Botevgrad ( bg, Ботевград ) is a town in western

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 ...

. It is located in Sofia Province and is close to

Pravets Pravets or Pravetz ( bg, Правец, also transliterated as Pravec, ) is a town in Pravets Municipality in central western Bulgaria, located approximately from the capital Sofia. Pravets is home town of Pravetz computers. Pravets has a populat ...

. Botevgrad lies 47 km from

Sofia Sofia ( ; bg, София, Sofiya, ) is the capital and largest city of Bulgaria. It is situated in the Sofia Valley at the foot of the Vitosha mountain in the western parts of the country. The city is built west of the Iskar river, and h ...

History and name

The village was called Samundzhievo (Самунджиево) until it was elevated to town status at the end of 1865 under the name of Orhanie (

Bulgarian language Bulgarian (, ; bg, label=none, български, bălgarski, ) is an Eastern South Slavic language spoken in Southeastern Europe, primarily in Bulgaria. It is the language of the Bulgarians. Along with the closely related Macedonian l ...

: Орхание;

Ottoman Turkish Ottoman Turkish ( ota, لِسانِ عُثمانى, Lisân-ı Osmânî, ; tr, Osmanlı Türkçesi) was the standardized register of the Turkish language used by the citizens of the Ottoman Empire (14th to 20th centuries CE). It borrowed extens ...

: اورخانيه). On 1 December 1934 the town was named Botevgrad (Ботевград) after

Hristo Botev Hristo Botev ( bg, Христо Ботев, ), born Hristo Botyov Petkov (Христо Ботьов Петков; – ), was a Bulgarian revolutionary and poet. Botev is considered by Bulgarians to be a symbolic historical figure and nationa ...

Geography

Botevgrad and its hinterland are located in an elliptical valley with a total area of 5,066 km². The municipality covers parts of the Western

Stara Planina The Balkan mountain range (, , known locally also as Stara planina) is a mountain range in the eastern part of the Balkan Peninsula in Southeastern Europe. The range is conventionally taken to begin at the peak of Vrashka Chuka on the border be ...

mountain — Razhana,

Murgash Murgash is a peak in Bulgaria, in the Balkan Mountains The Balkan mountain range (, , known locally also as Stara planina) is a mountain range in the eastern part of the Balkan Peninsula in Southeastern Europe. The range is conventionally ta ...

, Bilo and Golyama Planina and some parts of the Northern Balkan. Vitinya Pass connecting Northern Bulgaria with Southern Bulgaria and the proximity of the capital contribute to its strategic location. Botevgrad municipality borders the following municipalities:

, Etropole, Gorna Malina,

Elin Pelin Elin Pelin ( bg, Елин Пелин ) (8 July 1877 – 3 December 1949), born Dimitar Ivanov Stoyanov ( bg, Димитър Иванов Стоянов) is considered Bulgaria’s best narrator of the Bulgarian (Balkan) countryside and village. ...

Svoge Svoge ( bg, Своге, ) is a town in western Bulgaria, part of Sofia Province. It is located in the gorge of the Iskar River, at the place where the mountains Mala planina, Golema planina and Ponor meet, 40 km north of the capital Sofia. Svoge is ...

Mezdra Mezdra ( bg, Мездра ) is a town in northwestern Bulgaria, part of Vratsa Province. It is located on the left bank of the Iskar River just north of its gorge through the Balkan Mountains. History Although the area around it has been inhabit ...

and

Roman Roman or Romans most often refers to: * Rome, the capital city of Italy * Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *''Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a lett ...

Climate

Nature

The region of Botevgrad municipality is quite rich in

natural resources Natural resources are resources that are drawn from nature and used with few modifications. This includes the sources of valued characteristics such as commercial and industrial use, aesthetic value, scientific interest and cultural value. ...

. The geographic landscape is remarkable for its variety. The municipality covers the following geographic areas: a part of Botevgradska Kotlovina (the valley of Botevgrad), some parts of Botevgradski Predbalkan and four of the Balkan shoulders — Razhana, Golyama Planina, Murgash and Bilo. Kotlovinata Zhleba (''Fillet Hollow'') is situated between the main Balkan Range and the Northern Balkan. The bottom of the hollow is the accumulative river terrace of Bebresh river and its tributaries. The low oval hills inside the hollow contribute to the countryside variety. Mount Murgash — 1687 m tall is the highest point of the highest mountain range to the south and south-west. Many rivulets run down the slopes of the heights. Prohoda Vitinya or Vitinya Pass connecting South Bulgaria with North Bulgaria is located on the territory of Botevgrad municipality.

Economy

Sensata Technologies group, which specialises in the design and production of added value electronics and electromechanical systems used in the automotive and consumer electronics industry, operates one large production plant in the town. GE Pharmaceuticals operates a drugs factory and in 2006 Siemens opened a plant for the production of high voltage transformers. Integrated Micro-Electronics, Inc., also known as IMI, is a provider of electronics manufacturing services (EMS) and power semiconductor assembly and test services (SATS). APS Advanced Printing Systems is a company involved in production of thermal printer mechanisms, controller boards and thermal printers. Mikroak Ltd many other companies in and around the area of Botevgrad.

Sport

Botevgrad has one of the leading

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appr ...

teams in the country, BC Balkan Botevgrad, who play at the Arena Botevgrad and have won 6 national championships and 4 national cups. The local

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly ...

club is called PFC Balkan Botevgrad and plays at the Hristo Botev Stadium. The city has many sports fields - both for football and basketball. Other sports are also very popular -

volleyball Volleyball is a team sport in which two teams of six players are separated by a net. Each team tries to score points by grounding a ball on the other team's court under organized rules. It has been a part of the official program of the Sum ...

swimming Swimming is the self-propulsion of a person through water, or other liquid, usually for recreation, sport, exercise, or survival. Locomotion is achieved through coordinated movement of the limbs and the body to achieve hydrodynamic thrust that r ...

chess Chess is a board game for two players, called White and Black, each controlling an army of chess pieces in their color, with the objective to checkmate the opponent's king. It is sometimes called international chess or Western chess to dist ...

acrobatics Acrobatics () is the performance of human feats of balance, agility, and motor coordination. Acrobatic skills are used in performing arts, sporting events, and martial arts. Extensive use of acrobatic skills are most often performed in acr ...

and

tennis Tennis is a racket sport that is played either individually against a single opponent (singles) or between two teams of two players each (doubles). Each player uses a tennis racket that is strung with cord to strike a hollow rubber ball cov ...

Religion

The religious buildings in Botevgrad are: * Church of the Ascension of Christ * Dormition of the Mother of God Church * Monastery "Nativity of the Mother of God" in the Zelin village zone * United Methodist Church

Twin towns

Botevgrad is twinned with: *

Saransk Saransk (russian: Саранск, p=sɐˈransk; mdf, Саранск ошсь, Saransk oš; myv, Саран ош, Saran oš) is the capital city of the Republic of Mordovia, Russia, as well as its financial and economic centre. It is located ...

, Russia *

Holbæk Holbæk () is a town in Denmark and the County seat, seat of Holbæk municipality with a population of 29,608 (1 January 2022).Clock Tower Clock towers are a specific type of structure which house a turret clock and have one or more clock faces on the upper exterior walls. Many clock towers are freestanding structures but they can also adjoin or be located on top of another buildi ...

Image:Fire trucks of the fire service in Botevgrad.jpg, Fire trucks of the fire service Image:Botevgrad house of science.jpg, Botevgrad house of science Image:Библиотека „Иван Вазов“, Ботевград 02.jpg, Library Ivan Vazov

References

External links

Botevgrad directory

Botevgrad's Municipal Site

News About Botevgrad

Botevgrad's Portal Site

Pictures from Botevgrad

360 degree virtual Botevgrad picture of the centre
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