Location: Svilengrad is located along Maritsa River between Sakar Mountain on the north-east and the East Rhodopes on the south-west. It is located 300 km away from Sofia, 150 km from Plovdiv, 2 km north from the Greek borders and 14 km north-west from the Turkish border.
Population: 20 000 inhabitants.
History: The oldest traces of human life here date back from the end of the New Stone Age and the Stone Copper era. During the bronze and the iron period, the lands around today’s Svilengrad were populated by the Odryses Thracian tribe. Traces from settlements, tomb hills, sanctuaries, dolmens and others have been left from the time of the Thracians.
There is a lot of evidence from the time of the Roman era. Close to today’s Svilengrad, the Romans built the roadside stations of Ramis and Burdipta. On Hisarlaka hill they built a fortress, whose walls are still visible, half-buried in the ground. A settlement, also known as Burdenis (Burdipto) by the ancient written evidence, emerged there.
The region used to be a lively crossroad and an arena of constant wars even after the establishment of the Bulgarian state. This region is associated with one of the greatest battles in medieval Bulgarian history: in 1205 the troops of Tsar Kaloyan caused the first big defeat to the invincible army of crusaders, led by Emperor Baldwin I himself. The fall of Bulgaria under the Ottoman rule defined the historic fate of the population of Svilengrad region for a long period.
The establishment of the city is related to the year 1529, when Mustafa pasha, a vizir of sultan Suleyman I the Magnificent built a bridge above Maritsa River, where the new settlement emerged. During the National Revival period it was a crossroad of the routes of popular Bulgarian revolutionaries, educational figures and authors from the Revival period. After the Liberation of Bulgaria from the Ottoman rule, it remained outside the state territory. During the First Balkan War (1912) the first military airport was built here – for the first time in world history the Bulgarian army used airplanes for military purposes. The city was liberated in September, 1913 and it was included in the territory of Bulgaria. This is when it was called Svilengrad, where the name was first mentioned during the Revival period by the popular teacher Peter Stanchov.
Landmarks:
- The Bridge of Maritsa River is under the special protection of UNESCO. It is the only completely preserved element from an existing complex of a caravanserai, mosque, a market and Turkish baths. It is almost entirely made of stone.
- Holy Trinity Church was built with donations in 1834 and it burnt down completely during the firing of the city in 1913, but it was restored to its initial appearance. In 1847 the first secular school in the town was built as a part of it.
- The Regional Museum of History has 3 exhibit rooms and an inner court. A visitor can see the results of the latest archaeological excavations in the region around Svilengrad in a few temporary exhibitions. There are typical for the local inhabitants’ clothes, materials and objects as well as many pictures and objects from the newest history of Svilengrad. Found at the end of the sixties of XXth century its exposition also includes antique coins, archaeological and ethnographical materials from the region. In the nineties it was moved into fully restored house in the city center, interesting with its architectural style typical for the beginning of XXth century.
Surroundings
- The Thracian tomb in the village of Mezek – it is considered the largest tomb and one of the most interesting and impressive dome tombs of a Mycenaean type in Thrace. It dates back from the IV century B.C. numerous unique objects made of gold, bronze, iron, glass and ceramics have been discovered in the tomb. One of the most interesting treasures is the bronze statue of a wild boar from the middle of the second half of the IV century B.C. According to the specialists, the tomb probably belonged to a local nobleman.
- The medieval fortress around the village of Mezek is one of the well-preserved fortresses in Bulgaria. The walls surround an area of about 6,5 decares, with the shape of an irregular rectangle. The defence of the fortress is strengthened by nine towers. The construction is attributed to the end of the XI and the beginning of the 12th century, probably during the rule of Aleskey Comnin I. The fortification was used until the fall of the region under the Ottoman rule.
- Bukelon Fortress – it is located close to the village of Matochina, on the Bulgarian and Turkish border and it used to be the closest guard of Edirne from the north. It is one of the best preserved military buildings in our country. It was built during the Roman era, but it was reconstructed during the centuries. During the Turkish rule, the fortress lost its significance and was abandoned.
- The rock-hewn church close to the village of Mihalich is the only one in Bulgaria with a unique triconchal shape. It is engraved in a lime rock and its internal space is perceived as a cross-dome. It is believed that it was built during the restless years around the 10th century, when the rock-hewn churches, monasteries and monks’ shelters were engraved in the rocks by monks and hermits, followers of numerous different heresies at that time.
- The rock-hewn church around the village Matochina was engraved in a rocky hill and dates back from the 10th century. It was shaped as a rectangular arc premise and traces from graves engraved in the rock have been preserved in it.
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