Razgrad ( ) is a

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 ...

in Northeastern Bulgaria in the valley of the Beli Lom river that falls within the historical and geographical region of Ludogorie (Deliorman). It is an administrative center of

Razgrad Province Razgrad Province ( (''Oblast Razgrad''), former name Razgrad okrug) is a province in Northeastern Bulgaria, geographically part of the Ludogorie region. It is named after its administrative and industrial centre: the town of Razgrad. As of De ...

Etymology

The suffix "grad" means city in Bulgarian, while the origin and the meaning of the first part "raz" is obscure. During the

Second Bulgarian Empire The Second Bulgarian Empire (; ) was a medieval Bulgarians, Bulgarian state that existed between 1185 and 1422. A successor to the First Bulgarian Empire, it reached the peak of its power under Tsars Kaloyan of Bulgaria, Kaloyan and Ivan Asen II ...

, around the present city there was a settlement, mentioned by the names of ''Hrasgrad'', ''Hrazgrad,'' and ''Hrizgrad. These names come from the name of the Bulgar and Slavic god Hors.

History

Razgrad was built upon the ruins of the Ancient Roman town of Abritus on the banks of the Beli Lom river. Abritus was built on a

Thracian The Thracians (; ; ) were an Indo-European speaking people who inhabited large parts of Southeast Europe in ancient history.. "The Thracians were an Indo-European people who occupied the area that today is shared between north-eastern Greece, ...

settlement of the 4th-5th century BC of unknown name. Several bronze coins of the Thracian king Seuthes III (330-300 BC) and pottery were found, as well as artifacts from other rulers and a sacrificial altar of

Hercules Hercules (, ) is the Roman equivalent of the Greek divine hero Heracles, son of Jupiter and the mortal Alcmena. In classical mythology, Hercules is famous for his strength and for his numerous far-ranging adventures. The Romans adapted the Gr ...

. In 251, the town was the site of the Battle of Abrittus, during which the

Goths The Goths were a Germanic people who played a major role in the fall of the Western Roman Empire and the emergence of medieval Europe. They were first reported by Graeco-Roman authors in the 3rd century AD, living north of the Danube in what is ...

defeated a Roman army under the emperors Trajan Decius and

Herennius Etruscus Quintus Herennius Etruscus Messius Decius (died c. June 251), known simply as Herennius Etruscus, was briefly Roman emperor in 251, ruling jointly under his father Decius. His father was proclaimed emperor by his troops in September 249 while ...

. The battle is notable for being the first occasion of a Roman emperor being killed in a battle with barbarians. Some of Razgrad's landmarks include the Varosha architectural complex from the 19th century, the ethnographic museum and several other museums, the distinctive Razgrad clock tower in the centre built in 1864, the

St Nicholas Saint Nicholas of Myra (traditionally 15 March 270 – 6 December 343), also known as Nicholas of Bari, was an early Christian bishop of Greeks, Greek descent from the maritime city of Patara (Lycia), Patara in Anatolia (in modern-day Antalya ...

the Miracle Worker Church from 1860, the ''Momina cheshma'' sculpture, the Mausoleum Ossuary of the Liberators (1879–1880) and the Ibrahim Pasha Mosque from 1530. The mosque is said to be one of the largest in the Balkans. In 1933 the Turkish cemetery in the city was attacked and the dead bodies were exhumed. Razgrad Peak on Greenwich Island in the

South Shetland Islands The South Shetland Islands are a group of List of Antarctic and subantarctic islands, Antarctic islands located in the Drake Passage with a total area of . They lie about north of the Antarctic Peninsula, and between southwest of the n ...

Antarctica Antarctica () is Earth's southernmost and least-populated continent. Situated almost entirely south of the Antarctic Circle and surrounded by the Southern Ocean (also known as the Antarctic Ocean), it contains the geographic South Pole. ...

is named after Razgrad.

Population

In January 2012, Razgrad was inhabited by 33,416 people within the city limits, while the Razgrad Municipality with the legally affiliated adjacent villages had 50,457 inhabitants. The number of the residents of the city (not the municipality) reached its peak in the period 1988-1991 when exceeded 55,000. The following table presents the change of the population after 1887.

Ethnic composition

According to the latest 2011 census data, the individuals declared their ethnic identity were distributed as follows: *

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, ...

: 24,701 (79.1%) * Turks: 5,902 (18.9%) * Roma: 288 (0.9%) * Others: 140 (0.4%) * Indefinable: 195 (0.6%) ** Undeclared: 2,654 (7.8%) Total: 33,880 The

has the second largest Turkish population in Bulgaria behind the

Kardzhali Province Kardzhali Province () is a province of southern Bulgaria, neighbouring Greece with the Greek regional units of Xanthi, Rhodope, and Evros to the south and east. It is 3209.1 km2 in area. Its main city is Kardzhali. It is Bulgaria's sout ...

, though the municipality and the city of Razgrad have a lower proportion of Turks than the rest of the province.

Sport

Razgrad is widely recognizable for being home to the association football club

Ludogorets Razgrad Professional Football Club Ludogorets 1945 (), commonly known as Ludogorets Razgrad or simply Ludogorets, is a Bulgarian professional association football club based in Razgrad, which currently competes in the First Professional Football League ...

, who in recent years have become the dominant force in Bulgarian football after winning thirteen consecutive

Bulgarian First League The First Professional Football League (), commonly known as Parva Liga or Bulgarian First League (currently known as the efbet League for sponsorship reasons), is a professional association football league in Bulgaria and the highest level of t ...

titles between 2012 and 2024. After reaching the

UEFA Europa League The UEFA Europa League (UEL), usually known simply as the Europa League, is an annual association football, football club competition organised since 1971 by the UEFA, Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) for eligible European footb ...

round of 16 during the 2013–14 season, the club also made their

UEFA Champions League The UEFA Champions League (UCL) is an annual club association football competition organised by the UEFA, Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) that is contested by List of top-division football clubs in UEFA countries, top-divisio ...

debut appearance a season later. Ludogorets play their home matches at Ludogorets Arena, a venue with a capacity for 10,500 people.

Geography

Climate

Notable people

* Sofu Mehmed Pasha (died 1626), Ottoman administrator * Ivan Ivanov Bagryanov (1891–1945), Bulgarian politician who briefly served as Prime Minister * Petar Gabrovski (1898–1945), Bulgarian politician who briefly served as Prime Minister * Dimitar Nenov (1901–1953), Bulgarian classical pianist, composer, music pedagogue and architect * Boncho Novakov (born 1935), Bulgarian former cyclist * Osman Duraliev (1939–2011), Bulgarian freestyle wrestler * Ali Dinçer (1945–2007), Turkish politician, former mayor of Ankara and former government minister * Emanuil Dyulgerov (1955–2023), Bulgarian former athlete * Stoycho Stoev (born 1962), Bulgarian former footballer and manager * Diyan Angelov (born 1964), Bulgarian former football player * Mecnur Çolak (1967–2021), Turkish former footballer * Nikolay Antonov (born 1968), Bulgarian former athlete * Şoray Uzun (born 1968), Turkish comedian, writer and television host * Neriman Özsoy (born 1988), Turkish female volleyball player

Twin towns and sister cities

Razgrad is twinned with: *

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(since 1968) *

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(since 1992) * Wittenberge,

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(since 2001) *

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(since 1975) * Avcılar, Istanbul,

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(since 2008)

References

External links

the news from Razgrad and Razgrad district

Razgrad municipality website

Actual photos of Razgrad
{{Authority control Populated places in Razgrad Province