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Yambol ( bg, Ямбол ) is a town in Southeastern
Bulgaria Bulgaria (; bg, България, Bǎlgariya), officially the Republic of Bulgaria,, ) is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the eastern flank of the Balkans, and is bordered by Romania to the north, Serbia and North Mac ...
and administrative centre of Yambol Province. It lies on both banks of the Tundzha river in the historical region of
Thrace Thrace (; el, Θράκη, Thráki; bg, Тракия, Trakiya; tr, Trakya) or Thrake is a geographical and historical region in Southeast Europe, now split among Bulgaria, Greece, and Turkey, which is bounded by the Balkan Mountains to ...
. It is occasionally spelled ''Jambol''. Yambol is the administrative center of two municipalities. One is Yambol Municipality, which covers the city itself, and the other is Tundzha Municipality, which covers the rural areas around Yambol.


History

The area surrounding Yambol has been inhabited since the
Neolithic The Neolithic period, or New Stone Age, is an Old World archaeological period and the final division of the Stone Age. It saw the Neolithic Revolution, a wide-ranging set of developments that appear to have arisen independently in several part ...
Era. The ancient Thracian royal city of Kabile or Kabyle ( bg, Кабиле), dating from the end of the 2nd millennium BCE, was located 10 km from current-day Yambol. It was one of Thracians' most important cities and contained one of the kings' palaces. The city was conquered by King
Philip II of Macedon Philip II of Macedon ( grc-gre, Φίλιππος ; 382 – 21 October 336 BC) was the king ('' basileus'') of the ancient kingdom of Macedonia from 359 BC until his death in 336 BC. He was a member of the Argead dynasty, founders of the a ...
in 341 BCE and was re-established as an
Ancient Greek Ancient Greek includes the forms of the Greek language used in ancient Greece and the ancient world from around 1500 BC to 300 BC. It is often roughly divided into the following periods: Mycenaean Greek (), Dark Ages (), the Archaic p ...
''polis''.An Inventory of Archaic and Classical Poleis: An Investigation Conducted by The Copenhagen Polis Centre for the Danish National Research Foundation by Mogens Herman Hansen,2005,Index - Founded by Phillip II After the collapse of
Alexander the Great Alexander III of Macedon ( grc, Ἀλέξανδρος, Alexandros; 20/21 July 356 BC – 10/11 June 323 BC), commonly known as Alexander the Great, was a king of the ancient Greek kingdom of Macedon. He succeeded his father Philip II to ...
’s empire in the 3rd century BCE, Kabile was ruled by the Thracians once again. It was conquered by the Romans in 71 BCE and later incorporated into the Roman province of Thrace. By 136 CE, Kabile was one of the largest Roman military bases in the region housing at least 600 soldiers. A large residence for military officers has recently been excavated in the archaeological park at Kabile. Kabile was expanded by Roman Emperor
Diocletian Diocletian (; la, Gaius Aurelius Valerius Diocletianus, grc, Διοκλητιανός, Diokletianós; c. 242/245 – 311/312), nicknamed ''Iovius'', was Roman emperor from 284 until his abdication in 305. He was born Gaius Valerius Diocles t ...
in 293 CE. Although it was named Diospolis (Διόςπόλις in Greek 'city of Zeus'), the name also reflected the first syllable of emperor Diocletian's name. The name later evolved through Diampolis (Διάμπόλις), Hiambouli (Ηιάμβόυλι; in Byzantine chronicles), Dinibouli (; Arabic chronicles), Dbilin (Дбилин; in Bulgarian inscriptions), and Diamboli or Jamboli (Диамбоюли) to become Yambol. Kabile was conquered by the Goths in the 4th century CE and was destroyed by the Avars in 583. As the
Slavs Slavs are the largest European ethnolinguistic group. They speak the various Slavic languages, belonging to the larger Balto-Slavic language, Balto-Slavic branch of the Indo-European languages. Slavs are geographically distributed throughout ...
and Bulgars arrived in the
Balkans The Balkans ( ), also known as the Balkan Peninsula, is a geographical area in southeastern Europe with various geographical and historical definitions. The region takes its name from the Balkan Mountains that stretch throughout the who ...
in the
Middle Ages In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire ...
, the Kabile fortress was contested by the
First Bulgarian Empire The First Bulgarian Empire ( cu, блъгарьско цѣсарьствиѥ, blagarysko tsesarystviye; bg, Първо българско царство) was a medieval Bulgar- Slavic and later Bulgarian state that existed in Southeastern Eur ...
and the
Eastern Roman Empire The Byzantine Empire, also referred to as the Eastern Roman Empire or Byzantium, was the continuation of the Roman Empire primarily in its eastern provinces during Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages, when its capital city was Constantin ...
. It ultimately became part of Bulgaria in 705 CE during the reign of Khan Tervel and has been an important
Bulgaria Bulgaria (; bg, България, Bǎlgariya), officially the Republic of Bulgaria,, ) is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the eastern flank of the Balkans, and is bordered by Romania to the north, Serbia and North Mac ...
n center ever since. The city expanded during the reign of
Khan Omurtag Omurtag (or Omortag) ( bg, Омуртаг; original gr, Μορτάγων and Ομουρτάγ', Inscription No.64. Retrieved 10 April 2012.) was a Great Khan (''Kanasubigi'') of Bulgaria from 814 to 831. He is known as "the Builder". In the very ...
of the
First Bulgarian Empire The First Bulgarian Empire ( cu, блъгарьско цѣсарьствиѥ, blagarysko tsesarystviye; bg, Първо българско царство) was a medieval Bulgar- Slavic and later Bulgarian state that existed in Southeastern Eur ...
, and a new fortress was built. Its proximity to the border made it essential for both trade and military purposes. During the reign of Boris I and Tsar Simeon, the first literary centers were established, mostly as part of the church. Books were imported from Preslav and Ohrid literary schools and were studied in the city's churches. During the reign of Tsar Kaloyan, the city again increased in importance, mainly due to the ongoing conflict between Bulgaria and the crusaders. A major battle between Tsar Kaloyan and the crusaders happened in 1204 CE, about 80 kilometers south-west of the town, where Bulgaria defeated the crusaders in the battle of Adrianopole on 14 April 1205. The
Ottomans The Ottoman Turks ( tr, Osmanlı Türkleri), were the Turkic founding and sociopolitically the most dominant ethnic group of the Ottoman Empire ( 1299/1302–1922). Reliable information about the early history of Ottoman Turks remains scarce, ...
conquered Yambol in 1373 CE, but a militarized, semi-independent Bulgarian population remained as voyinuks in the southern part of the city. It was renamed to "Yanbolu". It was kaza center, which was bound successively to Çirmen Sanjak (Its center was Edirne) of Rumelia Eyalet (1364–1420),
Silistre Silistra ( bg, Силистра ; tr, Silistre; ro, Silistra) is a town in Northeastern Bulgaria. The town lies on the southern bank of the lower Danube river, and is also the part of the Romanian border where it stops following the Danube. Sil ...
Sanjak of Rumelia Eyalet (1420-1593), Silistre Sanjak of
Silistre Eyalet The Eyalet of Silistra or Silistria ( ota, ایالت سیلیستره; ''Eyālet-i Silistre''), later known as Özü Eyalet ( ota, ایالت اوزی; ''Eyālet-i Özi'') meaning Province of Ochakiv was an '' eyalet'' of the Ottoman Empire alon ...
(1593–1830), İslimye Sanjak of
Edirne Vilayet The Vilayet of Adrianople or Vilayet of Edirne ( ota, ولايت ادرنه; ''Vilâyet-i Edirne'') was a first-level administrative division ( vilayet) of the Ottoman Empire. This vilayet was split between Turkey and Greece in 1923, culminating ...
(1830-1878), and the department of Sliven in Eastern Rumelia before joining the Principality of Bulgaria in 1885. The predominant religion in Yambol is
Eastern Orthodox Christianity Eastern Orthodoxy, also known as Eastern Orthodox Christianity, is one of the three main branches of Chalcedonian Christianity, alongside Catholicism and Protestantism. Like the Pentarchy of the first millennium, the mainstream (or "canonical") ...
. Many local churches were erected in 1888. These include the
Holy Trinity The Christian doctrine of the Trinity (, from 'threefold') is the central dogma concerning the nature of God in most Christian churches, which defines one God existing in three coequal, coeternal, consubstantial divine persons: God the F ...
church, the St George church, and the St Nicholas cathedral, the largest of them being the St. Nicholas cathedral. Eastern Rite Catholic and
Protestant Protestantism is a Christian denomination, branch of Christianity that follows the theological tenets of the Reformation, Protestant Reformation, a movement that began seeking to reform the Catholic Church from within in the 16th century agai ...
religious buildings also exist in Yambol. In modern times, Yambol was the center of Yambol ''Okolia'' starting in 1878 and then Yambol ''Okrug'' starting in 1948. In 1984 it became part of the newly formed Burgas Oblast where it remained for 10 years. Since the early 1990s, Yambol has been the center of Yambol Oblast (or Yambol Municipality). The city was affected by the turmoils of the early 20th century. Bulgarian refugees from
East Thrace East Thrace or Eastern Thrace ( tr, Doğu Trakya or simply ''Trakya''; el, Ανατολική Θράκη, ''Anatoliki Thraki''; bg, Източна Тракия, ''Iztochna Trakiya''), also known as Turkish Thrace or European Turkey, is the pa ...
, attacked by the Turkish Army in a 1913
ethnic cleansing Ethnic cleansing is the systematic forced removal of ethnic, racial, and religious groups from a given area, with the intent of making a region ethnically homogeneous. Along with direct removal, extermination, deportation or population transfer ...
campaign against Thracian Bulgarians, settled in the city. Yambol's Greek population (around 20 families) left for Greece during that exchange of refugee populations. Yambol also hosted Bulgarian Macedonian refugees from the failed 1903 Ilinden Uprising. During
World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was List of wars and anthropogenic disasters by death toll, one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, ...
, Yambol hosted a base for Luftstreitkräfte (
Imperial German ', literally translated "Germans of the ", is an archaic term for those ethnic Germans who resided within the German state that was founded in 1871. In contemporary usage, it referred to German citizens, the word signifying people from the Germ ...
Army Air Service) zeppelins used for missions in
Romania Romania ( ; ro, România ) is a country located at the crossroads of Central, Eastern, and Southeastern Europe. It borders Bulgaria to the south, Ukraine to the north, Hungary to the west, Serbia to the southwest, Moldova to the east, a ...
,
Russia Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and Northern Asia. It is the largest country in the world, with its internationally recognised territory covering , and encompassing one-eigh ...
,
Sudan Sudan ( or ; ar, السودان, as-Sūdān, officially the Republic of the Sudan ( ar, جمهورية السودان, link=no, Jumhūriyyat as-Sūdān), is a country in Northeast Africa. It shares borders with the Central African Republic t ...
and Malta. The city was chosen by the Germans due to its favorable location and weather conditions. During the Balkan Wars, Yambol was the headquarters of the First Bulgarian Army, which played a vital role in the defeat of the Turks in Trace. In the early 21st century, the city became the first one in Bulgaria to offer natural gas for residential use.


Population

In the first decade after the liberation of Bulgaria from the Ottoman Empire, the population of Yambol exceeded 10,000. In 1887, it was 11,241. Since then, it started growing decade by decade, mostly because of migrants from rural areas and the surrounding smaller towns. Yambol's population reached its peak in the period of 1985-1992, exceeding 90,000. After this peak, the population started decreasing due to the economic situation in Bulgaria during the 1990s, which led to migration to Burgas. As of February 2011, the city had a population of 74,132 residents. The population of Tundzha Municipality, of which the city is the administrative center, was 98,287.


Economy

Local industry has declined since the 1990s with many factories closing down. The city is the centre of its thriving agricultural surroundings.


Ethnic, linguistic, and religious composition

According to the latest 2011 census data, the individuals declared their ethnic identity were distributed as follows: * Bulgarians: 59,899 (87.1%) * Gypsies: 4,263 (6.2%) * Turks: 3,185 (4.6%) *Others: 296 (0.4%) *Indefinable: 1,101 (1.6%) **Undeclared: 11,718 (8.5%) Total: 74,132


Climate

The climate in Yambol is moderate with influences from both the Black Sea (from the East) and the Aegean Sea (from the South).


Culture


Museums

Yambol houses the Regional History Museum and has a military museum, the Battle Glory Museum. As one of the city’s most historically significant cultural sites, Bezisten has existed for five centuries as a closed market, a city mall built during the Ottoman Empire. In 2015, Bezisten opened its doors to the public as an interactive museum. The museum is a major cultural and information centre which promotes the rich heritage of Yambol and the region. In celebration of European Heritage Days 2019, the museum Bezisten hosted special events dedicated to celebrating arts and entertainment. One of these events honored the 510th anniversary of the construction of the building.


Arts and entertainment

The city has a Dramatic Theatre Nevena Kokanova, as well as a Puppet Theatre Georgi Mitev. The Dramatic Theatre hosts actors from all over the country throughout the year. Movie theater Elite shows the latest films.


Sports

The most popular sport in the city is Basketball. Yambol's basketball club is BC Yambol, and home matches are played at
Sports Hall Diana Diana Hall ( bg, Зала "Диана") is a multifunctional Indoor arena in Yambol, Bulgaria. The arena was opened in 1964 and has a seating capacity for 3,000 people. It is the home of BC Yambol. Besides basketball, local ...
. In 2002, BC Yambol won the national championship of the National Basketball League (Bulgaria).


Education

*
Faculty of Engineering and Technology Yambol Faculty of Engineering and Technology - Yambol is a basic unit in the structure of the University of Thrace - Stara Zagora. It is the successor of the Technical College - Yambol and has almost half a century of tradition in education and trainin ...


Notable natives

*
George Papazov George Papazov (Papasoff, Georges) ( bg, Георги Папазов) (2 February 1894, in Yambol – 23 April 1972, in Vence, Alpes-Maritimes) was a Bulgarian painter and writer. He became prominent in Paris, worked and died in France. He was amo ...
, painter *
Georgi Gospodinov Georgi Gospodinov ( bg, Георги Господинов; born January 7, 1968) is a Bulgarian writer, poet and playwright. One of the most translated Bulgarian authors after 1989, he has four poetry books awarded with national literary prizes. ...
, author * Volen Siderov, journalist and politician *
Peter Noikov Peter Noikov ( bg, Петър Нойков; April 27, 1868 – 1921) was a Bulgarian educator and the first Bulgarian professor in pedagogic. Noikov was born in Yambol. He worked as a teacher and graduated from a secondary school in Sofia. In 189 ...
, educator *
Encho Keryazov Encho Keryazov ( bg, Енчо Керязов) (born 15 October 1973 in Elhovo) is a Bulgarian acrobat. Biography Born into a family of teachers, Encho Keryazov was born in 1973 in Elhovo, Bulgaria. At the age of 6 he was a rather frail boy, ...
, artist :de:Encho Keryazov *
Reyhan Angelova Reyhan Angelova ( bg, Рейхан Ангелова, Yambol, 23 July 1986 - 25 August 2005) was a Bulgarian pop singer. An ethnic Turk who sang in Turkish Turkish may refer to: *a Turkic language spoken by the Turks * of or about Turkey ** Tur ...
, singer


Twin towns - sister cities

Yambol is twinned with: * Berdyansk, Ukraine * Edirne, Turkey *
Izhevsk Izhevsk (russian: Иже́вск, p=ɪˈʐɛfsk; udm, Ижкар, ''Ižkar'', or , ''Iž'') is the capital city of Udmurtia, Russia. It is situated along the Izh River, west of the Ural Mountains in Eastern Europe. It is the 21st-largest c ...
, Russia * Sieradz, Poland * Târgu Jiu, Romania * Villejuif, France * Pánd, Hungary


Gallery

File:City Library and Central Post Office - Yambol, BULGARIA.jpg, City Library and Central Post Office File:Yambol-municipality-building.jpg, Municipality Building, Yambol File:Gradinkata pred poshtata.jpg, Garden in front of the Central Post Office File:Yambol-church-Saint-George-5.jpg, The Bell Tower of St. George Church, built in 1893 File:Yambol Theatre2.JPG, The Theater of Yambol File:Yambol-church-Saint-George-6.jpg, Church of St George, built in 1737 File:Yambol-Diana-hall.jpg, Sport center "Diana", Yambol File:Yambol City Park, Yambol, Bulgaria.jpg, Yambol City Park File:Bulgarian Trip 057.jpg, Panoramic view of the city visible from Borovets File:Tundzha river.jpg,
Tundzha River The Tundzha ( bg, Тунджа , tr, Tunca , el, Τόνζος ) is a river in Bulgaria and Turkey (known in antiquity as the Tonsus) and the most significant tributary of the Maritsa, emptying into it on Turkish territory near Edirne. The rive ...
File:Yambol ormana1.jpg, Park Ormana File:Yambol Ormana2.jpg, Park Ormana File:Yambol tennis.jpg, City park File:Yambol-railway-station.jpg, Railway station File:IMG theatre.JPG, The Theatre File:City of Yambol, Bulgaria 1 - 19.05.2012.jpg, Old building, "G.Papazov" str. / "A.Stamboliiski" str. File:City of Yambol, Bulgaria 2 - 19.05.2012.jpg, "G.Papazov" str. - International Asset Bank File:Yambol-church-Saint-Nikola.jpg, St. Nikola church File:Yambol-catholic-church-Esm.jpg, The Roman Catholic church File:Lufschiffhafen Jambol.jpg, The Bulgarian and German Imperial Air Force base


References


External links


Official site of the municipality of Yambol
{{Authority control Populated places in Yambol Province Populated places established in the 3rd century 293 establishments