Bolhrad (, ; ; , ) is a small

city A city is a human settlement of a substantial size. The term "city" has different meanings around the world and in some places the settlement can be very small. Even where the term is limited to larger settlements, there is no universally agree ...

Odesa Oblast Odesa Oblast (), also referred to as Odeshchyna (Одещина), is an administrative divisions of Ukraine, oblast (province) of southwestern Ukraine, located along the northern coast of the Black Sea. Its administrative centre is the city of Ode ...

(

province A province is an administrative division within a country or sovereign state, state. The term derives from the ancient Roman , which was the major territorial and administrative unit of the Roman Empire, Roman Empire's territorial possessions ou ...

) of southwestern

Ukraine Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It is the List of European countries by area, second-largest country in Europe after Russia, which Russia–Ukraine border, borders it to the east and northeast. Ukraine also borders Belarus to the nor ...

, in the historical region of

Budjak Budjak, also known as Budzhak, is a historical region that was part of Bessarabia from 1812 to 1940. Situated along the Black Sea, between the Danube and Dniester rivers, this #Ethnic groups and demographics, multi-ethnic region covers an area ...

. It is the

administrative center An administrative centre is a seat of regional administration or local government, or a county town, or the place where the central administration of a commune, is located. In countries with French as the administrative language, such as Belgiu ...

Bolhrad Raion Bolhrad Raion (; ) is a raion (district) in Odesa Oblast of Ukraine. It is part of the historical region of Bessarabia. Its administrative center is the town of Bolhrad. Population: On 18 July 2020, as part of the administrative reform of Ukrain ...

(

district A district is a type of administrative division that in some countries is managed by the local government. Across the world, areas known as "districts" vary greatly in size, spanning regions or county, counties, several municipality, municip ...

) and hosts the administration of

Bolhrad urban hromada Bolhrad urban hromada () is a hromada in Bolhrad Raion of Odesa Oblast in southwestern Ukraine. Population: The hromada consists of a city of Bolhrad Bolhrad (, ; ; , ) is a small city in Odesa Oblast (province) of southwestern Ukraine, in the ...

, one of the

hromada In Ukraine, a hromada () is the main type of municipality and the third level Administrative divisions of Ukraine, local self-government in Ukraine. The current hromadas were established by the Cabinet of ministers of Ukraine, Government of Uk ...

s of Ukraine. Population:

History

Bolhrad was founded in 1821 by Bulgarian settlers in

Eastern Moldavia Bessarabia () is a historical region in Eastern Europe, bounded by the Dniester river on the east and the Prut river on the west. About two thirds of Bessarabia lies within modern-day Moldova, with the Budjak region covering the southern coa ...

, under the direction of General

Ivan Inzov Ivan Nikitich Inzov (; 1768–1845) was a Russian General of the Infantry and a commander in the Patriotic War of 1812. Chişinău owes to him some of its finest buildings, including the Nativity Cathedral. Inzov's obscure origin and booming ...

who is "revered" by Bolhrad residents as the "Founder of Our City." Bolhrad became part of

Moldavia Moldavia (, or ; in Romanian Cyrillic alphabet, Romanian Cyrillic: or ) is a historical region and former principality in Eastern Europe, corresponding to the territory between the Eastern Carpathians and the Dniester River. An initially in ...

from 1856 to 1859,

Romania Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central Europe, Central, Eastern Europe, Eastern and Southeast Europe. It borders Ukraine to the north and east, Hungary to the west, Serbia to the southwest, Bulgaria to the south, Moldova to ...

from 1859 to 1878, then becoming part of the

Moldavian Democratic Republic The Moldavian Democratic Republic (MDR; , ), also known as the Moldavian Republic or Moldavian People's Republic, was a state proclaimed on by the ''Sfatul Țării'' (National Council) of Bessarabia, elected in October–November 1917 foll ...

, from 1917 to 1918. Home to a significant Romanian ethnic community at that time, the citizens of Bolgrad played an important role in supporting the unification of Greater Romania. Through cultural institutions and political activism—especially during the events of 1917–1918—Romanians from Bolgrad strongly advocated for the

union of Bessarabia with Romania The union of Bessarabia with Romania was proclaimed on by Sfatul Țării, the legislative body of the Moldavian Democratic Republic. This state had the same borders of the region of Bessarabia, which was annexed by the Russian Empire following t ...

, contributing meaningfully to the formation of

Greater Romania Greater Romania () is the Kingdom of Romania in the interwar period, achieved after the Great Union or the related pan-nationalist ideal of a nation-state which would incorporate all Romanian speakers.Irina LivezeanuCultural Politics in Greate ...

. From 1918 to 1940, Bolgrad was part of the

Kingdom of Romania The Kingdom of Romania () was a constitutional monarchy that existed from with the crowning of prince Karl of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen as King of Romania, King Carol I of Romania, Carol I (thus beginning the Romanian royal family), until 1947 wit ...

, being considered an important cultural center in the region, before occupied by the

USSR The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...

, during the Occupation of Bessarabia by the Soviet Union, then being incorporated in the territory of the

Ukrainian SSR The Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic, abbreviated as the Ukrainian SSR, UkrSSR, and also known as Soviet Ukraine or just Ukraine, was one of the Republics of the Soviet Union, constituent republics of the Soviet Union from 1922 until 1991. ...

, and later, after the dissolution of the sovied union, being part of independent

. File:Bolgrad, Sveto Preobrazenie, katedrala, 1938.jpg, Transfiguration Cathedral File:Historical image of Bolhrad High School (Romania time).jpg, Bolhrad High School

Demographics

The surrounding Bolhradsky district is predominantly populated by ethnic Bulgarians (a majority of 61%). Bolhrad itself is inhabited by a large number of

Bessarabian Bulgarians The Bessarabian Bulgarians (; ; ) are a Bulgarian minority group of the historical region of Bessarabia, inhabiting parts of present-day Ukraine (Budjak region of the Odesa Oblast) and Moldova. Location and number Modern Ukraine In Ukraine, ...

and is considered by locals to be the unofficial capital of the

Bessarabia Bessarabia () is a historical region in Eastern Europe, bounded by the Dniester river on the east and the Prut river on the west. About two thirds of Bessarabia lies within modern-day Moldova, with the Budjak region covering the southern coa ...

n historic district of

. In 1897, the linguistic make-up was 68.9% Bulgarian, 11.3% Romanian/Moldavian, 7,1% Jewish, 5.0% Russian, 5,1% Ukrainian, 1.0% Turkish, and 0.8% Polish. As of the

2001 Ukrainian census The 2001 Ukrainian census is to date the only census of the population of independent Ukraine. It was conducted by the State Statistics Committee of Ukraine on 5 December 2001, twelve years after the last Soviet Union census in 1989.Bulgarians Bulgarians (, ) are a nation and South Slavs, South Slavic ethnic group native to Bulgaria and its neighbouring region, who share a common Bulgarian ancestry, culture, history and language. They form the majority of the population in Bulgaria, ...

still constitute the largest ethnic group in the city, accounting for almost half of the population. The second largest group are

Ukrainians Ukrainians (, ) are an East Slavs, East Slavic ethnic group native to Ukraine. Their native tongue is Ukrainian language, Ukrainian, and the majority adhere to Eastern Orthodox Church, Eastern Orthodoxy, forming the List of contemporary eth ...

, closely followed by

Russians Russians ( ) are an East Slavs, East Slavic ethnic group native to Eastern Europe. Their mother tongue is Russian language, Russian, the most spoken Slavic languages, Slavic language. The majority of Russians adhere to Eastern Orthodox Church ...

. The town also has a significant Moldovan/Romanian and Gagauz population. According to the 2001 census, there was no language spoken by the majority of the population, which was composed of speakers of Russian (48.7%), Bulgarian (32.65%), Ukrainian (13.92%), Gagauz (2%) and Romanian (1.15%). Most ethnic Ukrainians, Bulgarians and Gagauz were native speakers of the languages of their respective groups, but most ethnic Moldovans were Russian-speakers in 2001.

Economy

As of 1920, Bolhrad has had a

coal industry Coal is a combustible black or brownish-black sedimentary rock, formed as rock strata called coal seams. Coal is mostly carbon with variable amounts of other Chemical element, elements, chiefly hydrogen, sulfur, oxygen, and nitrogen. Coal i ...

Education

The Georgi Sava Rakovski Bolhrad High School founded in 1858 is the oldest high school of the

Bulgarian National Revival The Bulgarian Revival (, ''Balgarsko vazrazhdane'' or simply: Възраждане, ''Vazrazhdane'', and ), sometimes called the Bulgarian National Revival, was a period of socio-economic development and national integration among Bulgarian pe ...

Notable people

Natives

Dimitar Grekov Dimitar Panayotov Grekov () (14 September 1847 – 7 May 1901) was a leading Bulgarian liberal politician who also served as Prime Minister. A native of Bolgrad in Bessarabia (now Bolhrad, Ukraine), Grekov was educated at a French legal ...

(1847–1901), Bulgarian politician *

Danail Nikolaev Danail Tsonev Nikolaev (; 30 December 1852 – 29 August 1942) was a Bulgarian officer and Minister of War on the eve of the Balkan wars. He was the first person to attain the highest rank in the Bulgarian military, General of the infantry. He w ...

(1852–1942), Bulgarian general * Georgi Todorov (1858–1934), Bulgarian general *

Vladimir Cavarnali Vladimir or Vlad Cavarnali (also known as Cavarnalli or Kavarnali; ; 10 August 1910 – 19 July 1966) was a Bessarabian-born Romanian poet, journalist, editor, and political figure. Though his ethnic background was Bessarabian Bulgarian and Ga ...

(1910–1966), Bulgarian Romanian poet, journalist, and political figure * Petre Cișmigiu (1915–2006), Romanian sports shooter and civil engineer *

Nicolae Văcăroiu Nicolae Văcăroiu (; born 5 December 1943) is a Romanian politician, member of the Social Democratic Party (Romania), Social Democratic Party (PSD), who served as Prime Minister of Romania, Prime Minister between 1992 and 1996. Before the Rom ...

(born 1943), former

Prime Minister of Romania The prime minister of Romania (), officially the prime minister of the Government of Romania (), is the head of the Government of Romania, Government of Romania. Initially, the office was styled ''President of the Council of Ministers'' (), when ...

Irina Molokanova Irina Ivanova Molokanova (; ; born 1957) is a politician and economist, who studied at Odesa National Polytechnic University, graduating in 1980 with qualifications in engineering and economics. She was Minister of Finance for the Pridnestrovia ...

(born 1957), Transnistrian politician *

Petro Poroshenko Petro Oleksiiovych Poroshenko (born 26 September 1965) is a Ukraine, Ukrainian politician and Oligarchy, oligarch who served as the fifth president of Ukraine from 2014 to 2019. He served as the Minister of Foreign Affairs (Ukraine), Minister ...

(born 1965), fifth

President of Ukraine The president of Ukraine (, ) is the head of state of Ukraine. The president represents the nation in international relations, administers the foreign political activity of the state, conducts negotiations and concludes international treaties. ...

, entrepreneur and

business oligarch A business oligarch is generally a business magnate who controls sufficient resources to influence national politics. A business leader can be considered an oligarch if some of the following conditions are satisfied: # uses monopolistic tactics to ...

Residents

Mykola Shmatko Nikolay Havrylovych Shmatko (; 17 August 1943 – 15 September 2020) was a Ukrainian sculptor and painter. He was born in the Donetsk region of Ukraine. Biography Shmatko became a sculptor at the age of 33, having previously been a firefighter ...

(1943–2020), Ukrainian visual artist

References

External links

More about Bolhrad on the web-site of Bolhrad gymnasium
{{Authority control Cities in Bolhrad Raion Populated places established in 1821 Cities of district significance in Ukraine Populated places established in the Russian Empire 1821 establishments in the Russian Empire Bulgarian communities in Ukraine Bessarabia Governorate Ismail County Bolhrad urban hromada *