Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Blagoevgrad
073 / POP 70,656
About 100km straight south of Sofia, Blagoevgrad (Bla-
go
-evgrad) is a friendly, liveable
place bisected by a small river and filled with grand squares, vibrant cafes and clubs fre-
quented by the 16,000 Bulgarian (and foreign) students at the Neofit Rilski Southwest
University and American University of Bulgaria. On road and rail lines between Sofia,
Sandanski and Greece, Blagoevgrad makes a useful base for day trips or longer forays to
Rila Monastery, Bansko, the mountains and Melnik.
Blagoevgrad in Ottoman times was called Gorna Dzhumaya, but its large Turkish popu-
lation was displaced after the Balkan Wars of 1912-13. It was renamed by the commun-
ists in 1950, after the 19th- century Bulgarian Marxist Dimitar Blagoev.
The town's services and most popular eating and drinking spots are on or near the three
large and pedestrianised adjoining squares, pl Bulgaria, pl Makedonia and pl Georgi
Izmirliev Makedoncheto.
Sights
Between Forest Park and bul Aleksandâr Stamboliyski, which runs parallel to the river on
its eastern bank, is the old quarter, Varosha. Here there are renovated Bulgarian National
Revival-period homes, including the
Georgi Izmirliev Makedoncheto House-Museum
,
and art galleries such as the
Stanislav Art Gallery
. Opening hours are erratic and unpre-
dictable, however.
A steep road (700m) from Varosha accesses
Forest Park
(Loven Dom)
, a shady and
popular place with good views. Towards the southern edge are the small
Botanical Gar-
dens
.
History Museum
( 823 557; bul Aleksandâr Stamboliyski; admission 3 lv; 9am-noon & 3-6pm Mon-
Fri)
The History Museum, located near the Varosha old quarter, exhibits roughly 160,000
religious relics, archaeological artefacts and traditional costumes, and has displays on
Macedonian military history (from the Bulgarian point of view). The natural-history sec-
tion contains Bulgaria's biggest stuffed bird and animal collection.
MUSEUM
Church of Vavedenie Presvetiya Bogoroditsi
CHURCH
