Karlovo
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Karlovo Карлово |
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View from Karlovo
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 Karlovo
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| Coordinates: 42°38′37″N 24°48′26″E / 42.64361°N 24.80722°ECoordinates: 42°38′37″N 24°48′26″E / 42.64361°N 24.80722°E | ||
| Country | Bulgaria | |
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Province (Oblast) |
Plovdiv | |
| Area | ||
| • Total | 102.173 km2 (39.449 sq mi) | |
| Elevation | 452 m (1,483 ft) | |
| Population (2012) | ||
| • Total | 30,340 | |
| • Density | 300/km2 (770/sq mi) | |
| Time zone | EET (UTC+2) | |
| • Summer (DST) | EEST (UTC+3) | |
| Postal Code | 4300 | |
| Area code(s) | 335 | |
| Website | Official website | |
Kàrlovo (Bulgarian: Карлово) is a picturesque and a historically important town in central Bulgaria located in a fertile valley along the river Stryama at the southern foot of the Balkan Mountains. It is administratively part of Plovdiv Province and has a population of about 30,340 (as of 2011[update]), the mayor being D-r Emil Kabaivanov.
Karlovo is famous for the worldwide-known rose oil, which is grown there and used in producing perfume. In addition to this, Karlovo is the birthplace of Vasil Levski, the most distinguished Bulgarian to start preparing the national liberation from the Ottoman rule in the late 19th century. There is a museum and large monument dedicated to him. Karlovo is also a popular location for tourism in the region.
During the 2000s, Bulgarian archaeologists made discoveries in Central Bulgaria which were summarized as "The Valley of the Thracian Kings". On 19 August 2005, some archaeologists announced they had found the first Thracian capital, which was situated near Karlovo in Bulgaria. A lot of polished ceramic artifacts (pieces of roof-tiles and Greek-like vases) were discovered revealing the fortune of the city. The Bulgarian Ministry of Culture declared its support to the excavations.
Karlovo is a successor of the medieval fortress of Kopsis (Копсис in Bulgarian, Kωψίς or Κόψη in Byzantine Greek), a feudal possession of Smilets of Bulgaria in the 13th-14th century and the likely capital of his brother despotēs Voysil's short-lived realm. The modern town originated in 1483 at the place of the village of Sushitsa (still today Sushitsa is one of Karlovo's districts), but grew in importance in the 19th century as a centre of Bulgarian culture and revolutionary activity. In 1876 Lady Strangford arrived from Britain with relief for the people of Bulgaria following the massacres that followed the April Uprising. She built a hospital at Batak and eventually other hospitals were built at Radilovo, Panagiurishte, Perushtitsa, Petrich and here at Karlovo.
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Wikipedia