Botevgrad ( bg, Ботевград ) is a town in western Bulgaria. It is located in Sofia Province and is close to Pravets. Botevgrad lies 47 km from Sofia.

History and name

The village was called Samundzhievo (Самунджиево) until it was elevated to town status at the end of 1865 under the name of Orhanie ( Bulgarian language: Орхание;

Ottoman Turkish Ottoman Turkish ( ota, لِسانِ عُثمانى, Lisân-ı Osmânî, ; tr, Osmanlı Türkçesi) was the standardized register of the Turkish language used by the citizens of the Ottoman Empire (14th to 20th centuries CE). It borrowed extens ...

: اورخانيه). On 1 December 1934 the town was named Botevgrad (Ботевград) after Hristo Botev.

Geography

Botevgrad and its hinterland are located in an elliptical valley with a total area of 5,066 km². The municipality covers parts of the Western

Stara Planina The Balkan mountain range (, , known locally also as Stara planina) is a mountain range in the eastern part of the Balkan Peninsula in Southeastern Europe. The range is conventionally taken to begin at the peak of Vrashka Chuka on the border betw ...

mountain — Razhana,

Murgash Murgash is a peak in Bulgaria, in the Balkan Mountains mountain range. The peak is located in the East part of Murgash massive, with an altitude of above sea level. The peak consists of Paleozoic sediment and has a dome-shaped structure with ...

, Bilo and Golyama Planina and some parts of the Northern Balkan.

Vitinya Pass Vitinya Pass ( bg, Витиня) is a mountain pass in the Balkan Mountains (Stara Planina) in Bulgaria. It connects Sofia and Botevgrad. The Hemus motorway passes it in a tunnel just below the summit. The motorway includes a notable girder brid ...

connecting Northern Bulgaria with Southern Bulgaria and the proximity of the capital contribute to its strategic location. Botevgrad municipality borders the following municipalities: Pravets, Etropole,

Gorna Malina Gorna Malina ( bg, Горна Малина, ) is a village in western Bulgaria, part of Sofia Province. It is the administrative centre of Gorna Malina municipality, which lies in the central eastern part of Sofia Province, 20-30 kilometres east o ...

Elin Pelin Elin Pelin ( bg, Елин Пелин ) (8 July 1877 – 3 December 1949), born Dimitar Ivanov Stoyanov ( bg, Димитър Иванов Стоянов) is considered Bulgaria’s best narrator of the Bulgarian (Balkan) countryside and village. ...

Svoge Svoge ( bg, Своге, ) is a town in western Bulgaria, part of Sofia Province. It is located in the gorge of the Iskar River, at the place where the mountains Mala planina, Golema planina and Ponor meet, 40 km north of the capital Sofia. Svoge is ...

, Mezdra and Roman.

Climate

Nature

The region of Botevgrad municipality is quite rich in natural resources. The geographic landscape is remarkable for its variety. The municipality covers the following geographic areas: a part of Botevgradska Kotlovina (the valley of Botevgrad), some parts of Botevgradski Predbalkan and four of the Balkan shoulders — Razhana, Golyama Planina, Murgash and Bilo. Kotlovinata Zhleba (''Fillet Hollow'') is situated between the main Balkan Range and the Northern Balkan. The bottom of the hollow is the accumulative river terrace of Bebresh river and its tributaries. The low oval hills inside the hollow contribute to the countryside variety. Mount Murgash — 1687 m tall is the highest point of the highest mountain range to the south and south-west. Many rivulets run down the slopes of the heights. Prohoda Vitinya or Vitinya Pass connecting South Bulgaria with North Bulgaria is located on the territory of Botevgrad municipality.

Economy

Sensata Technologies group, which specialises in the design and production of added value electronics and electromechanical systems used in the automotive and consumer electronics industry, operates one large production plant in the town. GE Pharmaceuticals operates a drugs factory and in 2006 Siemens opened a plant for the production of high voltage transformers. Integrated Micro-Electronics, Inc., also known as IMI, is a provider of electronics manufacturing services (EMS) and power semiconductor assembly and test services (SATS). APS Advanced Printing Systems is a company involved in production of thermal printer mechanisms, controller boards and thermal printers. Mikroak Ltd many other companies in and around the area of Botevgrad.

Sport

Botevgrad has one of the leading basketball teams in the country, BC Balkan Botevgrad, who play at the

Arena Botevgrad Arena Botevgrad ( bg, Арена Ботевград) is an indoor arena located in Botevgrad, Bulgaria. It has a capacity of 4,500, and has been the home venue for BC Balkan Botevgrad since its opening in 2014. History Arena Botevgrad was offic ...

and have won 6 national championships and 4 national cups. The local

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly c ...

club is called PFC Balkan Botevgrad and plays at the Hristo Botev Stadium. The city has many sports fields - both for football and basketball. Other sports are also very popular - volleyball, swimming, chess,

acrobatics Acrobatics () is the performance of human feats of balance, agility, and motor coordination. Acrobatic skills are used in performing arts, sporting events, and martial arts. Extensive use of acrobatic skills are most often performed in acro ...

and tennis.

Religion

The religious buildings in Botevgrad are: * Church of the Ascension of Christ * Dormition of the Mother of God Church * Monastery "Nativity of the Mother of God" in the Zelin village zone * United Methodist Church

Twin towns

Botevgrad is twinned with: * Saransk, Russia *

Holbæk Holbæk () is a town in Denmark and the seat of Holbæk municipality with a population of 29,608 (1 January 2022).Clock Tower Clock towers are a specific type of structure which house a turret clock and have one or more clock faces on the upper exterior walls. Many clock towers are freestanding structures but they can also adjoin or be located on top of another buildi ...

Image:Fire trucks of the fire service in Botevgrad.jpg, Fire trucks of the fire service Image:Botevgrad house of science.jpg, Botevgrad house of science Image:Библиотека „Иван Вазов“, Ботевград 02.jpg, Library Ivan Vazov

References

External links

Botevgrad directory

Botevgrad's Municipal Site

News About Botevgrad

Botevgrad's Portal Site

Pictures from Botevgrad

360 degree virtual Botevgrad picture of the centre
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