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52-674: Blagoevgrad features a pedestrian downtown, with preserved 19th-century architecture and numerous restaurants, cafés, coffee shops, and boutiques. It is home to two universities, the South-West University "Neofit Rilski" and the American University in Bulgaria . The town also hosts the "Sts. Cyril and Methodius National Humanitarian High School". The former Bulgarian Men's High School of Thessaloniki moved from Thessaloniki to Blagoevgrad (then Gorna Dzhumaya) in 1913. In Ottoman times

104-707: A consequence a sizable part of the Slavic population of Greek and Serbian (later Yugoslav Macedonia), fled to Bulgaria or was resettled there by virtue of a population exchange agreements ( Treaty of Neuilly-sur-Seine , Politis-Kalfov Protocol ). Within Greece, the Macedonian Slavs were designated "Slavophone Greeks", while within Serbia (later within Yugoslavia ) they were officially treated as "South Serbs". In both countries, schools and

156-521: A distinct Slavic consciousness that would inspire identification with Yugoslavia. With the proclamation of the new Socialist Republic of Macedonia , there were measures taken that would overcome the pro-Bulgarian feeling among the population. It has been claimed that from 1944 till the end of the 1940s people espousing a Bulgarian ethnic identity had been oppressed. According to Bulgarian sources more than 100,000 men were imprisoned and some 1,200 prominent Bulgarians were sentenced to death. In addition,

208-481: A game area may be used for competitions Rhythmic gymnastics and martial arts. The town has three well-maintained complexes for tennis, a football stadium, six small playgrounds for football, an Olympic size swimming pool, a go-cart track and one of the best games of baseball in the Balkans. In 2008 construction began on a new sports complex at the South-West University "Neofit Rilski" for the needs of its students. Despite

260-509: A hereditary voivode lived. The mosques prove that there were many Turks and Pomaks along with the Bulgarians. The streets are paved and very irregular. According to him, the Bulgarians call the town Shuma (from "shuma" - forest). Victor Grigorovich visited the town in 1845. A chitalishte was founded in 1866. Bulgarian scholar Georgi Strezov visited the town in 1891. According to him, there were 1200 houses. In 1900, according to Vasil Kanchov

312-534: A hot-summer continental climate with influences of a mediterranean climate due to warm air masses coming from the Sandanski-Petrich valley. The town is protected from cold northerly winds due to the natural barrier of the Rila and Pirin mountains. Mountain breeze descends from Rila along the river Blagoevgradska Bistritsa bringing cool air during hot summer days. Wind is moderate - 1.6 metres per second. Thanks to

364-697: A large mosque with many worshippers and 80 souks and many mineral springs. A Bulgarian quarter called Varosha was formed during the Bulgarian National Revival , with many of its typical houses and the Church of the Presentation of the Mother of God from 1844 being preserved to this day. In the 1830s, the French geologist Ami Boué passed by here and described Dzhumaya as a town of 3,000 to 4,000 inhabitants, where

416-479: A particular spirit of regional identity. The Balkan Wars (1912–1913) and World War I (1914–1918) left Ottoman Macedonia divided between Greece , Serbia and Bulgaria and resulted in significant changes in its ethnic composition. The immediate effect of the partition of Ottoman Macedonia were the nationalistic campaigns in areas under Greek and Serbian administration, which expelled Bulgarian churchmen and teachers and closed Bulgarian schools and churches. As

468-479: A regional, ethnographic group of ethnic Bulgarians , inhabiting or originating from the region of Macedonia . Today, the larger part of this population is concentrated in Blagoevgrad Province but much is spread across the whole of Bulgaria and the diaspora . The Slavic -speaking population in the region of Macedonia had been referred to both (by themselves and outsiders) as Bulgarians , and that

520-604: Is 44.6 °C (112 °F), while the record low temperature measured is −17.4 °C (1 °F) The average annual temperature is around 13.2 °C (56 °F). Because of the large number of students (partly due to the South-West University and the American University in the town), its cross-road location, nature and number of social factors, the town has a relatively well developed economy. There are many clothing stores, cafés, and restaurants. The district has

572-404: Is a main crossroad for tourists who want to visit the mountains and their ski resorts such as Bansko, Dobrinishte, Sandanski. In Blagoevgrad is located one of the four regional centers of BNT - RTVC Blagoevgrad, broadcasting its own production since 1975 and its Channel Pirin, distributed over the air throughout Southwestern Bulgaria. Here is also the headquarters of the regional channel OKO, which

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624-543: Is a university in Blagoevgrad , Bulgaria . It was founded in 1975. The patron of the university in Blagoevgrad is the patriarch of the new Bulgarian education is Neofit Rilski (Neophyte of Rila). The university was first founded as a branch of Sofia University . The first 200 students admitted in 1976/77 had two specialties: pedagogy for the preparation of teachers for kindergartens and for primary schools. In this way, for

676-514: Is also one hour away from the prestigious Bansko Jazz Festival. which takes place every year in August. Former participants of Bansko Jazz Fest include Jamie Davis, Joss Stone, and Vasil Petrov. Bulgarian National Radio Awards Blagoevgrad was also chosen by the BNR to host its annual awards show, which brought to the city Bulgaria's greatest musical talents. The recently inaugurated Art Salon of Radio Blagoevgrad

728-507: Is distributed by cable in the settlements of Blagoevgrad region. There are 2 cable TV channels Telecom Group and Pirin TV. Of the radio stations of regional importance, Radio Blagoevgrad, a division of BNR, stands out, which for 35 years has been on the air from Sofia to Kulata, Eastern North Macedonia and Northern Greece. The private radio networks Focus Pirin and Darik Blagoevgrad also have their own local programmes. The Blagoevgrad student radio Aura,

780-468: Is how they were predominantly seen since 10th, up until the early 20th century and beyond. The Balkan Wars (1912–1913) and World War I (1914–1918) left the area divided mainly between Greece and Serbia (later Yugoslavia), which resulted in significant changes in its ethnic composition. The formerly leading Bulgarian community was reduced either by population exchanges or by change of communities' ethnic identity. The Macedonian Slavs were faced with

832-559: Is the "Buffaloes" and its manager is Yassen Nedelchev, who also serves as the Bulgarian Baseball Federation's president. In 2010, the "Blagoevgrad Buffaloes" won their 17th National title (in 18 attempts). The town has two multi-purpose sports halls, the second was opened in 2007, it has a capacity of over 1000 seats and meets all requirements of the International Federation of handball, basketball and volleyball,

884-655: Is the host of monthly art shows, book opening presentations and exhibits. Blagoevgrad is twinned with: Blagoevgrad Peninsula in Graham Land , Antarctica is named after the city, and Skaptopara Cove in Greenwich Island in the South Shetland Islands , Antarctica is named after its ancient ancestor Skaptopara. South-West University %22Neofit Rilski%22 The Southwest University "Neofit Rilski" ( Bulgarian : Югозападен университет "Неофит Рилски" )

936-401: Is the host of the most important francophone music festival "Francofolies", which takes place annually in only few other locations: La Rochelle, France; Montreal, Canada, Spa, Belgium. The festival has attracted some big names, including French pop singers Patrick Bruel, Patricia Kaas, Zaz, rapper Fefe, and the groups Nouvelle Vague and Gypsy Kings. Bansko International Jazz Festival Blagoevgrad

988-406: Is the third largest town by number of building permits. Blagoevgrad is growing and the small bordering villages of Elenovo and Strumsko are now considered part of it. Recently there was a major overhaul of the town park and a new bridge was built. Currently the town has seven hypermarkets : Metro , Technopolis , Technomarket Europe , Mr. Bricolage , Billa , Kaufland , and Lidl . Since 2015,

1040-661: The Byzantine Empire . Although the history of the settlement in the Middle Ages is unknown, during the Ottoman rule of the Balkans it became a Muslim -majority town called Cuma-ı Bala , meaning Upper Juma in Persian and Ottoman Turkish . In the middle of the 17th century, the Ottoman traveller Evliya Çelebi passed by here and wrote that the town of Orta Jumaa had 200 tiled houses,

1092-521: The 1940s did not exist. At that time even the political organization by the Slavic immigrants from the region of Macedonia, the Macedonian Patriotic Organization has also promoted the idea of Macedonian Slavs being Bulgarians. The nation-building process was politically motivated and later reinforced by strong Bulgarophobia and Yugoslavism . The new authorities began a policy of removing of any Bulgarian influence and creating

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1144-533: The 2011 census, the individuals declared their ethnic identity were distributed as follows: Total: 70,881. Today, Blagoevgrad is one of the few places in Bulgaria where members of the small Aromanian minority of the country still live. The Eastern Orthodox population of the town in the 19th-20th centuries was traditionally part of the Diocese of Nevrokop (since 1894 part of the Bulgarian Exarchate). After

1196-724: The Bulgarian state in the Treaty of Constantinople . Before the Balkan Wars, Cuma-ı Bala was bounded as kaza to Serez sandjak in Selanik vilayet . On October 5, 1912, Gorna Dzhumaya was seized by the Bulgarian army. After the Second Balkan War War in 1913, the Turkish population was largely displaced, and large masses of Bulgarian refugees from Aegean and Vardar Macedonia settled in

1248-531: The Slav population to minority status. Despite some attempts to differentiate a Slavic Macedonian identity from the Bulgarian one since the end of the 19th century, and despite the nebulous national consciousness of the mass of the Slavic population, most researchers agree that the bulk of the Slavic population in the region had a Bulgarian national identity until the early 1940s, when the Bulgarian troops, occupying most of

1300-645: The Western B Group . Pirin 2001 - the team owned by former international Ivaylo Andonov, competed in the Southwestern 'B' group. In the championship of the Blagoevgrad District League (zone "Bistritsa") features one Blagoevgrad football team - FC Athletic. Women's football is represented by the football club Sportika - a participant in the National Championship for Women Francofolies Blagoevgrad

1352-464: The area , were greeted as liberators. Pro-Bulgarian feelings among the local Slavic population prevailed in Greece and Yugoslavia. After the Second World War and Bulgarian withdrawal, on the base of the strong Macedonian regional identity a process of ethnogenesis started and distinct national Macedonian identity was formed. As a whole an appreciable Macedonian national consciousness prior to

1404-588: The city, as it is known in the language as Giumaia di-Nsus . In comparison, Irakleia ("Lower Dzhumaya") is known as Giumaia di-Nghios . The town was renamed Blagoevgrad in 1950, after the Bulgarian Workers' Social Democratic Party founder Dimitar Blagoev , who was an immigrant from Ottoman Macedonia. A Hellenistic settlement called Scaptopara ( market town in Thracian , Σκαπτοπάρα in Greek ) emerged on

1456-400: The conduct of soldiers and visitors to the baths and that appeals to the governor of the province of Thrace had failed; the emperor's reply , also inscribed, disclaimed responsibility and again referred the citizens to the governor for redress. The inscription has since been lost. Subsequently, the area was part of the eastern half of the late antique Roman Empire which later became known as

1508-546: The division of the diocese between Bulgaria and Greece in 1913, from 1921 to 1928 Gorna Dzhumaya was its centre. From 1928 to 1941 and from 1945 to 1951, the seat of the diocese was temporarily in Nevrokop, and in 1951 it was finally moved to Blagoevgrad. The head of the diocese from 1994 to 2013 was Metropolitan Nathanael. Generally, sports are well developed, but the town's traditionally strong sports, handball and basketball, have been in financial crisis and without representation in

1560-572: The education financed by the state, paid education was introduced. In regard to the level of development and the high demand of specialists with university degree especially in the field of Economics, Law and the social activities, with decision of the People's Assembly dated July 1995 (State Newspaper No. 68/1995), the Higher Pedagogical Institute, Blagoevgrad becomes Southwest University Neophyte of Rila, Blagoevgrad. In this act are reflected

1612-512: The first time, Bulgaria started preparing teachers with university degrees for kindergartens and primary schools. The tutorials were realized by three professors, two associate professors and thirteen assistant professors. With Act No. 2296, 4 August 1983, of the State Council of the Republic of Bulgaria (State Newspaper No. 62/1983), the branch was transformed into separate institute. The institute

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1664-762: The following: On 27 January 1997 with Act No. 16 of the Council of Ministers, the College of Machine Building and Electrotechnics, Blagoevgrad is transformed into Technical College, affiliated in the structure of the Southwest University, Blagoevgrad. The university is divided into seven faculties and one college: Macedonian Bulgarians This is an accepted version of this page Macedonians or Macedonian Bulgarians ( Bulgarian : македонци or македонски българи ), sometimes also referred to as Macedono-Bulgarians , Macedo-Bulgarians , or Bulgaro-Macedonians are

1716-711: The inconsistent policy towards the Macedonian Bulgarians followed by Communist Bulgaria at that time has thrown most independent observers ever since into a state of confusion, as to the real ethnicity of the population even in Bulgarian Macedonia . Practically as a consequence the rest of this people, with exception of Bulgaria proper, were eventually Macedonized or Hellenized . Nevertheless, people with Bulgarian consciousness or Bulgarophile sentiments still live in North Macedonia and Greece . During

1768-584: The largest shopping mall in Southwest Bulgaria - "Largo" - has been operating in the city. The town is situated on the European road E-79 and the Republican road I-1. Blagoevgrad is 31 km away from North Macedonia, 83 km away from Greece, 88 km away from Serbia. The distance to Sofia is 96 km, to Plovdiv it is 193 km and to Skopje (the capital of North Macedonia) - 183 km. The town

1820-500: The last years the EU membership of Bulgaria has seen more than 50,000 Macedonians applying for Bulgarian citizenship . In order to obtain it they must sign a statement declaring they are Bulgarians by origin . More than 90,000 Macedonian nationals have already received Bulgarian citizenship. However, this phenomenon can not give precise information about how many Macedonian nationals consider themselves Bulgarians in ethnic sense, because it

1872-463: The many mountain forests around the town and the lack of industrial pollution, the air is clean in Blagoevgrad. Winter is mild, brief and marked by little to no snowfall. The average temperature in January is 1.6 °C (35 °F). Summers are long and dry, with a small amount of rainfall. The average July and August temperature is 24 °C (75 °F) and the maximum temperature measured in Blagoevgrad

1924-616: The media were used to disseminate the national ideologies and identities, and also the languages, of the new ruling nations, the Greeks and the Serbs. These cultural measures were reinforced by steps to alter the composition of the population: Serb colonists were implanted in Yugoslav Macedonia, while in Greek Macedonia, the mass settlement of Greek refugees from Anatolia definitively reduced

1976-461: The national leagues in years past (only supporting children and youth ensembles). The crisis in basketball and handball provides others with the opportunity to pick up pace. Taekwon-Do, in the form of "Falcon" club has given Blagoevgrad and Bulgaria multiple European and World Championship medals, including a European Championship in 2004 (Todor Kozladerov). Baseball is a little-known sport in Bulgaria but it thrives in Blagoevgrad. The local team's name

2028-473: The new "Belomora Oblast" in Bulgarian-occupied Greece and Bulgarian-annexed Pirot in Yugoslavia . The camp consisted of a tobacco warehouse and some school buildings, under the command of KEV official Ivan Tepavski, where inmates were imprisoned and malnourished for 11–12 days before being taken to Lom , embarked for Vienna , and finally exterminated at Treblinka . Blagoevgrad is situated in

2080-422: The open assertion of a Bulgarian national identity . However one basic distinction between the political agendas of local intelligentsias was clear. The Macedonian Greeks and Serbs followed, in general, the directives coming from their respective centers of national agitation, while by the Bulgarians the term Macedonian was acquiring the significance of a certain political loyalty, that progressively constructed

2132-562: The policy of forced Serbianisation . According to Encyclopædia Britannica , at the beginning of the 20th century the Macedonian Bulgarians constituted the majority of the population in the whole region of Macedonia, then part of the Ottoman Empire . The functioning of the Bulgarian Exarchate then aimed specifically at differentiating the Bulgarian from the Greek and Serbian populations on an ethnic and linguistic basis, providing

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2184-490: The population of the town numbered 6440 people, of whom 1250 were Bulgarians, 4500 Turks, 250 Vlachs, 200 Roma, 180 Jews and 60 Greeks. During that time most of the Turks lived in the town and the Bulgarians lived in the surrounding villages. Many refugees from Greek and Vardar Macedonia arrived in the town in the subsequent decades. The Balkan Wars of 1912-1913 saw the annexation of the area Ottoman rule and its integration in

2236-487: The regional Ultra and Vega Plus, as well as numerous radios with national coverage complement the airwaves of Blagoevgrad. Two daily newspapers are published in Blagoevgrad - "Struma" and "Vyara", distributed throughout Southwest Bulgaria. In addition, "Pirin Trud" and "Local 24 Hours" are published and distributed in the city and the region. According to the 2021 census, Blagoevgrad has population of 67,810 people. According to

2288-669: The site of ancient Thracian settlement around 300 BC and was later incorporated into the Roman Empire with the rest of Thrace in 48 AD. The settlement was known for its hot springs supplying thermae . During the Crisis of the Third Century , the Scaptoparans wrote a petition to the emperor Gordian III, whose Latin and Koine Greek text is preserved in an inscription discovered there in 1868, and dated 238 AD. The petition complained about

2340-446: The sixth largest economy in Bulgaria, for its share of the GDP, after the more industrial districts of Sofia City, Varna, Sofia District, Plovdiv, and Burgas. The number of people registered as unemployed is slightly below 10%, less than the average for the country. Industries of interest: The town is very attractive to investors, both foreign and native. It is no coincidence that Blagoevgrad

2392-466: The town was known as Yukarı Cuma in Turkish or Gorna Dzhumaya in Bulgarian (a partial translation of the Ottoman name). The name Gorna Dzhumaya (Горна Джума; "Upper Dzhumaya") distinguished the town from Dolna Dzhumaya (Долна Джумая; "Lower Dzhumaya", " Cuma-i Zir " in Turkish) to the south. The second is called today Irakleia , and is in Greece. The Aromanian language still uses this name to refer to

2444-558: The town. According to Dimitar Gadzhanov, in 1916 Gorna Dzhumaya numbered about 7,000 people, of whom only 30 were Turkish families, 100 families of wealthy Aromanians and a few Jews and Gypsies. In March 1943, during World War II , the Bulgarian Commissariat for Jewish Affairs (KEV) established at Gorna Dzhumaya (modern Blagoevgrad) a transit camp for Jews deported from Bulgaria during the Holocaust . The Jews had been arrested in

2496-614: The university realized the education of full- and part-time students in five faculties and in ten specialties. The institute more and more confirms itself as higher school of university type and starts admission of foreign students. After 1990, under the influence of the processes of democratization in all spheres of the social life and in accordance with the Law for Academic Autonomy, the Higher School in Blagoevgrad developed at accelerated rates. New specialties and faculties were created. Alongside

2548-502: The valley of the Struma and the smaller Blagoevgradska Bistritsa flows through it. It is nestled at 360 m above sea level in the Blagoevgrad valley between the Rila and Vlahina mountains and is in close proximity to Pirin Mountain . Blagoevgrad is 102 km from the capital Sofia , 237 km from Plovdiv , 545 km from Varna and 476 km from Burgas . Blagoevgrad has

2600-485: The wealthy football clubs. Local team investment is lacking. At present in Blagoevgrad there are four active male clubs, three of which bear the name "Pirin". The "A" group is PFC Pirin Blagoevgrad . Pirin Authentic, then discard it in "B" group in 2005 due to obligations to Social Security, was usurped by a group of businessmen D15, and then failed to return to professional football during the 2008/09 season and will play in

2652-585: The well-developed infrastructure for the sports facilities, Blagoevgrad citizens often use the public space of Bachinovo park in order to jog, commit to sports activities, such as football, rugby, and frisbee and develop the community sports environment, typical for post-Soviet culture of Bulgaria. The new facility of AUBG , the ABF center serves as occasional facilitator of the national volleyball training and competitions. Blagoevgrad has given Bulgaria and world football talents such as Dimitar Berbatov and regularly feeds

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2704-523: Was looking for own image and own way in the preparation of teachers. Two years later in 1985, the Scientific Council started functioning. It has the right to elect associate professors in Pedagogy, Psychology, Defectology and Methodology of Teaching. Many new specialties like Mathematics, Physics, Bulgarian Language and Literature, Bulgarian Language and History found places in the study programmes. In 1990

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