Razgrad
Encyclopedia
Razgrad is a city in northeastern Bulgaria
, administrative and industrial centre of the homonymous Razgrad Province
. As of February 2011, it has a population of 33,238 inhabitants.
town of Abritus
on the banks of the Beli Lom river. Razgrad Province has one of the densest Turkish
populations in Bulgaria, with 27% of the municipality (which also includes 22 villages) 's citizens declaring to be Turks in 1998. An absolute majority of 69% are Bulgarians
, with the remaining 4% being composed for the most part of Roma.
Some of Razgrad's landmarks include the Varosha architectural complex from the 19th century, the ethnographic museum and several other museums, the characteristic clock tower
in the centre built in 1864, the St Nicholas the Miracle Worker Church from 1860, the Momina cheshma sculpture, the Mausoleum Ossuary of the Liberators (1879–1880) and the Ibrahim Pasha Mosque
from 1530. The mosque is said to be the third largest one in the Balkans, excluding Istanbul
its reconstruction has still not been completed, having begun in Communist times.
In 251, the town was the site of the Battle of Abrittus
, during which the Goths
defeated a Roman
army under the emperors Trajan Decius and Herennius Etruscus
. The battle is notable for being the first occasion of a Roman emperor being killed in a battle with barbarians.
The name of the city was Hezargrad in the Ottoman
times. Razgrad Peak
on Greenwich Island in the South Shetland Islands
, Antarctica is named after Razgrad.
with:
Oryol
, Russia
(since 1968) Wittenberge
, Germany
(since 2001) Armagh
, Northern Ireland
, United Kingdom
(since 1995) Châlons-en-Champagne
, France
(since 1975) Avcılar
, Istanbul
, Turkey
(since 2000) Yangzhou
, People's Republic of China
(since 2000) Brunswick, Ohio
, United States
(since 1998) Assen
, Netherlands
(since 2006)
Bulgaria
Bulgaria , officially the Republic of Bulgaria , is a parliamentary democracy within a unitary constitutional republic in Southeast Europe. The country borders Romania to the north, Serbia and Macedonia to the west, Greece and Turkey to the south, as well as the Black Sea to the east...
, administrative and industrial centre of the homonymous Razgrad Province
Razgrad Province
Razgrad Province , former name Razgrad okrug) is a province in Northeastern Bulgaria, geographically part of the Ludogorie region. It is named after its administrative and industrial centre - the town of Razgrad...
. As of February 2011, it has a population of 33,238 inhabitants.
History
Razgrad was built upon the ruins of the Ancient RomanAncient Rome
Ancient Rome was a thriving civilization that grew on the Italian Peninsula as early as the 8th century BC. Located along the Mediterranean Sea and centered on the city of Rome, it expanded to one of the largest empires in the ancient world....
town of Abritus
Abritus
Abritus was a late Roman city near the site of the modern city of Razgrad.In 251 it was the site of the defeat and slaying of Decius at the Battle of Abrittus. It was destroyed by the Avars in the sixth century....
on the banks of the Beli Lom river. Razgrad Province has one of the densest Turkish
Turkish people
Turkish people, also known as the "Turks" , are an ethnic group primarily living in Turkey and in the former lands of the Ottoman Empire where Turkish minorities had been established in Bulgaria, Cyprus, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Georgia, Greece, Kosovo, Macedonia, and Romania...
populations in Bulgaria, with 27% of the municipality (which also includes 22 villages) 's citizens declaring to be Turks in 1998. An absolute majority of 69% are Bulgarians
Bulgarians
The Bulgarians are a South Slavic nation and ethnic group native to Bulgaria and neighbouring regions. Emigration has resulted in immigrant communities in a number of other countries.-History and ethnogenesis:...
, with the remaining 4% being composed for the most part of Roma.
Some of Razgrad's landmarks include the Varosha architectural complex from the 19th century, the ethnographic museum and several other museums, the characteristic clock tower
Clock tower
A clock tower is a tower specifically built with one or more clock faces. Clock towers can be either freestanding or part of a church or municipal building such as a town hall. Some clock towers are not true clock towers having had their clock faces added to an already existing building...
in the centre built in 1864, the St Nicholas the Miracle Worker Church from 1860, the Momina cheshma sculpture, the Mausoleum Ossuary of the Liberators (1879–1880) and the Ibrahim Pasha Mosque
Ibrahim Pasha Mosque
Ibrahim Pasha Mosque, is a mosque in Bulgaria. The structure is situated in the city of Razgrad, Ludogorie region. Currently the mosque is closed for usage and its reconstruction still has not been completed since socialist Bulgarian times....
from 1530. The mosque is said to be the third largest one in the Balkans, excluding Istanbul
Istanbul
Istanbul , historically known as Byzantium and Constantinople , is the largest city of Turkey. Istanbul metropolitan province had 13.26 million people living in it as of December, 2010, which is 18% of Turkey's population and the 3rd largest metropolitan area in Europe after London and...
its reconstruction has still not been completed, having begun in Communist times.
In 251, the town was the site of the Battle of Abrittus
Battle of Abrittus
The Battle of Abritus, also known as the Battle of Forum Terebronii, occurred in the Roman province of Moesia Inferior probably in July, 251, between the Roman Empire and a federation of Scythian tribesmen under the Goth king Cniva. The Romans were soundly defeated, and Roman emperors Decius and...
, during which the Goths
Goths
The Goths were an East Germanic tribe of Scandinavian origin whose two branches, the Visigoths and the Ostrogoths, played an important role in the fall of the Roman Empire and the emergence of Medieval Europe....
defeated a Roman
Roman Empire
The Roman Empire was the post-Republican period of the ancient Roman civilization, characterised by an autocratic form of government and large territorial holdings in Europe and around the Mediterranean....
army under the emperors Trajan Decius and Herennius Etruscus
Herennius Etruscus
Herennius Etruscus , was Roman emperor in 251, in a joint rule with his father Decius. Emperor Hostilian was his younger brother.Herennius was born in near Sirmium in Pannonia , during one of his father's military postings. His mother was Herennia Cupressenia Etruscilla, a Roman lady of an...
. The battle is notable for being the first occasion of a Roman emperor being killed in a battle with barbarians.
The name of the city was Hezargrad in the Ottoman
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman EmpireIt was usually referred to as the "Ottoman Empire", the "Turkish Empire", the "Ottoman Caliphate" or more commonly "Turkey" by its contemporaries...
times. Razgrad Peak
Razgrad Peak
Razgrad Peak is an ice-covered peak rising to 550 m in Breznik Heights, Greenwich Island, Antarctica. The peak is located 740 m southeast of Terter Peak, 1.7 km southwest of Momchil Peak, 2.7 km west of the summit of Viskyar Ridge, and 1.51 km north-northeast of the coastal point...
on Greenwich Island in the South Shetland Islands
South Shetland Islands
The South Shetland Islands are a group of Antarctic islands, lying about north of the Antarctic Peninsula, with a total area of . By the Antarctic Treaty of 1959, the Islands' sovereignty is neither recognized nor disputed by the signatories and they are free for use by any signatory for...
, Antarctica is named after Razgrad.
Population
According to census 2011, Razgrad has a population of 33,238 inhabitants as of February 2011. The number of the residents of the city reached its peak in the period 1988-1991 when exceeded 55,000. The following table presents the change of the population after the liberation of the country in 1878.Twin towns — sister cities
Razgrad is twinnedTown twinning
Twin towns and sister cities are two of many terms used to describe the cooperative agreements between towns, cities, and even counties in geographically and politically distinct areas to promote cultural and commercial ties.- Terminology :...
with:
Oryol
Oryol
Oryol or Orel is a city and the administrative center of Oryol Oblast, Russia, located on the Oka River, approximately south-southwest of Moscow...
, Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
(since 1968) Wittenberge
Wittenberge
Wittenberge is a town of twenty thousand people on the lower Elbe in the district of Prignitz , Brandenburg, Germany.-History:...
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
(since 2001) Armagh
Armagh
Armagh is a large settlement in Northern Ireland, and the county town of County Armagh. It is a site of historical importance for both Celtic paganism and Christianity and is the seat, for both the Roman Catholic Church and the Church of Ireland, of the Archbishop of Armagh...
, Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland is one of the four countries of the United Kingdom. Situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, it shares a border with the Republic of Ireland to the south and west...
, United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
(since 1995) Châlons-en-Champagne
Châlons-en-Champagne
Châlons-en-Champagne is a city in France. It is the capital of both the department of Marne and the region of Champagne-Ardenne, despite being only a quarter the size of the city of Reims....
, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
(since 1975) Avcılar
Avcilar
Avcılar is a district of Istanbul, Turkey, out of town on the European side of the city, just to the west of the Küçükçekmece inlet of the Sea of Marmara.-History:The Marmara coast road bridges the mouth of the inlet, always an important route in wartime...
, Istanbul
Istanbul
Istanbul , historically known as Byzantium and Constantinople , is the largest city of Turkey. Istanbul metropolitan province had 13.26 million people living in it as of December, 2010, which is 18% of Turkey's population and the 3rd largest metropolitan area in Europe after London and...
, Turkey
Turkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
(since 2000) Yangzhou
Yangzhou
Yangzhou is a prefecture-level city in central Jiangsu Province, People's Republic of China. Sitting on the northern bank of the Yangtze River, it borders the provincial capital of Nanjing to the southwest, Huai'an to the north, Yancheng to the northeast, Taizhou to the east, and Zhenjiang across...
, People's Republic of China
People's Republic of China
China , officially the People's Republic of China , is the most populous country in the world, with over 1.3 billion citizens. Located in East Asia, the country covers approximately 9.6 million square kilometres...
(since 2000) Brunswick, Ohio
Brunswick, Ohio
Brunswick is the largest city in Medina County, Ohio, United States. The population was 34,255 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Cleveland Metropolitan Area.-Geography:Brunswick is located at ....
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
(since 1998) Assen
Assen
Assen is a municipality and a city in the north eastern Netherlands, capital of the province of Drenthe. It received city rights in 1809. Assen's main claim to fame is the TT Circuit Assen the motorcycle racing circuit, where on the last Saturday in June the Dutch TT is run...
, Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
(since 2006)