Topolovgrad ( bg, Тополовград , ; ) is a town in south-central
Bulgaria, part of
Haskovo Province, situated at the northern foot of the
Sakar Mountain. It is the administrative centre of the homonymous
Topolovgrad Municipality.
Etymology
Until 1934 the town was known as Kavakli, a name deriving from the
Turkish
Turkish may refer to:
*a Turkic language spoken by the Turks
* of or about Turkey
** Turkish language
*** Turkish alphabet
** Turkish people, a Turkic ethnic group and nation
*** Turkish citizen, a citizen of Turkey
*** Turkish communities and mi ...
word ''kavak'', "poplar", under this name it was also known by its Greek inhabitants.
History
Topolovgrad and the surrounding area have been inhabited since ancient times, as evidenced by the
dolmen
A dolmen () or portal tomb is a type of single-chamber megalithic tomb, usually consisting of two or more upright megaliths supporting a large flat horizontal capstone or "table". Most date from the early Neolithic (40003000 BCE) and were somet ...
s found at Hlyabovo and the
Paleokastro fortress that may have been built by the
Thracians.
Until the early 20th century, the town was predominantly inhabited by Greeks (96 percent) and hosted Greek schools and churches. Although a Greek majority town, after 1906, the Bulgarian government appointed the first Bulgarian mayor.
[Theodora Dragostinova]
Between two motherlands : nationality and emigration among the Greeks of Bulgaria, 1900-1949; 2011
/ref> From 1906 to 1925, about 22,000 Greeks left the town and its surroundings and settled in Greek Macedonia. They were replaced by groups of Bulgarian refugees from Western Thrace
Western Thrace or West Thrace ( el, υτικήΘράκη, '' ytikíThráki'' ; tr, Batı Trakya; bg, Западна/Беломорска Тракия, ''Zapadna/Belomorska Trakiya''), also known as Greek Thrace, is a Geography, geograp ...
, Eastern Thrace, Asia Minor and Macedonia
Macedonia most commonly refers to:
* North Macedonia, a country in southeastern Europe, known until 2019 as the Republic of Macedonia
* Macedonia (ancient kingdom), a kingdom in Greek antiquity
* Macedonia (Greece), a traditional geographic reg ...
.
People
* Krum Krumov - writer and philologist
* Delko Karadelkov - chairman, Bulgarian Journalists' Union, 1976
* Evelin Banev "Brendo" - self-made businessman, wrestler
Gallery
Image:Topolovgrad3.JPG , Holy Theotokos
''Theotokos'' (Greek: ) is a title of Mary, mother of Jesus, used especially in Eastern Christianity. The usual Latin translations are ''Dei Genitrix'' or ''Deipara'' (approximately "parent (fem.) of God"). Familiar English translations are " ...
Eastern Orthodox Church
Image:Topolovgrad2.jpg, Monastery Heights, close to the town
Image:Topolovgrad7.JPG , Town center, Osvobozhdenie Square
Image:Topolovgrad6.JPG , Town center, Bulgaria street
Image:Topolovgrad8.JPG , Saints Cyril and Methodius community center in Topolovgrad
References
Towns in Bulgaria
Populated places in Haskovo Province
{{Haskovo-geo-stub