Stara Zagora

The name comes from the Slavic root star ("old") and the name of the medieval region of Zagore ("beyond the Balkan mountains" in Slavic) The original name was Beroe, which was changed to Ulpia Augusta Traiana by the Romans. From the 6th century the city was called Vereja and, from 784, Irenopolis (Greek: Ειρηνούπολις) in honour of the Byzantine empress Irene of Athens. In the Middle Ages it was called Boruj by the Bulgarians and later, Železnik. The Turks called it Eski Hisar (old fort) and Eski Zagra, from which its current name derives, assigned in 1871. Beroe Hill on Livingston Island, West Antarctica, is named after this city, in its previous incarnation as Beroe.

The earliest traces of civilisation in the region of Stara Zagora date back to the end of the 7th millennium B.C. Then, almost simultaneously, four prehistoric settlements emerged on the present territory of Stara Zagora and its surroundings, one of which was the largest in the Bulgarian lands for 6 thousand years. Some scholars believe that the ancient Thracian Beroe was located there. In 1968, Neolithic dwellings from the mid-6th millennium BC were discovered in the town, which are the best preserved and richest collection in Europe and have been turned into a museum. A high density of Neolithic and Chalcolithic settlements has been identified, with over 120 prehistoric settlements and 5 prehistoric settlement mounds, with numerous finds, one of them being the largest in Europe. Life here began in the late 7th millennium BC and continued until the 12th century AD. …

Stara Zagora is the administrative centre of its municipality and the Stara Zagora Province. It is about 231 kilometres (144 mi) from Sofia, near the Bedechka river in the historic region of Thrace. The city is in an area of a humid subtropical climate. The average yearly temperature is about 14 °C (57 °F). The territory of Stara Zagora municipality falls within the Middle Bulgarian biogeographical region - the Upper Thracian Lowland sub-region, characterized by a predominantly flat nature, intensive agriculture and significant urbanization. This predetermines a largely poor in composition and abundance biodiversity. Characteristic forest communities are xerothermic forests and the composition is diverse. The only scientifically known locality of a plant species protected by the Biodiversity Act is that in the Karasivria locality, north of the town. …

The Stara Zagora region is dynamically developing and by a number of indicators is in a leading position in the country. In 2004, the region had a record high growth of 26% in the value of manufactured output, 23% in sales and 24.6% in gross domestic product. According to the regional administration, in 2004 and 2005 the Stara Zagora region now ranks second in terms of gross domestic product (GDP) and retains third place in terms of human development index (HDI). HDI is determined by GDP per capita, literacy rate, life expectancy, etc. In 2004, foreign direct investment in the region amounted to EUR 838 million (compared to a total of EUR 2020 million for Bulgaria), representing over 40% of all investment in the country. Around 600 million euros of the investments were in the energy sector. …

Regional Historical Museum The Antique Forum Thracian Tomb The Roman Baths Roman mosaics of “Silenus with Bacchantes" (4th century) and of Dionysus's Procession The Samarsko Zname Monument Ayazmoto Park Defenders of Stara Zagora Memorial Complex Memorial House of Geo Milev The South Gate of Augusta Trajana The Opera House, built in 1925 Stara Zagora Transmitter with one of the few Blaw-Knox Towers in Europe Neolithic Dwellings Museum

The city's geographical location makes connections with the rest of the country well developed. Stara Zagora is a major railway junction, through which pass the railway lines Sofia-Stara Zagora-Burgas and railway line 4 Ruse-Podkova (project for extension through the Makaza pass to Alexandroupolis on the Aegean Sea)/Svilengrad. Stara Zagora Airport is located in the Kolyo Ganchev district and has a long runway suitable for large aircraft, but has not been operational since the early 1990s. Pan-European corridors VIII and IX, out of a total of five, cross the territory of the country. Since 2007, the Trakia motorway runs a few kilometres south of the town. Bus links connect Stara Zagora with other major cities in Bulgaria. The trolleybus system consists of 4 routes, all being important for the urban transportation network in Stara Zagora. …