Smolyan
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| Province (oblast) |
Smolyan |
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| Population | 31 113 (2005-09-13) |
| Altitude | 999 m |
| Postal code | 4700 |
| Area code | 0301 |
| Geographic coordinates |
41° 58' north, 24° 69' east |
| Time zone | EET (UTC+2; UTC+3 in summer) |
| Mayor | Dora Yankova (BSP) |
| Website | http://www.smolyan.com/ |
Smolyan (Bulgarian: Смолян; Turkish: Paşmaklı or Ahiçelebi) is a town in the very south of Bulgaria, the administrative center of Smolyan Province. It is situated in the valley of the Cherna ("Black") and the Byala ("White") Rivers in the central Rhodopes at the foot of the mountains' highest part south of the popular ski resorts Pamporovo and Chepelare.
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[edit] History
According to archaeological evidence, the area around Smolyan was first settled in the 2nd-1st millennium BC. It acquired its name from the Slavic tribe of the Smolyani that settled in the region in the 7th century. Part of the Byzantine and Bulgarian Empires during the Middle Ages, it was ruled by the 14th-century Bulgarian feudal lord Momchil along with the whole Rhodopes for a while before being entirely subjugated by the Ottoman Empire. Smolyan remained under Ottoman rule for five centuries, a township of the Ottoman Komotini (Gümülcine) sanjak in Edirne vilayet between 1867 and 1912. It was known in Ottoman Turkish as Paşmaklı or Ahiçelebi.
The area was occupied by the 21st Sredna Gora Regiment led by Vladimir Serafimov in 1912, during the First Balkan War. The modern town of Smolyan was formed by the merger of three existing villages — Ustovo, Raykovo and Ezerovo — in 1960.
[edit] Culture and sports
Due to its suitable location on top of Mount Rozhen, the Bulgarian National Astronomical Observatory is located nearby, with a planetarium in operation in the town. There is one theatre, the Rhodope Drama Theatre, and a gathering of theatre practitioners and scholars known as the The Rhodopi International Theater Collective is held every summer. There is also a regional historical museum founded in 1935.
Smolyan has an elite division football team, PFC Rodopa Smolyan, that has been playing in the A Professional Football Group since the 2002-2003 season.
The largest church in southern Bulgaria, the Cathedral of Saint Vissarion of Smolyan, was inaugurated in the city in July 2006.
[edit] Municipality
Smolyan is also the seat of Smolyan municipality (part of Smolyan Province), which includes the following 79 villages:
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[edit] External links
[edit] Official websites
- Smolyan municipality website
- Smolyan municipality at Domino.bg
- Planetarium Smolyan
- National Astronomical Observatory "Rozhen"
- The Rhodopi International Theater Collective
[edit] Tourism websites
 Cities and towns in Bulgaria  |
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| Aytos | Asenovgrad | Blagoevgrad | Botevgrad | Burgas | Dimitrovgrad | Dobrich | Dupnitsa | Gabrovo | Gorna Oryahovitsa | Gotse Delchev | Harmanli | Haskovo | Karlovo | Karnobat | Kazanlak | Kardzhali | Kyustendil | Lom | Lovech | Montana | Nova Zagora | Panagyurishte | Pazardzhik | Pernik | Petrich | Pleven | Plovdiv | Razgrad | Rousse | Samokov | Sandanski | Sevlievo | Shumen | Silistra | Sliven | Smolyan | Sofia | Stara Zagora | Svishtov | Targovishte | Troyan | Varna | Veliko Tarnovo | Velingrad | Vidin | Vratsa | Yambol |
