Blagoevgrad
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Blagoevgrad Благоевград |
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 Blagoevgrad
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| Coordinates: 42°01′N 23°06′E / 42.017°N 23.100°ECoordinates: 42°01′N 23°06′E / 42.017°N 23.100°E | ||
| Country | Bulgaria | |
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Province (Oblast) |
Blagoevgrad | |
| Municipality | Blagoevgrad | |
| Government | ||
| • Mayor | Atanas Kambitov (GERB) | |
| Area | ||
| • City | 28.909 km2 (11.162 sq mi) | |
| Elevation | 410 m (1,350 ft) | |
| Population (Census February 2011) | ||
| • City | 70,881 | |
| • Density | 2,500/km2 (6,400/sq mi) | |
| • Urban | 81,978 | |
| Time zone | EET (UTC+2) | |
| • Summer (DST) | EEST (UTC+3) | |
| Postal Code | 2700 | |
| Area code(s) | 073 | |
| Climate | Cfa | |
| Website | Official website | |
Blagòevgrad (Bulgarian: Благо̀евград) is а city in southwestern Bulgaria, the administrative centre of Blagoevgrad Municipality and of Blagoevgrad Province, with a population of 70,881 inhabitants (as of 2011[update]). It lies on the banks of the Blagoevgradska Bistritsa River.
The city is the economic and cultural centre of southwestern Bulgaria. It is located in the valley of the Struma River at the foot of the Rila Mountains, 101 kilometres (63 miles) south of Sofia, close to the border with the Republic of Macedonia. Blagoevgrad features a pedestrian downtown with preserved 19th-century architecture and numerous restaurants, cafes, coffee shops, and boutiques.
Blagoevgrad is home to two universities, the South-West University "Neofit Rilski" and the American University in Bulgaria. The city hosts also the "Sts. Cyril and Methodius National Humanitarian High School", the former Bulgarian Men's High School of Thessaloniki moved from Thessaloniki to Blagoevgrad (then Gorna Dzhumaya) in 1913. Attractions in the surrounding area include the resort Bodrost.
The name Blagoevgrad is a recent construct from Blagoev + the Slavic suffix -grad, "Blagoev's city". Blagoev is from the Bulgarian personal name Blagoy, from blag, "sweet, figuratively- gentle and kind". Named after Bulgarian Workers' Social Democratic Party founder Dimitar Blagoev, a refugee from Greek Macedonia.
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