followed by 100 and 500 silver leva in 1906 and 1907, respectively. 500 gold leva notes were also introduced in 1907. In 1916, 1 and 2 silver leva and 1000 gold leva notes were introduced, followed by 2500 and 10,000 gold leva notes in 1919. In 1924, 5000 leva notes were issued,

1118-533: The lev was pegged to the Deutsche Mark , with 1,000 lev equal to 1 DM (one lev equal to 0.1 pfennig). Since 1997, Bulgaria has been in a system of currency board , and all Bulgarian currency in circulation has been completely backed by the foreign exchange reserves of the Bulgarian National Bank (BNB). In 1962, aluminum-bronze 1, 2, and 5 stotinki, and nickel-brass 10, 20 and 50 stotinki and 1 lev were introduced. The coin series strongly resembles coinage from

1161-526: The lev's peg to the euro). In late 2010, given Bulgaria's improving economy, analysts thought that Bulgaria would join the ERM II the following year. However, the continued postponement of joining the mechanism has prevented Bulgaria meeting all five convergence criteria: its rebounding economy later met the four other criteria. On 10 July 2020, along with Croatia , Bulgaria joined the ERM II , which allows it to adopt

1204-428: The lower three denominations in brass and the higher three in cupro-nickel. Shortly after, cupro-nickel 20 stotinki coins dated 1952 were also issued, followed by 50 stotinki in 1959 and 1 lev in 1960 which replaced the 1 lev note (both also in cupro-nickel). All stotinki coins feature a head of wheat around denomination on the reverse and state emblem on the obverse, while the lev coin depicts an olive branch wreath around

1247-522: The major cities in Bulgaria. The passenger's transport is ensured by 116 buses and 26 trolleys. The telecommunication network consists of 4 regional post stations - Vratsa , Byala Slatina , Mezdra and Kozloduy , and 116 local post offices. They offer universal post services including express mail and international courier services EMS , SKYPAK and DHL . In the town of Vratsa there are branch offices of Mobiltel , Globul and Vivatel. The water supply system

1290-454: The major cities is as follows: Vratsa - Varna 414 km, Vratsa - Plovdiv 217 km; Vratsa - Pleven 108 km; Vratsa - Burgas 416 km. The international road E79 passes through the province. The major European port and ferry complex Oryahovo - Bechet , on the river Danube, is situated in Oryahovo municipality. The economically active population is 48,892, employed as follows: in

1333-635: The motto "Freedom or Death." These flags, most often hand-made by local teachers or icon painters, have been preserved in Bulgarian museums to the present day. Most flags were made of green silk and had a painted or embroidered lion on them, in a heraldic posture and trampling over the Crescent – the symbol of the Ottoman Empire. The same image can be seen on items of one-time rebel outfits such as hats and buttons. In Bulgarian folklore and Revival Literature, these lion depictions were called lion signs attributed to

Byala Slatina Municipality - Misplaced Pages Continue

1376-846: The names of each municipality in English and Cyrillic , the main town (in bold) or village, and the population of each as of 2016. The Vratsa province had a population of 243,036 according to a 2001 census , of which 49.1% were male and 50.9% were female . As of the end of 2009, the population of the province, announced by the Bulgarian National Statistical Institute, numbered 196,829 of which 27.2% are inhabitants aged over 60 years. Total population (2011 census): 186 848 Ethnic groups (2011 census): Identified themselves: 163 035 persons: A further 23 000 persons in Vratsa Province did not declare their ethnic group at

1419-406: The province is 54, 14 of them situated in the municipality of Vratsa and all state-owned. There is only one private school, Europe Schools for English Language and Management. At present, there are 15 branches of Bulgarian banks. The insurance companies have their 12 branches in the province. The medical services are provided in 6 hospitals - 2 of them in the main city of the province, Vratsa. As

1462-420: The region until about 300 BC. In Bulgaria, the lion features in numerous historical monuments. The oldest images, found on slates in the city of Stara Zagora , date back to the 9th–10th century AD. A lion is depicted on The Madara Horseman – an impressive medieval rock relief carved into a towering rock plateau in northeastern Bulgaria in the 7th or 8th century AD, which is on UNESCO 's World Heritage List. In

1505-585: The same denominations, was issued in 1974. 50 leva notes were introduced in 1990. Again, denominations 10 leva and up featured Georgi Dimitrov, 1, 2, and 5 featured the state emblem. After the fall of the communist regime, new notes were introduced for 20, 50, 100 and 200 leva. These were followed by 500 leva notes in 1993, 1000 and 2000 leva in 1994, 5000 and 10,000 leva in 1996 (re-released with new design and look in 1997), and 50,000 leva in 1997. Furthermore, two new banknotes of 20,000 and 100,000 leva were scheduled to be introduced in 1997 and 1998, but their production

1548-399: The same period. In 1992, after the communist era , older coins were withdrawn and a new coinage was introduced in denominations of 10, 20 and 50 stotinki, 1, 2, 5 and 10 leva. All were struck in nickel-brass except for the cupro-nickel 10 leva. In 1997, nickel-brass 10, 20 and 50 leva were introduced. In 1962, the National Bank issued notes for 1, 2, 5, 10 and 20 leva. A second series, in

1591-549: The same specifications as those of the Latin Monetary Union . Banknotes issued until 1928 were backed by gold ( leva zlato / zlatni , лева злато / златни) or silver ( leva srebro / srebarni , лева сребро / сребърни). In 1928, a new gold standard of 1 lev = 10.86956 mg gold was established. During World War II, in 1940, the lev was pegged to the German Reichsmark at a rate of 32.75 leva = 1 Reichsmark. With

1634-410: The services sector - 27,685, in the industry - 19,020, in the agriculture - 2,187. The population has increased since the year 2000, and are mostly in private labour employment. The rate of unemployment is higher than the Bulgarian average, and the aim of the provincial policy is to implement programs to resolve this problem. The labour force distribution in the basic economic sectors is the following - in

1677-537: The territory of the province is the Vrachanski Balkan Natural Park that offers excellent opportunities for recreation; there is Vrachanski Karst reserve, the cave Ledenika of international importance, and the Vratsa Gorge near the town of Vratsa. Bulgarian lev The lev ( Bulgarian : лев , plural: лева, левове / leva , levove ; ISO 4217 code: BGN ; numeric code: 975)

1720-496: The word "sto" (сто; a hundred). Since 1997, the lev has been in a currency board arrangement with initially the Deutsche Mark at a fixed rate of BGL 1000 to DEM 1. After the introduction of the euro and the redenomination of the lev in 1999, this has resulted in a fixed rate to the euro of BGN 1.95583 : EUR 1. Since 2020, the lev has been a part of the European Exchange Rate Mechanism (ERM II). When all

1763-435: Was canceled following the introduction of currency board in 1997. On 5 July 1999 the lev was redenominated at 1000:1 with 1 new lev equal to 1 Deutsche Mark . The ISO 4217 currency code for the new Bulgarian lev is BGN . The lev is pegged at €1 = 1.95583 leva (previously DEM 1 = BGN 1, continuing the fixed exchange rate from the third lev). Since Bulgaria gained EU membership in 2007 various dates have been suggested as

Byala Slatina Municipality - Misplaced Pages Continue

1806-470: Was envisaged to be improved and sewerage was mostly built, but there is a program for modernization all over the province, including the smaller villages. The nuclear power plant in Kozloduy, in the northern part of the province, is the major supplier of electricity in Bulgaria. The administrative capital of the province is Vratsa in the southern parts, about 116 km (72 mi) from Sofia . The distance to

1849-523: Was not freely convertible for Western funds. Consequently, black market rates were five to ten times higher than the official rate. During the period, until 1989 the lev was backed by gold, and the banknotes have the text stating: "The bank note is backed by gold and all assets of the bank" ( Bulgarian : "Банкнотата е обезпечена със злато и всички активи на банката" ). After the fall of communism, Bulgaria experienced several episodes of drastic inflation and currency devaluation. In order to change this, in 1997,

#537462