Kubrat ( bg, Кубрат; tr, Balbunar) is a town in Razgrad Province, Northeastern

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 the

Ludogorie The Ludogorie ( bg, Лудогорие, usually used with a definite article, Лудогорието, ''Ludogorieto'') or Deliorman (''Делиорман'', tr, Deli Orman, lit=mad forest and Bulgarian: lud - "mad", "crazy" and gora - "forest"), ...

region. Named after the

Bulgar Bulgar may refer to: *Bulgars, extinct people of Central Asia *Bulgar language, the extinct language of the Bulgars * Oghur languages Bulgar may also refer to: *Bolghar, the capital city of Volga Bulgaria *Bulgur, a wheat product * Bulgar, an Ash ...

ruler

Kubrat Kubrat ( el, Κοβρᾶτος, Kούβρατος; bg, Кубрат ) was the ruler of the Onogur–Bulgars, credited with establishing the confederation of Old Great Bulgaria in ca. 632. His name derived from the Turkic words ''qobrat'' — ...

, it is the administrative centre of the homonymous

Kubrat Municipality Kubrat Municipality ( bg, Община Кубрат) is a municipality ('' obshtina'') in Razgrad Province, Northeastern Bulgaria, located in the Danubian Plain about 10 km south of Danube river. It is named after its administrative centre ...

. As of December 2009, the town has a population of 8,118 inhabitants.Bulgarian National Statistical Institute - towns in 2009
A notable native is famous singer

Lili Ivanova ''Lili'' is a 1953 American film released by MGM. It stars Leslie Caron as a touchingly naïve French girl whose emotional relationship with a carnival puppeteer is conducted through the medium of four puppets. The film won the Academy Award for ...

. The population is ethnically mixed where the two main groups are the

Bulgarians Bulgarians ( bg, българи, Bǎlgari, ) are a nation and South Slavic ethnic group native to Bulgaria and the rest of Southeast Europe. Etymology Bulgarians derive their ethnonym from the Bulgars. Their name is not completely unders ...

and the

Turks Turk or Turks may refer to: Communities and ethnic groups * Turkic peoples, a collection of ethnic groups who speak Turkic languages * Turkish people, or the Turks, a Turkic ethnic group and nation * Turkish citizen, a citizen of the Republic ...

History

The first documented mention of the city is from 1624, while the legend says it was founded in the 15th century. During the

Ottoman rule of Bulgaria The history of Ottoman Bulgaria spans nearly 500 years, from the conquest by the Ottoman Empire of the smaller kingdoms emerging from the disintegrating Second Bulgarian Empire in the late 14th century, to the Liberation of Bulgaria in 1878. A ...

, it was known as ''Balbunar'' ("Honey well") in Turkish, as the town was centred on the Copper Well that is now the

town square A town square (or square, plaza, public square, city square, urban square, or ''piazza'') is an open public space, commonly found in the heart of a traditional town but not necessarily a true geometric square, used for community gatherings. ...

. A

primary school A primary school (in Ireland, the United Kingdom, Australia, Trinidad and Tobago, Jamaica, and South Africa), junior school (in Australia), elementary school or grade school (in North America and the Philippines) is a school for primary e ...

was founded in 1890 and the

Cyril and Methodius Cyril (born Constantine, 826–869) and Methodius (815–885) were two brothers and Byzantine Christian theologians and missionaries. For their work evangelizing the Slavs, they are known as the "Apostles to the Slavs". They are credited wit ...

community centre (''

chitalishte A ''chitalishte'' (, . Derives from the verb "чета" - "to read" or "читател" - "reader") is a typical Bulgarian public institution and building that fulfills several functions at once, such as a community centre, library, and a theat ...

'') followed on 4 May 1891. The then village acquired its present name in 1934 and was proclaimed a town in 1949. An influx of investment has come from Bulgarians and other nationals since EU accession in 2007 leading to a boost to the local economy. The town is now serviced by over 5 builders merchants which is an indication of the expansion and renovation that is currently going on in the area.

References

External links

Razgrad Province

Kubrat municipality website

Towns in Bulgaria Populated places in Razgrad Province {{Razgrad-geo-stub