Momchilgrad ( bg, Момчилград , ,
Turkish: Mestanlı); is a town in the very south of
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 Macedo ...
, part of
Kardzhali Province
Kardzhali Province ( bg, Област Кърджали, Oblast Kărdžali, tr, Kırcaali ili) is a province of southern Bulgaria, neighbouring Greece with the Greek regional units of Xanthi, Rhodope, and Evros to the south and east. It is 320 ...
in the southern part of the
Eastern Rhodopes. According to the 2011 census, Momchilgrad is the largest Bulgarian settlement with a
Turkish majority (75% of the total).
Population by province, municipality, settlement and ethnic identification, by 01.02.2011; Bulgarian National Statistical Institute
Notable natives include Petar Stoychev
Petar Stoychev ( bg, Петър Стойчев; born 24 October 1976 in Momchilgrad) is a Bulgarian swimmer who is one of the most successful long distance marathon swimmers in history. He is one of the greatest marathon swimmers of all time an ...
(b. 1976), the fastest swimmer across the English Channel
The English Channel, "The Sleeve"; nrf, la Maunche, "The Sleeve" (Cotentinais) or ( Jèrriais), (Guernésiais), "The Channel"; br, Mor Breizh, "Sea of Brittany"; cy, Môr Udd, "Lord's Sea"; kw, Mor Bretannek, "British Sea"; nl, Het Kana ...
until 2012, table tennis player and coach Daniela Gergelcheva (b. 1964), Turkish weightlifter Naim Süleymanoğlu (1967–2017) and singer Zdravko Zhelyazkov from the Riton pop duet.
History
Momchilgrad becomes part of Bulgaria after the Balkan wars. The previous name of the city is Mestanlı and it is renamed to Momchilgrad in 1934.
References
External links
Official web site of Municipality Momchilgrad
Towns in Bulgaria
Cities and towns in the Rhodopes
Populated places in Kardzhali Province
{{Kardzhali-geo-stub