Yambol ( ) is
a city in Southeastern
Bulgaria
Bulgaria, officially the Republic of Bulgaria, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the eastern portion of the Balkans directly south of the Danube river and west of the Black Sea. Bulgaria is bordered by Greece and Turkey t ...
and administrative centre of
Yambol Province
Yambol (, ''oblast Yambol'', former name Okrug, Yambol okrug) is a province in southeastern Bulgaria, neighbouring Turkey to the south. It is named after its main city Yambol, while other towns include Straldzha, Bolyarovo and Elhovo. The provi ...
. It lies on both banks of the
Tundzha
The Tundzha ( ; ; ''Tonsus'' in antiquity) is a river in southeastern Bulgaria and northwesternmost Turkey, a left tributary of the Maritsa. With a length of 390 km, of which 350 km are in Bulgaria, it is Maritsa's longest tributary, ...
river in the historical region of
Thrace
Thrace (, ; ; ; ) is a geographical and historical region in Southeast Europe roughly corresponding to the province of Thrace in the Roman Empire. Bounded by the Balkan Mountains to the north, the Aegean Sea to the south, and the Black Se ...
. It is occasionally spelled ''Jambol''.
Yambol is the administrative center of two municipalities. One is
Yambol Municipality
Yambol ( ) is List of cities and towns in Bulgaria, a city in Southeastern Bulgaria and administrative centre of Yambol Province. It lies on both banks of the Tundzha river in the historical region of Thrace. It is occasionally spelled ''Jambol'' ...
, which covers the city itself, and the other is
Tundzha Municipality
Tundzha Municipality () is a municipality of Yambol Province, southeastern Bulgaria. The municipality has an area of 1,218.86 square kilometres, making it the second-largest by area in the country after the Capital Municipality (i.e. the city of So ...
, which covers the rural areas around Yambol.
History

The area surrounding Yambol has been inhabited since the
Neolithic
The Neolithic or New Stone Age (from Ancient Greek, Greek 'new' and 'stone') is an archaeological period, the final division of the Stone Age in Mesopotamia, Asia, Europe and Africa (c. 10,000 BCE to c. 2,000 BCE). It saw the Neolithic Revo ...
Era. The ancient
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, ...
royal city of
Kabile
Kabile () or Cabyle is a village in southeastern Bulgaria, part of the Tundzha municipality, Yambol Province.
The Cabyle, ancient Thracian city of Kabile was one of the most important and largest towns in Thrace and its Architecture, architectu ...
or Kabyle (), dating from the end of the 2nd millennium BCE, was located 10 km from current-day Yambol. It was one of Thracians' most important cities and contained one of the kings' palaces. The city was conquered by King
Philip II of Macedon
Philip II of Macedon (; 382 BC – October 336 BC) was the king (''basileus'') of the ancient kingdom of Macedonia (ancient kingdom), Macedonia from 359 BC until his death in 336 BC. He was a member of the Argead dynasty, founders of the ...
in 341 BCE and was re-established as an
Ancient Greek
Ancient Greek (, ; ) includes the forms of the Greek language used in ancient Greece and the classical antiquity, ancient world from around 1500 BC to 300 BC. It is often roughly divided into the following periods: Mycenaean Greek (), Greek ...
''polis''.
[An Inventory of Archaic and Classical Poleis: An Investigation Conducted by The Copenhagen Polis Centre for the Danish National Research Foundation by Mogens Herman Hansen,2005,Index - Founded by Phillip II] After the collapse of
Alexander the Great
Alexander III of Macedon (; 20/21 July 356 BC – 10/11 June 323 BC), most commonly known as Alexander the Great, was a king of the Ancient Greece, ancient Greek kingdom of Macedonia (ancient kingdom), Macedon. He succeeded his father Philip ...
’s empire in the 3rd century BCE, Kabile was ruled by the Thracians once again. It was conquered by the Romans in 71 BCE and later incorporated into the Roman province of Thrace. By 136 CE, Kabile was one of the largest Roman military bases in the region housing at least 600 soldiers. A large residence for military officers has recently been excavated in the archaeological park at Kabile.
Kabile was expanded by
Roman Emperor Diocletian
Diocletian ( ; ; ; 242/245 – 311/312), nicknamed Jovius, was Roman emperor from 284 until his abdication in 305. He was born Diocles to a family of low status in the Roman province of Dalmatia (Roman province), Dalmatia. As with other Illyri ...
in 293 CE. Although it was named Diospolis (Διόςπόλις in
Greek
Greek may refer to:
Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe:
*Greeks, an ethnic group
*Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family
**Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor of all kno ...
'city of
Zeus
Zeus (, ) is the chief deity of the List of Greek deities, Greek pantheon. He is a sky father, sky and thunder god in ancient Greek religion and Greek mythology, mythology, who rules as king of the gods on Mount Olympus.
Zeus is the child ...
'), the name also reflected the first syllable of emperor Diocletian's name. The name later evolved through Diampolis (Διάμπόλις), Eiambouli (Ηιάμβόυλι; in Byzantine chronicles), Dinibouli (; Arabic chronicles), Dbilin (Дбилин; in Bulgarian inscriptions), and Diamboli or Jamboli (Диамбоюли) to become Yambol. Prior to the
1945 spelling reform, the name was rendered with an additional ''yer'' at the end, as Ямболъ.
Kabile was conquered by the Goths in the 4th century CE and was destroyed by the
Avars in 583. As the
Slavs
The Slavs or Slavic people are groups of people who speak Slavic languages. Slavs are geographically distributed throughout the northern parts of Eurasia; they predominantly inhabit Central Europe, Eastern Europe, Southeastern Europe, and ...
and
Bulgars
The Bulgars (also Bulghars, Bulgari, Bolgars, Bolghars, Bolgari, Proto-Bulgarians) were Turkic peoples, Turkic Nomad, semi-nomadic warrior tribes that flourished in the Pontic–Caspian steppe and the Volga region between the 5th and 7th centu ...
arrived in the
Balkans
The Balkans ( , ), corresponding partially with the Balkan Peninsula, is a geographical area in southeastern Europe with various geographical and historical definitions. The region takes its name from the Balkan Mountains that stretch throug ...
in the
Middle Ages
In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the 5th to the late 15th centuries, similarly to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire and ...
, the Kabile fortress was contested by the
First Bulgarian Empire
The First Bulgarian Empire (; was a medieval state that existed in Southeastern Europe between the 7th and 11th centuries AD. It was founded in 680–681 after part of the Bulgars, led by Asparuh of Bulgaria, Asparuh, moved south to the northe ...
and the
Eastern Roman Empire
The Byzantine Empire, also known as the Eastern Roman Empire, was the continuation of the Roman Empire centred on Constantinople during late antiquity and the Middle Ages. Having survived the events that caused the fall of the Western Roman E ...
. It ultimately became part of Bulgaria in 705 CE during the reign of Khan Tervel and has been an important
Bulgaria
Bulgaria, officially the Republic of Bulgaria, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the eastern portion of the Balkans directly south of the Danube river and west of the Black Sea. Bulgaria is bordered by Greece and Turkey t ...
n center ever since.
The city expanded during the reign of
Khan Omurtag
Omurtag (or Omortag) (died 831) also known as Murtag or Murtagon (; Веселин Бешевлиев, Първобългарски надписи. 2ed. София 1992. Chapter: VI. Възспоменателни надписи, Inscriptio) was a ...
of the
First Bulgarian Empire
The First Bulgarian Empire (; was a medieval state that existed in Southeastern Europe between the 7th and 11th centuries AD. It was founded in 680–681 after part of the Bulgars, led by Asparuh of Bulgaria, Asparuh, moved south to the northe ...
, and a new fortress was built. Its proximity to the border made it essential for both trade and military purposes. During the reign of
Boris I
Boris I (also ''Bogoris''), venerated as Saint Boris I (Mihail) the Baptizer (, ; died 2 May 907), was the ruler (knyaz) of the First Bulgarian Empire from 852 to 889. Despite a number of military setbacks, the reign of Boris I was marked wit ...
and
Tsar Simeon, the first literary centers were established, mostly as part of the church. Books were imported from
Preslav
The modern Veliki Preslav or Great Preslav (, ), former Preslav (; until 1993), is a city and the seat of government of the Veliki Preslav Municipality (Great Preslav Municipality, new Bulgarian: ''obshtina''), which in turn is part of Shumen P ...
and
Ohrid
Ohrid ( ) is a city in North Macedonia and is the seat of the Ohrid Municipality. It is the largest city on Lake Ohrid and the eighth-largest city in the country, with the municipality recording a population of over 42,000 inhabitants as of ...
literary schools and were studied in the city's churches.
During the reign of
Tsar Kaloyan, the city again increased in importance, mainly due to the ongoing conflict between Bulgaria and the crusaders. A major battle between Tsar Kaloyan and the crusaders happened in 1204 CE, about 80 kilometers south-west of the town, where Bulgaria defeated the crusaders in the
battle of Adrianopole on 14 April 1205.
The
Ottomans
Ottoman may refer to:
* Osman I, historically known in English as "Ottoman I", founder of the Ottoman Empire
* Osman II, historically known in English as "Ottoman II"
* Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman Empire (), also called the Turkish Empir ...
conquered Yambol in 1373 CE, but a militarized, semi-independent Bulgarian population remained as voyinuks in the southern part of the city. It was renamed to "Yanbolu". It was kaza center, which was bound successively to
Çirmen Sanjak (Its center was
Edirne
Edirne (; ), historically known as Orestias, Adrianople, is a city in Turkey, in the northwestern part of the Edirne Province, province of Edirne in Eastern Thrace. Situated from the Greek and from the Bulgarian borders, Edirne was the second c ...
) of
Rumelia Eyalet
The Eyalet of Rumeli, or Eyalet of Rumelia (), known as the Beylerbeylik of Rumeli until 1591, was a first-level province ('' beylerbeylik'' or ''eyalet'') of the Ottoman Empire encompassing most of the Balkans ("Rumelia"). For most of its history ...
(1364–1420),
Silistre Sanjak of Rumelia Eyalet (1420-1593), Silistre Sanjak of
Silistre Eyalet (1593–1830),
İslimye Sanjak of
Edirne Vilayet (1830–1878), and the department of Sliven in Eastern Rumelia before joining the Principality of Bulgaria in 1885.
The predominant religion in Yambol is
Eastern Orthodox Christianity
Eastern Orthodoxy, otherwise known as Eastern Orthodox Christianity or Byzantine Christianity, is one of the three main Branches of Christianity, branches of Chalcedonian Christianity, alongside Catholic Church, Catholicism and Protestantism ...
. Many local churches were erected in 1888. These include the
Holy Trinity
The Trinity (, from 'threefold') is the Christian doctrine concerning the nature of God, which defines one God existing in three, , consubstantial divine persons: God the Father, God the Son (Jesus Christ) and God the Holy Spirit, three ...
church, the St George church, and the St Nicholas cathedral, the largest of them being the St. Nicholas cathedral.
Eastern Rite Catholic and
Protestant
Protestantism is a branch of Christianity that emphasizes Justification (theology), justification of sinners Sola fide, through faith alone, the teaching that Salvation in Christianity, salvation comes by unmerited Grace in Christianity, divin ...
religious buildings also exist in Yambol.
In modern times, Yambol was the center of Yambol ''Okolia'' starting in 1878 and then Yambol ''Okrug'' starting in 1948. In 1984 it became part of the newly formed Burgas Oblast where it remained for 10 years. Since the early 1990s, Yambol has been the center of Yambol Oblast (or Yambol Municipality).
The city was affected by the turmoils of the early 20th century. Bulgarian refugees from
East Thrace
East Thrace or Eastern Thrace, also known as Turkish Thrace or European Turkey, is the part of Turkey that is geographically in Southeast Europe. Turkish Thrace accounts for 3.03% of Turkey's land area and 15% of its population. The largest c ...
, attacked by the Turkish Army in a 1913
ethnic cleansing
Ethnic cleansing is the systematic forced removal of ethnic, racial, or religious groups from a given area, with the intent of making the society ethnically homogeneous. Along with direct removal such as deportation or population transfer, it ...
campaign against
Thracian Bulgarians
Thracians or Thracian Bulgarians ( Bulgarian: Тракийски българи or Тракийци) are a regional, ethnographic group of ethnic Bulgarians, inhabiting or native to Thrace. Today, the larger part of this population is concentrat ...
, settled in the city. Yambol's Greek population (around 20 families) left for Greece during that exchange of refugee populations. Yambol also hosted Bulgarian Macedonian refugees from the failed 1903
Ilinden Uprising Ilinden ( Bulgarian/ Macedonian: Илинден) or Ilindan ( Serbian Cyrillic: Илиндан), meaning " Saint Elijah's Day", may refer to:
Events
* Republic Day (North Macedonia)
Republic Day () or Ilinden () is a national holiday in North ...
. During
World War I
World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...
, Yambol hosted a base for
Luftstreitkräfte
The ''Deutsche Luftstreitkräfte'' (, German Air Combat Forces)known before October 1916 as (The Imperial German Air Service, lit. "The flying troops of the German Kaiser’s Reich")was the air arm of the Imperial German Army. In English-langu ...
(
Imperial German
(, literally translated ) is an archaic term for those ethnic Germans who resided within the German state that was founded in 1871. In contemporary usage, it referred to German citizens, the word signifying people from the German ', i.e., Imp ...
Army Air Service)
zeppelin
A Zeppelin is a type of rigid airship named after the German inventor Ferdinand von Zeppelin () who pioneered rigid airship development at the beginning of the 20th century. Zeppelin's notions were first formulated in 1874Eckener 1938, pp. 155� ...
s used for missions in
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 ...
,
Russia
Russia, or the Russian Federation, is a country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia. It is the list of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the world, and extends across Time in Russia, eleven time zones, sharing Borders ...
,
Sudan
Sudan, officially the Republic of the Sudan, is a country in Northeast Africa. It borders the Central African Republic to the southwest, Chad to the west, Libya to the northwest, Egypt to the north, the Red Sea to the east, Eritrea and Ethiopi ...
and
Malta
Malta, officially the Republic of Malta, is an island country in Southern Europe located in the Mediterranean Sea, between Sicily and North Africa. It consists of an archipelago south of Italy, east of Tunisia, and north of Libya. The two ...
. The city was chosen by the Germans due to its favorable location and weather conditions. During the
Balkan Wars
The Balkan Wars were two conflicts that took place in the Balkans, Balkan states in 1912 and 1913. In the First Balkan War, the four Balkan states of Kingdom of Greece (Glücksburg), Greece, Kingdom of Serbia, Serbia, Kingdom of Montenegro, M ...
, Yambol was the headquarters of the First Bulgarian Army, which played a vital role in the defeat of the Turks in Trace.
In the early 21st century, the city became the first one in Bulgaria to offer natural gas for residential use.
Population
In the first decade after the
liberation of Bulgaria
The Liberation of Bulgaria is the historical process as a result of the Bulgarian Revival. In Bulgarian historiography, the liberation of Bulgaria refers to those events of the Tenth Russo-Turkish War (1877–1878) that led to the re-establishme ...
from the Ottoman Empire, the population of Yambol exceeded 10,000. In 1887, it was 11,241.
Since then, it started growing decade by decade, mostly because of migrants from rural areas and the surrounding smaller towns. Yambol's population reached its peak in the period of 1985–1992, exceeding 90,000.
After this peak, the population started decreasing due to the economic situation in Bulgaria during the 1990s, which led to migration to Burgas. As of February 2011, the city had a population of 74,132. The population of
Tundzha Municipality
Tundzha Municipality () is a municipality of Yambol Province, southeastern Bulgaria. The municipality has an area of 1,218.86 square kilometres, making it the second-largest by area in the country after the Capital Municipality (i.e. the city of So ...
, of which the city is the administrative center, was 98,287.
Economy
Local industry has declined since the 1990s with many factories closing down. The city is the centre of its thriving agricultural surroundings.
Ethnic, linguistic, and religious 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, ...
: 59,899 (87.1%)
*
Gypsies
{{Infobox ethnic group
, group = Romani people
, image =
, image_caption =
, flag = Roma flag.svg
, flag_caption = Romani flag created in 1933 and accepted at the 1971 World Romani Congress
, ...
: 4,263 (6.2%)
*
Turks
Turk or Turks may refer to:
Communities and ethnic groups
* Turkish people, or the Turks, a Turkic ethnic group and nation
* Turkish citizen, a citizen of the Republic of Turkey
* Turkic peoples, a collection of ethnic groups who speak Turkic lang ...
: 3,185 (4.6%)
*Others: 296 (0.4%)
*Indefinable: 1,101 (1.6%)
**Undeclared: 11,718 (8.5%)
Total: 74,132
Geography
Climate
The climate in Yambol is moderate with influences from both the Black Sea (from the East) and the Aegean Sea (from the South).
Culture
Museums
Yambol houses the Regional History Museum and has a military museum, the Battle Glory Museum.
As one of the city’s most historically significant cultural sites, Bezisten has existed for five centuries as a closed market, a city mall built during the Ottoman Empire. In 2015, Bezisten opened its doors to the public as an interactive museum. The museum is a major cultural and information centre which promotes the rich heritage of Yambol and the region. In celebration of European Heritage Days 2019, the museum Bezisten hosted special events dedicated to celebrating arts and entertainment. One of these events honored the 510th anniversary of the construction of the building.
Arts and entertainment
The city has a Dramatic Theatre Nevena Kokanova, as well as a Puppet Theatre Georgi Mitev. The Dramatic Theatre hosts actors from all over the country throughout the year. Movie theater Elite shows the latest films.
Sports
The most popular sport in the city is Basketball. Yambol's basketball club is
BC Yambol
BC Yambol () is a Bulgarian professional basketball club based in Yambol. Founded in 1945, Yambol has won the Bulgarian championship once as Yambolgas. They play their home matches at the Diana Hall. The team is a regular first league participant ...
, and home matches are played at
Sports Hall Diana
Diana Hall () is a multifunctional Indoor arena in Yambol, Bulgaria. The arena was opened in 1964 and has a seating capacity for 3,000 people. It is the home of BC Yambol. Besides basketball, local teams use the arena for pract ...
. In 2002, BC Yambol won the national championship of the
National Basketball League (Bulgaria)
The National Basketball League (NBL) (in Bulgarian: Националната баскетболна лига) is the highest-level professional basketball league in Bulgaria. The current league was founded in 2008, though the first-tier level exis ...
.
Education
*
Faculty of Engineering and Technology Yambol
Notable people
*
George Papazov
Georges Papazoff (Papasoff, Georges) () (2 February 1894, in Yambol – 23 April 1972, in Vence, Alpes-Maritimes) was a Bulgarian painter and writer. He became prominent in Paris, worked and died in France. He was among the first surrealists, a ...
, painter
*
Georgi Gospodinov
Georgi Gospodinov Georgiev (; born 7 January 1968) is a Bulgarian writer, poet and playwright. His novel '' Time Shelter'' received the 2023 International Booker Prize, shared with translator Angela Rodel, as well as the Strega European Prize. ...
, author
*
Volen Siderov
Volen Nikolov Siderov ( ; born 19 April 1956) is a Bulgarian Far-right politics, far-right politician and chairman of the nationalist party Attack (political party), Attack. He has been the editor of numerous newspapers and has authored five boo ...
, journalist and politician
*
Peter Noikov, educator
*
Encho Keryazov
Encho Keryazov () (born 15 October 1973 in Elhovo) is a Bulgarian acrobat.
Biography
Born into a family of teachers, Encho Keryazov was born in 1973 in Elhovo, Bulgaria. At the age of 6 he was a rather frail boy, so his mother had the idea of ...
, artist
:de:Encho Keryazov
*
Reyhan Angelova, singer
Twin towns - sister cities
Yambol is twinned with:
*
Berdyansk
Berdiansk or Berdyansk (, ; , ) is a port city in Zaporizhzhia Oblast, south-eastern Ukraine. It is on the northern coast of the Sea of Azov, which is connected to the Black Sea. It serves as the administrative center of Berdiansk Raion. The ...
, Ukraine
*
Edirne
Edirne (; ), historically known as Orestias, Adrianople, is a city in Turkey, in the northwestern part of the Edirne Province, province of Edirne in Eastern Thrace. Situated from the Greek and from the Bulgarian borders, Edirne was the second c ...
, Turkey
*
Izhevsk
Izhevsk or Ijevsk (, ; , or ) is the capital city of Udmurtia, Russia. It is situated along the Izh River, west of the Ural Mountains in Eastern Europe. It is the 21st-largest city in Russia, and the most populous in Udmurtia, with over 600,000 ...
, Russia
*
Sieradz
Sieradz (,) is a city on the Warta river in central Poland with 40,891 inhabitants (2021). It is the seat of the Sieradz County, situated in the Łódź Voivodeship. Sieradz is a capital of the historical Sieradz Land.
Sieradz is one of the olde ...
, Poland
*
Târgu Jiu
Târgu Jiu (, is the capital city, capital of Gorj County in the Oltenia region of Romania. It is situated on the Southern Sub-Carpathian Mountains, Carpathians, on the banks of the river Jiu (river), Jiu. Eight localities are administered by the ...
, Romania
*
Villejuif
Villejuif () is a commune in the southern suburbs of Paris, France. It is located from the centre of Paris.
Name
The earliest reference to Villejuif appears in a bill signed by the Pope Callixtus II on 27 November 1119. It refers to Villa J ...
, France
Gallery
File:City Library and Central Post Office - Yambol, BULGARIA.jpg, City Library and Central Post Office
File:Yambol-municipality-building.jpg, Municipality Building, Yambol
File:Gradinkata pred poshtata.jpg, Garden in front of the Central Post Office
File:Yambol-church-Saint-George-5.jpg, The Bell Tower of St. George Church, built in 1893
File:Yambol Theatre2.JPG, The Theater of Yambol
File:Yambol-church-Saint-George-6.jpg, Church of St George, built in 1737
File:Yambol-Diana-hall.jpg, Sport center "Diana", Yambol
File:Yambol City Park, Yambol, Bulgaria.jpg, Yambol City Park
File:Bulgarian Trip 057.jpg, Panoramic view of the city visible from Borovets
File:Tundzha river.jpg, Tundzha River
The Tundzha ( ; ; ''Tonsus'' in antiquity) is a river in southeastern Bulgaria and northwesternmost Turkey, a left tributary of the Maritsa. With a length of 390 km, of which 350 km are in Bulgaria, it is Maritsa's longest tributary, ...
File:Yambol ormana1.jpg, Park Ormana
File:Yambol Ormana2.jpg, Park Ormana
File:Yambol tennis.jpg, City park
File:Yambol-railway-station.jpg, Railway station
File:IMG theatre.JPG, The Theatre
File:City of Yambol, Bulgaria 1 - 19.05.2012.jpg, Old building, "G.Papazov" str. / "A.Stamboliiski" str.
File:City of Yambol, Bulgaria 2 - 19.05.2012.jpg, "G.Papazov" str. - International Asset Bank
File:Yambol-church-Saint-Nikola.jpg, St. Nikola church
File:Yambol-catholic-church-Esm.jpg, The Roman Catholic church
File:Lufschiffhafen Jambol.jpg, The Bulgarian and German Imperial Air Force base
References
External links
Official site of the municipality of Yambol
{{Authority control
Populated places in Yambol Province
Populated places established in the 3rd century
293 establishments