Kardzhali
is a city in the south of Bulgaria that coalesced as a natural
administrative, trade, cultural, and industrial center not
just of the Kardzhali municipality but of all the Eastern
Rhodopes area. It is located in the valley spread of the
Arda river, the biggest river in that part of the mountain.
Sofia, Bulgaria’s capital, lies some 250 km to the northwest.
The closest border checkpoint is Kapitan Andreevo which
is 130 km away from Kardzhali and connects Bulgaria with
the republics of Turkey and Greece.
The
first mention of Kardzhali appears in a Turkish register
of 1607. Two centuries later, in 1847, a French scholar
and traveler writes about a small settlement with a market
place and a mosque, called Kardzhali. In 1934 Kardzhali
was officially pronounced a city and a district center.
Today’s
Kardzhali is at the hub of the district and municipality
of the same name. Its population is 57,000. Part of it is
actually living and working abroad and not a small number
are studying in the big cities. Kardzhali is a model of
a multiethnic community, as people of various ethic origins
live together in it – Bulgarians, Turks, and Gypsies. They
get along fine and jointly make the city an attractive place
to live in or to tour, or rest in.
Entering
the city from the north, you will be met by the statue of
Orpheus, who is the symbol of the Rhodope Mountain. One
of the big crossroads boasts a monumental piece of the plastic
arts – Orpheus’ lyre, which bids welcome and farewell to
all the city’s visitors. Kardzhali is the home of one of
the finest museums in Bulgaria – the Regional History Museum’s
edifice is unique historically and architecturally, and
it was declared a monument of culture. In the city there
are other beautiful buildings, worth seeing: the Art Gallery,
the municipal building called “the White Ship” due to its
specific outline, the mosaic on the building of the Kardzhali
Police Department etc. Kardzhali is also proud of its singing
clock tower, the only one working in Southern Bulgaria,
which plays songs from the Revival at each full hour.
Four
bridges – a rope one, a pedestrian one and two for automobiles
connect the two banks of the river, which divides the city
in two. Three parks refresh and cool off Kardzhali and its
inhabitants and visitors. Three active temples are to be
found here - The Assumption, St. George the Victorious,
and St. John the Precursor, as well as a working mosque.
The city’s holiday is October 21 – on this date in 1912
Kardzhali was added to the territory of Bulgaria, having
till then been within the Ottoman Empire.
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