(SANITIZED)THRACIAN (BULGARIAN) LOWLANDS/ REGIONAL GEOGRAPHOC STUDY/ AGRICULTURE/INDUSTRIAL DEVELOPMENT/ POPULATION/CLIMATE(SANITIZED)

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP81-01043R001700150003-0
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: U
• Document Page Count: 201
• Document Creation Date: December 27, 2016
• Document Release Date: February 25, 2013
• Sequence Number: 3
• Publication Date: January 27, 1958
• Content Type: REPORT

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STAT
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STAT
THE T11RACIAN LOWLANDS
Traki slla Ni zing
LThe Thracian Lowland,
1956, Sofia,
Pages 3-226
the Balkans lies in the warm, fertile Thracian lowlands /see
note/. From the pass of the Stryama River in the Sredna Gora
Mountains to Asenovgrad in the Rhodope Mountains its width is
approximately 50 km. However, from the end of the Momina Klisura
Pass at Belovo railroad station to the Manastirski heights its
length is 3 1/2 times its width (180 km), and its length up to
Svilengrad is 4 times its width (200 km). The Thracian lowlands
are almost entirely surrounded by mountains. In the west the
lowlands are bordered by the Eledzhik range of the Sredna Gora
Mountains, whose highest peak is Benkovski, 1,186 in. This peak
is located between the old Trayanov Pass and the Mutivir River.
In the north the lowlands are also bordered by the chains of the
Sredna Gora Mountains (the Sushtinska Sredna Gora and the Surnena
Gora ranges), which stretch between the pass of the Topolnitsa
River to the turn of the Tundzha River at Zaychi Peak. In the
south the lowlands are bordered by the Rhodope Mountains. These
huge, complicated mountains border the lowland with steep,
grandiose slopes which look like gigantic stage settings for the
flat plain. In the east, however, the Rhodope Mountains become
gradually lower and turn to the north, passing into the-vast and
hilly east Rhodope foothills. In the, east ,the Thracian, lowlands
T. Yordanov
and
V. Velev
The most extensive plain not only of Bulgaria but also of
are connected with the Yaabol-Elkhovo, plain., Here the lowlands
are bordered by individual `; heights; ;and low mountains: the .Sveti
Iliya and'?Mnnaetirski?heights and Mount Brannitea.'_To the southeast
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the lowlands become narrower; but even here they are of great im-
portanco. From Maritsa City to Svilengrad and along almost the
entire reaches of fhe Maritsa River the valley is shaped like a
convenient door for the Aegean Sea influence, which can be felt
throughout the lowlands.
(otej7 In Bulgaria the upper Thracian lowlands are usually
referred to simply as the Thracian lowlands. But the historical
region of upper Thrace includes not only the lowlands, but also
the entire region located between the Rhodope Mountains, the Sredna
Gora Mountains, and the Manai3tirski heights, including the east
Rhodope foothills.)
Thus delineated, the Thracian lowlands cover 6,026 km2 and,
together with the neighboring hilly areas, they cover a total of
about 11,500 km2. Almost everywhere the plain is level. In all
directions the land is flat, bordered by a frame of bluish mountain
chains in the distance. But when the summer heat shimmers over the
plain this faraway frame disappears; then Thrace appears boundless.
PIYSICOGEOGRAPHIC DESCRIPTION
Formation of the Thracian Lowlands
The Thracian lowlands represent a large geographical depres-
sion. Their shaping began during the first half of the Tertiary
Epoch. During the Eocene Period the east half-of the upper Thracian
lowlands sank and turned into a sea, which extended on the west al-
most to Asenovgrad, Popovitsa, and Belozem.. Today the Eocenio
deposits-are considerably eroded, but still cover vast stretches.
They consisti~'of thick layers of nummulitic limestone and marls
largely covered with Pliocene,'Quarternary,. and alluvial deposits.
,These formations can be seen particularly clearly 'in the quarries located
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in the central part of the former Eocenic basin. They are of great
economic importance to the lowlands, which suffer 'a shortage 4;121-
rock. In the Khaskovo region the Eocene deposits have been covered
by Oligocene deposits. During the time of transition between the
Eocenic and Oligocenic periods active volcanic activities took place
in this area. Many effusive rocks have remained from the eruptions
which occurred at that time. The principal one is andesite, which
is found in the peripheral parts of the lowlands of today. By the
end of the Miocenic Period and the beginning of the Pliocenic the
Thracian lowlands-were already dry. The sinking of this area and
its filling with water had speeded up by the end of the Pliocenic
Period, when its new phases of development began. The Pliocenic
basin located along the valley of the Maritsa River is the largest
of its kind in Bulgaria. At that time the lowlands were covered by
thick lake and river deposits, such as sands, clay sands, and clays,
which at present cover vast deposits of brown coal. The western
part of the basin has not been so thoroughly explored. Here the
P o ocenic materials have been mostly covered with Quaternary de-
posits. These Quaternary deposits also cover certain areas in the
northern and northeastern parts-of the basin. In the westernmost
part of the basin the Plioeenic deposits lie directly, over crystal-
line schists, which indicates that the lowlands were dry here during
the Eocenic Period.
This Pliocenic sea did not entirely cover the lowlands, but
covered individual basins. For example, the present-day Plovdiv
plain was covered by several basins which. appear to have been con-
nected by canals. Its northwestern part -- from-the Topolnitsa
River to a point close to the Btryana-River Pass -- was a lake which
covered approximately the area-of-the villages?Ovchepoltsi and Krushevo
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on one side and Golyamo Konare and Kaloyanovo on the'other. The
northeastern part of the lowlands from Ruzhevo Konare village and
the Stryama River to the Sredna Gora foothills (Brezovo and.
Streltsi villages) was covered by another lake. A third lake was
located in the southeastern part of the Plovdiv plain from
Popovitsa and Debur to Aaenovgrad, Bryagovo, and Ezerovo. Sands,
together with sand clays and clays were deposited all over this
area. The Stara Zagora plain was an individual basin situated
between the Sredna Gora Mountains and the Uzundzhovski hill on
one side and the Chirpan, Sveti Iliya, and Manastiraki heights.
This part of the plain is very well known. Located here is the
Maritsa coal basin containing brown coal from the Pontic Age. The
Levantine formation also includes coal seams which are being worked
at present. This basin was subdivided into smaller parts connected
by channels. These follow the present-day reaches of the Maritsa
River, which was connected with the Kharmanli basin to the south-
east, which in turn stretched toward the west into the Khaskovo
region where clays and sands were deposited.
The waters of these basins were drained off by the end of the
Pliocenic Era when the depression of the Aegean region took place.
The lowlands then became dry land again. Then the erosion process
along the Maritsa River became more active. In its eastern reaches
the Maritsa River cut deeper and deeper into the ground, thus form-
ing the. particularly beautiful passes west of Maritsa City and north
of Kharmanli. It was through these passes that the waters of the
Pliocenic lakes were completely drained off.,
The Quaternary Era came with its cooler, moister climate. The
rivers from the neighboring mountains deposited a huge quantity of
alluvial material consisting of sand clays, sands, and gravel. A
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new depression of the lowlands took place at the beginning of the
Quaternary Era. Only this can explain the almost ideal flatness
of wide areas in the upper Thracian lowlands, and particularly in
the Pazardzhik plain, the region around the Chepelarska River
between Asenovgrad and the estuary river, and in other places.
Except for those due to a sinking of the plain, old Quaternary
terraces such as the Sicilian, the Milazzian, and the Tyrrhenian
are not present in this basin. Preserved are only the WYuerm ter-
race (15-18 m) at the Kadievo village east of the Krichim railroad
station, and the Nizzean terrace (5 to 6 m), which is found more
frequently than the others. The former terrace was created along
the passes of the Maritsa River at Belovo and near Maritsa City.
After these two terraces were formed a new process of gradual
sinking took place which is still continuing today. The Maritsa
River has made its bed in the lowlands thus formed, and this bed
follows some of the faults. This sinking can be best traced from
the 1928 earthquake which took place in the Plovdiv-Chirpan-Purvomay
region in which two main faults were formed: one north of Chirpan
(about 38 km away), the other north of Purvomay (about.62 km), which
followed the riverbed of the Maritsa River. In addition, the cumu-
lative activities of the rivers, the formation of new islands in
the wide riverbed of 'the Maritsa River, and the turns of the same
river are other proofs that sinking of the lowlands is continuing
in our days as well. This is particularly clear in the Pazardzhik
plain, which is the widest entirely flat land in Bulgaria. The al-
most ideal flatness of the topography is not,dUe to the Pliocenic
Age, since the Pliocenic deposits in the peripheral. parts of, the
Pazardzhik plain are to be found on the very surface of the soil;
while-at the Pazardzhik railroad station they lie 15 m deep (2)
numbers in parenthesis refer to Bibliography7.
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The depression of the Thracian lowlands was accompanied mainly
by the flexural folding of the southern slopes of the Sredna Gora
Mountains on which a Levantine terrace was formed. In addition to
the Levantine, the western part of these foothills includes a Pontic
foothill terrace. These strata can be seen along the northern edge
of the lowlands, covered with old Quaternary gravel. The southern
border between the lowlands and the Rhodope Mountains can be ob-
served mainly by the faults, but flexural faults can occur there as
well. Here too Levantine and Pontic terraces have been formed on
the Rhodope slopes. The Rhodope slopes, which have been formed by
faults and which rise steeply above the flat plain, are particularly
impressive. The lowlands are gradually sinking, while the Sredna
Gora and Rhodope Mountains are slowly rising. The sinking of the
lowlands is most pronounced in its southern part along the Maritsa
River valley. A proof of such sinking of the lowlands is the lack
here of old Quaternary river terraces. Unlike the Danube plain
the Thracian lowlands include neither deep river beds with passes
and antecedent valleys, as found in the sub-Balkan Mountains, nor
plateaulike hills. An antecedent pass here is a rare exception.
Such passes are, those at Maritsa City and at Kharmanli, which have
been cut into the Levantine foothill terrace. This does not change
at all the flat 3ia~ure of the lowlands, a flatness which is so charac-
teristic of the upper Thracian region.
During the Quaternary Era the Maritsa River spread over a vest
surface and formed three river terraces. The lowest of them is lo-
cated 3 to 4 m above the present Maritsa"River bed. The most fertile
soils, consisting of.fine river silt, are located here. About 5,000.
years ago this youngest terrace of all was a riverbed- and,was located
at the same altitude" as an Aeneolithic " terrace - (9). ; Despite the:fact
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that this terrace is a low one, it is rarely flooded in the Pazard-
zhik and Plovdiv plains; and in certain places this terrace can never
be flooded. This favorable condition is due to the. present wide
riverbed which can accommodate huge quantities of water. In addi-
tion, the terrace in these plains is 1 to 1.5 m higher than is the
standard altitude of the Aeneolithic terrace elsewhere (which is
2.5 to 3 m high) (9). This terraoe covers a huge area reaching al-
most to the Rhodope Mountains. To the east, however, toward the
Stara River, this terrace becomes narrower.. It widens again between
the Stara and,Vucha Rivers, than spreads east of the Vucha, reaching
the Chepelarska. Here there is an abundance .of quaternary deposits,
and the gravel found here is extensively used in railroad embank-
ments and construction. The flood'terrace continues, entering the
Purvomay region; but here it is already considerably narrower.
Farther to the east it narrows even more and reaches as far as
Svilengrad.
The second Maritsa terrace is much smaller, being 6.5 to 7 m
high. It is covered with quite fine river deposits, which make it
important for agriculture. It is the result of erosion by the
river of-deposits of old gravel, but at places it has been entirely
destroyed by the river. Physicogeographers give it the name Flanders
terrace (Nizzean terrace) (9).
The third terrace of the Maritsa River has been preserved, only
in separate small plateaus and small heights and is very narrow in
the Plovdiv plain. It is about lg m high and belongs to the Wurm.age.
The settlements in this region are located usually on the second
and third terraces, while the flood terrace is covered almost entirely
by arable land.
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The alluvial cones located in the periphery of the lowlands
are of great economic importance. They can be found in the Krichim,
Stara Zagora, and many other regions. Here can be found a con-
siderable wealth of underground water, which can be used for the
irrigation of orchards, strawberries, and fields.
The gradient of the surface of the upper Thracian lowlands is
clearly observed by following the directions taken by the rivers which
cross the lowlands. In the Plovdiv plain the gradient goes from the
north and south toward the Maritsa River, while in the Stara Zagora
plain the gradient is more complex: it follows the Syuyutliyka River
to the east and then follows the Sazliyka River and the other Maritsa
tributaries to the south, leading toward the Maritsa. The average
altitude of the Thracian lowlands is 168 m (the highest point is 358
in, the lowest 50 m).
Stara Zagora City is located at a higher altitude (234 m).. but
the overall altitude of the entire Stara Zagora plain is far lower,
ranging about 160 in. The gradient and the altitude of the Maritsa
lowlands along the Maritsa River can be seen by the following data:
at Pazardzhik 205 m,-Plovdiv 160 in, Sadovo 150 in, Purvomay 3,34 ms
Dimitrovgrad 100 in, Maritsa City 95 in, Kharmanli 85 in, Svilengrad 50 in.
.In general the east Rhodope Mountain foothills slope toward the
east along the reaches of the Kharmanliyska River. The average'alti-
tude?at Khaskovo is 180 in.
There is a continuous sinking of the layer's, and the shape I of
the lowlands changes in accordance with, the geologic epoch;,but?this~
movement cannot be noticed when measured. in germs of; human his to
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The Plovdiv SyMnite Hi>>s
The only elevations which disturb the flatness of this plain
are the Plovdiv hills. They are remnants of an old mountain which
was connected with the Sredna Gora Mountains on one-side and the
Rhodope Mountains on the other. Because of the sinking and shaping
up of the Thracian lowlands during the Tertiary Era the connections
of these hills with the mountains located north and south of them
were broken and covered by lake and river deposits. Only the highest
parts of this mountain remain visible like islands in a Tertiary sea,
which today are only lonely elevations on the flat Plovdiv plain.
Denudational processes rapidly pulled down the crystalline schist
cover of these heights, under which was located an intrusive mass of
rocks which had cooled off after their eruption. Later on, under
the continuous destructive action of atmospheric changes, the Syenite
Hills acquired their present shape. According to some authors the
eruption of the magma rock took pace during the Mesozoic Era, while
according to others it took place much earlier, during the Paleozoic
Era. There are seven such hills. The Youth Hill (Dzhendemtepe) is
the highest. Its altitude is 282 m; it rises 122 m above the low-
lands. The other hills are named Stalin (Bunardzhika), Vasil Kolarov
(Sakhattepe), the three Orfey hills (Dzhambaztepes Nebettepe, and
Taksimtepe), and, finally, the Markova Mogila Hill, which has al-
most been leveled off, due to'rock quarry mining. All these hills
are solidly connected underground. The Sakhattepe and Bunardzhika
hills, as well as the Bunardzhika and Markova Mogila hills, are con-
nected near the ground, while the Nebettepe, the Taksixtepe, and Dzhambaz-
tepe hills look almost like one hill.
The Plovdiv hills have played an important defense.role in the
past, and today they are the bestdecoratioii of the Bulgarian "capital"-
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The Chirpan Hills
From the point of view of physical geography the Thracian low-
lands are divided into two plains: the Pazardzhik-Plovdiv plain-and
the Stara Zagora plain. The Chirpan heights are the boundary between
these two plains. To the north they are almost connected with Mount
Surnena, while on the south they end north of Chirpan City. The
western border is the valley of the Medovska River, while to the
east they reach a point near. the Vinarovo and Mogilovo villages and
also the valley of the upper Syuyutliyka. These are small hills
grooved and crossed by many 'ravines stretching in all directions
and deeply entrenched in the body of the hills. The highest peak
among these hills is Kitkata Peak, 651 m in altitude. The second
highest peak there is Kel.eto, 647 in. However, there are many other
peaks located on these hills which reach almost the same altitude.
Most of them are named the same -- Kaleto -- and are covered with
remnants of former fortresses.
The northern slopes of these elevations are covered with forests,
while the southern slopes are almost bare or occasionally covered
with small bushes. Seen from afar, these bushes look as if they are
artificially planted, being located in almost regular and parallel
lines. The cause of this peculiarity is the rock content of .the
elevations. These elevations are made of cretaceous (Cenomanian)
limestone marls and sandstones. With rain the sandstone erodes more
easily, to form soil favorable to the development of vegetation. The
limestone marls are harder, however, and more difficult to erode;
hence they remain as long white stretches on the surface of the
hills. Because a wavelike structure takes place in-the folding of
the various strata, the vegetation" follows these folds;' and-when?seen
from afar offers an extremely picturesque view"(6).. ??
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To the south the Chirpan elevations become lower and flatten
out. They end with the heights rising immediately before Chirpan
City. To be found on the slopes of these heights, which consist
of old Tertiary limestone, are the most beautiful vineyards of this
region.
Some'of the rivers emerging from these heights continue as
individual rivers, while others merge with side rivers which spring
from the Sredna Cora Mountains. Along its reaches one and the same
river may be given various names after: the name of the particular
settlement through which it may be passing. For example, one river
can be called the Chekhlarska, then the Medovska, etc.
Despite the fact that they are hills, the Chirpan heights are
of great economic importance. They are covered with fields, vege-
table gardens, and vineyards. Vineyards predominate in this region
and are the main livelihood of many settlements in this region.
The East Rhodope Foothills
Even though included within the boundaries of upper Thrace,
the East Rhodope foothills are entirely different from the flat
Plovdiv and Stara Zagora plains. This vast region covers the south-
eastern-part of Thrace. It resembles the topography of the hilly'
parts of the Danube plain. To the north and northeast it reaches,
,the valley of the Maritsa. River, which at this point has,narrowed
considerably.
To the south it is limited by the slopes of the northeastern
Rhodope Mountains. To the west the hilly nature of the terrace'
gradually disappears west of Taterevo,village (Purvomay okoliya),
west of the valley of the Mechka River at Dulbok';Izvor village.:,
Finally, the end of the terrace extend s ,-,west' 'of ?" Isaovo` village, -
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Until recently certain parts of this region bore other names,
such as Purvomay plain, Khaskovo plains Khaskovo valley, etc.,
regardless of the fact that these names did not correspond to the
geographical nature of the region, since these were not valleys
with flat fields at the bottom. The entire region is in folds and
consists of long hills, individual mounts,,-and low slopes of the
Rhodope Mountains protruding to the north and closely connected
with the mountains. The northern part of this region includes two
long hills which at places are entirely flat and cultivated, and
at other places quite high and covered ri th rocks, forests, bushes,
and grass. The hill located more to the north is the Uzundzhovski
hill, which stretches east of Klokotnitsa and Kasnakovo villages,
passes south of Krepost village (Bluska Chuka, 285 m altitude) and
reaches up to Aleksandrovo village (highest point of the hill, 313
m). From there it goes to the northeast and the east where the
.11
Maritsa River cuts a path through it, then goes sst of rsrdaritsa
City and north of Kharnanli City. The second hill is Khaskovo Hill.
It is a branch of the Rhodope Mountains and a continuation of the
Golyamo Gradishte Hill, which is located south of the Khaskovo
Mineral Dam. Increasing its height it reaches south of Klokotnitsa
Village, at which point can be seen ruins of the remarkable fortress
built by King Asen which once held an important defense position.
At this point both hills touch. Then farther on to the east the
Khaskovo Hill continues, passing north of ?Khaskovo City and the
Kharmanli Highway and gradually disappearing in the direction of
Kharmanli City. Coming from the south numerous branches of the
Rhodope Mountains go down these foothills. The most important of
them is Khukhlata, whose various branches-and individual peaks arm
higher than the Uzundzhovo and'Khaskovo Hills. These heights cover,
large areas in the Khaskovo and Kharmanli areas, thus giving a
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semimountainous character to this land eroded by many rocky ravines
and small, rivers. South of Khaskovo this region is a folded
terrace and is crossed by highways which run almost to the south
and climb up or down these hills. This entire region is cut across
by the Kharmanliyska River and its tributaries, as well as by the
Banska River to the north and by many karat springs and ravines.
There is water in all these ri.v es, but during the drought
period this water decreases until it is entirely insufficient to
irrigate the thirsty agricultural crop3. Only the pumps built
near the river beds of the ISharmanliyska, Khaskovska, Uzundzhbvska,
Banska, and other rivers operate 24 hours a day; but this water
helps irrigate only part of these river valleys. Dana irrigation
is required for this region, and such an irrigation project has
already been undertaken.
The Clitisteaof'the Th_raci, are Lowlands
The geographical location of the Thracian lowlands is 42? 15'
N. latitude. The geographical location of the Danube plain is 430
35' N. latitude. The difference between them is approximately 1?
2010 This difference in location has in turn brought about a dif-
ference in temperature which is of great importance to the culti-
vation of the various agricultural crops. In this case the dif-
ference in temperature should normally have been 0.80 C (at sea
level), while in fact the difference is larger, ranging from 1 to
1.5? C. It is clear that this difference has a favorable.influenee
in the protection of the more delicate crops of the Thracian ,low-
lands during the winter.
The higher temperature of the Thracian lowlands compared,with=
the Danube plain is due to the long Stara Planina Mountains and ,"'
13
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the wide opening of the Maritsa River valley to the Aegean Sea.
Of course the lowlands would have been even better off and warmer
without the huge and wide Rhodope Mountains, which hinder the free
passage of the Aegean Sea climatic influence. If we compare the
annual temperature variations of Pleven.nith those of Sadovo,
both of which are located at almost the same geographicallongi-
tude and latitude, this difference in temperatures of the Danube
and the Thracian plains becomes even clearer. In addition, the
Thracian lowlands are lower in altitude than the Danube plain.
COMPARATIVE TABLE SHOWING
TE PEflAi , IN PLEVEN AND SADOVO
(For the period 1916-1945; Roman numerals indicate months)
Altitude I II III IV V VI VII VIII
Pleven 163 1.8 -0.4 5.8 12.5 17.3 21.0 23.5 22.8
Sadovo 153 0.0 1.9 6.5 1:44_ 17.2 21.2 24.0 23.4
IX X XI XII Annual average Annual amplitude
Pleven 18.8 13.1 6.2 011 11.6 25.3
Sadovo 19.1 13.3 7.3 1.8 12.3 24.0
The above table shows that Sadovo and the Thracian lowlands
are 0.7? C warmer than the Danube plain.
In order to point out clearly. the temperature situation of the
entire Thracian lowlands, it is necessary to give data relating to
the temperature of the various parts of the lowlands.
The table on page 16 shows that the predominating climate of
the lowlands is a transitory continental climate with maximum
temperatures occurring in July and.minimum in January. The average
annual temperature in Purvomay is higher than. that, of all the other-
weather stations except Svilengrad. -Here the- January--temperature is
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the lowest in the lowlands, while in Stara Zagora it is the highest
(except Svilengrad). This is why figs, pomegranates, and other sub-
tropical fruit in the Purvomay region regularly freeze, while in
the Stara Zagora region they last through the winter season (with
rare exceptions). Conditions are better in Khaskovo and best in
?the $vilengrad region. The absolute minimal temperatures, which
occur in January, are as follows: in Purvomay -32.80 C (the lowest
in the lowlands), in Stara Zagora 200 C, (the highest, and even
higher than that in Svilengrad). The state of the climate of the
lowlands becomes even clearer when we see the states on which the
last and first frosts occur in several places of the lowlands.
(See Table, page 16, top). Stara Zagora again is in the most
favored position.
If we analyze the average monthly temperature of the soil (for
Sadovo), we can see that it never drops below 0? C. On the surface
the soil is 1.4? C; at 2 cm it is 1.$? C; at 20 cm it is 2.2? C; at ?
95 cm it is 7.2? C. The average minimal temperature on the surface
can reach up to 4.60 C. At 2 em it reaches -2.6? G, and even up
to 10 cm underground it is still below zero (-0.40 C). In the case
of Stara Zagora the situation is. considerably better. The subsoil
parts (roots) of the subtropical vegetation in-the Sadovo-Purvomay.
region do not freeze, but the stem above the surface of the soil
does. In order to be protected-it must be covered with protective
mulch such as-straw, etc. Analysis of the temperature of the
Thracian lowlands indicates that the following' warmth-loving crops
could be successfully grown here: cotton, anise, poppy, sesame seed,,
peanuts, "rezine," etc. Certain parts of the Thracian lowlands are
also favorable to the cultivation of certain ' Mediterranean , fruits.
such as figs, pomegranates, etc.;, particularly' in the Stara Zagora,
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Khaskovo, therraanli, and Svilengrad regions. If special cure is
taken (trenches and other means of'orop protection), these crops
may be grown all over the lowland,
AVERAGE DATES OF FIRST AND LAST FROST (1930-1949)
Pazardzhik
Last
frost
9 April
First
frost
27 October
Latest date of
last frost
30 April 1948
Earliest date of
first frost
29 September 1931
Plovdiv
7 april
29 October
5 May 1935
28 September 1931
Stara Zagora24 March 23 November
17 Agri'. 1945
2 October 1931
.Khaskovo
11 April
2 November
5 May 1935
4 October 1930
AVERAGE MONTHLY AND A4NUAL TEMPERATURES (1916-1945)
(Roman numerals indicate months)
Pazardzhik
Plovdiv
Purvomay
Stara Zagora,
Khaskovo
Svilengrad
Pazardzhik
Plovdiv
Purvomay
Stara Zagora
Khaskovo-
Svilengrad
Altitude I II
205 0.3 1.9
160 o.3 2.1
134 0.1 2.1
234 0.9 2.0
192 0.6 2.2
52 1.7 2.8
III IV
6.6 12.2
6.6 12.4
6.7 12.7
6.3 11.8
6.8 12.3
7.1 12.7
Ix x xr oil
18.5 12.8
18.7
19.6
19.2
19.2
13.1
14.0
13.6
13.9
19.1 13.9
V VI vii ,VIII
16.8 20.8 23.3 22.6
17.2 21.1 23.6 22.7
17.7 21.8 24.5 23.9
16.8 20.7 23.5 23.0
17.0 20.9 23.7 23.4
17.6 21.7 24.2 '23.3
Annual average Annual amplitude
7.1 2.0 12.1
7.3 2.0 12.3
7.8 2.1 . 12.8
7.7 2.5 12.3
7.8 2.3' 12-15
8..4 3.0' 13':0
23.0
23..3
24.4
22.6'
23.1
22.5.
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kV GE MONTHLY AUD ANNUAL
PRECIPITATION QUANTITIES
(For, the,poriod 1921-1945;
Roman numerals=months)
I
II
III
_ IV
-V
VI
Pazardzhik
41
35
29
49
61
58
Plovdiv
40
32
32
43
49
61
Purvomay
51
39
37
52
60
59
Stara Zagora
47
35
37
54
68
77
Khaskovo
61
41
43
57
56
71
Svilengrad
54
45
40
51
48
70
Pazardzhik
VII
47
VIII
33
Ix
3?
x
39
XI
45
KII
48
Plovdiv
40
27
32
38
44
54
Purvomay
45
26
34
54
66
75
Stara Zagora
53
32a.
27
49
63
58
Khaskovo
36
19
27
53
67
76
Svilengrad
37
18
33
52
64
76
Pazardzhik
,, .AAnnual
Average
516
Plovdiv
492
Purvomay
598
Stara Zagora
600
Khaskovo
607'
Svilengrad
588
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florthwwstern or western winds predominate over most of the
lowlands. Winds come from the north only in the Stara Zagora
region, but this is, a purely local phenomenon due to the influ--
ence of the Zmeavski Pass and the valley of the Dedechka River.
In the Khaskovo region winds are northern and northswestorn. The
moisture-bearing masses of air which come into. the lowlands
usually originate from the west. Here the;?arifr southern winds
do not have the warmth which could burn or damage crops, as is
the ease in some of the southernmost regions of Bulgaria. Those
winds merely bring warmth and hasten the melting of the snows.
The southern wind is sometimes hot and burning and damages certain
agricultural crops, chiefly in the Khaskovo, Svilengrad, and Stara
Zagora regions,
The fertile Thracian lowlands lack an adequate even distri-
bution of precipitation. The Table showing the distribution of
monthly and annual average precipitation proves clearly this un-
favorable condition.
The heaviest rainfall in the larger part of the Plovdiv and
Stara Zagora plains occurs in May and June, and in the Khaskovo,
Purvomay, and Svilengrad regions in December. In August when
crops need an abundant amount of"moisture in the course of their
maximum growing period, precipitation is not sufficient. The
valley of the Maritsa suffers from this condition,. particularly
in the region between Sadovo and, Purvomay, where rainfall is less
than elsewhere. Rainfall is much needed in. August in the Khaskovo
region and along the .entire reaches of the Maritsa River; in' tte
Kharmanli'and Svilengrad areas. During that
;time there are>few
clouds, the sun is hot, , and- temperatures soar, , A good,thigh=
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crop needs an adequate amount of-moisture., but this is lacking
in the plains. The Mediterranean climatic influence over the
lowlands is expressed by the'high amount of precipitation in
December.
In the past, during the entire capitalist period, artifi-
cial irrigation was not carried out, and thousands of decares
of very valuable crops were ruined. At present Bulgaria has
undertaken the construction of irrigation projects in this region
on a scale never before seen. The results are already obvious,
and in the near future there will be no piece of land in the
Thracian lowlands left unirrigated. The famous rich soil of the
lowlands will 'then show its hidden possibilities of unheard-of
fertility.
Rivers in the Lowlands
The Thracian lowlands are drained and irrigated by the Maritsa
River and its numerous tributaries. This river network is wide and
collects the waters of a vast basin covering about 2/3 of the area
of central and southern Bulgaria (35,200 km2). The Maritsa tribu-
taries begin as mountain rivers from the Rhodope, Sredna Gora, and
Stara Planina Mountains and then enter the lowlands themselves as
large and more tranquil rivers. The central water artery, however,
the Maritsa River, springs from a more distant place, i.e., from
the Rila'Mountains, which are the highest Bulgarian Mountains.,
The Maritsa River is the largest river in Bulgaria and is
extremely important economically. It is the pride of Bulgaria, and
has been immortalized in any number of folksongs. Tt has witnessed
glorious and sad episodes' from-Bulgaria's?,past and`has:seen,the
stormy events in Bulgaria's changing, his'tory'....,
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the source of the most fertile alluvial soils in Bulgaria and of
the incomparable fertility of the lowlands, which was achieved
through the labor of the people who lived there. In Turkish times
the Maritsa River transported barges loaded with grain from
Pazardzhik to Enos.
The Maritsa River originates in the Marichini Lakes high up
in the Rila Mountains below Manchu Peak. From the Rila Mountains
many rapid mountain rivers and streams flow into it as it plunges
down to the Dolma Banya plain. There, already swollen and wider,
it crosses the Momina Klisura Pass, Which has been dug in the
body of the mountain by the river in the course of thousands of
years. At this point there was once a solid connection between
the Sredna Gora Mountains and the Rila-Rhodope Mountain massif.
East of the Belovo railroad station the Maritsa River enters the
flat Pazardzhik plain sand, even bigger and quieter, takes its
waters slowly toward the east. From this point until it leaves
Bulgarian territory at Svilengrad it collects the waters of its
numerous tributaries and runs in a wide riverbed which is filled
in winter and spring with huge masses of muddy waters. The entire
length of the Maritsa River up to its estuary at the Aegean Sea is
14.72 km, while 'its length within the borders of Bulgaria (up to
Svilengrad) is 271 k*.
In the Thracian lowlands the Maritsa River flows, afore on the
side of the Rhodope Mountains, following the lowest parts of the
lowlands which have sunk in places along a long fault.
The flow of water in the Haritsa River is not steady. In
winter and spring, when the melting,of the snow on Bulgarian
mountains coincides with lengthy-and torrential?precipitation,'the
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river floods. At that time its wide river bed is filled,with
rapidly flowing waters which undermine and destroye river banks
and which accumulate. in places huge amounts of alluvial material
to form islands. When the water rises even higher terrible
floods occasionally take place. Particularly disastrous floods
took place in 1858-and 1911. In the 1858 flood great destruc-
tion was caused by'the river. It carried away half of Pazardzhik
together with the bridge and huge quantities of hay and sheaves
from the fields,-and drowned a large number of cattle. At that
time the Maritsa River flooded the low sectors of Plovdiv, dostroy-
ing houses and carrying away furniture, timber, hay, and cattle.
All the lowlands from Kharmanli to Svilengrad were flooded.
The flood of 18 June 1911, however, has never been surpassed.
All the lowlands from Belovo to Svilengrad were flooded. An area
of more than 230,000 decares was flooded. Every settlement that
suffered-from this flood still bears traces of it. At that time
not only the Maritsa River, but also its tributaries, all the
small streams and little rivers, were flooded. The destruction
was, incalculable. The hay and rich wheat crops which were in the
fields were taken away looking-like small. islands floating on an
endless sea which had covered the plain. One could see timber and
the wooden village barns filled with wheat floating on the water,
beehives, and the thick trunks of trees where madly-frightened ani-
mals clung. The hay and sheaves clogged the river beds, and the
rivers spread over wider over the plain. This catastrophe destroyed
many cattle; some people were also victims. Fields, vegetable
gardens, and meadows located on the vast, low Maritsa-terrace and
along many other rivers were also destroyed. The crop,.-which was:
result of an entire year of peasants' labor, was` destroyed.-.
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On the other hand, in contrast to the high waters of June,
the waters of the Maritsa and its tributaries greatly decrease
in August. The wide sand-covered river bed is almost dry. Maritsa
then becomes an insignificant river in the middle of which a narrow
streak of water can scarcely push its way through the dry sand.
At that time of the year nobody expects any rain. The soil
becomes hot and cracked. The crops dry out, and there is not
enough water for irrigation.
The successive Bulgarian bourgeois governments took no
measures to prevent these damages. Bulgaria lagged centuries
behind the other advanced capitalist countries. Some people who
"studied" the irrigational improvement works in Bulgaria considered
that "the idea to build irrigational systems with dikes, canals,
streams, channels, etc., "should be abandoned since "it will
never justify the huge expenLitures which will be incurred in their
construction." Other experts considered that no measures could
possibly be taken against flood. All of these theories have al-
ready been disproved, and at present we are witnessing a pre-
viously unheard of construction program, aimed at strengthening
the banks of rivers and irrigating the parched lands. The river-
bed of the Maritsa has been straightened now; and beside this
river bed stretch long dikes. The shores of the river have been
solidified, and the danger of floods has been permanently removed.
From an airplane the Maritsa River looks like an endless
silvery ribbon shining in the sun and bordered by dark green belts
of willow, poplar, acacia,'and other forests which have been
planted there to strengthen the, shores of''this' river, which is._so-y
powerful in winter and. spring.. The.dikes are: thickly, covered with
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grass, and the water cannot pierce them. At present the shores
of the Maritsa River include hundreds of standard pumps, as well
as powerful pumping stations, which draw water night and day for
irrigation. The river bed of the Maritsa has been greatly changed
and this has changed life along the Maritsa valley,
The Maritsa tributaries are also of great importance to the
economy of the Bulgarian people.
The right wing tributaries of the Maritsa River are shorter
but have more water in them. This is because they collect their
waters from the vast Rhodope Mountains which, with their higher
altitude, are richer in water.
The Chepinska River gets its waters from the Rhodope Mountains.
It drains and irrigates the Chapin valley, crosses a beautiful
narrow pass, and enters the lowlands at Varvara village. At this
point originate many canals which irrigate the fields, rice
paddies, vegetable gardens, and vineyards which stretch in the
southern half of the Pazardzhik plain. This entire region from
Varvara and Septemvri villages to Pazardzhik are irrigated by the
Chepinska River.
The Stara Reka River springs from the Rhodope Mountains, It
collects its waters from the Batashki Sne-zhnik region.* Reaching
the lowlands,-it is so entirely out up into .various branches and
irrigation canals that. its old river bed, which originally led
toward the Maritsa River, has almost disappeared. Its irrigational
system joins that of the Grezinska (Vucha) River.
The Vucha River is a considerably larger river.. Its basin
includes huge areas between Syutkya,,-Kainchal, and Perelik mouats.
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At Krichim village the river leaves the mountains. One of the
oldest Bulgarian electric power stations has been built at this
point. It was among the. largest of the first power plants built
in Bulgaria; and, even though it was built on the shores of this
large river, it did not operate to full capacity. In summer the
waters of the Vucha River greatly decreased and did not suffice
to operate the power plant or to irrigate the land. The people's
regime has solved this problem by building the "Vasil Kolarov"
Dam. Now the power plant works with full capacity, and irriga-
tion water reaches even the Purvomay irrigation system. The waters
of the Vucha River irrigate the vineyards of Krichim, Perushtitoa,
and Brestovitsa; the vegetable gardens around Kurtovo Konare; and
the strawberry and tomato gardens around the Krichim railroad
station. Soon even larger amounts of water collected in the vast
region of the hydropower network in the Rhodope Mountains will
flow in summer, coming from Peshtera and,Krichim into the Thracian
lowlands.
The Chepelarska River originates above Chepelare village in
the vicinity of Belomorski Pass and collects its waters from, a
vast basin located between Mounts Chernatitsa and Radyuva, and
the Cherni hill. After its waters have been used to run the
"Asenitsa I" and."$aenitsa II" VETsLVodnoelektricheska tsendrala --
hydro-electric power plant) built by the people's regime, the river
enters the plain. Its waters and the waters of similar but smaller
rivers help irrigate the entire region-located between Asenovgrad
and the Maritsa River, which includes the big Katunitsa, Sadovo,
and Popovitsa villages.
The Mechka and Kayaliyka Rivers almost completely"' dry:up:.in,summer.
The Banska River. has more water, .since, it is joined . by ' water', coming from
the' Khaskovo - Mj
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The Kharman3.iyska River collects iteswaters from the northern
slopes of the northeastern Rhodope Mountains. Its largest fribu-
tary is the Khaskovska River. Many pumps operate along the shores
of the Kharmanliyska River to help irrigate the areas along the
river terraces. This river merges with the Maritsa River at Khar-
manl.i City.
The left Maritsa tributaries are longer, but all of them ex-
cept the Stryama River spring from the much smaller and lower Sredna
Gora Mountains which have poorer water resources. In addition,
since they are longer,they lose large amounts of water because of
their gravel-and sand-covered riverbeds; and the water evaporates
much more than in the right tributaries. The smaller tributaries
nearly or entirely dry up in summer.
The Topolnitsa River is the westernmost river of the left
Maritsa tributaries. It springs from the northern slopes of the
Sushtinska Sredna Gora Mountains, crosses the rocky area along the
southern borders of the Zlatitsa-Pirdop plain, and passes across
the Sredna Gora Mountains through a picturesque pass. Its largest
tributary, the Mutivir River, drains the high Ikhtiman plain.
After leaving this plain it is put to.good irrigation uses in the
Thracian lowlands, split into many canals. It joins the Maritsa
River west of Pazardzhik.
The Topolnitsa River carries a large amount of sand and gravel
on its way. Because of inadequate-planning; the construction of a
dam which was begun at Mukhovo village has,been`temporarily inter-
rupted. At present the banks of the Topolnitsa are.-,being strengthened-
.,
in. order to prevent floods. The 'construuction ` of the .dam was started
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The Luda Yana River runs down the -southern slopes of the
Sushtinska Sredna Gora Mountains, and that is why it has little
water. It is a fast, quite tempestuous river and drags along a
great amount of rocks to deposit on its wide, gravel-covered bed.
Its basin must be strengthened. This work has already begun.
The Peschenik River'is a smaller river which also originates in
the Sredna Gora Mountains and enters the Maritsa River east of
Plovdiv.
The Stryama River is the longest left Maritsa tributary in
the Thracian lowlands. It is the only one of the rivers flowing
into the Thracian lowlands that begins in the Stara Planina Mountains.
It flows across the Levskigrad plain and through a wide pass lo-
cated between the Sushtinska Sredna Gore. Mountains and the Surnena
Gora Mountains and enters the Plovdiv plain. The Dulgata Vada
Canal branches off this river at the pass. This canal is used
for irrigating the region located from the pass up to the Maritsa
River at Belozem. The big village Ruzhevo Konare is located on the
Stryama River. This village is famous for its record yields in
tomatoes.
The Sazliyka River flows across the Stara Zagora plain. It is
formed by the merger of two large rivers, the Syuyutliyka and
Blatnitsa. The Syuyutliyka River springs from the Surnena Gora
Mountains, turns to the east, and passes across the Stara Zagora
plain south of Stara Zagora City. The Blatnitsa River comes from
the city of Nova Zagora. The Sazliyka River enters the Maritsa
River east of Maritsa City. The-largest tributaries of the Maritsa,
the Tundzha and Arda Rivers, are located outside the Thracian lowlands.
267
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SHORT REVIEW OF SOILS
The types of soil here are of great importance to the ferti-
lity of the Thracian lowlands and to the variety of agricultural
crops which are grown here. (The distribution of soils, in the low-
lands is given in the newest soil map (in manuscript form) pre-
pared by the Soil Institute at the BANjilgarska akademiya na
naukite =- Bulgarian Academy of Science/ and the "Pushkarovfl Soil
Institute.) There are three main types of soils in the lowlands.
The best of-them cover a vast flood terrace located on both sides
of the Maritsa River starting at Belovo and ending at Svilengrad.
Located here are alluvial and diluvial meadow soils. In addition
to being near the Maritsa River, this type of soil cover's the val-
leys (mainly the flood terraoes) of the Topolnitsa, Stryama, Ghep-
inska, Vucha, and Chepelarska rivers.
Alluvial soils became of great agricultural importance parti-
cularly-after the construction of the Maritsa dikes, which helped
save the most valuable lands from floods and silting. Alluvial
soils are easy to cultivate, and the fertilizer used here is assimi-
lated very easily by the vegetation. Here the subsoil waters which
could be used for artificial irrigation are shallow, located from 1
to 3 in under the soil. Artesian waters are also found in the Plovdiv
plain. Where the subsoil waters emerge on the surface, such areas
can.also be.cultivated but must be drained before cultivation. The
alluvial meadow soils are covered entirely with intensive crops,
vegetables, strawberries, melons, peanuts, rice, etc.
The cinnamon forest soils with all their subtypes cover'a large
area of the lowlands. Typical cinnamon soils can be found in the,
Nova Zagora region. The bleached cinnamon. forest.soils?can be foiwd
in various places in the Plovdiv plain;, they cover a large part of,
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 the Stara Zagora plain south of the Sredna Gora Mountains -- from
the Rozovetska River to Stara Zagora and Chirpan -- and also occur
in the Nova Zagora region. They exist also around Purvomay City
and west of that city and can be found occasionally in the southern
half of -Purvomay okoliya, mainly along the Kayaliyka River and east
of Asenovgrad. Such types of soil can be found in scattered spots
in almost the entire region of the Khaskovo submountain terrace from
the Kayaliyka River to Svilengrad and north up to the valley of the
Maritsa River (including the lowest terrace of the Maritsa shores).
Podsolis cinnamon forest soils cover the northwestern and the
northernmost parts of the 'Thracian lowlands, as well as the region
situated between the Stryama and Rozovetska Rivers.
soils.
paddies, and many other crops which even now are being grown on such
measures could expand the areas covered by vegetable gardens, rice
consistency and fertility, they could yield very good crops. Such
artificial fertilizing and the necessary measures for improving their
break into chunks. In places such soils are very poor;, but given
the droughty period the cinnamon soils become hard; when plowed they
rich in iron compounds, thick, and with clay characteristics. During
clay river deposit strata. They consist mainly of heavy sand clays
In general, cinnamon soils are located on gravelly and sandy
The chernozem-pitch (bleached) soils are a rich type covering
an important section of the Thracian lowlands. They are. seen mainly,
same terrace, they spread south,andwest.of=Khaakovo;'cover_a'lar
`in the Purvomay region, which is a submountain terrace south. of, the,.
Maritsa valley reaching up to the Rhodope Mountains. Following this
Maritsa River valley; and can also;. be seen in another region northeast`
percentage, the northwestern part, of. Khaskovo:` okoliya, south of,the
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of Khaskovo along the Uzundzhovska River toward the west.. However,
the chernozem-pitch soils cover chiefly the largest percentage of
the Stara Zagora plain between the valley of the Maritsa from the
south, the Rozovetska River to the west, and Chirpan, as well as
the entire northeastern part of the plain (excluding its northeastern-
most borders). Individual regions covered by such soils are found,
along the northern parts of the Plovdiv plain.
The chernozem-pitch soils are mostly clayish with thick seams
and are heavy. Theis color varies from dark brown to black. They
are more difficult to cultivate than-other soils, which is why they
must be cultit!ated while they still retain the greatest amount of
moisture. In droughty seasons they dry out and crack. However,
considering their good water-retaining capacity, given good irri-
gation, fertilizing, and the necessary agrotechnical measures, these
pitch soils can give very high yields should they be planted with
crops which produce best on these types of soils. In the past
these regions were planted mainly with wheat and corn. Later on
such crops were planted in diminishing quantities as the cultivation
of cotton and sunflower seed expanded.
Already famous for its fertility, the Thracian lowlands will
be even more worthy of their fame as a rich and generous land after
being completely irrigated and after its soils are improved.
Veggtation
In the past, about 200 years ago, the Thracian lowlands were
covered by rich natural vegetation. & large part of the plain was
covered by forests, which at places were thick and-impenetrable.
This is testified to by many travelers, who crossed-the 1owlanda,
mainly along the diagonal road,,-from "fia to Constantinople., These
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travelers mentioned the flight into the forests of the population
during epidemic diseases. Old people also remember thick forests
and struggles against wild animals for the protection of agri-
cultural crops and cattle. Furthermore, the existence of these
forests is proved by huge century-old trees which are still alive
or were growing until recently, as well as by thick uprooted oaks
and beeches which can be found individually or in groups. Further
proof of the existence of former forests is the number of names
given to localities named for the kinds of trees which predominated
in the forest, or for wild animals, or for the appearance and nature
of the various forests. Existing in the valley of the Maritsa River
were vast forests entwined with creeping vegetation, inaccessible, and
frequently flooded by the Maritsa. Until recently ono could find
them in many places, particularly in the Purvomay and Khaskovo
regions. However, far wider forests existed farther array from the
large settlements, particularly in the mountain foothill regions.
Little forest has been preserved today. Even the meadows and
pasturelands which existed until recently are now cultivated. At
present the predominating forest vegetation along the various rivers
Particularly along the Maritsa River, is represented by willows, '
various kinds of poplars, ash, elm, hornbeam, acacia, and other
trees. Along the higher areas south of the Maritsa valley the forest
,vegetation consists mainly of oak forests, thick in places. Else-
where it consists of individual trees scattered among bushes'. oc-
casionally in the higher and still' uncultivated areas can be found
the extremely thorny bush, Paliurus aculeatus Lam, known by the
population by its familiar name "Karachaliya.ii
Thracian lowlands have noforests left, having become almost entire
a cultivated area. But even though the;_
cutting ,out of trees. in !order
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to use the fertile land for agriculture seemed wise, it proved un-
wise in our present days of socialism to out all of the forest, as
this allowed running waters to erode the soil in certain areas.
This cutting of forests included even patches of natural forest
belts necessary to soften unfavorable climatic influences. At
present reforestation has become necessary,-particularly in the
heights and occasionally along hillsides, river beds, irrigation
canals in areas subject to swamping, etc. Orchards and forests
must find their places on this vast plain in accordance with the
nature of the area and the need to strengthen lands exposed to ero-
sion or silting.
POPULATION
Information describing the warm and fertile Maritsa lowlands
in glowing terms has come down to us from ancient times, as well
as from travelers during the Turkish domination period. Endless
wars have been fought for the possession of these rich lowlands
from the time of the Thracians and Romans, on through the Middle
Ages, and in the recent past. Along with careful cultivation and
economic successes these lowlands have seen much bloodshed and
destruction and temporary neglect. The bosom of this land was
nurtured by the sweat of many people, few of whom be0ame rich out
of it. Only today under socialism has this land found its real
master, the real owner of the land, the real master of his own.labor.
The Thracian lowlands were inhabited even in the prehistoric
epoch. Information about the material life of this population
can be obtained from the artifacts discovered. Only a few .objects
have been unearthed; but they still give us~some,'idea about,,t e
period of the communal regime undor,which the.,population,livved:-'
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These artifacts consist of stone and bone tools, remnants of the
population's food (mainly animal.' bones), ceramic objects (dating
from more recent times), megalithic monuments, etc. These rem-
nants have been discovered in various parts of the lowlands, mainly
along certain naturally fortified rocks and peaks such as the
Khasarya Peak at the Stalevo village, Purvomay okoliya, the Dragoy-
novo and Dobri Dol'villages, in Purvomay okoliya, near Plovdiv,
Khisar, etc. We have much more information about the life and
social structure of the population during the era of slavery. The
population then consisted of Thracians and Romans. Many objects
from this epoch have. been found in the Thracian mounds (with which
the lowlands are covered) and in the unearthing of Thracian and
Roman settlements. These objects consist' -of idols, decorations, coins,
household utensils, graves, ruins of houses and fortress walls, etc.
It was during that epoch that there appeared famous cities such as
Evmolpias and Pulpudeva (which later became Philippopolis, Besapara,
the Avgusta Trayana fortress at Khisar village, and many others. The
development of this multiphased life stopped during the great migra-
tion of the people. Then here and in the entire country the Thracian
and Roman settlements were subjected to mass destruction until the
Slavs finally settled down. The history of Bulgarian-Byzantine re-
lations is also the history of the upper Thracian region.
The largest amount of. data concerning life in, the Thracian low-
lands has been .left from the time of the Turkish feudal epoch, at
which time life in this land had greatly charged. In the course of
early colonization by the Turks a large percentage, of. the Bulgarian
population was killed or chased away, but later on the people again
-
seek a livelihood.
descended from the neighboring mountains to the fertile lblandis- to .
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Bulgaria's liberation from Turkish enslavement found poor
backward villages and small unplanned cities in the lowlands. Of
all cities only Plovdiv was of some importance, with its 33,4+0
population. It was the largest city in Bulgaria. Feeling its
freedom at the'beginning, the population increased exceptionally
rapidly; but later on the annual increase slowed down consider-
ably, particularly during the time of the economic crisis which
appeared at the end of the first decade following World War I. The
increase of the population in the Thracian lowlands since 1910 can
be seen in the following data:
Years
Total population
Urban population
1910
530,556
155,709
1926
656,292
227,023
1946
822,175
298,921
The increase in population in the lowlands between 1910 and
1926 was 237 per thousand, i.e., the annual increase in population
was 14.8 per thousand. The increase in population during the fol-
lowing period, from 1926 to 1946 (the period of capitalist crisis
and fascist terrorism in Bulgaria) was 254 per thousand, i.e., the
annual increase during this period was reduced to 12.6 per thousand.
Still, the increase during that period was higher than the average
for the total of Bulgaria (8.5 per thousand in 1946).
Taking into consideration that the entire population of the
Thracian lowlands in 1946-wras 822,175 people, of which the urban
population amounted to 298,921 people, it becomes .clear that the
urban population amounted to 36.3% of the total population of the
lowlands., This indicates that the percentage of urban population
here is larger than the average percentage of urban population for
33
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Bulgaria (25%). Unofficial data on the population indicates that
the percentage of urban population has increased even more since
the beginning of the period of socialist reconstruction.
The Thracian lowlands is the most densely populated part of
Bulgaria. Geographical density of the lowlands alone is 112.6
people per )nn2; together with the east Rhodope foothills, it
amounts to 71.5 people. (The average geographical density in 1946
for the total of Bulgaria was 64 people per km2). This density is
even greater in the most fertile areas along the Maritsa River,
amounting to about 200 people per km2; and if we take into con-
sideration the cities (Pazardzhik, Plovdiv, Purvomay,, Dimitrovgrad,
Maritsa, Kharmanli, and Svilengrad) which are located along the
Maritsa Rivers density becomes even greater. The average agri-
cultural density (compared to the arable land) of the lowlands,
together with the hilly parts of the east Rhodope foothills and
in other places, is considerably larger than the average geographi-
cal density. In the Plovdiv, Purvomay, and Khaskovo-regions it
varies between 140 to 150 people per km2, and in the Stara Zagora
region it is 120 people per km2
concentrated mainly in. cities., ,The number of the other :'ethnic"-gro
The population of the*Thracian lowlands (on the'basis of 1946
data) has a predominantly homogeneous structure. The lowlands are
populated by Bulgarians. The other 'ethnic groups in the various
parts of the lowlands are only 1 to 4% of the total populations
and in certain okoliyaas they are even less than 1% (they are 1.5%
in Plovdiv okoliya; 4% ih Stara Zagora okoliya;_1e8'a than 1% in
most all settlements (villages arse citie' -while the Turks are
Purvomay okoliya, eta.). Of the minorities only the Gypsies and
the Turks are worth mentioning. The Gypsies; are+Scattered,in al-.
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The mass of the population in the, lowlands (mainly in the
villages) is engaged in agriculture, while industry predominates
as a means of livelihood for the population in the larger cities.
The rapid development of socialist reconstruction in the
Thracian lowlands has basically changed its structure. Industry
has expanded, and agriculture has become mechanized. New city
quarters, as well as entirely new cities, have been built with
excellent housing premises and good living conditions. A new man
has appeared there along with the changes in the economy of the
area. This new man is the builder of socialism.
The People's Economy
The Thracian lowlands is one of the richest regions of
Bulgaria. Here are produced in large quantities industrial and
agricultural goods of great importance to the economy of the
Bulgarian people. By their economic geographical structure the
Thracian lowlands are a typical industrial-agrarian sector of
Bulgaria.
Under capitalism it was chiefly agriculture and certain
branches of light industry which ensured. rapid, easy, and im-
mense profits for the capitalists and which were developed in the
Thracian lowlands. However, here the people's regime under the
leadership of the Bulgarian Communist Party developed a wide and
expanded socialist reconstruction. Industry is developing rapidly,,
and agriculture is becoming more and more modernized.
After the industrial enterprises were nationalized,, they were
expanded, equipped with modern machines,, and better suppliedwith
locally produced raw materials., -In,addition~ the people I government
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radically changed the, industrial structure of the area. Along
with the development of light industry, large enterprises of
heavy industry sprang up here. These enterprises are a power-
ful lever in the development of the entire people's economy.
The Thracian lowlands already produce chemical fertilizers, val-
uable chemicals, cotton and silk fabrics and yarns, cement and
asbestos products, machines, machine parts, etc.
A large amount of the industrial and agricultural products
of the Thracian lowlands are shipped to other parts of Bulgaria
where they help feed the population or contribute to the develop-
ment of industry, construction, etc. In addition, a large per-
centage of the produce of this fertile Bulgarian region is ex-
ported far beyond the borders of Bulgaria to the USSR, to the
peoples' democracies of Europe and Asia, and to certain capitalist
countries.
depends on them.
The profitable utilization of mineral and agricultural raw material
light industries which help each other and are closely interdependent.
Industry has a leading role in the economy of the Thracian
lowlands. The lowlands include important branches of heavy and
Industry-
Marbas is the second basic energy- producing basis of Bulgaria.
Under capitalism the Thracian lowlands did not have a developed
local basis for the production of energy. The'mining of coal and
t4 e production of energy did not satisfy _by far the :needs of the
people's economy in the lowlands., The coal mines in the Maritsa
coal basin, despite the fact that; - they' were known ?since the years
of Turkish enslaveiient, were . not we].]. managed -'and ."were very- poorly.
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mined. Bulgarian capitalists did not succeed in promoting the pro-
specting for large reserves of deposits of lignite coal along the
Maritsa River valley. The capitalists were also unable to use ade-
quately the coal which is such a valuable source of energy for the
people's economy. The production of coal was in the hands of
several private companies and was done in a very primitive way and
on a very small scale..
During the years of the people's regime the Maritsa coal basin
has radically changed its'economic status. Discovered here were the
largest Bulgarian deposits of lignite coal, deposits amounting to
several billion tone. Coal mining was reconstructed on a socialist
basis and rapidly expanded. The old mines were modernized, and
numerous new mines are constantly being opened. The production of
coal has already been expanded not only around Dimitrovgrad and
?
Lierichleri, but also far to the east along the basin of the Sazliyka
River (Troyanovo village) and has reached even the foothills of
Mount Brannitsa (Sakar),
This sector of the coal basin is known as Maritsa-East. Here
have been discovered thick seams of coal which are located close to
the earth's surface and which can-be mined by, the open-pit method.
The people's regime is already profitably' using these favorable
mining conditions: Powerful, ultramodern Soviet earth-digging
machines operate in the Maritsa East region. These machines re.
move the earth which covers the coal and thus do the-work of thou-sands
of workers., These same machines?have already started Wiling -the coal
itself, using completely mechanized methods-of-work. Thus. the people's
is al e
s
d
a y
-- r
upplie
wi to co1 l ray
Thanks to the great concern of the__ people's;;-regime; -for, the-.'
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industrialization of Bulgaria and for the modernization of agri-
culture, the eastern part of the Thracian lowlands has become the
second basis for coal and electric energy for Bulgaria. By the
end of the First Five-Year Plan the production of coal in the
Maritsa coal basin increased many times as compared with 1939 pro-
duction.
There are great future prospects for the development of coal
production in the Marbas area. This coal is of great importance
in the production of electrical energy and is an important raw
material for the chemical industry. In addition, this coal is
used for heating purposes, and, mixed with higher quality coal,
it also serves railroad transportation needs.
Under capitalism the production of electrical energy in the
Thracian lowlands was extremely poor. Mariyno village (now part
of Dimitrovgrad) had a very small and primitive electric power
plant. Certain cities were provided with electric energy by some
very small diesel-powered electric power plants. A powerful thermic
electric plant was completed in Plovdiv only in 1927, and the
"Vulcan" Thermic Electric Power Plant at the Maritsa mine was com-
pleted in 1929. It was quite big for its time. In addition, the
"Vucha!1 Hydro Electric Power Plant was completed in 1933. This
plant was located on the Vucha River in the foothills of the Rhodope
Mountains very near the Thracian lowlands. Due to the lack of
'water in -the river this power plant did not. operate at all as it
should.
The production of electric energy-from these power plants
failed to satisfy even the then small needs of the econoiy-of the
Thracian lowlands. In this region of Bulgaria,the.-people's.regime-
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inherited from capitalism a great need'for electric energy. The
lack of adequate amounts of electric energy in the Thracian lorw-
lsnds hindered the development of industry, agriculture, and the
improvement of the cultural and living conditions of the popula.
tion. That is why the people's regime devoted and continues to
devote large amounts of capital investments to the development
of the production of electricity in the Thracian lowlands. This
creates a solid foundation for the development of industry and
agriculture in this fertile Bulgarian region. The coal mined in
the Maritsa basin is of the greatest importance to local electri-
city production. This basin has already become the largest center
for the production of electric energy in the entire central and
southern Bulgaria. From afar one can see the proudly rising chim-
neys and huge cooling towers of the electric power plants in the
Dimitrovgrad region. The old "Maritsa I" TETs joploelektricheska
tsentrala -- thereto-electric power plan has been expanded several
times and has been supplied with modern machines imported from
Czechoslovakia. A special thermic electric power plant has been
built to satisfy the need for electricity of the cement and
asbestos plants. However, the production of electrical energy
in the Thracian lowlands was increased the most by the construction
of the "Vulko Chervenkov" TETs. This plant is the heart of
Dimitrovgrad's industry. It is one of the most modern thermic
electric power plants of Bulgaria. It was built with the help of
the extensive aid given by the USSR. It began operations in 1951,
and now it transmits electrical energy not only to the Thracian
lowlands, but also to the Rhodope mining basin, and even-as far
as northern Bulgaria.
The eastern part of the Thracian lowlands:;in the'Mar
region will become an even larger . and; more _; modern `center :of--electric
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}Iroduction. A large new entirely modern thermic electric station
named "Maritsa-East." which is also known by the name, "Maritsa II,"
will be built in the eastern part of this region. Its original
production capacity will be about 50,000 kw, which is 50% of the
production capacity of all Bulgarian power plants in 1938. Later
on other electric power plants will be built in this region.
The production of electric energy in the Marbas region is a
powerful lever in the development of the people's economy in the
Thracian lowlands, the east Rhodope Mountains, southeastern Bul-
garia, and even northern Bulgaria.
The Thracian lowlands have an inadequate supply of water;
nevertheless, hydro-electric power stations are being built.
The waters of the Tundzha River, channeled in the "Georgi Dimitrov"
Dam and taken through tunnels into the Sredna Gora Mountains, al-
ready give power to the powerful turbines of the "Stara Zagora"
VETS.
The western part of the Thracian lowlands -- the Pazardzhik-
Plovdiv plain -- lacks adequate facilities for generating electri-
city, but it is being helped by the electric energy produced in the
Maritsa basin and by the water power of the Rhodope Mountains. The
Construction of the "Vasil Kolarov" Dam helped the production of
electric energy of the "Vucha" VETS. In addition,, the people's
regime built two electric power plants on the Asenitsa River:
"Asenitsa I" and the "Asenitsa II" VETS. The electric energy pro-
duced by these poor plants is used mainly in the Thracian lowlands.
Great successes in'the electrification of. the Thracian low-
lands were achieved during the people's -regime.. '.',The systea of high
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tension electric cables spreads the useful electric energy which
helps operate machinery in factories and plants, which pumps out
huge quantities of subsoil water with the help of thousands of
small and large pumps in the Maritsa River valley, and which
banished the centuries-old darkness in the settlements-of the
entire Thracian lowlands. When ones plane flies over Thrace at
night one feels that beneath one is a very real sky glittering
with bright constellations of light.
The Thracian lowlands is the most important center of the
Bulgarian chemical industry. Prior to 9 September the Thracian
lowlands, despite its raw materials, had no chemical industry.
However, the Bulgarian people's regime, greatly concerned with
the industrialization of Bulgaria, with the increase of yields
of agricultural crops, and with raising the living and cultural
standard of the working people, changed the Thracian lowlands
into the most important center of Bulgarian chemical industry.
The chief raw materials for this industry are the lignite coal
from the lowlands, as well as the timber and'limeatones of the
Rhodope Mountains.
Dimitrovgrad is the most-important nucleus of the chemical
industry in the Thracian lowlands and in the whole of Bulgaria.
Thanks to the great aid given by the USSR, the people's regime'
built the "Stalin" Chemical Combine, which is the largest and
most modern industrial enterprise not only in Bulgaria but in the
entire Balkan peninsula, The most important raw material in its
various kinds of production of chemicals is the lignite coal of
the Maritsa basin. Soviet specialists showed how to convert
this coal into gas and how to use it as as I oWce of raw mate riails
for chemicals. The "Stalin" Chemical Combine, is of great importance
41
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to the. economy of the Bulgarian people. It, produces annually over
70,000 t of nitrogen fertilizers, large amounts of sulfuric and
nitric acids, ammonia, plastics, and other chemicals.. With this
varied production this combine helps the development of agri-
culture, as well as many industrial enterprises, and produces con-
siderable quantities of goods for export.
The western parts of the Thracian lowlands have developed
the production of cellulose, paper, carbide, chemicals for vege-
table sprays, etc. The production of cellulose is an entirely new
branch of the economy of the Thracian lowlands. The people's
regime built at the Kriehim railroad station a large modern com-
bine for the production of natron cellulose, paper, paper bags,
tannin extracts, etc. This plant uses the timber from the Rhodope
Mountains and the abundant water supply from the karat springs lo-
cated not far from the plant. The production of this plant is of
great importance to the whole of Bulgaria. In addition, a paper
mill operates at the Belovo railroad station.
Making use of the inexhaustible reserves of high quality lime-
stone located in the foothills of the Rhodope Mountains in 1953,
the people's regime, built near Asenovgrad a modern factory for car-
bide. There with the help of electric energy-limestone is heated in
special furnaces. A small amount of coke and charcoal is added to
it, and this combination turns into carbide at a temperature of 2,0000 C.*
The Thracian lowlands is the most important region of the Bul-
garian canning industry. Even under capitalism vegetable and fruit
canning industries were strongly developed in the.,-Thracian lowlands.
These industries ensured for the capitalists tremendous quick profits.
This industry is concentrated mainly in' the western part cif the `
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lowlands. The Krichiia railroad station, Plovddv, and Pazardzhik
are the most important canning industry centers, not only in the
lowlands, but in the whole of Bulgaria. Stara Zagora, Dimitrov-
grad, and Purvomay also have a certain number of canning enter-
prises.
There are favorable conditions for the development of the
canning industry in the Thracian lowlands. The lowlands have a
strongly developed production of vegetables and fruit. Wooden
packing is easy to find, and there is already an adequate supply
of electric energy. In addition, the railroad and highway net-
works are well developed in the lowlands. These favorable cir-
cumstances have also been used by the capitalists; but because of
the chaotic development of industry it resulted in a super-con-
centration of canning enterprises in the region of the iCrichim
railroad station, in Plovdiv, and in Pazardzhik, as a result of
which these centers experienced difficulty in being supplied with
raw materials from their vicinities. Of course the people's
regime devoted much effort to supplying these canning enterprises
with raw materials produced in the lowlands themselves, but still
a certain part of the vegetables must be,supplied from more distant
regions. Thus, for example, in 1954 alone the canning enterprises
at the Krichin railroad station, Plovdiv, and Pazardzhik were sup-
plied for canning with about 6,000,000 kg of tomatoes and peppers
from northern Bulgaria. However, the socialist reconstruction of
agriculture, the expansion of irrigation in the Thracian lowlands..
the mechanization of a large part of agricultural production, the
better zoning, etc.,, will help improve'and even-further conditions
regulating the production of vegetables and fruit, ;which in: the
future will entirely satisfy the needs of the strongly developed
canning industry in sunny Thraoe.
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The high-waul.ity, vitamin-rich, delicious, and flavorful
jellies, jams, preserved fruits, tomato paste, and other products
of the canning enterprises of the Thracian lowlands are widely
known all over Bulgaria. In addition, the glory of these pro-
ducts has reached far beyond the borders of Bulgaria into the
USSR, Czechoslovakia, Poland, Germany, Sweden., Great Britain,
etc. IAan experiences a particular national pride when observing
in Prague, Dresden, .Leipzig, Berlin, or even on Rugen Island the
high-quality produce of the Bulgarian canning industry in the
shop windows of these countries.
Textile industry: In the course of the reconstruction of
socialism industry in the Thracian lowlands is being developed
in a planned way and in the interests of the entire Bulgarian
people's economy. Under capitalism this part of Bulgaria, which
produces the largest amount of cotton in the country and is an
important market for cotton fabrics, had only a poor cotton
textile industry. This anomaly has already been removed, however.
The people's regime has transformed the Thracian lowlands into an
important center of the cotton textile industry. The old small
textile enterprises in Khaskovo have already been enlarged, modernized,
and expanded. However, the strongest boost in the development of
textile industry in the lowlands was-given by the construction of
the "Maritsa" cotton textile combine in Plovdiv. This combine is
the largest in Bulgaria.
The silk textile industry is also.well developed in the,
Thracian lowlands. This industry has a secure local supply- of.raw-,
of the most modern Bulgarian enterprises' for spinning silk send`?for
hat industry.
zirdzhik' has`- a
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Machine building: This industry is`a?new branch in the
economy of the Thracian lowlands. Under capitalism the lowlands
included only a four, workshops and small factories for the pro-
duction of metal goods, tools, machine parts, etc. Now these
enterprises have been reconstructed-in a socialist way. They
have been expanded and are of great importance to the economy
of the entire lowlands. Plovdiv has the "Anton Ivanov" Machine
Building Plant and the "V. Kolarov" Automobile Repair Plant.
Stara Zagora, Chirpan, and Nova Zagora have developed the pro-
duction of agricultural machines and tools. In addition,
Plovdiv has a well-developed metal-processing industry. Here
are produced stoves, steam-heating radiators, nuts, kitchen
utensils, etc.
It must be noted that machine building in the Thracian low-
lands is insufficient by far to satisfy the needs of the economy
of this part of Bulgaria. Here are produced mainly machine parts,
while machines are being supplied from abroad or from machine-
building plants in other parts of Bulgaria.
The tobacco-processing industry: The tobacco processing
industry is very well developed in the Thracian lowlands. Its
main centers are Plovdiv and Khaskovo. Plovdiv is the most im-
portant center for the production of cigarettes in Bulgaria.
The construction-materials industry: This industry is an im-
portant part in the over-all industrial activity of upper Thrace.
it entirely satisfies the needs of the various constructionpro-
jeets in the entire lowlands and even-provides excess materials
which are shipped to other parts of Bulgaria. Dimitrovgrad pro-
duces good quality cement. and, asbestos and cement goods. The
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production of limo is -also well developed here. Lime, production
uses as raze material the large deposits of good'limestone around
the Ognyanovo Railroad Station (Pazardzhik okoliya) and at Dimitrov-
grad. In both places there are large modern kilns for the produc-
tion of lime. The thick clay strata near the Maritsa River are an
excellent raw material for the production of bricks, tiles, etc.
Large factories for the production of tiles and bricks are located
in Pazardzhik, Plovdiv, Skobelevo village, Purvomay okoliya, the
Cherna Gora village (Chirpan okoliya), Nova Nadezhda Railroad
Station, Kharnianl i , and Lyubimets. A large percentage of the
production of these cities is shipped to the extended socialist
construction sites in the Rhodope Mountains, and recently a
certain percentage of this production has even been exported abroad.
It should be stressed that the Thracian lowlands, which were
a purely agrarian region under capitalism, have rapidly become a
typical industrial-agrarian part of Bulgaria in the period of
socialist reconstruction. Light and heavy industries are well
developed in the lowlands. They use in the main local raw materials
and greatly help the development of agriculture.
Mricu],ture
There is no other part of the territory of Bulgaria which can
be compared with the Thracian lowlands in the variety and abundance
of its agricultural production. There is hardly anything that is not
grown in this fertile region of the Bulgarian fatherland; The-glory
of the Stara Zagora wheat of the "Zagariya" type is widespread over
all Bulgaria. The sea of heavy rice fields in the i'azardzhik-
Plovdiv plain is a joy to the eye. The large, Juicy bright-red
tomatoes and the golden yellow peppers of the Thracian lowlands
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amaze everyone.- Here 'growing in great abundance are delicious,
sweet, flavorful strawberries, 'fruit, grapes, and watermelons.
When the cotton ripens in autumn the eastern parts of the Thracian
lowlands become a real garden. In addition, sun-bathed Thrace
produces high-quality tobacco for the economy of the Bulgarian
people. Growing in its warmest southeastern part are crops
which are scarcely seen in other parts of Bulgaria, e.g., the
warmth-and sun-loving crops of sesame] anise seed, caraway seed,
etc. This part of Thrace is the largest Bulgarian producer of
h4,h-quality, solid, natural, glossy silk.
Natural conditions in the Thracian lowlands are very favor-
able for an extensive and varied agricultural production. In
the period of transition toward socialism the economic conditions
regulating the upsurge of the rural economy in this region of
Bulgaria are improving more and more. The people's regime has
created ever-improving conditions for the rational use ofnatural
resources of the lowlands, taking into consideration the interests
of the over-all Bulgarian-people's economy.
Arable lands Both flat topography and rich soil are favorable
national conditions for a large amount of arable surface in the
Thracian lowlands. During.the?epoch of feudalism the lowlands were
used mostly for pasture, and later on it was gradually plowed up
more and more. Today the'Thracian lowlands include a large per-
centage of arable land. The average'arable land in Bulgaria is 46%
of its territory, while in the'Thracian lowlands alone the arable
area covers an average?of 75% of the total area. In-this respect
the difference between the Thracian lowlands and. the Rhodope
Mountains is quite noticeable. -In-the Rhodope .Mountains only 5'to;
10% of the soil'is cultivated.
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However, the percentage of arable land is not the same all
over the lowlands. The lands.located 10 to 15 km away from the
Maritsa River and mainly in the western part of the lowlands are
almost entirely under cultivation. This area includes many
settlements such as the Krichim railroad station, Komatevo Yagodovo,
Katunitsa,.Sadovo, Kalekovots, Parcheyich, and other settlements
whose areas do not include any nonoultivated lands.(such as
pasturelands, forests, etc.). In general, 80% of the area of the
Pazardzhik-Plovdiv and Stara Zagora plains are cultivated; while
in the more hilly lands, such as the Chirpan heights and the sub-
mountain Khaskovo terrace, arable land covers about 40% of the
total area of the rsgiaii.
The Thracian lowlands do not offer prerequisites for a con-
siderable expansion of the arable area. Only here and there
could one uproot non-profitable forests which grow on fertile soil.
Along the Maritsa River, and particularly in the Kharmanli and
Svilengrad regions, a small amount of swamp areas could be drained
and cultivated.
Socialist reconstruction of agriculture: Under the people's
regime agriculture in the Thracian lowlands rapidly took the. path
of socialist reconstruction. Here were-organized a comparatively
small number of state farms, but the Farm Workers' Cooperatives
included by the middle of 1955 over 2/3 of the farmers and of the
arable land. In this respect the?best achievements were reached
in the Chirpan and Nova Zagora regions. Over 80% of the arable land
here belongs to the"TKZS 1Tzudovo koopezativno.zemedelsko
stopanstvo --- Farm-Workers' Cooperativ&7. In this respect the
Pazardzhik and Stara Zagora regions are lagging-behind, "since,'o
50% of the arable areas 'of these okoliyas belong to the' TKZS'..:
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The Farm Workers' Cooperatives in the Thracian lowlands are
becoming better and better organized. Many of them have special-
ized as vine-growing, fruit-growing, vegetable producing, cotton-
growing, and other type farms. However, there exists a tendency
for them to become highly profitable agricultural farms raising
more than one typo of crop.
The Thracian lowlands include some of the richest Bulgarian
Farm Workers' Cooperatives. They serve as models for the Farm
Workerat Cooperatives in other parts of Bulgaria. In 1955 earn-
3
ings in money and goods per work day on these farms were as fol.
10 lova for the Zlatitrap TKZS, 27 levy for the Komatevo
village TKZS, and 24 levy for the Kurtovo Konare village TKZS.
. Agricultural mechanization: Being a region of intensive
agricultural crops, the Thracian lowlands are considerably behind
the grain-producing Danube plain in agricultural mechanization.
The people's regime has changed the aspect ofiagricultural equip-
ment in Thrace. A considerable number of machine-tractor stations
have been organized in the lowlands. Powerful tractors plow the
fertile. lands of Thrace. Modern combines harvest part of the grain
crops. Cultivators plow the spring crops, and even airplanestiare
used in agriculture. These airplanes dust vast orchards in the
lowlands with chemicals, Of late a part of the cotton-grown in
Thrace is being picked with special machines. In addition, the low-
lands lead in Bulgaria in the number of diesel pumps and electric
pumps used in artificial irrigation.
Irrigation in the Thracian Lowlands
Irrigation .has long been practiced in the Thracian lowlands.
Vegetables, almost exclusively, were irrigated. This was a primitive
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type of irrigation using running water only partially, and more ex-
tensively, water drawn from wells by domestic livestock, such as
donkeys, horses, and mules. Such irrigation is still being prac-
ticed, though it is rapidly disappearing at present. Some irriga-
tion canals probably date from the end of the fifteenth century,
from the-time rice began to be grown-in the Pazardzhik and other
regions along the Maritsa River. During the Turkish feudal period
several large irrigation canals were dug, some of which are still
being used. The water for these canals was taken from the Maritsa
River by dikes. The waters of the various Maritsa River tributaries
such as the Chepinaka, Mucha, Chepelarska, Topolnitsa, Luda Yana,
and Stryama, were also used for irrigational purposes.
The main crop which was under irrigation during the Turkish
domination was rice. By the end of the Turkish domination the area
used for rice crops in the Pazardzhik Plovdiv plain reached 75,000
decares. after the liberation the area of irrigated lands de-
creased because of the ban on planting too much rice in connection
with the fight against the spreading malaria. By 1890 rice-growing
expanded once again. Despite this, the over-all irrigated area up
to 1923 (73,848 decares) could not reach the acreage achieved prior
to the liberation.
During Turkish fegda:L.times irrigated lands were covered al-
most exclusively with rice, while after the liberation irrigation
began being applied to numerous other crops. Almost through- the
entire capitalist period, however, the-irrigated areas of other
crops in the lowlands remained considerably more limited than that
of rice. Thus in 1920 rice covered 38,600 decares, while all other
crops under irrigation covered a total of 24,922 deaares. In 1927
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Kolarov'i dawn. This syutem also includes the newly created Purvomay
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rice acreage i ncre .sed, reaching 73", 3'7'z' decares; rhile 411 other
irrigated lands decreased to 23,1 3 ,decares. From 1940 to 1144
the over-all irrigated area of the Pazardzhik Plovdiv plain reached
205,000 doo ros. This data regarding irrigation also applies to
the entire lowlands, since in the other parts of the lowlands there
was almost no irrigation through permanent irrigational. canals.
After 9 September in the epoch of transition toward socialism
extensive construction work was done in the Thracian lowlands. The
irrigation systems in the Pazardzhik-Plovdiv plains expanded, and
by the end of the First Five Year Plan irrigated areas reached a
total of 600,000 decares. This proves that irrigated areas were
now 3 times as big as those during the last years of capitalism,
and that here the irrigated area covered .almost 1/2 of all irri-
gated areas in Bulgaria. Despite these indisputable successes,
the people's regime is continuing to expand even further the old
irrigation systems and to build entirely new irrigation systems,
such as the Purvomay, Kharmanli, and Stara Zagora systems. By the
beginning of 1955 irrigated areas were divided into four irriga-
tional. systems (see Figure at the end of the book).
The Pazardzhik irrigational system covers a large region
north and south of the'Maritsa River, at whose center lies
pa,zardzhik. This system uses' the water of the Maritsa, Chepinska,
Topolnitsa, and Luda Yana-rivers. The irrigated lands,hgre-Covor
almost entirely the Pfazardzhik plain between the Sredna Gora and
Rhodope Mountains. The Plovdiv irrigationa ?system covers an ; even
i This system also--' uses',the gaters of the "Vial
s
larger area. In addition to the Maritsa River maters, here the'
irrigation system uses those of the Stera~ Vucha, Chepelnr$ka, and
.
Stryama r var
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irrigation system, which uses only the Maritsa River waters pumped
with the help of three central pumping stations. (The total irri-
gated area is 62,000 decares.)
- The Kharmanli irrigational system consists of two separate
systems located along the Maritsa River: the first one includes
the Yabulkovo, Dimitrovgrad, and Brod regions, which system has
three pumping stations (about 9,000 decares), and the second is
the one consisting of the Kharmanli, Biser, and Iyubimets regions
(16,400 decares).
The Stara Zagora irrigation system included until 1955 a
small region located mainly southwest of Stara Zagora. It used
the waters of the Bedechka River.
However, the irrigated areas of the Thracian lowlands do not
comprise only those included in the various irrigational systems.
Hundreds of pumps draw subsoil or river waters and send them into
the higher areas and along the valleys of the Kharmanliyska.. Banska,
Kayaliyka, Mechka, and Sazliyka rivers, and along many other
small river valleys outside the various irrigation systems. In
addition, dozens of-small dams, small water reservoirs, and other
dammed waters are used for irrigation purposes. Despite all this,
vast areas of the fertile Thracian lowlands still lack, irrigation.
A battle with nature for the irrigation. of these lands has been
waged since 9 September 1944? The irrigation of these lands is the
purpose of the current widespread construction aimed at collecting
all the distant mountain water resources to help irrigate the rich
Thracian lowlands and the. other plains in northern-Bulgaria..,
The waters of the Tundzha River have now been'diverted into the
Stara Zagora plain.. Nature was kind".-to' the Pazardshik-Pl6vdiV,'plain,,,
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of time the people dreamed of diverting the waters of this river
the Sredna Gora, an extensive mountain chain. Over a long period
Tundzha River, but it was isolated from the Stara Zagora plain by
a big river, however, which runs not-far from this plain -- the
it -- the Syuyutliyka River -- almost dries up in summer. There is
while the Stara Zagora plain was unfavorably situated from this
point of view. The only river of any significance which ran through
to.flow through the rich chernozem soil of this plain, but in the
Behind it there has formed a beautiful lake, 9 km long and covering
while-flowing in the Kazanluk plain, have been diked by a long wall,
people has already become reality. The graters of the Tundzha River,
lem,was solved under the people's regime, and the dream of the
former capitalist system this was impossible. This difficult prob-
existed for some time. Here the air is as fresh as near a seashore.
lake has not yet been noted on geographical maps, it appears to have
strike thunderously onto the solid concrete wall. Even though the
an area of 8.6 km2. When there is a wind, rolling whitecapped waves
From the dam two canals lead to the east. The left irriga-
tional canal includes the waters going to the Kazanluk plain; while
the right canal., 26 km long, the main irrigational canal, leads to
the Stara Zagora plain. This-canal meanders like a silver ribbon,
going in the direction of?the foothills of the forest-covered Sredna
Gora Mountains; and at Yagoda village entering the first of a series
of tunnels under the mountain. The over-all length of all the tun-
nels through the mountain is 12,730 m.?, One of them is the longest
tunnel ever dug in Bulgaria (6,296 m long). At Stara Zagora the
Canal goes south of the Sredna Gora Mountains. Located at this point
is the "Stara Zagora" VETs, where the water carried by the canal,,
already used once by the "Georgi Dimitrov" Electric Power Plant,
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plunges with dizzying speed through the waterpipe to give power to
two big turbines. In May 1955 the Stara Zagora plain had abundant
water for the first time. This water will irrigate an area of
about 400,000 decares, out of which 240,000 will be irrigated beyond
the "Georgi Dimitrov" Dam. In a. short while this water will rapidly
change the aspect of the plain. There will be vast rice fields;
cotton yields will triple; the Stara Zagora grain will be big and
heavy; and new industrial crops will be planted. The administrative
building which will direct the irrigational system is now being built
near the railroad station at Stara Zagora. From here the Irriga-
tion Administration will check and manage irrigation work in the
lands covered by the Stara Zagora irrigational system.
The construction of the "Topolnitsa" dam has resumed. Due to
the large amount of gravel and sand, which are dragged down the
bare slopes of the Sredna Gora Mountains, the construction of the
dam at the Topolnitsa.River, which had been started at the Mukhovo
village, had been temporarily interrupted. After studies which
lasted 5 years and after taking measures against the silting of
the dam, the lovely voices of construction workers were again
heard here in September 1955. Dump trucks started hu ing up and
down; the huge jaws of heavy earth-moving machinery dug into the
earth. The concrete plant whichs:hcd been built earlier began
operations. Near it, high in the sky is the mobile tower of the
crane made of solid steel. To the south one can see the seemingly
endless width of the flat Pazardzhik plain across which, speeds
the unruly Topolnitsa River. The waters of the river have long
been diverted from the construction site. Now these waters run
through a tunnel which emerges from the ground about 300-e.below-
the construction site., Powerful pumps suck up the waters, of the
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small lake which has formed there and which otherwise would have
flooded the trenches dug 'to ' house the foundations of the dam. A
mixes are being built, such as a cement depot, a canteen for the
shop has been erected there for the repair of machines. New pre-
workers, and housing. The narrow-gauge railroad leading to the
construction site has been completed. A vast construction pro-
ject has been begun here using complex mechanized machines.
require the pouring of 410,000 m3 of concrete.,
also be considerably longer than the Georgi Dimitrov Dam. It will
for water than the Georgi Dimitrov Dam. The wall of the dam will
nical sites in Bulgaria. It will have far more storage space
The Topolnitsa Dam is one of the most difficult hydro-tech-
Much of the construction material is not located close to the
site. The gravel will be brought from a gravel deposit 2 km away.
About 130,000 x of stone will be necessary; it will be taken from
the quarry which is 1 km away frog the construction site. There
are, however, inexhaustible quantities of sand near the construction
site itself, which facilitates the transportation of this sand to
the concrete plant. The erection of the wall will be started in
1946 Zs-0 and will be finished in 1958. At that date the waters.
of the Topolnitsa River will start flowing for the first time from
the lake at the dam toward the fertile Pazardzhik plain.
The Arda River will .flow ,across the Rhodope Mountains to the
freely for a long time without anybody's;-'devising .a method of using .
north. The entire Khaskovo.submountainrterrace, which includes
fertile lands, is parched by heavy summer droughts; while the
tempestuous waters of.the Arda River speed'along-.the; rocks of the
Rhodope Mountains and enter the Aegean' Sea.. They have been flowing
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them. The idea of how to turn: those waters to the north of the
mountain is a recent one, born under the-peoples regime. It was
immediately given serious consideration.
Construction work on a huge scale has begun above the famous
narrow passes of the !rda River, called Sheytankyopryu Passes,
near the.Studen Kladenets village. A solid concrete wall will be
erected at this place'. Its construction has been started. It All
collect the waters of a huge lake Which at its upper and will reach
Kurdzhali. Here not only will there be built a powerful electric
power plant, but also the waters of the darn will be used to irrigate
over 1 million decares in Khaskovo, Purvomay, Kharmanli, and
Svilengrad okoliyas. In addition to this dam, the construction of
several more dams has been envisaged along the Arda River for the
production of electric energy and irrigation. The construction of
the dam above Kurdzhali Will be started soon. Kurdzhali itself
will remain in the area between two artificial lakes. The plane
envisioning the digging of the main irrigational canals are even
bolder and more difficult than those of the construction of the
dams. These canals will probably be 2 in number and will begin
from the upper and lower dams. Their construction will be diffi-
cult; but as usual this-task will be fulfilled. These canals will
be the longest tunnels ever built in Bulgaria, dug deep under the
chains of the northeastern Rhodope Mountains. The entire irriga-
ticn system of the Arda Baas will'be extremely complicated, con-
nected with many other small dams, micro-dams, and pumping stations
located along the river in the hilly 9ubmountain terrace. The
Kharaanliyska River will have dams built along its course at the
Karamantsi and Trakiets villages. A :dam will,be'built on the'Banska
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River at Voden village, and one will be built on the Biserska
River at Biser village. All in all, the area they will irrigate
will amount to about 143,000 decares. This will include areas
watered by the Maritsa River, by other rivers, and by deep wells,
The waters of the Arda Dams will be sufficient to irrigate
other areas, as well. That is why the problem is raised as to a
more extended use of these waters. The waters of the "Georgi
Dimitrov" Dam will not be adequate to irrigate the entire Stara
Zagora plain. In order that not one single corner of land will
remain unirrigated, waters from the Arda will be transferred
north of the Maritsa River to help irrigate about 170,000 decares.
The areas irrigated with waters from the Arda and with waters from
the west Rhodope Mountains will include land beyond the Thracian
lowlands, reaching up to the Tundzha River to the east, and will
include an over-all area of about 1,635,000 decares. The construc-
tion of this irrigational system will be completed around 1972,
which is the end of the Fifth Five-Year Plan.
The Rhodope Hydro-Combine: The "Vasil Kolarov" Dam, which
was completed a and began operations in 1951, ensured the regular
operation of the '1Vucha" VETs, as well as an adequate supply of
water for the irrigation of the Plovdiv and Purvomay irrigational
regions. This, however, has far from completed the over-all h, dro-
te,gitnical construction work which has been undertaken in the
Rhodope Mountains. The "Vasil Kolarov" Dam became an important
starting point for the construction of the still most powerful
electric power plant system in Bulgaria, consisting of a.triple-
terraced system known as the Batak Hydro-Power System. This system
will consist of the "Ratak," "Peshtera," and."Aleko".'hydro-electric
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power plants.. Its construction is in.full.swing at present. By
the end of 1956 the "Batak" Power Plant will be completed. The
"Peshtera" Power?Plant will be completed by the end of 1957, and
the "Aleko" Power Plant will be completed by the end of 1958. The
over-all production of electric energy here will reach about 500,000,000
kwh.
The hydro-power system includes the construction of the "Batakt?
Dam, which will have an average annual flow of 264,000,000 m3 of
water. It will receive the waters of the "Vasil Bolarov" Dam and
of several other rivers which will be channeled into this dam.
From the west it will receive water along the Bistritsa Tunnel,
which will collect a considerable quantity of water from the
Chepinska River. The "Batak" Hydro-Electric Power Plant, which is
the largest Bulgarian hydro-electric power plant, is being built
above Batak village. Along with the "Peshtera" VETS, it will be
the first Bulgarian underground power plant. The waters of the
"Batak" VETs will drain into the former Batak swamp, which will
be changed into a large dam. From here the dam waters will be
directed along tunnels to the "Peshtera" VETs, from which another
tunnel will take then to the "A.leko" VETs. From here a,surface
canal will carry the Rhodope Mountain waters to the Pazardzhik
plain; and, west of Pazardzhik City, they will be siphoned north
of the Maritsa River, where they will be used for the irrigation
of another 500,000 decares in the Pazardzhik and Plovdiv plains.
But this construction project is not ended here. All the
Rhodope Mountain waters, as far as possible, should be coile'cted.
The construction of dams has also been envisaged along the Chepel-
arska River and along its tributary, the Iugovaka River. A-dan
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will be built on the Kayaliyka River at Bryagovo village,
waters will irrigate an over-all-area of 340,000 decares,
waters of the Purvenetaka River will also be used. These
will irrigate another 4,000 decares, and the other water'
These
The
waters
of the
region will be used to supply water to Plovdiv. The waters of the
Vucha River, the expansion of the hydro-power system, the new dams,
the collection of the Tospat-Devin waters, and other waters and
construction sites will help irrigate an additional 2,213,000 decares.
This construction will also be carried out more to the west
into the Rila Mountains with the construction of the Belmeken Cas-
cade, which will include the construction of the "Momma Klisura"
VETs, etc., which will help produce more electric energy and water
for irrigation.
The construction of a dam with a power plant is envisaged
north of the Maritsa River on the Peschanik River, which is a
tributary of the Maritsa,
Mann Agricultural Crops in the Lowlands
Grain Crops: As in the rest of Bulgaria, during the Turkish
enslavement and during the first few decades of the capitalist de-
velopment of Bulgaria, grain crops were the basic agricultural
crop in the Thracian lowlands. At that time the needs of the
population and livestock were completely satisfied with locally
produced grain. Moreover, a large percentage of the grain was ex-
ported on barges along the Maritsa River and later by railroad
transportation.. In the decade following World War I,, the. Thracian"
lowland was still a grain-producing region. However, later on, due
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to the ever-growing expansion-in the planting of industrial crops,
vegetables, and perennial crops'in the Thracian lowlands, the
areas covered by grain in the lowlands gradually decreased. Thus
for example in the first 5 years of the twentieth century grain
crops covered about 75% of the area. In the period 1927-1931 they
covered 72%, and at the present they cover only 45% of the entire
arable area of the lowlands. This part of the territory of Bul-
garia is no longer an important grain-producing region.
In the lowlands the production of grain crops is best de-
veloped in the Stara Zagora.plain. Here grain occupies about 50%
of the arable land. Here is grown the famous hard wheat of the
"Zagariya" type. The wheat from this grain is used in the baking
of the highest quality products. However, with the introduction
of irrigation in the Stara Zagora plain, part of this grain-growing
will be abandoned at the expense of irrigated industrial crops and
other crops necessary to the economy of the Bulgarian people.
In the eastern parts of the Thracian lowlands -- Khaskovo,
Kharmanli, and Svilengrad okoliyas, grain crops cover 40 to 50%
of the cultivated area but do not satisfy local needs. Here barley
is the highest yielding crop. This crop should be expanded, being
an important grain crop for fodder; it must be sown more extensively.
The western parts of the lowland -- the Pazardzhik-Plovdiv
Plain: The production of grain crops is the least developed.here
of all the lowlands. Here they occupy only 36% of the cultivated
area and are quite insufficient to satisfy the local needs of the
population and of livestock. Grain crops are planted even less in
the areas located around the Maritsa River or in thee small vineyard-growing
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North of the Thracian lowlands grain crops cover only about 45%
of the cultivated area, as opposed to the 63% of cultivated land
covered by grain crops for the total of Bulgaria. The production
of grain crops in the lowlands is not well developed, being an im-
portant region for the cultivation of industrial crops, vegetables,
and perennial crops. The lowlands are supplied in their need for
grain by southeastern Bulgaria and by the Dobrudzha region.
regions. In some places they occupy- only 20% to 30% of 'the culti-
vated lands. Thus, for example, only 20% of the cultivated areas of
Purvenets, Markovo, and Brestov'itsa villages (Plovdiv okoliya) are
devoted to the cultivation of grain crops.
Wheat and corn are the most widely distributed grain crops in
the lowlands. In addition to the Zagariya type, now and highly pro-
ductive types, such as the Okerman, Sadovka, and others, are wide-
spread in the lowlands. With the presence of properly applied agro-
technical methods, including irrigation, high yields of wheat can be
obtained in the Thracian lowlands. Thus, for example, in 1953 the
TKZS in Gradina village (Purvomay okoliya) obtained from an area of
40 decares an average of 619 kg of grain per decare of the Okerman
type of wheat. In 1955 the TKZS of the Zvunichevo village (Pazard.
zhik okoliya) obtained an average of 300 kg of wheat per decare in
an over-all area of 1,050 decares.
Corn is less widely distributed than wheat. Average-for
Bulgaria, it occupies?26k of ,the area devoted to grain crops; while
in the Thracian I l
o
d it
Stara Zagora plain. The expansion of the: irrigated,. areas-in the
an
w s occupies patty 15;,b to 20;rr or the gra;
crop-sown areas.., in the lowlands it..is most widespread ii the
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lowland will improve conditions for corn growing. In the Pazard-
zhik-Plovdiv plain, and particularly in the 'vegetable growing
micro-regions, corn is cultivated as a second crop for fodder,
and when irrigated it yields a good crop.
The Thracian lowlands is the most important region for rice
growing in Bulgaria. The Thracian lowlands have favorable natural
growing conditions for the production of rice. These conditions
are flat areas, rich alluvial soils, fat chernozem pitch, a thick
river network, a high temperature in summer, a sufficiently long
autumn season, etc. These conditions were used for the cultiva-
tion of rice in the fifteenth century, when the Turks introduced
this culture in Bulgaria for the first time.
At first the cultivation of rice was a privilege of the Turks
only, but by the end of the nineteenth century Bulgarians were also
granted the right to grow rice. The growing of rice was done on
publicly and privately owned lands which the Turks divided into
parcels. These were planted with rice once every 3 to 4 years.
The production of rice was responsible for the construction of the
first irrigation canals in the Thracian lowlands. In the nineteenth
century many travelers commented that Thrace is an important region
for rice growing. According to Am Bous and Auguste Viquenel, who'-
were noted travelers on the Balkan peninsula and in Bulgaria, by
the end of the nineteenth century 4 to 5 million kg of rice were
being produced in the Thracian lowlands presumably per seasoj7.
According to Yordan Ivanov, prior to the liberation of Bulgaria
from Turkish enslavement about 75,000 decares of rice were being
planted annually in the lowlands. During. the first years after the
liberation rice growing declined, since the sowing of rice was
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forbidden for r r
hygienic reasons (to limit the spreading of malaria).
However, by the end of the nineteenth century this ban was lifted,
and rice production again gradually increased. The great experience
of the population in the production of rice was used during the
epoch of capitalism.
Under capitalism the Pazardzhik-Plovdiv plain was almost the
only region in Bulgaria which grew rice. In 1929, 95% of Bulgarian
rice production was concentrated here. Later on rice growing was
also developed along the Tundzha River valley in the Yambol, but
Thrace was still definitely the champion in this respect. For ex-
ample, in 1939, 80% of Bulgarian rice production was concentrated
in Thrace.
After 9 September 1944 rice production in the Thracian lowlands
was not only preserved but even considerably expanded. However, the
relative percentage of rice production in Bulgaria decreased, because
the people's. sgj me created a second center of rice production in
northern Bulgaria. In northern Bulgaria rice is grown along part
of the drained lowlands by the Danube River and, the well irrigated
valleys along the Iskur, Vit, Osum, Rositsa, Yantra, and other
rivers. In 1954 the Thracian lowlands held only 44%'of the total
area devoted to rice cultivation in-Bulgaria. This indicates that
the lowlands have as many rice fields as entire northern Bulgaria.
Consequently, even today the Thracian lowlands remain the most .im-
portant rice-growing region of Bulgaria.
The most extensive rice-sown areas in the Thracian lowlands are
in the Pazardzhik Plovdiv plain, particularly in the-6reas north of
the Maritsa River between Plovdiv and Pazardzhik and even farther
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east. Typical rice-growing villages in the Pazardzhik okoliya,
which have an average of 1,000 decares of rice sown per village,
are Velichkovo, Gara Ssptemvri, Dinkata, Karabunar, Pishtigovo,
Chernogorovo, and other villages. In the Plovdiv area the largest
amount of rice is grown by Tsalapitsa village (almost 5,000 de-
cares), Golyamo Konare village (over 2,000 decarea), Benkovski,
Kalekovets, Sekirovo, General Nikolaevo, Rogosh, and other vil-
lages. Less rice is grown in the Asenovgrad and Purvomay okoliyas.
The introduction of irrigation in the Stara Zagora plain will help
establish this plain as another important center for the cultiva-
tion of rice.
The Thracian lowland population is experienced in rice growing.
The people's regime helps the Farm Workers' Cooperatives and pri-
vate farms carry out measures aimed at high rice yields from large
areas. The average yield of undecorticated rice grown in this area
varies between 350 to 400 kg per decare. Far higher yields of rice
per decare have been obtained when modern agro-technical methods of
cultivation have been applied. For instance, in 1951 the TKZS in
Taalapitea village obtained an average of 1,180 kg of rice (not do-
corticatsd) per'decare from an area of 40 decares. In 1954, the TKZS
in Ruzhevo Konare village obtained from an area of 175 decares 812
kg of rice (undscorticated) per decare.
Production of industrial crops: The Thracian lowlands is an
important production center of industrial drops for the cultiva-
tion of which there are very favorable climatic and soil conditions.
The warm, sunny summer and the comparatively long-autumn season
favored the normal development of many agricultural,crops_,which need
heat and light, such as cotton, sesame seed,., anise seed, tobacco,, etc.'
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The great variety of soils, such as thick alluvial soils, fat
chernozem-pitch, cinnamon,, cinnamon-forest, and other types of
sod in the Thracian lowlands also represent a favorable natural
condition for the growth-of various valuable industrial crops.
In addition, the people's government improves more and more-the
economic conditions regulating the production of industrial crops
which are of value to the people's economy. In this respect the
socialist reconstruction of agriculture, the expansion of irriga-
tion, the use of more chemical fertilizers, the introduction of
modern agro-technology, and the planting of new highly productive
types of crops, etc., are of great importance. Many of the in-
dustrial crops which are raised in the Thracian lowlands are val-
uable raw materials for the rapidly developing food, textile, and
other industries. Some of these industrial crops are of great im-
portance to increasing Bulgarian exports.
The Thracian lowlands is the most important cotton-growing
center of Bulgaria. As compared with all the other parts of
Bulgaria the Thracian lowland appears as a region which combines
most favorably all the natural conditions for cotton-growing.
The lowlands include vast areas of chernozem and alluvial soil,,
rich in food substances required for the normal growth of cotton.
Such soils are those of the Stara Zagora plain, in the Chirpan area,
the Khaskovo area, the northern part of the Plovdiv plain, etc.
Here, due to the considerable influence of the Mediterranean cli-
mate, the summer is very-hot, and sunny. This type of -summer ensures
the required heat (36 C to 39? C, which is the average daily tem-
perature), which lasts through the-vegetational period of cotton 7-
5to 6 months. Good temperature conditions exist.even for the pro.
duction of long fiber cotton in the, warmest southeastern -parts "of ,
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the lowlands, particularly in the Svilengrad area. As in well
known, cotton is "a child -of the sun." It grows best at high
temperatures, but requires a considerable amount of soil moisture.
The precipitation in the Thracian lowlands alone is not suffi-
cient to provide this moisture. Accordingly, here cotton suffers
from the frequent July and August droughts; but the dry September
weather, and particularly the October weather, is favorable for
the ripening of cotton. But these favorable natural conditions
were not sufficiently exploited under capitalism. The Thracian
lowlands is the oldest cotton-growing-region of Bulgaria. A large
percentage of the population is very experienced in cotton growing.
The people's regime made use of this experience, increasing it
even more and improving it. In order to help cotton growing in
Bulgaria, and above all in the Thracian lowlands, the people's
regime made the Agricultural Scientific and Research Institute in
Chirpan into a Central Scientific and Research Institute for Cotton.
The Experimental Agricultural Station at Sadovo village has also
been changed into a complex experimental cotton station. In both
places scientific workers and specialists carry out thorough
studies mimed at improving types of cotton and at the creation
of new, highly productive, early-ripening, and other types of cotton.
In addition, research is carried out in order to determine which
are the most favorable agro-technical undertakings on the basis of
soil and climatic conditions for obtaining high yields of cotton.
The agricultural technical schools in Sadovo and Bhaskovo?train
specialists in cotton growing.
The expansion of irrigated areas in the Thracian lowlands, and
particularly in'the Stara Zagora plain, are of particular importance
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regime devotes particularly great care to expanding the area of ir-
stable yields for the Thracian lowlands. That is why the people's
the cultivation of cotton with irrigation would guarantee high and
average of 455 kg of unginned cotton per deeare. In this respect
grad okoliya) in 1953 helped obtain from an. area of 8 decares an
lining applied by the TKZS in the Kapitan Andreevo village (Svilen-
cotton were obtained per nonirrigated decare. Irrigation and ferti-
Plan experiments conducted in Plovdiv an annual'average of 253 kg
of cotton was obtained per irrigated decare, while only 127 kg of
the yield of cotton 2 to 3 times. For example, in the Five Year
to four waterings, depending on climatic conditions, would increase
experimental station in Sadovo. This research established that two
Hydro-Amelioration Station in Pazardzhik, and in the complex cotton
Agricultural Scientific and Research Institute in P:ivdiv, in the
dominating local conditions have been carried out in the "Maritsa"
most favorable irrigation of cotton areas on the basis of pre-
to the improvement of cotton growing. As is well known, cotton
suffers from drought, which destroys a large part of the crop.
But, with skillful use of irrigation, far greator yields and better
quality cotton fiber could be obtained. Research regardng the
rigated lands in the cotton-producing regions of the lowlands. In
this respect the transfer, of the, waters of the Tundzha River across
the Sredna Gora Mountains into the Stara Zagora plain is of
particular importance. When the waters of the Arda River start.
flowing in the Khaskovo regioin`another'strong impulse to cotton
growing will be given the Thracian lowlands.
of cottons between 100 kg and 120 ,kg,rof ,ungi.nned cotton:per-.deears.,_
Even without irrigation the application of modern agro=technigi s
has helped many areas in the lowlands obtain cotparstivs1y.high yields
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The new types of cotton -- nos 2,362 and 2,367 -- produced by
the scientific workers of the Central Scientific and Research Insti-
tute in Chirpan are becoming more and more popular. Type 2,362 has
a higher yield than the widespread type 38, a longer fiber (28 to
30 mm); it ripens, earlier, and the cotton yield of the plant is 35%.
This new type of cotton is widely distributed in Thrace, even in ir-
rigated regions. Type 2,367 has a longer fiber (31 mm to 32 mm) and
a bigger cotton boll, but ripens laterk' This type of long-fiber
cotton is widespread mainly in the warmest southeastern parts of
Thrace, and particularly in the Svilengrad area. An increase in
the production of this type of cotton will ensure for the Bulgarian
textile industry a considerable quantity of locally-produced, long-
fiber, high- *lity cotton.
The Thracian lowlands are the oldest and most important
cotton-growing region of Bulgaria. In the years preceding World
War II over 75% of Bulgarian-produced cotton was grown here. How-
ever, after 9 September 1944. the people's government expanded cotton-
growing in northern Bulgaria, which became the second important
cotton-growing center of the country. Despite this fact, the
Thracian lowlands continue to hold first place in Bulgaria in
cotton growing. On the basis of 1954 data the Thracian lowlands
included 43% of Bulgarian cotton-planted areas, which area produced
over half the total amount of cotton produced in Bulgaria. The
cotton produced here is of better quality than that in many parts
of northern Bulgaria. Again, on the basis of 1954 data northern
Bulgaria also includes 43% of the total of cotton planted areas;
while the remaining 16% are along the valley of the Tundzha River,
along 'the Burgas lowlands, and in the fields along the middle reaches
of the Strums River.
68
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It should be stressed that cotton growing is developed above
all in the eastern part of the Thracian lowlands, ?in Purvomay,
Khaskovo, Kharmanhi, Svilengrad, Chirpan, Stara Zagora,. and Noa
Zagora okoliyas. In these okoliyas cotton.covers an average of 8
to 12% of the cultivated area; while in some micro-regions of this
area even 20% of the cultivated area is devoted to cotton. Many of
the settlements in this area plant an average of~3,000 to 6,000
decares of their lands in cotton. This crop brings the largest
percentage of monetary income of the farms. Typical cotton-growing
settlements in this region are Uzundzhovo, Gorski Izvor, and
Merichleri villages in the Ktaskovo okoliya; Slavyanovo, Biser, and
Obruchishte villages (Kharmanli okoliya); Lyubimets, Svilengrad, and
other settlements.
Cotton growing is less widespread in the western parts of the
Thracian lowlands, where it is located vainly in the zone of the
ehernozem soils north of the Maritsa River. In the Puzardzhik-
Plovdiv plain cotton covers only 3% of the cultivated area. In the
entire Pazardzhik okoliya 12,000 decares of cotton were sown (in
1954), while 7,400 decares were sown in the area of Chirpan, 4,000
decares around Svilengrad, 5,000 decares around Uzundzhovo, etc.
Hemp production: Hemp is an old textile crop grown in the
Thracian lowlands. It has a deep spindle-like root, because of which
it grows very well in the thick alluvial soils which are located
mainly along the Maritsa River.
Usually an average of 25,000 -decares is planted annually in the
Thracian lowlands; 70% of this area is concentrated. in the Pazardzhik
okoliya. The largest hemp-producing settlements here 'are Maio Konare
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(it plants over 4,000 decares), Ognyaanovo, Dobrovnitsa, lrunatsite,
a ad others. However, in general, hemp production is not typical
of Thrace. 'Thrace yields only 12% of the over-all amount of hemp
produced in Bulgaria. In this respect northern Bulgaria is a much
larger center, producing 70% of the hemp grown in Bulgaria.
Tobacco growing: In some parts of the Thracian lowland tobacco
growing is of great importance. Tobacco is grown in the peripheral
parts of the Thracian lowlands, mainly in the foothills of the
Rhodope Mountains, in the so-called collar, which is one of the big
tobacco-growing regions of Bulgaria. The population of these areas
considers tobacco its primary agricultural crop. Soil conditions for
tobacco cultivation here are far more favorable than in the plains
and central parts of the lowland. In the foothills of the Rhodope
Mountains and in the southern border parts of the Thracian lowlands
tobacco covers 5 to 10% of arable areas, and in the individual micro-
regions it is even more strongly developed. Tobacco krowing is de-
veloped mainly in the southern parts of the Pazardzhik and Plovdiv
okoliyas, the northern parts of the Peshtera and Asenovgrad okoliyas,
and in the Purvomay, Khaskovo, Kharmanli, and Svilengrad okoliyas.
The areas located near the Maritsa River and north of it have
almost no tobacco growing. What tobacco isjgrowtrhere is of the
lower quality type -- tobacco of the Virginia type. Tobacco growing
is comparatively well-developed in the northern peripheral parts.. of
the Thracian lowland in the neighborhood of the Sredna. Gora Mountains,
but it is not-well developed in the Stara Zagora plain because of-the
unfavorable types of soil. For example", the tobacco planted in-the
entire Stara Zagora okoliya is equal in quantity-to that in the areas
around Svilengrad, Itiyubimets, and Me'zek.
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to the gako vo
Tobacco growing is of very great importance
Here is grown the so-called Kharmanliyska
aim terrace .
mount
sub,
quality olive o and-in the production of'halvae
the confectionery industry.
used mainly :_.
basma type of tobaccoo
of oleaginous crops: In the Thracian lowlands, as
production important
in the rest of Bulgaria, sunflower seed is the most imp
It is most widely distributed in the Stara Zagora
oleaginous crop. roduees
there it covers about 10`,~ of the cultivated area and p
plan, is less widespread in
abundant harvests. Sunflower seed growing
the lowland. In certain irrigated micro-regions
the other parts of
In the Pazardzhik-
also cultivated as a secondary crop.
it is
Div lain and in the ghaskovo submountain terrace sunflower t
Plo p
2 to 4% of the cultivated area and is not sufficien
seed covers only
local needs. The Stara Zagora plain successfully sup-
to satisfy arts of Thrace.
plies sunflower seed to the population of the remaining P
same seed is a typica3. oleaginous crop of the southeastern
~ parts of the Thracian losalanda. This plant needs high temperature
temperature of
and abundant light. Sesame seed develops best at a t? which is why it is most widespread in the warmest parts
22 to 25 G,
general in the warmest Parts of Bulgaria. Because
of Thrace and in
an-
nature requirements, sesame seed is the latest of an-
of these temperature ~ of June
nual crops, being planted by the end of Mayor the beginning
harvested in September. Given proper irrigation it can also
and oduction
cultivated as a second crop. About 85% of sesame seed pr
Aria is concentrated iu'the Svilengrad, Kharmanli, and
of Bulgaria, ic~i7.tural
sskoval okoliyas. Sesame seed is the. first oleaginous
~ by the
cro ever grown in Bulgaria. It was first 'pianted in Bulgaria p
`stable oil, which is
Turks. Its seed contains about 50% high-grae eg
to the high+est
not inferior In any of its nutritive or taste q
alnut oil. Sesatos, seed-ls,..
41 and could be compared to w
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Another valuable oleaginous crop which is well-developed in
the Thracian lowlands is peanuts.' Peanuts need high temperatures
and a large amount of sun, but because they come to fruition with
pods which growiidown into the earth, they need loose soil. Such
soil is found mainly around the ?laritsa River.
In the past the Thracian lowlands held first place in Bulgaria
in the production of peanuts. For example, in 1933 the lowlands
produced 63% of the peanuts of Bulgaria. However, now the first
place in peanut production is held by the valley of the middle
reaches of the Strums River, where about half of all the peanuts
grown in Bulgaria are produced. In 1954 the Thracian lowlands
yielded.ahly?30% of the total amount of this valuable oleaginous
crop. Being a leguminous plant, peanuts enrich the soil with
nitrogen, which is why it is a good crop to be planted before other
agricultural crops. Given irrigation and good fertilizing and
proper cultivation, the Thracian lowlands can produce up to 400
kg of peanuts per decare.
Another volatile oleaginous crop typical to the Thracian low-
lands is anise. Anise is grown mainly in the Purvomay and Khaskoval
okoliyas. In. the years preceding World War.II the lowlands held al-
most a monopoly in Bulgaria in the production of anise (over 90% of
total Bulgarian anise production). However, during the last few
years anise growing also spread along the valley of the Tundzha
River and even farther east. Today the Thracian lowlands produce
about 60% of Bulgarian anise production.,
The norn--?parts of the Pazardzhik-Plovdiv plain produce
another valuable volatile oleaginous crop -.mint. With irrigation
excellent yields of mint can be obtainedl In the northernmost parts
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of the lowlands at the foothills of the Sredna Gora Mountains
the oleaginous rose is grown. The lowlands also hold an im-
portant percentage of the Bulgarian production of pyrethrum.
The Thracian lowlands is an important center of vegetable-
growing in Bulgaria. Natural and economic conditions in Thrace
favor the production of various types of'high-quality vegetables.
The rich clay and sand alluvial soils along the Maritsa River
and the almost transitory f."editerranean climate with its hot sunny
summer and comparatively long autumn help the proper growth of
vegetable crops, their early ripening, and the obtention of high-
quality products. The presence of abundant shallow subterranean
waters, a thick river network, and flat topography favor artificial
irrigation which is absolutely' necessary for most of the vegetables
grown in Bulgaria.
Vegetable growing is an old means of livelihood for a large
part of the population of sunny Thrace. The population has col-
lected much experience in vegetable growing and continues to per-
fect it under the care of the Party and Government. In addition,
the development of vegetable production in the Thracian lowlands
is aided by the very well developed canning industry, the presence
of-large consumption centers, a well-developed transportation net-
work,, etc.
Under capitalism the Thracian lowlands was the most important
vegetable-growing region of Bulgaria. In the period.of transition
toward socialism, despite the fact that vegetable production in-
creased in the remaining parts of the country, Thrace' continues to
hold one of the first places in this respect in,Bulgaria., Accord-
ing to 1954 data,, the Thracian lowlands include ]14. of the total
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of vegetable planted areas in Bulgaria. These are concentrated
mostly in the lands located at a distance of up to 10 to 15 k*
along the Maritsa River. The largest vegetable-growing region in
Bulgaria is the Pazardzhik-Plovdiv plain. Many of the local
settlements obtained their highest incomes from the production
of vegetables. Of particularly great importance here is the pro-
duction of early vegetables which, because of the favorable climate,
ripen 10 to 15 days earlier than those in northern Bulgaria.
The main specialization in vegetable growing in the Thracian
lowlands is the production of tomatoes. The lowlands include
about 40% of the tomato-planted areas of Bulgaria. The production
of early-ripening tomatoes is pk~,ticularly well developed. In this
respect the lowlands are definitely leading, since they $roduce
over half of all the early tomatoes of Bulgaria. By using special
humus pots, growing the seiggs.in cold frames, and because of
other agro-technical undertakings, the tomatoes ripen by the
middle of June. A large percentage of them are exported. Here
there is also a well-developed production of early and late tomatoes.
Nevertheless, tomato production in the Thracian lowlands does not
satisfy the needs of the canning enterprises, which are capable of
great production.
The production of tomatoes is best developed in the settle-
ments around Plovdiv and'Pazardzhik. Typical settlements for great
tomato production are the following Plovdiv .okoliya villageat
-Kurtovo Konare, Gara Krichim, Zlati Trap, Brestovitsa, Purvenets,
Tsalapitsa, Ruzhevo Konare, Streltsi, Pravishte, Nedelevo, and
others. Many of these settlements plant about 4,000 to 6,000.de-
cares of tomatoes each. The TKZU in Ruzhevo Konare village has
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grown 24,826 kg of tomatoes per deearei which is a world record
in tomato production. Early tomatoes for the same TKZS have been
cultivated, reaching 7,384 kg per deosre.
Tomato growing is less deloped in the Pazardzhik area.
Main centers of this production are the following villages:
Govedare, Khudzhiev, Lozen, Salo Konare, Chernogorovo, and others.
In addition, tomatoes are produced in villages along the Maritsa
River in the Purvomay, Khaskovo, Kharmanli, and other okoliyas.
Pepper is also well developed in the Thracian lowlands, but
in this respect this part of Bulgarian territory is not a very im-
portant production center. It includes only 22% of the area de-
voted to pepper growing in Bulgaria. High-quality types of pepper,
~s?
such as the Pazardzhishka kapiya, the Kurtovska kapiya type, etc,
are grown here.
It is worth noting that the production of cucumbers is very
well developed in the Svilengrad okoliya (Lyubimeta, Novo Solo, and
other villages).
The Thracian lowlands is one of the important viticultural
;regions of Bulgaria. Under capitalism some parts of the Thracian
lowlands became typical viticultural regions. In the epoch of
transition their specialization in the growing of grapes and the
production of wine was preserved, increased,'and will continue to
be increased.
Most favorable to viticulture are the. peripheral, slightly
hilly parts of the lowlands located in the foothills of the Rhodope
and the Sredna Gora Mountains., These are windy areas here, a factor
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in preventing many types of vine diseases. In addition,, the soil
in these areas is thinner and poorer, and the yields of one-year
agricultural crops are far lower at these places. On these same
soils vines grow beautifully. Having a well-developed system of
roots, the vines draw the moisture from the deeper parts of the
soil, which is why they suffer far less from drought. In the cli-
matic conditions prevailing in the Thracian lowlands vines develop
normally. The grapes ripen late and are full of sweet juice,
highly sugared.
The Thracian lowlands include 1/3 of all Bulgarian vineyards.
The vineyards cover about 3% of the cultivated land of Bulgaria, but
in the Thracian lowlands this percentage is doubled. Viticulture is
best developed in the western part of the lowlands in the Pazardzhik-
Plovdiv plain and in its peripheral parts, where about 12% of its
cultivated lands are covered by vineyards, i.e., 4 times higher than
the average for Bulgaria. However, even here vineyards are not
equally distributed over the entire plain. For example, in the
central parts of the plain, particularly north of the Maritsa River,
vineyards cover only 1 to 2% of the cultivated areas; and the grape-
growing does not satisfy even local needs. However, the southern and
western parts of the Passrdzhik-Plovdiv plain located between the
Maritsa River and the Rhodope and Sredna Gora Mountains are famous
.as the most typical viticultural region of Bulgaria. The larger
part of this region is covered by huge vineyards which in many vil-
lages occupy.20 and even up to 40% of the cultivated lands. Viti-
culture is particularly strongly developed in the following villages:
Markovo,,Purvenets, Brestovitsa, Perushtitsa, Ustina, Krichi:t, etc.
West of Pasardzhik typical vine-growing villages are the following:
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 Vetren, Vinogradets (11,000 decares of vineyards), Lesichovo
(7,500 decares), the Septemvri railroad station, Taerovo, and
others. In this entire region viticulture is the basic agri-
cultural crop which provides the largest part of the income of
the farmers.
The second important viticultural region is located in the
northeastern part of the Thracian lowlands. It covers'the Chirpan
Hills and the foothills of the Sredna Gora Mountains in the north-
westernmost part of the Sredna Gora plain. Here vineyards occupy
about 10 to 15% of the cultivated area. Typical vine-growing
settlements here are Chirpan, Svoboda village, Stara Zagora,
Khrishteni village, Dulboki village, Korten village, at al.
Viticulture is less developed in the remaining parts of the
Thracian lowlands despite the fact that those parts also have
favorable natural conditions for the development of vineyards.
For example, in the Purvomay, Khaskovo} Kharmanli, and Svilengrad
okoliyas vineyards cover about 2% of the cultivated land and are
quite unimportant to the economy of this region. However, thanks
to the concern of the people's regime, here too new areas have been
planted with vineyards during the past few years.
The Pazardzhik Plovdiv plain is one of the most important
orchard regions of Bulgaria. Fruit growing is a. comparatively new
branch in the economy of the Thracian lowlands. It has developed
mainly in the period between 'World Wars I and II. 'For example, in
1930, when orchards covered 0.5% of the cultivated area in Bulgaria,
the orchard-covered area in the Pazardzhik-Plovdiv plain?asounted to
0.2%; and in the Stara Zagora plain and the Khaskovo.subaountain
terrace only 0.05% of the cultivated areas.. Later on fruit growii
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developed mainly in the western part of the Thracian lowlands,
particularly in the irrigated lands along the Maritsa River, from
the Belovo railroad station from the west up to Sadovo village
to the east. During the years of the peoplets regime this branch
has developed much more in this part of the country;
About 200,000 decares of orchards are found in the Thracian
lowlands today. This represents 20% of the entire orchard-planted
area in Bulgaria. However, orchard growing is not an important
agricultural branch for the entire lowlands. It is particularly
important to the economy of. the Pazardzhik-Plovdiv plain, where,
according to 1954 data, 15% of the area covered by orchards in Bul-
garia is located. For a large percentage of the local population
fruit-growing is the branch of rural economy from which it obtains
the largest percentage of its income. In the Pazardzhik-Plovdiv
plain orchards cover over 4%, in Bulgaria as a whole only 2% of
cultivated land. However, certain parts of the plain, particularly
of the irrigated lands around Pazardzhik, the valley of the Stara
River, and the Vucha River valley, as well as the area included
between Plovdiv, Aaenovgrad, and Sadovo, have become. an excellent
orchard-growing region. In density and variety the orchards in
this region can-be compared with the most highly developed orchards
in Bulgaria. In these parts of 'the Thracian lowlands orchards cover
10 to 30% of the ' cultivated. areas. If one travels along the railroad
from Belovo railroad station through Pazardzhik, Krichim,.Katunitsa,
and Sadovo one will ace almost every lere well arranged orchards
covered with large, Juicy apples., pluses,peaches,, pears, quinces, etc.
? s
Villages typical for fruit growing. (having over 1,000 decares of
orchards each) are the following villages in the Pazardzhik okoliyas
Malo Konare, Zvunichevo, Ogryanovo, Pishtigovo, and Chernogorovo., The
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center of orchard-growing in Thrace is the'Krichim plain. Here
this plain includes parts of the valleys of the Stara?and.Vucha,
Rivers. Over 1/3 of this area is covered by vast orchards. This
field includes some of the best orchard-growing villages not only
in Thrace but in Bulgaria. Among them can be particularly stressed
the villages Krichir, Jurtovo Konare, Novo Selo, and the Krichim
railroad station. These four villages total 11,000 decares?of
splendid, highly-productive orchards. The record production of
apples in Bulgaria has been obtained in this orchard-grouting
micro-zone --- 13,000 kg per decare (in an area of 2 decares) in
Byaga village (Peshtera okoliya).
The best developed orchard-growing settlement in the eastern
part of the Plovdiv plain and in the Asenovgrad region is Katunitsa
village. This is a real forest of orchard trees which surrounds the
village. The village has nearly 4,000 decares of various orchards
which are irrigated and produce a large quantity and variety of
fruits.
.orchard growing is far less developed in the remaining parts
of Thrace.' For example, orchards in the northern parts of the
Plovdiv plain, the Chirpan hills, and in the entire Stara Zagora
plain cover only 1% of cultivated areas.
In general the Pazardzhik-Plovdiv plain produces 80% of the
fruit raised in the Thracian lowlands, while in the remaining parts
of the lowlands orchard-growing is very poorly developed. For ex-
ample, the central and northern parts of the Plovdiv plain, the
Chirpan hills, and the entire Stara Zagora plain devote only,1% of
their' cultivated land to orchard growing. Of course these regions
among the_vineyards in
include; many orchard trees scattered-mainly
the foothills of 'the;:.Sredaa Gora Mountains.
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 The poor development of orchard growing in these lands can
also be seen from the fact that two entire okoliyas, such as the
Chirpan and Stara Zagora okoliyas, have only 16,000 decares of
orchards -- an area equivalent to that planted in orchards around
only 10 villages in the Krichim plain.
In the southeastern part of Thrace, mainly in the Khaskovo
submountain terrace, orchard growing is. even less well developed.
Here orchards cover less than 1% of the cultivated lands. Of
course during the last few years, thanks to the concern of the
people's regime, larger and larger areas are being planted with
orchard trees. Despite this, orchard-growing does not satisfy
local needs in the entire eastern part of the Thracian lowlands.
It should be developed to a point where it could satisfy entirely
these local needs. However, some micro-zones, particularly in the
hilly areas, could specialize in the growing of fruits even for
export. For example, the Khaskovo submountain terrace has excel-
lent conditions for the growing of cherries, almonds, walnuts,
hazelnuts, eta.
Typical of fruit growing in the entire Thracian lowlands is
the growing of apples, which is the most widely distributed of all-
the fruits. The Bulgarian average in apple orchards is 30% of
the area devoted to orchards, while in the Thracian lowlands nearly
50% is devoted to apples. Apple orchards are located mainly in the
area around the Maritsa River, where there is thick alluvial clay
and sand soil, good irrigation, convenient transportation, canning
enterprises, otc. The typical apple types. grown here are kyvaniya,
Xarastoyanka, Zlatnaparaena, Kurtovka, Kandile, etc. Ayvaniya apples
are one of the best-tasting and longest-lasting of Bulgarian apples.
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Plum trees are less widespread in the Thracian lowlands
than apples. For the whole of Bulgaria they cover nearly 34%
of the area allocated to orchards; while in the Thracian low-
lands, chiefly because of the warmer climate, they comprise only
15% of the orchards. In addition to apples and plums, the
Thracian lowlands grow pears, cherries, apricots, peaches,
walnuts, almonds, eta. From early spring to late autumn fruit
grown in Thrace thrills one with its wonderful aroma Lind sweet
flavor. The glory of these high-quality vitamin-laden fruits has
spread beyond the borders of Bulgaria.
Warm and sunny Thrace also grows sweet, very fl-!&orful straw-
berries which ripen earlier than the strawberries in northern
Bulgaria. During the period preceding World War II the Thracian
lowlands held first place in Bulgaria in the production of straw-
berries. Now the growing of strawberries has increased in other
parts of Bulgaria. Nevertheless, Thrace produced about 1/$ of
the entire Bulgarian strawberry production. This crop is most
typical of the Pazardzhik-Plovdiv plain, where 80% of the area
allocated to strawberries in Thrace has been concentrated. A
certain percentage of the strawberries are exported by plane; another
part goes to the large consumption centers of Bulgaria; a third part
is frozen, canned, made into ,dam, etc.
Livestock Raisin
Livestock raising does not play an important role in the eco-
-noaic life of the Thracian lowlands. It brings a far smaller percentage
of income to the population than industry or vegetable growing. Usually
the Farm Workers' Cooperatives in the+lowland receive only 10 to 15%f'
of their income frost livestock raising. Only certain parts of the
lowlands, particularly the,,eastern parts, obtain 20,to`125% of their
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In the past the Thracian lowlands were a typical livestock
raising region. During the Turkish enslavement vast pasture-
lands stretched here, where large herds of sheep, cattle, horses,
etc., roamed. A large part of the livestock was sold in the
markets in Edirne and Istanbul. However, after the liberation
livestock raising declined. Most of the land was plowed ups.
hence pasturelands decreased. The thirst for land which pre-
vailed under capitalism had a poor influence upon livestock
raising. At that point a large percentage of the natural meadows
were plowed, and a large percentage of grain-fodder crops were
neglected at the expense of grain or industrial crops. All this
worsened the fodder basis of livestock raising in the Thracian
lowlands. During the yearn of the people's regime a number of
improvements were achieved in supplying livestock raising with
fodder; but despite this improvement, this important problem has
not yet been finally solved.
Because of the large percentage of cultivated area, pasture-
land is rare in the Thracian lowlands. For example, in the
Pazardzhik Plovdiv plain, pastures cover-only t to 15% of the
areas; while in the lands of many villages along the Maritsa River
there are almost no pasturelands. Pastures cover considerable
areas only in the eastern parts of the lowlands, mainly in the
Stara Zagora plain and in the Khaskovo submountain terrace.
The area of natural and artificial meadows in the Thracian
lowland is insufficient. In Bulgaria as a whole natural meadows
cover 5% of the cultivated area, while in the Thracian lowlands
they cover only-2.5%. The best meadows in the Thracian lowlands
are those along the Maritsa River., Many of them can be moved twice
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a year. After artificial meadows the most important are alfalfa
meadows. They qre widespread main3,y in the Pazardzhik-Plovdiv
plain and in the narrow valley of the Maritsa, east of Purvomay.
With the introduction of irrigation the area covered by alfalfa
is rapidly increasing. The areas sown in alfalfa will be in-
creased in the future in the Stara Zagora plain, as well. Alfalfa
is a very valuable fodder crop. It produces juicy forage and hay,
rich in starch, vitamins, and salts. In addition, alfalfa, being
a perennial leguminous vegetable, enriches the soil with nitrogen
and restores the structure of the soil, a factor of great im-
portance, particularly for lands under irrigation. This crop
should be even more widely distributed in sun-bathed Thrace. The
Thracian lowlands have a poorly developed crop of fodder beets.
It is necessary to point out that vetch is the most common fodder
crop of the Stara Zagora plain.
Thanks to the great concern of the Bulgarian Communist Party
and the people's government, the ensilaging of fodder has been
practiced more and more widely in the Thracian lowlands during
the last few years.
Livestock raising in the Thracian lowlands is still too in-
sufficient to-entirely satisfy the local market for animal products
and raw materials. The beat developed is pig raising, mainly of
the white Bulgarian pig. The number of pigs has.increased greatly
since capitalism. But pig raising is insufficiently developed,
except in the main viticultural and orchard micro-zones of the.
lowlands.
Cattle raising is less well developed. The predominating.
breed is the local gray cattle, which is not, however, purebred.
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The Pazardzhik-Plovdiv plain excepted, 98% of the cattle are gray
cattle. However, in the western parts of the lowlands, mainly
around Plovdiv, there are purebred cattle, mainly the red Sadovo-
type and mixtures of MontaPon cattle. Red Sadovo cattle, has been
established as a breed in Sadovo by Bulgarian specialists by
crossing several other breeds. It is a large type of cattle
which is a good producer of milk. Its average milk production
is 4,000 to 5,000 1, but a maximum milk production of 8,305 1
has been achieved. Crossbreeding of Liontafan cattle is also
being carried on. Of the cattle in the Pal rdzhik-Plovdiv plain
13% are purebred.
It is typical of the Thracian lowlands that cows are only a
small percentage of the cattle. For example, in the Stara Zagora,
Nova Zagora, and Kharmanli okoliyas they include only 30% of the
number of cattle; in the Khaakovo and Pazardzhik okoliyas, 36%;
and only in Plovdiv and Purvamay do they reach the average per-
centage of Bulgaria, 45%.
Less widespread is the raising of water buffaloes (mainly
along-the Maritsa River), horses, donkeys,-and mules.
Sheep raising is less well developed in the western parts
of the lowlands because of insufficient pastureland, but.in the
eastern parts of the lowlands it is comparatively better developed.
There are more pasturelands in that area, purticularly in the
Khaskovo submounttiin terrace. The large purebred semifine-
fleeced white South Bulgarian sheep is widely developed there. In
the Stara Zagora plain 70% of the sheep belong to this breed; in
the Pazardzhik-Plovdiv plain, 60%; only 4% in the Khaskovo submountain
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terrace. The remaining sheep are local crossbreeds. More white
sheep are to be found in the Thracian lowlands than in the whole
of Bulgaria. For example, in the Stara Zagora plain 83% of the
sheep-are white.
Poultry is not commonly raised,*but the Stara Zagora plain
is famous for the raising of large amounts of turkey.
The'Tbracian lowlands is the largest producer of raw silk In
Bulgaria. The raising of silk cocoonsis an old occupation for a
large part of the population of the Thracian lowlands, and is
most typical of the southeastern part of the lowlands, i.e:,
S'vilengrad, Kharmanli, and Khaskovo okoliyas. This small corner
of Bulgaria includes 75% of the mulberry orchards of Bulgaria and
produces the largest amount of silk produced in Bulgaria. It is
not by chance that Mustafa Pasha was successfully renamed Svilen-
grad, i.e., the city of raw silk. It is really the most strongly
developed cocoon center of Bulgaria. The Svilengrad okoliya in-
cludes 1+04 of the mulberry orchards of Bulgaria. These orchards
are distributed. mainly along the valley of the Maritsa River.
Cocoon growing is strongly developed not only in the cities of
Svilengrad, Kharmanli, and Maritsa, but also in the villages of
Hyubimets, Biser, etc. The areas of Lyubimets,and Biser include
es many mulberry orchards as can be found in all of northern Bulgaria.
Transportation
The Thracian lowlands are criss-crossed by s thick railroad
and highway network. In this respect this region holds first
place in Bulgaria. It is true that the flat topography facilitates
the construction of roads, but the construction of roads is based
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 above all on the prevailing social and economic conditions.
During the epoch of Turkish feudalism, despite the flat topography,
the Thracian lowlands were poorly equipped with roads. It wso
crossed by the old International Highway from Vienna through Bel-
grade, Sofia, Plovdiv, Edirne, ending at Istanbul. Traces of the
cobblestones covering this road can still be seen here and there
in the lowlands. These roads rare unpaved and were very muddy
when wet. Large caravans and oxen- and water-buffalo-driven
carts hauled goods from the Thracian lowlands to the ports of the
Aegean and Black Seas. Part of the transportation was even ac-
complished by primitive barges on the Maritsa River. Loaded with
grain, hides, Samokov iron, etc, the barges arrived at the then
lively port of Enos, located at the estuary of the Maritsa River.
More modern highways were built in the Thracian lowlands
during the nineteenth century, mainly in connection with the
penetration of capitalises into the Turkish Empire. The first
train crossed the Thracian lowlands in 1875. That year saw the
completion of the D)edeagach-Svilengrad-Belovo railroad line with a
branch leading from Turnovo Seymen (now Maritsa) to Nova Zagora and
Yambol. This railroad was owned by a capitalist Austrian firm whose
main shareholder was Baron Hirsh. That is why for years on end it
was known as the Baron Hirsh Railroad. After the liberation this
railroad was continued to the west, and, through Sofia, connected
with the railroad to Belgrade. Thus in 1888 the first international
train (Vienna--Belgrade-Sofia Plovdiv-?constantinople) crossed Thrace.
This railroad line is still important today for transportation
between central Europe and Asia.
Prior to the completion of 'the Yambol-Burgas railroad line
(1$90) the connection between Sofia and Burgas was Baron Hirsh's
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railroad, which passed through Belovo, Plovdiv-Turnovo,? Seymen,
Nova Zagora, Yambol, and Burgas. Obviously, this passing through
Turnovo Seymen was not in the interests of the Bulgarian'people's
economy. It would have been better to have the connection between
Sofia through Plovdiv and Burgas use the shorter route, which
passed through Chirpan and Stara Zagora. However., for many years
the privately-owned capitalist company of Baron Hirsh, in order
to ensure gre& er. profits for itself, obstructed the construction
of the Plovdiv-Chirpan-Nova Zagora railroad line. The construction,
of this , railroad line began in 1596, but because of the strong
pressure exerted by the company the line was;lnot completed. First,
only the sector Chirpan-Nova Zagora was built; but for the re-
maining part of the line foreign banks refused to grant Bulgaria
the credits they had promised. The influence of the capitalist
company of Baron Hirsh was so strong that even the Bulgarian Govern-
ment was forced to let the company operate the Chirpan-Nova Zagora
railroad line for 24 years at a very low rent.
The predatory private capitalist operations of the first rail-
road line in the Thracian lowlands lasted until 1908. That year
the Bulgarian Government purchased the Baron Hirsh railroad, and
the Plovdiv-Chirp,n railroad line was completed in 1910. Thus, Sofia
and Plovdiv were connected with Burgas via a more direct railroad.
route. Later on several more railroad lines were laid in the
Thracian lowlands. In 1913 the trans Balkan Turnovo-Stara Zagora
Railroad line was completed, and in 1932 the railroad line Rakovski
(now a,sector of Dimitrovgrad)-Khaskovo-Kurdzhali-Momchilgrad was
completed. The construction in 1937 of the railroad-line Yikhaylovo-
Rakovski helped complete the first crosswise railroad line in the
Thracian lowlands and northern-Bulgaria and,with the eastern Rhodope
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 Mountains. Thus the akovski. railroad station became an important
Junction in the eastern part of the Thracian lowlands. However,
From
the biggest railroad Junction in Thrace remains Plovdiv.
here railroad tracks run in seven directional to Sofia, ,vilengrad,
Burgas, Levskigrad, Panagyurishte, ilsenovgrad (via Krumovo: uilrbsd
station), Peahtera (via Krichim railroad station). In addition,
narrow-gauge railroad lines from Pazardzhik and the Septeravri rail-
road station helped connect the Thracian lowlands with the western
Rhodope Mountrjins and the valley of the Mesta River.
,It present the density of railroads in I3uulgaria is greatest
in the Thracian lowlands. In Bulgaria as a whole there are 36 km
of railroad lilies per 1,000 kz?, in Thrace 60 km per 1,000 km- .
rThus the Thracian lowlands are 70?% better equipped with railroad
lines than is Bulgaria as a whole. This dense network of railroads
is an important prerequisite to the development of the people's
economy in the Thracian lowlands. It takes care of the haulage
of agricultural and industrial goods, the transportation of pas-
sengers, etc.
The Thracian lowlands also save a dense network of highways.
The International Highway from Vienna-pauses through Sofia-Plovdiv-
Khaskovo-Svilengrad to Istanbul along the valley of the Maritsa
River, most of this highway in the lowlands is paved, cemented,
or asphalted. A thick network of paved highways crisscorases the
the tram Balkan vallrys, e?g?,-the Z1atitsa-Pir4p, Karlovo,
Kur;dzhali, etc. Other highways connect the Thracian lowlands with
Psahtera. Dospat-Plovdiv-)eviu,'Plovdfv-Snolyaa,. Dimitrovgra -
ad pazardzhik-
Pazardzhilc-Yelin r ,
g the- are the following'-
lowlands with the Rhodope Mountains. The, ore important
Thracian
puzardzhik Plovdiv plain. Several good highways`conneoti qua
Kasanluki and slivers highways.
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The people's regime maintains the dense network of highways
in the Thracian lowlands in good condition and is expanding it
even further. A great number of buses and trucks take care of the
increasing passenger and freight traffic.
Airfields in Plovdiv and Stara Zagora facilitate air trans-
port. A large percentage of the fresh strawberry crop is ex-
ported by plane to Germany, Czechoslovakia, Poland, and other
countries.
Internal and External Economic Relations
The Thracian lowlands play an important role in the internal
and external trade of Bulgaria. This fertile region of Bulgaria,
with its well-developed industry, agriculture, and transportation,
maintains wide commercial relations with other parts of Bulgaria
and with many foreign countries.
The produce of the industrial enterprises and of agriculture,
despite their great variety, does not entirely satisfy the needs
of the population and the people's economy. The larger percentage
of industrial production, such as canning, textiles, tobacco pro-
cessing, and chemical industries, uses locally produced raw
materials. However, other economic branches in the Thracian low-
lands need raw materials, semi finished products, and machinery,
which must be shipped from other parts of Bulgaria or imported from
abroad. For example, certain industrial branches and certain con-'
struction projects in the Thracian lowlands need imported metals,
machines, chemicals, rubber, timber, high-quality coal, electrical-
insulation materials, transformers, cables, etc. The development
of agriculture in the lowlands is furthered by importing agricultural
machinery (tractors, combines, cultivators, row cultivators, cotton-
picking machines, etc.), phosphate fertilizers, irrigation pumps,
chemical insecticides, etc.
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The Thracian lowlands has a large and varied production, a
large percentage of which is shipped to the other parts of the
country or exported abroad. The lowlands export industrial and
agricultural proiucts,'auch as cement, cement and asbestos pro-
ducts, nitrogen fertilizers, sulfuric acid, carbide, rubber
goods, silk textiles, fresh vegetables, grapes, apples, straw-
berries, preserves, jellies, wine, tobacco and cigarettes, rice,
sesame seed, raw silk, etc.
The Thracian lowlands has strong economic ties with the
Rhodope region, from which it receives timber for construction
work, for the timber-processing industry, and for the production
of cellulose, colophony (a material necessary for the production
of paper), electric energy, a larg quantity of wooden stakes for
vineyards and for the vegetable gardens of the lowlands, firewood,
water for irrigation, etc. In turn, the Thracian lowlands aids
the economy of the Rhodope Mountain region by supplying it with
nitrogen fertilizers, cement-asbestos goods, cement, household
utensils, tools, bricks and tiles, electric energy (particularly
the Rhodope mining basin), vegetables, fruit, grapes, wine, tex-
tile goods, shoes, cigarettes, etc.
Al]. this indicates that the extensive mutual. trade between
the Thracian lowlands and the Rhodope Mountain region helps the
economic development of both these regions.
The Thracian lowlands has well-developed economic connections
with the industrial Sofia-Diaitrovo region of Bulgaria. This re-
gion ships to the Thracian lowlands mainly industrial products such
as Metal-processing machines, electro-technical industrial goods
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aforners; electric motors, electrical-power household goods,
(trap coke,
metals, pectin for the needs of the canning industry, coal,
textile goods, sugar, etc. The Thracial lowlands supplies the
with rood products,
large centers of Sofia and Dimitrovo mainly
such as early vegetables, strawberries, grapes,, fruit, Jellies,
rice cigarettes, etc. These
preserves, canned vegetables, wine, ,
goods are transported mainly via the Sofia-Plovdiv-SvilenBrad
railroad line.
Economic relations of the Thracian lowlands with southeastern
Bulgaria are not so extensive. Southeastern Bulgaria ships to the
lowlands grain foods, milk produce, electric cables, transformers,
woolen textiles, concentrated fodder, etc. The Thracian lowlands
ship to southeastern Bulgaria cement and oement-asbestos produce,
of silk textiles, cigarettes,
nitrogen fertilizers, a small quantity
the future the lowlands will also supply southeastern
etc. In
Bulgaria with electric energy.
The Thracian lowlands have good economic relations with
northern Bulgaria. The lowlands receive from northern Bulgaria
large amounts of 'grain food, flour, meat, agricultural machines,
sugar, hides, fodder, etc. The lowlands export to northern Bul-
garia almost the same variety of goods they export to southeastern
Bulgaria.
All this indicates that commerce between the Thracian low-
and the remaining parts of Bulgaria is very'active.' On the
lends
one hand, the economy of the lowlands is assisted by the other
parts of Bulgaria; on the other, the Thracian lowlands render valu-
able aid to the economy of other regions of the Bulgarian Mother-
land in the period of socialist developament..
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Finally, the upper Thracian lowlands play an important role
in external Bulgarian trade. The lowlands import from abroad
machines for the chemical,. textile, and machine-building industries,
and machines for the production of electricity. The lowlands also
import from abroad metals, rubber, paper, phosphate fertilizers,
rolling stock, etc. The diverse high-quality industrial and
agricultural production of the Thracian lowlands has been'accepted
very well in foreign markets. The lowlands export abroad mainly
cement, sulfuric and hydrochloric acids, nitrogen fertilizers, pre-
serves and jellies, fresh vegetables,, grapes, wine, strawberries,
fruit, paprika, etc. These have been accepted very well in the
markets of the USSR, the peoplesI democracies, and many capitalist
countries.
ACROSS THE THRACIAN LOWLANDS
The train pulls out of the Momina Klisura Pass at Belovo to
enter the upper Thracian lowlands. From the very beginning, to
I
the south spreads an almost ideally flat surface reaching the very
foothills of the Rhodope Mountains. Here the passengers see mainly
vineyards and orchards or a combination of both. The vineyards are
well arranged and consist chiefly of dessert-type grapes on their
long stakes or fastened to trellises. Observing the orchards, one
sees various kinds of apples, pears., quinces, plums, and the wide
crowns of large walnut trees. This view continues almost uninter-
ruptedly up to the Chepinska River. East of this river one sees
the Pazardzhik rice fields, famous all over Bulgaria, which stretch
over a vast area to the north and south of the railroad track and
of the highway to Plovdiv.d These rice fields continue within the
Plovdiv plain. The entire Pazardzhik plain east of the Chepinska
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River is covered with rice and wheat fields, industrial crops
(mainly heaps, orchards, and vineyards. On the outskirts-of the
villages Karabunar, Vetren,
plain are the famous vineyard oTring
Vinogradets, at al.
Pazardzhikk_
The center of this rich -plain is the rapidly-developing city
of Pazardzhik. Leading from the railroad station to?the city is
a well-paved highway., bordered by rich, valuable crops covering
vast fields and gardens. We cross a long bridge over the wide
Maritsa riverbed and enter the city.
In Thracian times the cityyof Besapara flourished here. Dur-
ing the Middle Ages it was known as Batkun and was an economic
center of the Pazardzhik plain. Modern Pazardzhik originated as
a Turkish village of the fifteenth century; later a large number
of Tatars settled here. The settlement was located at the junc-
tion of two important trade routes, the Constantinople and the
Bothnia routes. Gradually this village became a city called
Tatar Pazardzhik and soon became important. It grew particularly
during the sixteenth and seventeenth eenturiee and became one of
the most active commercial centers in the Turkish state. Circa
1870, the-city had a population of 24,000, i.e., it was larger than
Sofia.- Sold here at annual fairs were rice and wheat from the
Pazardzhik plain, iron from SBmokov, and timber from the Rhodope
Mountains. These goods were transported by barge along the
Maritsa River down toward Edirne and Enos., and then on to Con-
stantinople and other cities. A large caravansary was built to
serve the needs of the merchants of the city; its Hams was Kurshumkhan.
Its stables could shelter about 2,000 camels and 3,000 horses.
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This caravansary was fortified by solid walls; its doors opened
only after a certain signal had been given at dawn, and they
closed at dusk. From that epoch (sixteenth century) only the
Eski mosque has been preserved. The Sveta Bogoroditsa church,
dating from the seventeenth century, is famous as an architectural
monument with beautiful woodwork carved by master craftsmen from
After the liberation Pazardzhik declined. However, because
of its fertile plain, it again became a market and administrative
center of many villages. Its plain became famous for its high-
quality rice and beautiful vineyards, and also for its hemp,
tobacco, vegetables, and fruit.
Even prior to 9 September 1944 certain industrial enterprises
were built in Pasardzhik. Under the people's regime these were im-
proved and expanded to bscowe an entire industrial quarter of the
city. Pazardshik has factories for rubber, heap, and linen goods;
a factory for decorticating rice, for vegetable oils, fruit and
vegetable canneries; and paprika factories. The city also has
the "Vela Peeve" Textile Combine (producing cotton fabrics). There
are also wine caves in the city. Near the railroad station are
warehouses for lumber supplied'via'the narrow-gauge railroad from
the Rhodope ]mountains. Pasardshik is expanding because of the
vast agricultural Pazardzhik plain and because of its railroad junc-
tion and busy railroad station. Here cone goods from Panagyurishte,
Peshtera, and Velingrad, which are sold all over the Pazardzhlk
region and shipped to other parts of Bulgaria.
Today the city has experienced a rapid economic and cultural
upsurge. Its appearance is also changing. During a decade of
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socialism its population has.jumped from that of an ordinary cite
of 23,500 people (in 1944) to about 35,000. The nearby swamps
have been drained and gardens planted there. The city is reno-
vating itself and is improving its appearance. The new city plan
is particularly interesting. The city will be crossed by wide
green-bordered boulevards, along which t iere will be`large housing
4
units. The center of the city will include candiose buildings
such as the House of Soviets, a large department store, a hotel,
and others. There will be a House of Culture, and a large stadium.
The construction of the stadium has already begun. It will cover
an area of 400 decares and will be able to seat about 16,000. The
appearance of the city park, the "Svoboda," located on Svoboda
Island in the Maritsa River, will also be changed. After straighten-
ing the riverbed, the area of the island will be considerably in-
creased. This island will also include the Park for Culture and
Rest, in which will be built a summer theater, a library with a
reading room, restaurants, athletic fields with swimming pools;
and there will be a considerable amount of grassy lawn for relaxa-
tion and games. The construction of this project has already been
commenced. The City Soviet of the Deputies of the Working People
has built here a large monument to the fallen heroes of the anti-
fascist struggle. This monument includes a bust of Ihetodi Shatarov,
member of the Central Committee of the Bulgarian Communist Party
and commanding officer of the Third Operative Rebellion Zone. The
monument is 4.8 a high and made entirely of rhyolite. The back of
the monument includes a vault containing the bones of important local-
revolutionary fighters: fallen in the struggle against Fascism.
We leave Pazardzhik for Plovdiv. Before us' are ? the Besaparski
Hills, the northernmost branch of the Rhodope Mountains. East of
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Pazardzhik these hills reach the riverbed of the Maritsa River.
These low hills of old limestone are entii{11y bare. The rare
grass here yellows and dries out in early summer. But even the
Besaparski Hills are important to the people's economy. They
are an inexhaustible source of limestone, used for gravel and
for the production of'lime. Near the raid oad track are huge
holes in the ground, the limestone quarries, with their laborers,
air compressors, and small handcars all busy. From time to time
powerful blasts shake the neighboring rocks and echo all over the
area. Here are located the largest quarries of the Thracian low-
lands. They supply lime for construction work in Plovdiv, Pazard-
zhik, Velingrad, Stara Zagora, etc.
East of the Besaparski Hills in the joint valley of the Mucha
and the Stara rivers is the flat and very fertile Krichim plain.
It is well known for its abundant production of high-grade fruits
grapes, strawberries, and vegetables, not only all over Bulgaria,
but also far beyond the borders of Bulgaria.
Across the I richim Plaint
The Kriehia plain covers the lowest part of the valley between
the Vueha and the Stara rivers; these rivers flow between the western-
most branches of the Rhodope Mountains and the Maritsa River. To the
south the plain reaches the steep slopes of the Rhodope Mountains
around Krichim village, and to the west it is bordered by the
Besaparski Hills, whose altitude reaches 400 a. In summer these
limey, bares yellowish hills stand in sharp contrast with-the
Krichia plain, which is green with thick vegetation. To the east
the platn reaches the low hills around the historic Berushtitea vil-
lags; to the north it is wide open and merges with the vast Plovdiv
plain.
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The length of the Krichim plain, from Krichim village to
the Krichim Railroad Station, along the Maritsa River, is about
15 km. At its center, particularly near Kurtovo Konare village,
the plain narrows to a width of 3 km, but at both ends the plaih
is far wider. At the foothills of the Rhodope Mountains the
plain expands to the west and merges with a small plain in the
valley of the Stara River near Isperikhovo village, which plain
includes part of the areas around Kozarsko and Byaga villages
(Peshtera okoliya). The entire area of the Krichim plain amounts
to about 80 sq km. Its surface is entirely flat, slightly sloped
to the northeast toward the Maritsa River. Its altitude is about
200 m. It is covered by deposits of the Vucha and Stara rivers.
Here the fertile soil consists of thick alluvial soil, and at
places clay and sand soil.
rigation, which was expanded during the people's regime, droughts
Droughts are particularly severe in summer. However, thanks to ir-
is 450 to 500 1 of precipitation per a2, which is quite sufficient.
portance to the orchards. Here the average annual precipitation
favorably situated as far as wind is concerned, a factor of im-
mild winter. It is located opposite the pass of the Vucha River,
The Krichim plain has a warm sunny sunnier and a comparatively
no longer affect agricultural crops. Drought has been completely
conquered here. A thick network of canals distributes the waters
of the Vucha and Stara Rivers and irrigate all of this fertile plain.
S LI I
The Krichia plain is thickly populated. The largest settle-
ments here are Krichim village (population: 7,600), ti Krii3him
railroad station (over 6,000), and Kurtovo Konare village (3,800).
The entire surfaoeof-the plain is cultivated. Pasturelands and
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grazing grounds are nonexistent,, and there is little arable land.
In Bulgaria one farm family has an average of approximately 42 de-
cares of arable land, while in this plain the average is only 12
decares, i.e., 3.5 times less than the average for Bulgaria.
About 2/3 of the land here belongs to the Farm Workers' Coopera-
tives, which is well organized and one of the richest in Bulgaria.
They have specialized in the growing of fruit, grain, and vegetables.
Thanks to irrigation, abundant use of fertilizers, and better
and better application of modern agro-technical methods, the co-
operative farmers and the private farmers of the Krichim plain
have obtained high stable yields from the various agricultural
crops. On vast areas here as many as two crops per year can be
obtained.
The main economic branches in the Krichim plain are orchard
growing, vineyard growing, and vegetable growing. The experience
of the population in these fields is great, and it is correctly
put to its best use by the people's regime.
A leading place in agriculture is occupied here by orchard
growing. In'many of the settlements it accounts for 1/2 of the
population's income. Orchards in Bulgaria cover an average of 2%
of the arable land, while here orchards cover 27% of the culti-
vated area., Even in the area of the -Kurtovo Konare village 45%
of the cultivated area is covered by orchards.' These orchards
resemble a real forest in the entire Krichira plain. If one travels
from the Krichim.railroad station by Peshtera by rail, one passes
through vast orchard groves, both old and young,,around Kurtovo
Konare village, Novo Selo-village, Krichim,.,I$perikhovo, and Byaga
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villages. Bve'rything here is concealed in a thick green forest.
Abundant amounts of water quietly flow through the numerous canals
and irrigate the orderly orchard groves, whose trees are covered
with juicy fruit, bending the branches low. Looking at these
vast orchards, one is convinced that this is the garden of Thrace.
The Krichim plain has over 16,000 decares of orchards, which
is over half the orchards in the entire Khaskovo okrug, which
equals 80% of the orchards in the entire Blagoevrad okrug. In
orchard saturation the Krichim plain holds one of the first places
in Bulgaria. In Bulgaria there is an average of 216 decares of
orchard per 1,000 population, while in the Krichis plain there
are 504 decares of orchard per 1,000 population. In the Kurtovo
Konare village alone there are 740 decares of orchard per 1,000
population, or 2 deoares of orchard for every 3 people.
The Krichim plain is a typical apple orchard. In Bulgaria
apple orchards hold 30% of the total area of orchards, but in
this plain they hold 85% of the area planted in orchards. The
most widely distributed types of apple here are the ayvaniya,
kurtovka, ziatna zimna parmena, et al. Orchard growing here is
carried on by modern methods, particularly in the Farm Workers'
Cooperatives. The orchards are irrigated and well fertilized, they
are sprayed with special machines, and they are chemically dusted
by planes. An airplane can dust over 3,000_decares of orchards
per day, thus replacing the labor of 1,500 workers.
Fruit growers of the Krichim plain are famous all over the
country. Applying modern agro-technical methods, they obtain.high
orchard yields. They obtain from :vast areas Troll 3.to 5 tons' of
ions` in 'this respect `;have reached record
deoare. Trie,chase
apples per..
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yields. For example, in 1952 in Kurtovo Konare village an average
of 9,748 kg of apples per decare was obtained from an over-all area
of 20 decares. The entire plain produces annually about 30 to 40
million kg of apples. The largest percentage of this production
is exported to foreign markets; another part is consumed in Bul-
garia; and a certain percentage of it is processed in the canning
combine at the Krichim railroad station.
In addition to apples, the Krichim plain also has some
peach (over 700 decares), cherry (350 decares), and plum growing.
Durzhavno zernedelsko stopanstvo -- state fare near
The DZS
Kurtovo Konare village raises lemons and other subtropical fruit
in coldframes. Considering the demands of the canning industry of
this part of the territory of Bulgaria, the production of sour
cherries and peaches should be increased. Viticulture is of great
importance to the local economy, along with orchard growing. This
is an old and important occupation of the local population. Vine-
yards cover'the sandier and even the gravel-covered soils of the
plain. The Krichiri plain has vast vineyards. They cover about 20%
of the cultivated area, while the average for Bulgaria is. only 3%
of the cultivated area. Given proper irrigation,, here up to 4,000
kg of grapes per decare can be obtained. The largest percentage of
vineyards produce dessert grapes, which are sweet, golden yellow,
famous in the Bulgarian market as well as-abroad.
Another important part of the rural economy of the Krichim
plain is the production of vegetables. This is of,great importance
to Bulgarian export, and also supplies the Bulgarian canning industry
with raw materials. The Krichim plain holds one of'the first places
in Bulgaria in'the production of vegetal*es,-particularly of early.
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tomatoes. The Krichim plain includes 'vast vegetable gardens.
Vegetable gardens cover 1% of the cultivated area of Bulgaria,
covering 13% of the cultivated area of the Krichim plain. The
largest number of tomatoes (mainly early tomatoes) is produced
in the following villages:- Kurtovo Konare (1,200 decares),
Krichim railroad station (over 800 decares), Novo Selo village,
Kadievo village, etc. Even the courtyards in the villages of
the Krichim plain are planted with early tomatoes, which are
carefully cultivated. The local population has exceptionally
wide experience in vegetable growing. The population here bene-
fits from the assistance of the scientific workers engaged in
vegetable growing, and it has made good use of Soviet experience.
Thus great achievements have been obtained by making good use of
the experience of Academician Vinogradov, a USSR scientist, in
the raising of tomato seedlings at low temperatures. This helps
obtain a disease-resistant, solid plant which can survive tempera-
tures under 01 C, can be transplanted early in the season, and pro-
duces an early crop. For example, in 1954 the DKZS in the Kurtovo
Konare village raised tomato plants by the standard method to ob-
tain an average per decare of 2,820 kg of early tomatoes and 4,507
lava of income per decare; while with plants raised'by the coldframe
-method the average yield per decare was 4,330 kg of tomatoes, and the
income 7,805 lava per decare. In addition, tomatoes can be raised
in special humus pots. The Krichim plain and the remaining parts
of Plovdiv okoliya yield about 1+0% of the total production of
early tomatoes in Bulgaria.
The production of red pepper of'the Kapiya type is also quite,
well developed in the Krichim plain. The pepper is processed in the
canneries of the Krichim railroad stEition.
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Orchard-growing, viticulture, and vegetable-growing comprise
the economy of the Krichim plain. The remaining agricultural
branches are poorly developed and fail even to satisfy the needs
of the local population. For example, grain covers only about 20%
of the arable areas, and a large part of them are planted as a
second crop. After early tomatoes, the area is usually planted
with corn, which, given proper irrigation and fertilizing, yields
200 to 300 kg of grain per decare. Industrial crops and livestock
breeding are poorly represented in the Krichim plain.
The traveler entering the plain,can see from afar high smokey
chimneys which pinpoint the industrial center of Krichim railroad
station, one of the important industrial centers of the Thracian
lowlands.
Krichim railroad station is a new settlement. Here there were
only fields and pasturelands until 1875, when the Baron Hirsh rail-
road line was built. At first there was only the railroad station;
it was called Krichim, since most of the lumbermen who floated their
lumber along the Vucha River to the station came from Krichim vil-
lage, which is located 12 km from the railroad station. For years
on and there were only a few saloons and inns around the railroad
station itself. During the years preceding World War I there-were
only some 10 houses here. Later on people from the neighboring vil-
lages, such as'Kurtovo Konare, Perushtitsa, Tsalapitsa, and others,
settled around the railroad station. Thus this settlement began%to
expand, and by 1926 it had a population of 224. Later on, when
the production of vegetables, fruit, and grapes sold at the markets
of Sofia, Plovdiv, and abroad was increased,, the Krichim railroad
station became an important, export center of the entire Krichim plain
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and of neighboring areas. Migration to the railroad station from
the neighboring villages continued, but later on the village at-
tracted merchants who grew wealthy from the export of vegetables
and fruit. By 1934 the settlement around the Krichim railroad
station had grown to 550 and represented a sector of the neighbor-
ing Bolatovo village, located 2 km north of the station near the
Maritsa River.
During the years directly preceding World War II the export
of fruit and vegetables from the Krichim railroad station increased
even more. In order to accumulate even greater profits, the
capitalists developed the canning industry to a considerable extent.
During the period 1936-1943 eleven industrial enterprises for the
production of canned vegetables and fruit and pine were built here.
In 1947 these enterprises were nationalized, extended, and organized
into the large "Vitamin" State Canning Combine. This is the=:largest
canning enterprise in Bulgaria. In addition, the people's regime
built at the Krichim railroad station the only Bulgarian plant to
produce cellulose.
The population of the Krichim railroad station increased along
with the industrial development there. After 1936 the railroad
station became the administrative center of Bolatovo village,
together with the Krichim railroad station. By 1946 this settle-
ment had already grown to a population of 3,200. In the following -
years, because of the ever-expanding industrialization of the
Krichim railroad station, the population began to increase even
more rapidly. For example, in the period 1947-1954 alone 858
families came to live. here from Plovdiv, Pazardzhik, Panagyurishte,
Sandanski, Gotse Delchev, and other okoliyas. In addition, the
Krichim railroad station provides employment for about 1,000 people
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commuting from Plovdiv, Pazardzhik, and neighboring cities. At
present the population of Krichim railroad station is over 6,000
while in summer the, ingress of seasonal workers increases the
figure to 8,000 or 9,000.
It is obvious to the traveler approaching the Krichim rail-
road station that this is an important industrial center. In the
westernmost part of the settlement are the proudly-rising snow-
white buildings of Bulgaria's only cellulose plant. This plant
is the child of the life-giving Bulgarian-Soviet friendship. The
plans for this plant were drafted and the machines produced in
the USSR. Soviet specialists gave direct help in the construc-
tion of the plant itself. The Soviet Union trained the present
staff of the plant.
Until 1950 there were only vineyards and fields at the lo-
cation of the present "Stefan Kiradzhiev" Cellulose Plant. Then
construction workers came, here, and intensive work commenced.
Wooden shacks and piles of construction materials appeared. Thanks
to the enthusiastic labor of the construction workers, with the
assistance of the neighboring population and the generous help
of the USSR, the first Bulgarian cellulose plant was constructed
in a short time. It was completed and began production in the
autumn of 1952.
The basic raw material used by the-OStef:an Kiradzhive" cellu-
lose plant is coniferous timber. It is supplied by the western
Rhodope Mountains, the region of Bulgaria having the greatest abun-
dance of coniferous trees. Railroad freight cars arrive in the
yardwof the plant loaded with timber. A vast area is covered by
r
hug. piles of logs. Special equipment hauls the lumber to the top
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floor of one of the buildings of the plant. Here the logs are
sawed into rather long pieces, which are automatically fed into
another mechanism whose huge jaws masticate the wood into
splinters. Later, after a complex chemical treatment, the
splinters are broken down into cellulose. Usual],y 200 kg of
cellulose are obtained from 1 t of timber.
Great quantities of water are required in the process of
cellulose production. For example, the production of 1 t of
cellulose requires about 400 t of water. That is why a cellu-
lose factory must be located near a large amount of water. In
this respect the region of the Krichim railroad station is
entirely suitable. Nearby are large karat springs from which
abundant amounts of crystal-clear water spring. Using a special
pipeline this water is brought to the plant and used in the pro-
duction process.
Valuable improvements in the production of cellulose were
made in the last few years. They have brought many savings to
the people's economy. For example, the production of cellulose
from beech timber was started in 1954. This effected an annual
saving to the people's eoonoay of over 5,000 x of ..valuable
coniferous timber to be used for construction purposes. The
production of tall oil was undertaken here. This is a by-product
of the processing of sulfated liquid soap, which until recently
was rejected as waste by the Stefan Kiradzhiev Plant. Bulgaria
will produce annually 350,000 kg of tall oil, which is used in
the production of linseed oil. This will help the people's economy
produce 350,000 kg of flaxen.and hemp oil per year. It is common
knowledge that Bulgaria imports a large percentage of these types
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of oil. The production of tall oil at the'Krichim railroad station
will help the Bulgarian linseed oil and'varnish industries and will
save for the people's economy 1,500,000 leva per annum.
The cellulose plant at the Krichim railroad station is of
great importance to the economy of the Bulgarian people. Cellu-
lose is used in the production of natron paper, from which paper
bags are made; these are necessary for packaging nitrogen ferti-
lizers, cement, flour, soda, etc. In the future cellulose will
also be utilized in the production of artificial textile fiber
and yarns. In addition to the paper factory and the paper bag
factory, a special shop for the extraction of tannates has been
added to the plant. Tannate is extracted from oak, Juniper, and
other barks. The production of tannates will be of value to the
Bulgarian leather industry and will save large amounts of foreign
currency for Bulgaria.
An entirely neirr development of large, sunny, and hygienic
housing units was built near the cellulose plant at the Krichim
railroad station. These units are equipped with central heating
and all modern conveniences. They house workers' families and
engineering and technical personnel. A special housing unit has
been devoted to young unmarried workers.
Visitors to-the plant admire the new complex machinery; the
large degree of mechanization in the production process, the
hygiene of the place, the modern laboratories, the well-arranged
reading rooms and libraries, modern 'housing premises, etc. -If we
observe the snow-white buildings of the plant, the high smokey
chimneys, the high piled trucks of logs, the sunny houses, we leave
the plant with the special pride that, thanks to the concern of the
people's regime, Bulgaria now has her own cellulose production.
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We part with this champion of Bulgarian cellulose production
and go to the center of the i-richim railroad station, which is
very busy. Numerous trucks and horse cars loaded with fruit and
vegetables constantly stop in front of the railroad station to
load their goods on freight cars destined for the Soviet Union,
Czechoslovakia, Germany, etc.
The Krichim railroad station is not only an important ex-
port center of fruits, grapes, and vegetables; it is also one
of the largest centers of the Bulgarian canning industry. Several
departments of the "Vitamina" State Canning Combine process
annually about 25,000,000 kg of vegetables, grapes, and fruit.
The largest percentage of this produce, particularly the fruit
and grapes, is grown in the fertile Krichim plain. The geographic
location of this Combine is excellent. It is located in the midst
of an important vegetable-growing, fruit-growing, and viticultural
region, near an important railroad and highway junction. In addi-
tion, the canning combine is located close to the cities of
Peshtera and Leningrad, which supply it with wooden packing crates.
Under capitalism the canning enterprises of the Krichim rail-
road station produced mainly tomato paste, marmalades, ground
paprika, and canned vegetables. Under the people's regime this
production became more varied and has improved and expanded. At
present the Combine produces a variety of valuable goods, such as
cherries, preserves, concentrated preserves, fruit juices, grape
honey, ready-canned meat dishes, and others --'all in all, over 100
varied assortments. During the period 1950-1954 alone the annual
production of the "Vitamins" State Canning Combine increased by 300%
over the. preceding period. ?A large percentage of this production
is used for the feeding of the Bulgarian people, but part is exported.
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The Krichim railroad station is also a wine. center. Here
over 7,000,000 kg of grapes are processed annually, yielding
large amounts of liqueurs and wines, wine distillates, spirits,
potassium tertrat$, and other related products. A large modern
urine cellar will be built here in the near future.
The famous fruit-growing, vegetable-growing, and viticultural
Kurtovo Konare and Krichim are located north of the Krichim rail-
road station in the Krichim Plain. These villages are famouse for
their rich Farm Workers' Cooperatives. The "V. I. Lenin" TKZS in
Kurtovo Konare village distributed in 1955, both in kind and in
Krichim
cash, an income of 24 leva per work day to its members.
village is the larger of the two, having a population of 7,600.
It is located on the Vucha River in the foothills of the Rhodope
mountain slope one can
Mountains. Above the village on the steep
see remnants from the middle centuries of a fortress which guarded
the routes leading into the Rhodope Mountains along the valley of
the river.
Krichim village resembles a small city in a forest of -orchards.
The village is served by the Vucha railroad station, located on the
railroad line leading to Peahtera. Shipped from this railroad sta-
trucks
tion is timber which comes from the Rhodope Mountains by
-which follow the valley of the Vucha River. Large quantities of
apples, grapeS, tomatoes, pepper, strawberries, and other produce
are exported from Krichim village.
Typical viticultural villages are found east of Krichim vil--
are Ustina,
lags in the foothills of the 'Rhodope mountains. They
peg-ushtitsa, and Breatovitsa..The area around these villages is an
interesting sight which cannot be seen-in many other places-in
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Bulgaria. Grain is grown in these three areas on a total of
10,000 decares, while vineyards have spread over an area of.
31,000 decares. Vineyards cover over 55% of the cultivated
area of these three villages. Here the traveler can travel for
km on end through vineyards. These vineyards have covered the
hills in the foothills of the Rhodope Mountains around Perushtitsa
and Brestovitsa villages, and have gone far to the north in the
valley of the Maritsa River. The vineyards are carefully culti-
vated, and a large number of them are irrigated. Irrigation
canals here have reached even the slopes of the hills. The
large fields of this region yield 2,000 kg of grapes per decare;
while in the smaller, more intensively cultivated areas up to
5,370 kg of grapes per decare have been obtained. The view is
very interesting here in autumn. The carefully cultivated vine-
yards, a large part of which are supported on wires, are covered
with sweet golden-yellow, rose, or deep blue grapes. A large
part of the excellent fruit grown in Thrace is exported to foreign
markets; part is consumed in Bulgaria; and part is processed in
the two large modern wine cellars located near Perushtitsa and
Brestovitsa villages. These cellars process annually over 10,000,000
kg of grapes in heavy and standard wines, spirits., etc. The sweet
wine of the "Perushtitsa" type is widely known in the USSR,
Czechoslovaikia, Poland, and Germany. Any of the large restaurants
in Prague, Dresden, or Berlin will include in its list of alcoholic
beverages the sweet type "Perushtitsa 2".
Perushtitsa and Brestovitsa are large well-planned Bulgarian
villages. Perushtitsa has a population of'about 6,500. Its heroic
struggle against Turkish tyranny during the time of the April
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rebellion (1876) and its active participation in the resistance
movement prior to 9 September 1944 will forever remain in the
history of the Bulgarian people. The walls of the historical
church of Perusht:tsa still have marks of the shells from Turkish
artillery. Here fell famous and heroic fighters for the freedom
of the Bulgarian people. Some of them ended their lives rather
than bow to the Turks. One among them is Koeho Chistemenski.
Lauding the heroic deeds of the Perushtitsa people, people's poet
Ivan Vazov enthusiastically wrote the followings
"Palo perushtitsa, nest of heroes!
Glory! Eternal glory to your children!
Glory to your ashes and to your graves
Where the rebel slaves bravely fell:
With your terrible death
And with your brave maidens
You rose higher than Carthage
And you shamed Sparta:"
During the April rebellion Perushtitsa was entirely destroyed
by fire, and 347 died for the freedom of the Bulgarian people.
The region of the Krichim railroad station also includes the
large Tsalapitsa village, with a population of 7,000. It is lo-
cated north of the Maritsa River. Its area under cultivation is
more than 60,000 decares. Here are produced large amounts of grain,
corn, rice (about 5,000ddecares), vegetables, grapes, sugar beets,
etc. The village's Farm Workers' Cooperative is growing in
strength. The village itself covers a vast area. Almost every
house of the village has a large courtyard around it. In the
center of the village rises a tail cultural club, which includes a
large movie hail, a well-organized reading room,'a library, etc.
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Plovdiv
The train nears Plovdiv, the second largest city in Bulgaria.
Far away on the horizon one can see the lines of the famous Plovdiv
hills, to which the setting sun gives a silvery hue,
Because of Plovdiv's interesting location among the seven
syenite hills, called "tepee by the local population, there is no
more individual city than Plovdiv in-Bulgaria. These hills can be
seen from afar, like islands among the flat Thracian lowlands. It
is true that they were once islands in a vast sea, but at that time
neither the old city nor humankind existed on earth. Today the
Plovdiv Hills are the decoration of the city. There is a broad
view from those hills toward the Plovdiv plain, hidden under fresh
vegetation. All around from the hill one sees the gigantic back-
ground of the plain consisting of several mountain chains, the
Rhodope Mountains, the Sredna Gora Mountains (therebeyond, the
Stara Planing Mountains), and the Chirpan Hills. Today the city
is spread over a huge area. From the hills it gradually grew toward
the lowlands. The entire area located between the hills has long
since been built up. The city has also spread in the flat plain.
Here have been built new housing and factory sections which cover
ever-increasing area4 to the east and west; to the south and known
as the Kyuohyuk Parizh; and to the north beyond the Karshiak&
sector. Today these old names have been replaced by new ones, Just
as the shape of the old sectors of the city have been changed.
North of the hills the Maritsa River slowly flows over its
wide riverbed crossed by long newly-built bridges. The new city
spreads down on the plain, and up the hills one sees old houses and
remnants of fortified places which boldly stand out like, eagle nests
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above bare rocky precipices. Such a view cannot be found anywhere
else in the world. The charm of the city changes with the seasons
of the year. At this time of year the picture is complete with
splendid parks whose roads reach the very peaks of the hills.
In the past the Plovdiv dills played an important part in the
life of the city. Around them was a plain famous for its fertility;
while here was its center, and up among the hills its protection.
The Maritsa River was also very important to the city. That is why
these three elements in the development of the city -- the hills,
the river, and the plain -- have been included in the old Plovdiv
coat-of-arms. And, adding to this picture the warm and fertile
climate of the plain, and particularly the character of the people
who manufacture the goods, the flourishing economic situation of
Plovdiv will be very well understood; since there has hardly ever
been any decline for this city throughout the centuries. Even to-
day Plovdiv has lost nothing of this favorable situation.
The Plovdiv Hills are mute witnesses not only to the histori-
cal development of the city, but also to the life which flourished
here in earlier times. Since human beings first appeared here this
naturally fortified place attracted them. Here human beings always
kept a settlement. For 2,000 years an active city remained on these
hills, and the heart of this city will never stop beating.
At first tribes which were not familiar with bronze or iron
inhabited this area. This was in prehistoric times, during the
epoch of the oommunal family. We have found only stone. tools and
several other remnants of that time. A settlement from the epoch
of slavery, called Evmolpias, has been unearthed. It was located
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on the left bank of the Maritsa River and was the predecessor of
the Thracian city which was built among the hills. The Thracians
are the first historically known settlers on these lands, about
whom we have collected more than a little data. On the Orfey
group of three hills the Thracians built a larger settlement
which was then called Pulpudeva. When Phillip II, father of
Alexander of Macedon, conquered the Thracians and their land, he
well appreciated the strategic and economic importance of this
settlement and changed it into a fortress. A solid fortress wall
was built, and a garrison was left inside. He gave his name to
the settlement, Philippopolis. Tester on Phillip II established
poor Greek families and a penal colony here. That is why the city
was called Penaropolis (city of criminals). Since then a famous
city grew at this place, under whose walls various conquerors ap-
peared. These conquerors repeatedly destroyed and burned the city,
but as if by magic a new city always arose from the ashes. Here
lived Romans and Greeks, Goths and Huns. For a long time Bulgarians
and Turks lived here, and Crusaders passed across. This settlement
survived many wars and bloody destructions, earthquakes, catastrophes,
and deadly epidemics of plague.
During the'Roman domination the city grew even further. It was
then calledi`7 smontium (three hills). The city became rich and ac-
quired the right to mint its own coins. The city grew so much that
it no longer remained inside the old walls, but spread outside of
,them. A second external wall was built; it surrounded the city,
as well as part of the plain. Emperor Trojan called it Fulpia
Tremontiu*; and later, under Marc Aurelius and Adrian, this re-
markable city was known as "the most brilliant." Lucian adds that
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"this is the largest and the most beautiful city, and its beauty
shines from afar." By that time a large temple had been erected
in honor of Apollo on one of the hills called Khulma m1adezhte.
This temple had a front of huge columns and a statue-of the temple
patron. The slopes of this hill were covered with a small cedar
forest. Here were held the Alexandrian games, famous all over
Greece in honor of Alexander. These were later called the
Cendri= games, and were related to the Pythian games in honor of
Apollo. Eccavations conducted on these places unearthed well-
preserved ruins of a large marble sports stadium where various
popular celebrations and competitions similar to the Olympic
games were conducted. In the city were many monuments and Marble
temples, a theater, and many buildings. In the course of current
building construction more and more well-preserved remnants are
being unearthed every day.
Many tribulations befell this city with the fall of the
Roman Empire. When the great migrations of the peoples began,
Plovdiv was not spared. Its development stopped for a long time
because of the catastrophes which overcame all of Thrace. It was
first taken by the Goths,'who razed it. This was done in the
third century A. D. After that hordes of Saracens and Huns over-
ran the city. Justinian restored the city, but the Avarians attacked
it and again destroyed it. Finally the Slavs occupied the entire
lowlands. They solidly established themselves and-remained there.
The shape of the city changed.
Interminable wars between'Bulgaria and Byzantium began with
the establishment and strengthening of the Bulgarian staite, Plovdiv
frequently changed hands. At one point it even fell under the Latin
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kingdom. It was conquered by the Turks in 1365. The Turks
dominated and developed it for centuries, and it was given a
new name -- Siliba. The name Plovdiv began being mentioned
around the sixteer_th century. It has had its present name
since the seventeenth century. However, the Turkish name was
preserved along with the Bulgarian one. This was rejected only
after the liberation.
Travelers who passed or lived in Plovdiv during the seven-
teenth and eighteenth centuries described it as a large com-
mercial city with remarkable buildings, mosques, and a clock
tower. Its famous caravansary -- Khurshumhan -- was preserved
for a long time, but uneducated bourgeois rulers have destroyed
this valuable historical monument. The city walls existed until
the eighteenth century. When the Turks first colonized the place
the Christian population was either killed or they fled. After a
storey period of conquest during the first half of the seventeenth
century the Turks permitted the Christian population to return,
and their number noon equalled that of the Turks. The settling of
the Greeks in the city was encouraged by the Greek authorities in
order to prevent the Bulgarization of the city. Many others
migrated from the.trans-Balkan and Sredna Gora Hountain cities as
the Bulgarian craftsmen and traders acquired wealth in the centuries
which-followed. Plovdiv grew and became even richer. The railroad
line from Constantinople to Sarambey, which was built in 1873,
international fairs which-took placi,
further assisted the city's development. Large warehouses were
built 'fot rw le9"Ath-0 ier4 " t, ;sided with all the neighboring
regions, Thrace,. the Rhodope a~tntein9r the Sredna Gora region, and
eve* .further. The city became a world. merloet with the help of the
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During the Bulgarian Renaissance Plovdiv did not lag. The
intelligent migrants who had come from the Sredna Gora region and
the trans-Balkan plains created here a real center of Bulgarian
culture z-nd education. N'ayden Geroy taught in this city. It was
here for the first time that Cyril and ?ethodius Day Was cele-
brated in Bulgaria in 1850 as the holiday of Slavic Letters. After
the liberation, when Bulgaria was stripped following the decision
of the Berlin Congress, Plovdiy became the capital of East Runelia.
In 1885 the unification between the Bulgarian principality and
East Rumelia was declared here. During this time Plovdiv led an
active political, cultural, educational, and eoonosic life. Even
though the unification resulted in Plovdiy's no longer being a
capital city, it still regained the second Bulgarian city in size
and inportanos and deservedly bears the name "second Bulgarian
capital." In 1884 Plovdiv was the largest Bulgarian city, having
a population of 33,440. In 1910 it had a population of 48,000,
and in 1926 it almost doubled in size with 85,000. The city
numbered 100,500 in 1924, 125,440 in 1946, and today (by the end
of 1955) Plovdiv has a population of over 150,000.
After the liberation the city rapidly developed, but his de-
velopment was not regular. It was chaotic and bore all the' nega-
tive characteristics of capitalist construction. The center sectors
of the city were osparatiyely the bast planned. There were paved
streets sad bswtiful gardens, hotels, shops, and buildings. The
bourgeois Ifwed there, The workers' quarters on the outskirts of
the city were in a poor condition. They were not planned;'the
streets more *addy; there were only small low houses. It was a
miserable life. This was' tiro fortress of the Plovdiv proletariat,
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Plovdiv has given Bulgaria many men and women heroes --
people's fighters who gave their lives for Bulgaria's liberation,
This city was crossed by the bold apostle of liberty during the
Turkish enslavement, Vasil Levski. A fear years after the libera-
tion Dimitur Blagoev arrived from far away Petersburg. Vasil
Kolarov, Stefan Kiradzhiv, and N. Rinev lived in Plovdiv. Here
Yordanka Chankova and Lilyana Dimitrove, Petur Chengelov, and
others lived and fought against the fascist regime.
By whatever route you may choose to enter Plovdiv, or where-
-ever you may walk along its streets and boulevards, there is much
to be seen in this city. There are few cities in Bulgaria which
have so many old monuments, and a history filled with such great
events,men, and deeds; rare are the cities which have so many
famous places and parks. Only a few cities in Bulgaria have such
varied industries. In order to see and feel all this you must
climb one of its higher hills. Here one is dazzled by the variety
of sights to see and by the romantic beauty of the city.
Beginning at the railroad station, two boulevards cross the
city in various directions. The.left side boulevard, the Tsar
Osvoboditel, leads to Stalin Park. This is a wide park, beautifully
planned and covered with greenery. The right-side boulevard, Ivan
Vazov Boulevard, leads to the center of the city. Huge trees have
been planted on both aides. After the Cherveniya Square it becomes
a commercial street, called "Vasil Kolarovt' and filled with shops,
hotels, and various offices. Here can be seen numerous buildings
of the old style., Grandiose socialist buildings have also been
erected. One crosses Aleksandur Stamboliyaki Square (Dzhumayrita)-
along which is apicturesque mosque with a narrow decorated minaret.
This sector is an important commercial and craftsman center.
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We reach the old city along bills crowned with old houses.
We pass along steep cobblestoned streets leading upward to the
three old hills called Orfey. These three hills are called
Nebettepe, Dzhambaztepe, and Taksimtepe. During.Roman, Greek,
and Turkish times this part was a very lively center of the city,
but now it is more like a museum sector. We can feel how romantic
it is. Large old two- and three-story houses with balconies re-
mind one of the brilliant life during the Bulgarian-Renaissance.
On top of these hills are certain famous buildings. Here is the
house where the great French writer Lamartine lived in the course
of his travels in the Orient. Nearby is located the house of a rich
man of the nineteenth century, now transformed into a city museum.
It has many rooms and halls and is a valuable relic of the Bulgarian
architecture and wood carving of the past. Nearby one sees ruins
of the fortress wall built during the time of the Byzantine emperors.
It still includes the arched Khisarkapiya, the name given to the
eastern entrance of the old fortress. Crossing this entrance and
going along an old cobblestoned road, one reaches the old
"Konstantin i Elena's church and the building which was the seat of
the Rumelian government, now changed into a library named "Maksim
Gorki," Old houses from the Bulgarian Renaissance have also been
r
preserved on the other slope of the.hill (inhabit d even.todaY)..
They have exquisite woodwork and very interestingly shaped designs
on the walls, and furnished guestrooms. Going north toward the
Maritsa River, & 'former Armenian street, narrow and 'steep, housed
Dimitur Blagoev. Here at the foot of the Dzhambastepe Hill and
near Sveta Marina church lived Vasil Kolarov. If we go down and
cross Dzhuastyata Square and, then climb Sakhattepe Hill we will
soon reach the old club of the Bulgarian Communist Party, now
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changed into a Museum of the Resistance. But visitors to Plovdiv
need rest after this excursion. They can sit in the Central City
Garden, which is called Liberty Park. There are big shade trees,
flower bordered paths and grass, and a large artificial lake. In
front of the park on Cherveniya Square there was recently unveiled
a monument to the people's hero, partisan Petur Chengelov.
Many large construction projects are now under way in Plovdiv.
The city is becoming unrecognizable. The city's center is taking
shape. The various. centers of the city quarters are also being
built, and boulevards are under construction across the city. The
banks of the Maritsa River have been strengthened with supporting
stone walls. In the immediate future the Maritsa river bed will
be blocked at two different places in order that the river may be
constantly filled with deep water. There will be dozens of boats
and motorboats on the river, and water sports will flourish. Lenin
and Stalin Boulevards which run along the river, have been paved
with new basalt tiles. In many places trees have already been
planted alongside these roads. The river and the city will ac-
quire a real charm when these boulevards and the imposing public
buildings now being erected along their sides are completed.
The greatest achievement of the people's regime in this part
of the city is the completion of the Sample Fair quarters which
will house the XVI International Sample Fair in Plovdiv in September
1955. On the left bank of the Maritsa River there are numerous
white pavilions and administrative buildings. The largest of them
-is tbs aonumental pavilion of the USSR, which his a 47 a high tower,
topped by a sharp peak and a five-pointed star. Its Central
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Exposition Hall is the largest and the ,most spacious in the feir-
grounds. It is 56 n long, 28.4 m wide
and 15 m high. The pavi-
lion also has one exposition hall on each side, administrative
premises, and a movie hall seating 300. In front of the main
entrance the vast hall has been faced with artificial marble.
the Vasil Levski Pavilion, which has been
of the numerous exhibitors from oaPits put at the disposal
list countries also covers
a large area -- 6,00o m2. This pavilion also includes the er-
n~einent exhibition promoting p
~ the sale of Bulges-inn agricultural
goods. The shops in it have been built in Bulgarian style and
display Bulgarian folklore architectural decorations. During
fair the Farm ~
Workers' Cooperatives of the Plovdiv okrug offer
their produce for sale in these shops, Foreign goods are for sale
in 20 other shops in the pavilion.
The premises housing the cattle show are built east of the
Soviet Pavilion in the center of beautiful orchards. This also
includes one Pearly-built pavilion constructed entirely of
prefabricated plastic concrete frames. It is a cir
25 m in diameter, displaying a rich variety of Bulgarian mosaic
designs.
A specia,Lltiy planted forest covers
n . 9 an area of 1,200 nk2~
Which contains large coniferous and deciduous. trees, illustrates'
forcefully Bulgarian forest resources.
The exhibitors are served by a specially constructed rail.
road station and a sidetrack which is branched off the Fili p
ovo
railroad station.
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The permanent pavilion of the Ministry of Posts is well
equipped. It serves visitors and exhibitors during the fair,
with its various facilities and postal services.
There is a park of 20 decares, covered with grass and de-
ciduous, ash, plane, linden, birch, chestnut, and other trees
where visitors may relax during the fair in pleasant surround-
ings. Various colored rosebushes increase the charm of this
park. There are five fountains whose basins are lined with
Venetian mosaics. They spray large quantities of water, and at
night they create wonderful water arches in the ethereal light
of the projectors. The two halves of the artificial lake, which
stretches over an area of 20 decares;, are donneeted to a canal
over which is a beautifully-shaped bridge.
There are rowboats on the lake, where visitors can enjoy
themselves; footpaths and fields of flowers surround the lake.
In other buildings fourteen joint pavilions demonstrate
Bulgarian achievements in agriculture and heavy, light, and other
industries. Here Bulgarian agriculture, as well as Bulgarian
achievements in construction, crafts, and culture, are well
represented.
lisre are also the pavilions of all the peoples' democracies
of Europe and Asia, including the Vietnamese Democratic Republic.
Individual firms frog England, France, West Germany, Italy, Austria,
Belgium, Sweden, Norway, and Switzerland have their ownstands in
the pavilions. The Plovdiv fairgrounds is one of the best known
sights of the city.
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Many projects have been undertaken to improve and make Plovdiv
more beautiful. All the main streets, boulevards, hills and public
gardens are included. Many of the projects have already been com-
pleted; others are under construction.
One of the most beautiful parks at present is Stalin Hill
(Bunardzhika Hill). Its slopes, crisscrossed by shady footpaths,
are thickly covered by a young forest. It has places for rest and
relaxation and floi'er gardens; stone stairways and fountains sm-
belliah the terraces of the hill. If one climbs up on its great
syenite top *s ,Iias an unforgettable view of the endless area
stretching beyond the city and the valley. As a symbol of Bulgaria's
eternal gratitude to the Russian people who liberated them from the
Turkish enslavement, a monument to the Russian soldiers who perished
here has been erected. Recently a new grandiose monument to the
Soviet Army, which liberated Bulgaria from fascism, was completed
at the peak. On the hill there will be a park with an architecturally-
beautiful artificial lake, on which it will be possible to skate in
winter. There will be a volleyball and basketball court and a
large open-air summer theater.
Vasil Kolarov Hill (Sakhattepe) was, given its old name
during the Turkish enslavement, because of its old clock tower.
The appearance of this hill will also be changed. A monument to
Vasil Kolarov will be built on its top; there will be.attractive
restaurants, movie halls, and a theater hall.
The Hill of Youth (Dzhendemtepe), on which trees have been
planted entirely by young people, is crisscrossed by many foot-
paths. Here there are a sports playground, a modern summer
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swimming pool, small lakes, fountains, and waterfalls. There will
be a restaurant and a summer theater: The other hills will also
be changed. The most picturesque of them are the Orfey combination
of three hills, and particularly Ivan Vazov Park.
A great deal of construction work is now underway in Plovdiv.
Many new streets and boulevards are being built or improved. This
construction work will reach its pe.k'when the long and beautiful
Georgi Dimitrov Boulevard is completed. Every citizen of Plovdiv
looks forward to the day when this boulevard will be completed. It
will tunnel through the syenite body of the three Orfey hills,
and will and at the farthest outskirts of the city. Construction
is at an advanced stage and will be completed in the immediate future.
The tunnel itself will be a great monument to Bulgarian construction
and artistry. Beautifully depicted on its walls will be numerous
events of the present Bulgarian Dimitrov epoch. There will be
designs in relief on marble; sculptured groups; columns; statues
of great and famous people, including workers and inscriptions
artistically carved in the rock. On both sides of the boulevards
the white walls of many-st, ad'housing and public buildings will
rise. As a part of its city-be.terment program, Plovdiv constantly
builds new health, educational, and administrative establishments,
and vast housing projects which contain hundreds of apartments for
workers. The most notable of these construction projects are at
the state university, which will have two departments, the I. P.
Pavlov Medical Institute and the Vasil Kolarov Agricultural Insti-
tute., Plovdiv has a state symphonic orchestra, a state art gallery,
a theater with a splendid new building, an opera, a higher school
for music, and many other types of schools. Its archeological and
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ethnographic museums have expanded; the number of books in the
Maksim Gorki State Library has increased. If one looks toward
the Hill of Youth one sees from afar the buildings of the uni-
versity clinic on the slopes of the huge hill.
.
Plovdiv has numerous hotels, but they no longer satisfy the
needs of its numerous visitors. To meet this need the biggest
building built in the city since 9 September 1944 is rapidly
being completed, a large modern centrally-located hotel. The
hotel area includes 4,800 m2, and the hotel itself will be five
stories high. The first floor will have eight suites, and the
other floors will have 167 rooms and many other premises. : e
ground floor alone is 7 m above the ground. It will include two
banquet halls, a restaurant, and a ten room. The hotel building
is being built in classical style with architectural elements
which are related to the Bulgarian-folklore architecture which
is so well represented in Plovdiv. In the courtyard of the hotel
there will be an open-air.~.garda restaurant for summer guests.
The entire courtyard will be covered with picturesque fountains,
an orchestra stage, and a dancing stage for about 1,200 people.
It will also include the preserwvd ruins of the old Roman city
with its well-preserved road. The highest floor of the hotel-
will have balconies which will offer views of the flat Thracian
lowlands, the Rhodope Mountains, and the Sredna Gora Mountains.,
A large stadium on the right bank of the Maritsa River, near
a large forest, will seat 25,000 people., There will also be a
beautiful park for relaxation and cultural activities.
Plovdiv is important above all because of its well-developed
industry.. The industrial enterprises inherited from the past have
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been expanded and considerably enlarged. The number of industrial
enterprises has been increased by dozens of entirely new enter-
prises the construction of which was previously unthinkable. In
the past the machine-building.industry was unknown here, but today
Bulgaria is Justifiably proud of the V. Kolarov Automobile Repair
Plant, the Anton Ivanov Metal-Processing Plant, a brand-new
tractor repair plant, and other expanded metal processing plants.
Here can also be found the Potuz Chengelov Shoe Plant, the V.
Kolarov Leather-Processing Factory, and many vacuum-process can-
neries. After 9 September 1944 a large bread bakery was built in
Plovdiv; it supplies the city wi',h bread. Milk centers were estab-
lished here; the huge rolling mills were expanded; and there are
rice processing factories. The factories producing sugar, beer,
alcohol, vinegar, textiles, and rope increased their production,
as did the tobacco warehouses and the cigarette factories. Vege-
tables and meats are being canned, and vegetable oil and soap are
being produced. Instead of the former small craftsmen's workshops,
the Plovdiv City People's Soviet created here the largest industrial
combine of Bulgaria. The combine includes a factory for Persian-
type carpets. Here another child of socialist construction, the
largest in Bulgaria and the Beikans, is the Maritsa Textile Com-
bine for cotton yarn. Here endlessly work 30,000 mechanical
spindles producing 1/3 of the entire output of the Bulgarian spin-
ning industry. The factory produces many varied fine types of
yarns which formerly were imported'from abroad. At present the
combine is being expanded even further by the con*truction of a
new weaving department. The workers' class in Plovdiv, which bled
and sacrificed in the struggle. against fascism, became masters of
these factories; and their work contributes to the welfare and
happiness of the entire Bulgarian nation.:.
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Before leaving Plovdiv one may wish to have a last view of
the city at dusk. We climb Vasil Kolarov Hill, which is convenient
for such purposes and from which there is a pleasant view in all
directions. We shall wish to see everything. The romantic
beauty in front of us is dazzling with the hills and their old
buildings, the green parks below, and the thickly-built housing
areas between the parks. A quite different type of view can be
had in the outskirts of the city. There it is as if there had
been planted a forest of factory chimneys hidden from the eye by
smoke screens. To the north of us the Maritsa River still shines
under the sun, stretching like a powerful silver ribbon disappear-
ing into infinity. Farther beyond we could one the bluish shape
of the lowlands bordered by the Rhodope and the Stara Planina
Mountains. Dunk gradually falls upon the green fields around us,
the rice fields, the vegetable and fruit gardens. Only electric
lights remain, shisia6 Iike thousands pTrstare in the deep back-
ground of the night.
Along the Valley of the Maritsa River from Plovdiv to Svilenizrad
East of Plovdiv the plain is still as flat as we new it west
of the city. The city is behind us. We see only the highest parts
of the hills until they also finally disappear. To the south
stretches an almost ideally flat lowland across which the Chepelarska
River. has out a, wide path. At the Krueovo railroad station a brunch
line to Asenovgrad runs from the maid railroad line. Here one sees
young orchards which one has not seen before. Further on, however,
at Katunitsa, Sadovo, and Popovitsa villages the orchard trees are
thickly covered with leaves, a sign of their maturity. These trees
are covered with fruit,, and their heuvi1y-biat branohos are iupported
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by special wooden stakes. The vineyards here are mixed with wal-
nut, pear, and apple trees. Vegetable gardens and watermelon
patches cover vast areas. Numerous strawberry patches can be seen.
The fields and gardens are crossed.by canals through which clear
dater runs.
Sadovo has a remarkable state farm. The pleasant building
of the Lisenko Agrotechnical School is located in the midst of
its gardens and parks. H81er,Aaisntifie workers from the experi-
mental station create new types of cotton and improve many crops.
From here the red milk-producing Sadovo cattle have spread into
many okoliyas, but they are particularly common in the Plovdiv,
Khaskovo, and Stara Zagora okrugs.
Not far from Purvoasy, at Vinitsa village the valley of the
Maritsa River begins to narrow. Gradually to the south rise the
limestone heights, covered with vineyards, which belong to
Tatarevo village. Tatarevo village is the first viticultural
village in the Purvoasy okoliya. South of the Maritsa valley
the topography becomes wavy and hilly, but the soil remains just
as fertile. Only the consistency of the soil has changed. Here
begins the east Rhodope submowitain terrace, which continues to
the east from the Pur'vemay region, passing through the Khaskovo
and xKhar__ali ekoltyaa, reaohig the Greek border not far from
? Svilengrad.
On its sertberm side the raritea valley is also limited by
higher altitudes, which go wt from the Chirpan akoliya, passing
north of Dimitrovegr d iate this Stara Zagora region, and finally
reaching the foothill of i -t BramLtsa.
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Until recently the fertile Maritsa valley in the Purvomay
okoliya had no irrigation.. In the past the water syndicate in
Purvomay collected high fees for the future irrigation, which
was not carried out until 9 September 1944. This problem was
solved only by the people's regime, with the construction of the
Purvomay irrigation system. This system now irrigates 62,000
decares of very fertile land on the terraces of the Maritsa River
in the Purvomay-and Chirpan okoliyas. Five powerful pumping sta-
tions work 24 hours a day to fill the main irrigational canals
with water from the Maritsa River. These irrigational arteries
flow as if they were not really canals but natural rich rivers
which were born and started flowing because of the will of the
people, only to hide amidst droughty lands. When the water from
the Maritsa River decreases, new amounts of water are released,
reaching as far as the Vasil Kolarov Dam. The Vulko Chervenkov
TETS in Dimitrovgrad supplies adequate electrical energy for the
operation of these pumps.
There is now a vast artificial lake where until recently
there were only steep, inaccessible slopes in the Dulbokoto Ra-
vine, near which is located pumping station No 3. This lake is
formed by a small dam with a 250,000 m3 capacity, recently con-
structed by Purvomay. Its waters join the general irrigation
system. Mere the terrible floods of the Maritsa River have been
conquered. These floods covered the Maritsa terrace, on which
the most fertile land was to be found, and silted thousands of
dscares of fields, gardens, and meadows. Now dikes which have
ended forever these catastrophes, have been erected along the
entire length of the river bed..
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The gardens and the fields here are fertile and green. All
around one sees the huge cooperative fields. Here in the vil-
lages of the Maritsa valley in Purvomay okoliya 90% of the fami-
lies and of the arable land have joined the Farm Workers' Coopera-
tives. Mechanization of agriculture has been increased. Modern
agrotechnical methods are applied more and more.
Because of its favorable warn climate the lowlands permit
the growth of many types of agricultural crops. The area planted
with grain crops is gradually being reduced for the benefit of in-
dustrial crops, vegetables, strawberries, and watermelons. The
area covered by industrial crops has reached 33% of the total
cultivated area, while the total covered by vegetables, water-
melons, and strawberries is 10%. Wherever one looks one sees vast
fields. Some of them are crossed by dark green rows of peanut
plants; others look like huge rectangles covered by vegetable
gardens, melons, and strawberries. In this region tasty water-
melons of the Mramorni type are cultivated. Cantaloupes and
pumpkins are also grown. Lately a large percentage of the meadows
have been converted into rich rice fields. Until recently only im-
penetrable swamps were to be found here. Fish breeding has been
introduced in the rice fields.
Everything in this charming valley indicates that the maximal
yield recently achieved will become the average for the whole region.
At present the yield from peanuts has reached 300 kg per decare; that
of strawberries 2,000 kg; that of watermelons, 5,000 kg; that of
sugar beets up to 4,200 kg. Here have been obtained record tomato
yields, 5 to 7 tons per decare, at places even 23 tons. Natural con-
ditions here are suitable for the cultivation of many other crops,
such as anise, mint, pyrethrum, basil, caraway seeds, and medicinal herbs.
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A productive brand of livestock is being developed here along-
side agriculture. More and more fodder, grain and grass fodder
is becoming available for the cattle. Herds of red Sadovo cows
and water buffalo grow and rest along the fresh banks of the
Maritsa River. The breed of the gray Iskur cattle has been im-
proved here. Sheep, hog, and poultry farms are growing. Many
geese and ducks swim in the clear waters of the Maritsa River
and on the mirror-like surface of the dammed lakes. The Maritsa
valley is taking on a new form in the Purvomay okoliya.
Purvomay: The economic marketing and administrative center
of all the villages north of the Rhodope, including the Maritsa
River valley, is the city of Purvomay. It has at present over
6,000 inhabitants, but in the past it was smaller than many a
village in its okoliya.
Purvomay appeared during the Turkish domination at the begin-
ning of the eighteenth century. Here once stretched the vast
farmlands of Khadzhi Chakur Elles, son of the Kazanluk lord, who,
according to leppd was sent to live here with his mother, a Bul-
garian woman from a neighboring. village. At that time on the op-
posite bank of the Maritsa there was a fortified settlement which
was later given the name Chakurdzhi (the present-day Gradina vil-
lage). This probably is Ildopad village, which was founded by the
Turks, and whose name appears in all documents in Istanbul. io- .
cated on the right river, bank was the Khadzhi Elles Farm, which
later on provided the old name of Purvomay City, Khadzhiles.
The first inhabitants of this settlement were Bulgarians who
came down from the villages in the Rhodope Mountains and from other
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neighboring villages around 1685. They worked as farm hands.
Turks also cane, but the Bulgarian element was always the pre-&
dominating one. A village was formed here. It suffered frequont
bandit attacks, and was destroyed by the plague in 1833. It was
as if the Turks were being obliterated by the disease. As the
Turks were victims of their superstitions and fatalism, the Bul-
garian sector of the village became tw.ce as large as th4..ir4sh
sector (with about 50 houses), because its population escaped
into the forests during the plague. After the Baron Hirsh rail-
road was built the settlement gradually spread south around the
railroad station. In 1884 it had grown to 1,230 people and was
eighth largest in the okoliya. The Turks left the village in 1886,
but this did not result in a decrease in the population of the
village. More merchants, craftsmen, and workers settled there.
In 1889 this settlement was given the status of a city and was
called Borisovgrad. This small city developed faster than the
villages in the okoliya, and in 1926 it was the largest settlement
in the okoliya, with a population of 4,430 people. The city grew
particularly fast after 1913, because it became inhabited by many
refugees from western and eastern Thrace and from Greek Macedonia.
It s annual increase up to 1926 was an average of 54 per thousand.
Its-location as an okoliya administrative center contributed even
further to its development. Its railroad station helped export
the entire agricultural production of the okoliya. The penetra-
tion of capitalism here was the signal for the disintegration of
village life. Impoverished peasants went to the city to look for
work. Many wealthy village landlords, merchants, and craftsmen
also came to live in the city. Rapacious money-lenders appeared.
purvomay acquired the typical trades of a rural craftsman and
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administrative center. Certain industrial enterprises appeared,
but the largest part of the city's population remained agri-
cultural.
The increase of the population from 1926 to 9 September 1944
was poor. Its annual increase amounted to 7 per thousand. Great
damage was caused to the city in the earthquake of 1928, which
practically destroyed it. After 1944 the annual growth in popu-
lation immediately climbed to 28 per thousand. A stream of
workers, employees of economic, enterprises, administrative per-
sonnel, and cultural workers, etc, settled in the city.
Today the largest industrial enterprise of the city is the
Partizanin Vacuum-Canning Factory. It processes a large percentage
of the area's production of vegetables and fruit. A large plant
for cotton ginning was built here. Cooperative enterprises and
various craftsmen cooperatives appeared here. The busy railroad
station of the city ships out large amounts of food, fruits, beets,
cotton, and tobacco. Intensive construction work 'was done here.
Large hospitals, schools, and many public buildings were con-
structed. A beautiful park, lush with vegetation,. was built
along the Maritsa River. Purvomay is now hurrying ahead to catch
up with the time lost during the fascist period.
East of Purvomay the Maritsa valley gradually narrows. The
high Khisare Peak, composed entirely of hard andesite, rises im-
posingly above the river bad at Stalevo village. This is the end
of the Plovdiv plain, which is the largest plain in Bulgaria.
From hers to the east the valley of the Maritsa River nar-
rows further but preserves its nature. It is picturesque, green
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and fertile. Once again vegetable gardens appear at Yabulkovo
village. Vineyards and-apricot and cherry orchards can be seen
here. The high chimneys of the Dimitrovgrad plants can already
be seen clearly at this point.
Dimitrovgrad: Travelers stop here at the large, extremely
busy railroad station, which is also an important railroad junc-
tion. This is only one of the sectors of Dimitrovgrad, called
the Rakovski sector. The entire city covers a huge area with
its various sectors, which are scattered apart from one another.
To walk around the entire city by foot would take a lot of time.
Formerly at this place there were only three small vil-
lages -- Rakovski, MMariyno, and Chernokonevo -- and the coal
mines located near these villages. This place was officially
declared a city in 1947, and the dream of the entire Bulgarian
people was realized by giving it the name of the great son of
the Bulgarian people, Georgi Diaitrov. The three villages became
one settlement, and the construction of the new city was under-
taken.
The selection of-Dimitrovgrad was not without reason. The
city is located on the Maritsa River in the midst of a fertile
valley. It became a center of a vast region which includes rich
agricultural villages. 'It was necessary to create at this point
a solid bastion of the workers' class which was formerly lacking.
The selection of the location of the city was facilitated by other
very favorable prerequisitea. This region has mines which have
huge reserves of coal and which, in the absence of the difficult
transportation_ I,, could be used in the production of electri-
41
cal energy, as well as.raw material, in the productional activities
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of the Dimitrovgrad plants. South of the city there is a whole
hill of good quality limestone, another important raw material.
And the Maritsa, this .largest of all Bulgarian Rivers, on which
Dimitrovgrad is located, provides inexhaustible amounts of water
required for industrial purposes, as well as for irrigation and
for the use of the city. Dimitrovgrad has a good location as a
railroad junction of important railroad lines which were built
before the city existed. There were also favorable natural geo-
graphic conditions to warrant the construction and development
of such a city.
Even before the city itself was built the Dimitrovgrad plant
had to be constructed. The coal-production which had been ruined
by the fascists had to be increased and mining methods modernized.
An abundant supply of electric energy had to be assured from thermo-
electric power plants.
The Maritsa coal mines: The history of the Maritsa coal
,is, young. Coal mixed with soil was seen along the shores
of the small rivers. The deposits around Merichleri and other
places in this region indicated to the people the great amounts
of hidden wealth which lay untouched under the thick seams of
earth. However, nobody paid any attention to this wealth or
imagined that it could be put to excellent use. Thus, buried
under the ground and unknown to the people, the coal remained
throughout the'entire period of Turkish feudalism and the first
years of capitalises in Bulgaria (following the liberation) .
Prospecting for this inexhaustible wealth began with the develop-
ment of capitalist in Bulgaria. The first mining of the coal,
which was very pripiitive and limited, was begun by private individuals
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in 1896 and was destined to supply coal only for domestic heating
purposes. In 1915 the state also began coal mining, staked claims,
and continued the mining of the coal deposits at the Maritsa Mine,
using improved methods. Many private owners and stock-holding
societies jumped at the chance to mine this "black gold" and hur-
riedly took for themselves many sectors of the already explored
coal deposits in the Maritsa basin. Thus, until the Bulgarian
liberation from fascist oppression, coal was mined at some places
very primitively and poorly, and at other places on a large scale
but uneconomically. The coal that was mined was destined mostly
for heating, and only a limited amount of it was allocated for
the production of energy.
The coal in the Maritsa basin is of the brown Pliocenic
variety and is younger than the coal in the Dimitrovo basin.
This coal is of a poorer quality than the Dimitrovo coal, since
it is moist. It has a 40 to 50`% water content, and a 7% ash
content. This coal could be used for the usual heating purposes
only after being dried out. However, it can now be put to good
use for the thereto-electric power plants. That is why after the
mines'were nationalized after 9 September 1944 the Marbas (Maritsa
basin) acquired a huge importance to Bulgaria. During the
capitalist period coal mining was limited, but today the mines
have been equipped with modern equipment and have been adapted-
to produce huge quantities of coal. The rapid expansion of the
mines is necessary in order to supply the newly built thermo-
electric power plants with raw materials. The poor-quality coal
of Marbas is today being changed into abundant amounts of electrical
energy, which is sent over high-tension cables all over Bulgaria.
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All the pits have been modernized; new pits have been opened;
and more and more prospecting is being carried out on a wide scale.
Far from Dimitrovgrad, br the Sazliyka River between the Stakhanovo
and Beli Bryag villages a new coal-mining region is taking shape
(Maritsa-East). The ope$ tions of the first pit of this new coal
center began near Troyanovo village. The most modern machines
helped remove the masses of earth, and the surface mining in the
new pit has already been started. It became clear that the Marbas
coal fields covered a huge area which spreads much farther than
the boundaries of the Dimitrovgrad region. That is why Marbas coal
became the reason for the appearance of other highly-productive
enterprises, some of which will become enterprises unique of their
kind in Bulgaria. Such will be the Maritsa-Iztok T'ET., which will
be the largest power plant in the Balkans; another one will be the
largest Bulgarian factory for briquettes. There will also be a
factory for porous bricks, new chemical fertilizer plants, etc.
The Dimitrovgrad electric power plants: These have an im-
portant and responsible function to fulfill. They must supply
abundant electrical power not only to the local plants, but also
to the machines of all factories and plants in the Rhodope mining
basin, to the powerful pumping stations located by the Maritsa River
from Purvomay to Svilengrad. They must also supply numerous indus-
trial enterprises and supply energy for lighting and household
needs through an over-all high tension cable network. This task
is done today with the help of the Maritsa I TrTs, the Vulko Chervenkov
TETs, and the Vulkan TETs. The increase in Bulgaria's. need for
electric energy and the expansion of coal production have been
paralleled by the expansion of electric power plants. Some entirely
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All the pits have been modernized; new pits have been opened;
and more and more prospecting is being carried out on a wide scale.
Far from Dimitrovgrad, br the Sazliyka River between the Stakhanovo
and Beli Bryag villages a new coal-mining region is taking shape
z~tions of the first pit of this new coal
(Maritsa-East). The opeP ~:
center began near Troyanovo village. The most modern machines
helped remove the masses of earth, and the surface mining in the
new pit has already been started. It became clear that the garbs
coal fields covered a huge area which spreads much farther than
the boundaries of the Dimitrovgrad region. That is why Marbas coal
became the reason for the appearance of other highly-productive
enterprises, some of which will become enterprises unique of their
kind in Bulgaria. Such will be the Maritsa-Iztok TET, which will
be the largest power plant in the Balkans; another one will be the
largest Bulgarian factory for briquettes. There will also be a
factory for porous bricks, new chemical fertilizer plants, etc.
The Dimitrovgrad electric power plants: These have an im-
portant and responsible function to fulfill. They must supply
abundant electrical power not only to the local plants, but also
to the machines of all factories and plants in the Rhodope mining
basin, to the powerful pumping stations located by the Maritsa River
from Purvomay to Svilengrad. They must also supply numerous indus-
trial enterprises and supply energy for lighting and household
needs through an over-all high tension cable network. This task
is done today with the help of the Maritsa I `1ETe, the Vulko Chervenkov
TETs, and the Vulkan TETs. The increase in Bulgaria's need for
electric energy and the expansion of coal production have been
paralleled by the expansion of electric power plants. Some entirely
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new thermo-electric power plants may have'td be built. The coal
is located nearby, and its transportation is facilitated by'air
cable lines on which cable cars move up and down constantly.
Suspended on these cables, these cars follow their endless road,
supplying with "food" the insatiable furnaces of the power plants.
If the supply of coal is stopped, the normal work process of the
industrial enterprises will be disturbed in this region, in the
plain which is crisscrossed by irrigational canals, in the cities,,
in the villages, and in the thousands of families of the working
people living here. That is why the constant movement of the
small cars must continue uninterruptedly night and day, winter
and summer. The continuation of this process will be ensured by
the rhythmical fulfillment of the plan in the mines of the Marbas,
which plan is being implemented with a high degree of conscious-
ness aixl feeling of responsibility for a duty which must be fulfilled.
The biggest acquisition of Bulgarian socialist construction
from all the Dimitrovgrad power plants is the Vulko Chervenkov
2ET. This is one of the largest electric power plants in Bulgaria.
In addition to the electric energy which it supplies to the over-all
electric network, this plant is closely related to the productional
activities of- tie Stalin Chemical Combine.
It was not saq to build this gigantic plant, which was ex-
tended even f*ther later on. The plant was 'constructed despite
the winter oslA and wind which from the faces of the workers
who had climbed to the highest parts or the hWo building. 'Despite
this, the erection of the plant se aerrtad Wt in only 7 months.
The power plant began operation lefore the Stalin Chemical Combine.
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Now we can see the numerous complex machines; vie can see their
owners, the workers icho operate uninterruptedly in shifts. The
production process is entirely mechanized. Uninterruptedly,
trains with dozens of freight cars filled with coal enter the
modern unloading plant. From here the coal is automatically con-
veyed to the building housing the crushing machinery. A long
process follows until the coal dust is burned, and steam is pro-
ducedl The latter powers the turbo-generators which produce
electric energy. After the steam has been used by both turbines,
it is used for heating purposes in the Stalin Chemical Combine and
other enterprises. In the future "processed" steam will also be
used for the heating of housing premises in the entire city.
`thus, the new Maritsa Thermo Electric Power Plants bring life
to many plants, factories, and mines, with which they are con-
nected by high-tension cables. They are radically changing the
life of the people in this rich region which until recently was
only agricultural.
The Dimitrovgrad limestone is an important raw material for
socialist construction. South of Dimitrovgrad the Maritsa valley
is bordered by Slow hills which consist of good-quality limestone.
At certain places these hills are covered with forests offbushes
or with pastures. At other places they are bare and grooved by
the operations of numerous quarries. For some time past limestone
was produced hers for the preparation of lime. Here a few primi-
tive kilns operate. A modern lime kiln was built later on. This
huge kiln plans an important role, at present in the needs of
Dimitrovgrad construction. Recently, with the expansion of-the city
to the south, the operation of the lime kiln near the housing quarters
became unsatisfactory. Now this lime kiln will be moved elsewhere.
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With the appearance of Dimitrovgrad the inexhaustible supplies
of local limestone became even more important. This high-quality
limestone became the most important raw material in the manufac-
ture of cement at the newly constructed Vulkan Plant, the largest
Bulgarian cement producing establishment.
The Vulkan Plant was constructed in the first years of the
young Bulgarian republic, before the other industrial enterprises
in Dimitrovgrad. First there was one furnace in the plant; then a
second followed; and recently a third has been put into operation.
The Vulkan Plant has an imposing external appearance. When
travelers approach Dimitrovgrad in a train coming from Plovdiv,
they see this huge building with its three gigantic chimneys con-
stantly covered with a thick cloud of smoke. A cable stretches from
the limestone heights to the plant. Cable cars endlessly roll down
the cable loaded with limestone. They pass above the railroad line,
slide to the north over fields and vegetable gardens, over the wide
silver ribbon. of the Maritsa, and reach the other side of the river,
finally reaching the plant itself. Here the rocks fall into the
gigantic mouth which crushes them and grinds them into dust. Cars
also come uninterruptedly from the northern heights which border the
Maritsa basin, but these cars are loaded with another raw material --
coal. This is the food of the plant, thanks to which it remains
alive. This coal is mined in the Vulkan Mine and is used entirely
for the needs of the Vulkan Plant. The Plant has its own Vulkaii
TETs, which assure it the necessary electric energy. All processes
in the Vulkan Cement Plant are mechanized. The cement which 'the plant
produces is-of very high grade, rind is used in building dams because
of its ability to harden rapidltiy.
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The construction of the Vulkan Cement Plant made possible the
operation of a new giant in Dimitrovgrad, the cement-,asbestos plant.
possible by the production of the Vulkan
Its production is made P..
Plant. The construction of this plant became very necessary in
connection with the great expansion of construction works in Bul-
garia and the need for new construction materials, various auxiliary
and roofing materials, pipes and slabs. There was a need for a
plant Whose production would help the building of other Bulgarian
plants, housing buildings, the new quarters of Dimitrovo and of
other places,
water pipes, sewage pipes, water conduits, and other types of pipes,
construction lining materials, light insulation materials, slabs,
electric switchboards, gas-piping installations, roofing slabs
(which replace the use of tiles), chimneys, and other things. In.
addition, this plant produces materials which help finish the
interior part of buildings, multi-colored tables and other furni-
ture, sinks, and other items.
140
This construction project was also a school for many new
workers, construction workers, plumbers, and machine operators.
The plant was built with the help of USSR specialists, who helped
in the training of the future Bulgarian masters of the plant.
All the difficulties in the construction were overcome, and by the
end of 1950 the Eternite Plant, which was later called the cement-
asbestos plant, began operations. At present Bulgarian cement-
asbestos is widely used, and various products are made from it;
The water supply of Bulgarian settlements is today facilitated
greatly by the availability of an adequate supply of pipes. The
-rater supply in the Dobrudja would have been rendered considerably
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more difficult if Bulgaria did not have this cement-asbestos
plant. Bulgarian cement-asbestos pipes are better than the ex-
pensive imported,Manneasmann-type pipes because of their resist-
ance to atmospheric variations and their solidity. They are fire-
proof, cold-resistant, are not permeated with water, and are very.
solid mechanically. On the other hand, they are light, and their
electric conductivity is small.
The Cement Asbestos plant contributes to the creation of
4
ever-improving healthful,'hygienic, and cultural living condi-
tions for the Bulgarian people.
A plant for the transformation of agriculture: The high
buildings of the Vulkan Cement Plant may impress the traveler
who approaches Dimitrovgrad by train from the west; but the interest
of the traveler will increase a hundredfold and all travelers will
be greatly impressed at the sight of the Stalin Chemical Combine
which stretches over a wide area in the eastern part of the city.
The train goes further on to the east toward Svilengrad or south
toward Khaskovo, but one cannot tear his eyes from the complex
metal buildings of the plant, from the high chimney which rises
above a huge complexity of buildings, from the small yellow-green
clouds over the chimney stretching like a long tail blown by the wind.
Planning of a plant for the production of chemical fertilizers
for the purpose of increasing agricultural yields was spoken of im-
mediately after 9 September 1944. The supply of nitrogen fertilizers
was insufficient and expensive, and Bulgarian soil needed nitrogen
fertilizers to increase the yield of crops. T fie construction of such
a plant was a difficult task. Needed were large sums of money, the
help of specialists, and the over-all efforts of thousands of workers,
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constructors, planners, and engineers. The Bulgarian people did
not give up in the face of difficulties. Youth took over the
leading ranks on this gigantic construction site. Specialists
came from the Soviet Union. Construction workers arrived from_all
parts of Bulgaria. The construction of the plant was started.
The complex installation of the nitrogen chemical combine began
to appear east of the R.akovski sector of the city at a place where
only fields and vegetable gardens could be found previously. It
was a whole labyrinth of canals, pipes, and buildings. The tall
structures of the various shops rose, huge metal cylinders started
shining under the sun, and the framework of dozens of incompleted
buildings appeared. First rose the concrete towers and the 80-meter
high chimney, which was built entirely by Lidiya Kudryavtseva, ankh,
18-year-old Soviet girl. While the walls were being built, machines
were being installed. On the platform small trains went here and
there, tractors thundered, and the long steel frames of the cranes
raised their powerful steel hands. Construction work was intensive
here until the work was finally completed. Instead of being com.-
pleted in 1953, the Stalin Chemical t:umbine began regular operations
in 1951. It was completed ahead of schedule, thanks to the efforts
of the entire Bulgarian nation and to the vital Bulgarian-Soveit
friendship.
The basic raw materials important to the plant's operation
are:aal, water, and air.. Special freight cars which are owned by
the plant bring coal from the mines. Powerful pumps siphon water
from a huge reservoir filled, a special canal on the Maritsa
River. The Chemical Combine has a.special railroad station from
which freight cars depart 24 hours a day. All operations in. the
plant are mechanized.,
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The products which are manufactured in the plant are prin-
cipally ? y
chemical nitrogen fertilizers, which are of give differ-
ent kinds: ammonium saltpeter, sodium (Chile) saltpeter, am-
monium sulfate, ammonium bisulfide, and crarbamide. The annual
production of chemical fertilizers (ammonium saltpeter) has long,
been over 70,0000t, and in 7 or 8 years this production will
reach 400,000 ,to?00,000 t. In addition to chemical fertilizers,
the plant also produces sulfuric and nitric acids, ammonium,
sulfur, carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, liquid sulfur dioxide,
oxygen, ice, and other items. Intensive work is being done to
increase the chemical capacity of the combine. In addition, re-
search is being carried out with a view to expanding the plant.
A new plant for phosphate fertilizers will be built, the location
of which has not yet been specified.
The external appearance of the Stalin Chemical Combine is
not only imposing, but is beautiful. A wide paved road bordered
on both sides by trees leads to the plant. At the entrance there
is a large statue, a monument to the patron of the plant. Above
the entrance there is an inscription in large letters which reads:
The Stalin Chemical Combine is a child of Bulgarian-Soviet
friendship." On one side is the imposing administrative building
which, with its attractive architecture, houses the administrative
personnel, including the managers of the Chemical Combine. On the
other side is the cultural building'irith its various halls. The
workers of the Stalin Chemical Combine themselves li`Ve far from
the plant in the Tolbukhin sector, which is built in terraces on
the heights south of the Rakovski sector of the city.'
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The construction of the plant, as well as the operation of
the chemical combine, is principally done by young workers who
number about 8% of all the workers of the Corabine.
Until recently Bulgaria needed such a combine as the Stalin
Chemical Combine just as she needed the city itself. Today this
chemical combine holds one of the prominent places in the Bul-
garian heavy industry'. Bulgarians may be justifiably proud of the
Stalin Chemical Combine.
One more factory: All industrial enterprises in Dimitrov-
grad are new. They are the fruits of Bulgarian socialist con-
struction. Only one factory has been inherited from the past,
and it has increased its variety of production. This is the
vacuum-canning factory in the Rakovski sector of the city. This
factory processes large quantities of vegetables and fruit grown
in this rich region, which until recently was only agricultural.
Various vegetables, pulps, preserves, and marmalades are canned
and vegetables and fruits dried. The importance of this factory
will increase even more, taking into consideration the winter
needs of the population in.this rapidly-developing city.
Construction work is in full swing. Dimitrovgrad has been
planned in a way different from other cities. The characteristic
type of city which has grown under capitalism has an imposing, rich,
and well-planned center but poor outskirts. This "rule" has been
violated in Dimitrovgrad. 1k6 sectors are located at a considerable
a
distance from one another, and. all rules for an over-all satisfao-
tion of the living, cultural, and aesthetic needs of the popula-
tion have been observed. Here the various sectors are built
separately, and each has all necessary conveniences; nevertheless,
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the sectors are connected with.each other to form one unified city.
Here housing areas are clearly set'apart from the industrial, zones.
There are centers for work and centers for living. There are squares
for meetings and market places. There are calm places for relaxa-
tion and cultural occupations.
The entire city is encircled by Panorama Road. This road,
similar to a horseshoe, begins from the Tolbukhin sector south
of the railroad tracks leading to Svilengrad; skirts the Rakovski
sector on the east; crosses the Maritsa River; goes west; passes
the Mlada Gvardiya, Vasil Kolarov, and Vulkan sectors; and reaches
Ghernokonevo village. The central part of the city is the Rakovski
sector in which have been and are still being built the most im-
portant city establishments, squares, and parks. From this sector
begin the main streets leading to the surrounding sectors.
The Tolbukhin sector is located in the foothills of the af-
forested hills (a future park) south of the Sofia-Svileno ad rail-
road line. It begins at the furnace for the production of lime
and at the newly built V. I. Lenin sports stadium. The Deveti
Septemvri (Khaskovo Highway) Boulevard connects with the Rakovski
sector. Its construction was started in 1947, which is considered
to be the beginning year of?the construction of Dimitrovgrad, Here
workers of the Stalin. Chemical Combine live in splendid residential
units.
The "Vasil Kolarov" sector includes the former Mariyno vil-
lage, which has been expanded, renewed, and changed to such a
degree that it is unrecognizable. This sector is located near the
Maritsa mines. The wide Vasil Kolarov Boulevard connects this--
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sector with the center, which is the Rakovski sector. The Vasil
the
Kolarov sector is located between two smaller sectors:
Miada Gvardiya sector is on its northeastern parts and the Vulkan
sector is northwest of it. Stretching even further-west beyond
the Vulkan Cement Plant and along the Maritsa River is the former
villages Which is not the Chernokonevo sector. Over the Maritsa
River three concrete bridges connect one1 of Dimitrovgrad with
the other.
Despite the fact that public and cultural- houses, parks,
playgrounds, schools, etc., are being'built in every single
center, construction in the central Rakovski sector is still being
carried out on an old-city scale. The main boulevard in this
sector is the Georgi Dimitrov Boulevard, 51 m wide and 500 in long.
It will begin at a railroad station which is to be built. To the
north the Georgi Dimitrov Boulevard will end with a large square
moinulshnt to Georgi Dimitrov. Around
in which there will be a high
the square will be the Party House, the Mining Workers' Houses the
Central Post'Office, the Trade Union House, a big hotel and shop;
and from the north and coming to the Square facing the Boulevard
will be the biggest building of all, the House of Soviets.
A continuation of the Georgi Dimitrov Boulevard north of the
the Peti gongres Boulevard. This
western part of the square will be
will be the entrance to the public gardens. From the garden
point
a wide road will lead to the Rest and Culture Park near the Maritsa
River., which will be between the two bridges crossing the river.
At this point there will be a large artificial lakes a swimming pool,
and a beach; and in the western part of the Park a complex gbysical
Its sports
culture installation, which is now under construction*
the
stadium will seat 20,000. people. This will be the center of all
working people from al ll `, the'various sectors of the city.
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Construction in Dimitrovgrad is advancing rapidly, but it
is far from completed. Wherever one looks one sees intensive
construction work. Everywhere one sees hundreds of men at work.
New streets are being made, canals being dug, and elSctric wires
being strung; huge public buildings and living premises are being
constructed. The new city has already taken shape, but its inner
architecture has yet to be completed.
Every day numerous newspaper correspondents, writers,
scientists, and construction workers arrive hero. The whole of
Bulgaria feels that an important center of the country's industry
is being built here. That is why Bulgaria considers Dimitrovgrad
its pride, a symbol of her future. Having started with three
small villages, today this city has over 40,000 inhabitants. It
is no longer a dream, but reality. The individual sectors of the
city are still separated from each other. But they grow with
every passing day, and the time is not far away when they will
merge into one grandiose whole, into one grandiose unit, into a
city of the future -- Dimitrovgrad.
To the west and east of Dimitrovgrad the. Maritsa River has
formed a considerably wider flood terrace covered with fertile
alluvial soils. Here irrigation is being done with the help of
three pumping stations which belong to the first zone of the
Kharmanli irrigation' system. Brod village is located on the. left
bank of the river. It has a rich TKZS which grows early vegetables,
strawberries, and the famous Brod watermelons. Nova Nadeshda vil-
lage has a large ceramics factory which supplies the needs of the
entire region and even sends shipments to other places. South of
the Maritsa valley begins the-hilly Khaskovo aubriountain terrace,
and the vast Stara Zagora plain stretches to the north.
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East of Nova Hadezhda village the Maritsa River enters a
narrow pass which has steep rock sides. This pass continues up
to Maritsa City. This is the first and most picturesque pass of
the river in the upper Thracian lowlands. Here Maritsa has cut
across the hills of the east Rhodope submountain terrace around
Aleksandrovo village; the hills continue north of the river,
reaching up to Musachevo village.
After crossing the pass following the left bank of the
Maritsa River, one sees the first sector --- the Yordanovo
sector -- of the newly shaped Maritsa City.
Maritsa City: This new city was created in 1948 through the
merging of three settlements -- Simeonovgrad, the Zlatidol rail-
road station, and Ierdanovo village. This unit was given the new
name Maritsa City. Its over-all population was over $,000. With
its three large sseWs or zones, this scattered city forms a com-
plex settlement s I lovers an area on both sides of the Maritsa
not far from the merR sg of the Sazliyka and the Maritsa Rivers.
North of the Morita River along the left bank are the former
Siaeonovgrad (shish forms the first sector of the city) and the
former Torda ove vtfl*gs (the third sector of the city). South of
the Maritsa River, along its right bank, is the settlement of the
Zlatidol railroad, station (second sector).-
The. largest seetsr of the new city is the former Simeonovgrad.
.In the past, during the Turkish domination, it was an average-size
villags calked A call (Dyulevo) because of the numerous quince
orchards around the city LMdyu1 means quiaoe in Bulgariag/. Later
on, because of its crossroad location, the population of this
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settlement Ylas entrusted with guarding the main roads leading
from Edirne to Plovdiv and Stara Zagora. Because of this the
settlement was given the name Seymen Z"guardian" is Turkish!.
In 1873, when the Baron Hirsh railroad line was built, a rail-
line was built between the village of Seymen and the then-existing
nearby Turnovo village. Thus the settlement was given the double
name Turnovo Seymen, which later on was applied only to the small
Turnovo Seymen city. In 1929 Turnovo Seymen city was renamed
Simeonovgrad, while the railroad station remained knoun by its
former name Ziatidol. Now the railroad station also bears the
name Maritsa City.
In the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries the local popula-
tion was engaged mainly in fattening cattle through the summer
season. However, in the nineteenth century crafts and commerce
appeared in the settlement. The first small industrial enter-
prises appeared here only after the liberation and the development
of Bulgarian capitalism. These were mainly mills and oil pro-
cessing enterprises.
After 9 September 1944 the industrial enterprises, mills,
and oil-processing enterprises were enlarged; and a cotton-
spinning and canning factory were built here. Also established
were craftsmen cooperatives which merged the small craftsmen'
'workshops. The most important of them is the ironsmith and cart-
making cooperative enterprise "Vasil Kolarov." The first sector
of the city has a well-organised slaughterhouse with refrigera-
tion facilities. The raw materials used by the textile, canning,
and meat industries come from the nearby villages whose production
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gravitates toward Maritsa City. The fact that the city is the
agricultural center of the fertile plain which surrounds the city,
will help the city satisfy its food needs. In addition to grain,
here are sown more and more rice and cotton and good-quality
tobacco. The city includes two TKZS, one uniting the farmers
of the first and third sectors, the second those of the second
sector. Here the Farm Workers' Cooperatives cultivate vast areas
of land, growing vegetables, vineyards, and fruit. Maritsa City
is also developing.a good transportation junction, from which
stem three railroad lines leading to Plovdiv, Svilengrad, and
Nova Zagora, as well as four main highways leading to the first
three cities and to Stara Zagora. There is a great need for
another railroad line which would pass through Topolovgrad, Elk-
hovo, and Grudovo, and on to Burgas. This track may be built in
the near future.
Given the new socialist surroundings and the good economic
possibilities now prevailing, Maritsa City will expand even
further, helped by its central location and its rich agricultural
region.
Beyond Maritsa City, the Maritsa River turns to the,south-
east. After it widens near the city (because of the estuary of
the Sazliyka River) the valley'of the Maritsa River again narrows.
The Maritsa River then crosses its second pass_,.s.r_th of Preslavets
village, where the railroad-line leading to Svilengrad has been
built directly by the right bank of the river. At this point
there is no room for a highway. The highway from Svilengrad
through Kharman7i and through-Maritsa City to Stara Zagora passes
West of Preslavets village. This pass is not as beautiful as the
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pass west of Maritsa City. South of Preslavets village there is
another expansion of the valley around the estuary of the Kharman-
liyska River. Kharmanli City is located at this point.
The Kharmanli plain has an altitude of about 80 m. It is
bordered from the south and the west by a series of heights be-
longing to the east Rhodope submountain terrace, whose altitude
is not more than 250 to 350 in. It is bounded on the north by
the pass. On the left bank of the Maritsa River and at places al-
most immediately on its banks there are again hills and heights
which have the same nature and altitude as the hills previously
mentioned. These are the final foothills of Mount Brannitsa.
Here the warm influence of the Aegean Sea climate is felt far more.
There is a lack of precipitation, because of which irrigation is
necessary. Despite this, the small and fertile plain is well
cultivated. Here grow numerous crops which require heat, such
as cotton, peanuts, sesame seed, anise seed, caraway seed, poppy
seed, tobacco, almonds, and even figs. Wheat crops have been
replaced by the more profitable industrial crops, by vegetable
gardens (early vegetables, watermelon patches, rice fields, etc.).
There are few other places in Bulgaria where..so many varied crops
are cultivated on such a small area. -However, tobacco'production
and cocoon growing. predominate. The tobacco grown here, which is'
of the Kharmanliyaka yaks type, is famous for its high quality.
The development of cocoon raising is stable-because of the presence
of mulberry. orchards, which cover an area second only to the ve-
getable gardens, located more to the southeast in the direction of
I*1ubimets and Svilengrad. Kharmanli City is the'main economic
center of this plain and,of the entire Kharmanli okoliya,, as-we
as of many settlements outside, this okoliya.
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Kharmanli$ This city is located on the Kharmanli River 2 1/2
km away from the Maritsa River. It is an important railroad station
on the railroad line to Svilengrad, and is a crossroad for the high-
ways to Khaskovo, to Maritsa City, Topolovgrad, Svilengrad, and to
the south toward the Rhodope Mountains.
Kharmanl-A'. City arose during the sixteenth century as a
travelers' settlement which serviced travelers along the old
diagonal road leading toward Constantinople. A solid arched stone
bridge was constructed in 1585 to facilitate transportation across
the Kharmanliyska River. A large caravansary, a mosque, a bath,
and other buildings -- all later destroyed -- were built soon
after around the bridge. Khadzhi Kalfa passed across this city
and described it as being an important economic and administrative
center.
The liberation found Kharmanli a small city of 3,000 popula-
tion and an Oriental appearance. After the liberation almost all
of the Turks (constituting the majority of the population in the
past) left; they were replaced by many Bulgarian immigrants coming
from the Aegean Sea region. The city began growing gradually. In
1910 it had 4,711 people; in 1926 there were 7,130; in 1946, 9,240;
and at present the city has a population of over 10,000. Kharmanli
owes its upsurge mainly to its*tobacco production and cocoon
growing; wZ a-.,Pac~~4 aaSyilengrad as a cocoon growing center of
Bulgaria. The city includes 9, large drying building for cocoons and
a factory for silk fabrics and yarns. The city is a center for the
production of silkworm eggs. The city has a silk weaving school;
it 'also has tobacco warehouses, factories for cotton fabrics atad
yarns, mills, and oil-making enterprises. Kharlmanli has renewed it-
self with many new construction projects,,e.g., streets, public es-
tablishments, schools, and houses.. Itia a very nice-looking city.
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After the Maritsa River has entered its last pass southeast
of Kharmanli City. its valley expands considerably and continues
to expand to Svilengrad. Its valley at Svilengrad becomes even
lower in altitude (52 m) and warmer and has an even more strongly
felt Mediterranean influence. Here the alluvial soils are very
fertile and are easy to cultivate. The entire area along the
right bank of the ?Maritsa (the Kharmanli plain and a large part
of Biseri village and of the I,yubimets railroad station) is irri-
gated. Here is also located the other part. of the Kharmanli irri-
'stations which siphon water
gation system, which includes pumpi
from the Maritsa River. This part of the plain has the same
crops as the Kharmanli plain, but has more mulberry trees, vege-
table gardens, vineyards, and fruit orchards. Northwest of the
ad railroad station stretch wide meadows which are partially
Svilengr
covered with swamps. This area could be easily drained off, which
will give more cultivated area for agricultural 1MrPOOe3*
The most important settlements in this region are Biser,
Lyubimets, and Svilengrad. Biser village is located on the Biseraka
River, south of the highway and railroad line leading to Svilengrad.
It has a gall-organized TKZS. L ubinets is a large settlement
(about 7,000) and an important railroad station. It is located on
the right bank of the Maritsa River. Svilengrad is the last Bul-
garian city along the reaches of the Maritsa, and Kapitan Andreevo'
village is the last Bulgarian village on the left bank of the Maritsa.
Svilengrads This city is located mostly on the-left bank of
the Maritsa on the borderline between upper and lower (eastern)
Thraoe. Here the southern Rhodope branches meet the northern
branches of Mount Brannitsa. At this important strategic location
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there has been a settlement dating from ancient times. It
started as a Thracian settlement located on the left bank of the
Maritsa in the Khisarya area. Later on it became an important
Roman fortress under the name Burdenis, which kept watch on the
important Roman military road from Constantinople to Belgrade.
This settlement was also a road station where horses of the mail
coaches were changed. Later on, in the course of the barbarian
attacks, the fortress was entirely destroyed. Another settlement,
called Chernomen, was established near this place in the Middle
Ages. This is the present-day Chermen village (Ormenion in Greek),
located on the right bank of the Maritsa River because at that
time the International Highway passed along that bank.
Today's Svilengrad arose at the beginning of the fifteenth
century at the Maritsa River ford, at a time when travelers had
to cross the river with boats. At first it was a small village
mainly of fishermen and boatsmen. However, due to the importance
of this fort, the Great vizier, Kodzha Lala Mustafa Pasha, in
1510 ordered the famous Turkish constructor Sinan to build at
this place a big stone bridge. This bridge has remained and is
being.used even today. It is 295 m long. It has 19 arches and
has solid stone railings. In the, center of the bridge its high
railing bears an inscription giving details regarding the con-
struction. The importance of-this settlement increased. In this
settlement Mustafa Pasha built a mosque and a caravansary with a
lead roof which could house 700 horses and had bedrooms and
storage facilities for travelers. The settlement was called
Mustafa Pasha. It, rapidly expanded along both banks of the river,
favored by its important location and fertile land. In the seventeenth
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century Evliya Chelebi found 700 houses and 7 mosques-here. Around
1860 the Bulgarians who were settled here built a church and opened
a reading room and a school in which Ivan Vazov taught. According
to the Berlin Treaty the city remained in Turkish territory but
near the Bulgarian border.
After the Balkan War in 1913 when it became known on the basis
of the Bucharest Treaty that the city would become Bulgarian, the
Turks razed it before leaving and carried away with them whatever
they could. They even carried away the doors and windows of houses,
in order to build a new Mustafa Pasha on Turkish territory. When
the Bulgarians who had escaped came back they found their houses
destroyed and the mulberry orchard around the city out down. Soon
a new city was built at the site of the destroyed Mustafa Pasha.
The city was called Svilengrad. It was more beautiful than the
former one, and the mulberry-gardens were restored and expanded.
A whole mulberry forest later appeared here. Svilengrad became
the largest cocoon center in Bulgaria. A cocoon cooperative built
a huge warehouse for cocoons with modern drying premises. Hundreds
of thousands of kilograms of cocoons began being exported to
to weave silk fabrieb was created here.
foreign markets. A factory
Viticulture, fruit-growing, and tobacco-production developed. Ve-
getables which require more heat also grow here. The Aegean Sea
inflwenoe provides this heat.
The city is located near the borderscf Bulgaria, Greece, and
Turkey. It is less than 2 ka from the Greek border and about 4 to
5 ka from the Turkish border... That is why the area round it is
limited. In 1926 (the first census after the l beration of the
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the city) Svilengrad numbered 5,423 people, and. in 1934, 9,303.
At present the city has about 10,000 people. New industrial
enterprises are not being built in the city, nor is there any
particularly extensive housing construction. At present Svilen-
grad remains mainly an agricultural city, a fact which is obvious
from its external appearance.
In the-Northern Parts of the Plovdiv Plain
The train leaves Filipovo railroad station and starts rolling
through the flat plain north of Plovdiv. Everything here is ver-
dent: orchard gardens are covered with fruit. Piles of wooden cases
full of red tomatoes or large gold-yellow pears can be seen in the
vegetable gardens. The vast rice fields north of Plovdiv between
the Pyaschenik and Stryama Rivers resemble a huge thick green carpet.
After passing the Graf Ignatievo railroad station, however, the view
changes. More wheat, corn, and sunflowers can be seen. In general
grain crops predominate in the northern parts of the Plovdiv plain.
Here fruit gardens and vineyards are less widespread.
From the Kaloyanovo railroad station we travel east on the
highway'towird Ruzhevo Konare village. Its well-organized Georgi
Dimitrov TKZS made this village famous all over Bulgaria and even
abroad. Ruzhevo Konare is one of the large Bulgarian villages.
Its population already numbers over 4,000. The village is located
about 25 km north of Plovdiv on the left bank of the Stryama River.
The Farm Workers' Cooperative in Ruzhevo Konare village was
founded in 1945. Today it encompasses almost the entire popula-
tion of the village, '*which is enjoying its great achievements. The
farm has a vast, flat, and very fertile land. There is an average
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of 30 decares of cultivated land here per family, which shows that
there is 2.5 times more land per capita here than there is in the
Krichim plain. The TKZS cultivates this fertile land with modern
methods, using tractors, cultivating-machines, row cultivators,
and other machines supplied mainly by the f= in Kaloyanovo vil-
lage. In addition, a thick network of irrigation canals criss-
crosses the entire area around the village. This irrigation uses
partially the waters of the Stryama Rivers and to a larger degree
the abundant shallow subterranean waters. The area of Ruzhevo
Konare village includes 155 pumps, 120 of which are electrically
powered. They fill the irrigation canals from which the water
quietly flows over sun-cracked land, This life-giving water is
a real blessing on the flat plain. Over 17,000 decares of land
are irrigated. They yield abundant crops regardless of the droughts
which may come to Thrace. About 2,800 deearea of this land pro-
duce two crops annually.
The land is abundantly fertilized by the Farm Workers' Co-
operative of Ruzhevo Konare village. In 1954 alone 2,800 decares
were fertiUzed with organic manure and vegetable ash. In addition,
chemical fertilizers are used. An area of 11,000 decares of agri-
cultural crops have been fertilized by 245 tons of nitrogen,
phosphorus, and potassium fertilizers.. Thanks to modern agr.-
technical methods and the abundant, fertilization and irrigation
in the TKZS of Ruzhevo Konare village, high yields have been obtained
from grain and industrial crops, vegetables, etc. Here the leading
agricultural workers have been generously rewarded by the people's
regime with medals, honors, prizes, etc.
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The land of the farm is cell -planned. The cultivated area
is divided into blocks of 750 decares each, rectanguA.arly-shaped.
They can be seen clearly from afar. They are bordered,by wind-
breaks of Canadian and pyramid-shaped poplars, and ash trees.
Oak trees can be seen in the northern parts of the fields. The
trees develop well here and have already reached a height of 6
to 10 m. Near these trees roads have been built and the main
irrigational canals dug. An agreeable freshness comes from these
forest belts during the summer heat. In addition, they give a
particular charm to the view. The forest belts include an over-
all area of 480 decares. However, if this fertile area had been
planted with fruit trees or with mulberry trees, it would have been
much more profitable. It is true that the forest belts were
planted to preserve the soil from the strong winter winds and to
help the snow settle more evenly on the ground, to weaken the
force of the summer winds, and to reduce the evaporation of water
from the soil. But here in this quiet flat Thracian lowland there
was no need for such measures. Thus, it is not recommended for
other Farm Workers' Cooperatives in the Plovdiv plain to plant
such forest belts, no matter how beautiful they may be.
The Stryama River flows across the area of Ruzhevo Konare
village. In the past it has flooded and frequently changed its
bed. Its old river bed,.about 2.5 km long, was in the past only
bare land or pastureland. Now it has been changed.' Dikes have
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been erected in several places, beyond which artificial lakes.
shine under the sun. Fish have been stocked here. Waterfowl is
being cultivated at these lakes. Here the young people from the
village gather for sport and relaxation. Every year these artificial
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lakes yield about 10 t of delicious fish. The production of the
"Georgi Dimitrov" TKZS in Ruzhevo Konare village is varied and
abundant. Grain crops cover half the cultivated area. Excellent
wheat of the 0kerman type is produced. It yields 150 to 200 kg
of large-size grain per decare. Corn covers over 2,300 decares,
and, being irrigated, it yields 240 kg of grain per decare. Grain
crops here entirely satisfy the needs of the population, with an
excess for export. In addition, the area grows rice. It covers
an area of over 1,000 decares and yields a rich crop. In 1954 an
average of 812 kg of nondecorticated rice was obtained per decare
from an area of 175 decares.
Industrial crops constitute an important part in the economy
of Ruzhovo Konare village. Entire fields have been planted with
sunflowers, which pew very high when properly irrigated. Over
1,000 docarea, asialy in the"&Ohernozem-pitch soils, have been
planted with oettsa. In addition, the area also grows mint,
tobacco (Virgia1a tpps), and sugar beets. Each of these crops
covers ever 500 dresses each.
Vegetable cooing plays an important role here. Vegetables
cover an area of 1,660 decares. The Ruzhevo Konare people are
specialists in tin growing of early and medium early tomatoes,
large and juicy peppers, early potatoes, etc. The vegetable gardens
covered with a rich amp are a wonderful sight. Here in 1953 an
area of 10 decares produced 4,600 kg of early tomatoes per decare --
a record yield for the whole of Bulgaria.
There is an abundance of produce in the fertile area around
Ruzhevo Eanre. It produces grain crops, various industrial crops,
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vegetables, strawberries, watermelons, cantaloupes, eta. But that
is not all% orchard growing is rapidly developing here. The area
covered by orchards is already over 1,000 deeares. Long rows of
apple, cherry, plum, and other trees embellish the flat plain and
produce sweet fruit. Only viticulture is still poorly developed.
However, in the near future the area now planted with vineyards
(400 decares today) will be considerably increased.
Along with its intensive vegetable-growing, Ruzhevo Konare is
now developing livestock raising. A large amount of grain food,
such as alfalfa, fodder beets, and ensilaged fodder is produced
for the needs of the livestock raising. Well-lighted, hygienic
barns have been built by the village. They have been equipped in
accordance with the most modern animal husbandry requirements. They
are equipped with automatic watering devices, the fodder is
mechanically supplied to the stables, etc. Cow raising is well
developed. The farm has 133 milk-producing cows. In 1954 an
average of 1,200 1 of milk was produced per fodder-fed cow.. Because
of inadequate pastureland (only 850 decares) sheep-breeding is less
Well-developed. The farm has only 2,350 sheep, but they are very
productive. There are 276 horses and 460 hogs.
In 1954 monetary income from vegetable growing and livestock
raising was as follows; from industrial crops and grain crops, 46%;
from vegetables and watermelons, 38%; from livestock. raising, 10.5%;
and from orchard and vineyard growing, 5.5%.
Early tomatoes and potatoes, the sweet strawberries, the-large
cherries and apples, the juicy peppers, and the other produce of
Ruzheve Unare village are very well known in them rkets in Plovdiv,
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Sofia, Kurdzhali, and other parts of Bulgaria. The Farm Workers'
Cooperative in Rixzhevo Konare village is growing rapidly stronger.
It is visited by many delegations from other TKZS of Bulgaria and
from abroad. These visitors learn much from the experiences and
the achievements of the Ruzhevo Konare people.
The village is changing and radically improving. It has been
electrified and now has radios. It has a large square in the
center of the city. Here the people's regime has built a new,
modern, sunny. health house. It has been built at the site of the
former police station in which the fascists tortured the fighters
for the people's freedom. Rising on the side of the square is a
new cultural club, which is a real house of culture. It has been
built by the local people's Soviet and by the TKZS with the help
of the entire population. It has a good movie hail, a reading room,
a library, a tea shop, etc.
The newly built nursery is an important achievement for the
mothers of Ruzhevo Konare. It is a hygienically-clean building
rising in the center of a large courtyard with fruit trees and with
water flowing along the irrigation canal. Even during the hottest
days of summer it is agreeably cool and fresh here. Here thriving
under the care of well-trained personnel are the. youngest citizens
of the famous Ruzhevo Konare village, which, boldly and with as=surance, is following the road of socialism.
The plain around the Ruzhevo Konare village is flat and wide.
Wherever one looks the view is the same. It is a plain -- a vast
plain. It is as if the plains lush with verdure, were endless.
Far to the south in'the morning haze one can see the silhouette of
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the powerful outline of the Rhodope Mountains. To the north along
the horizon there is faintly-visible the low chain of the Sredna
Gora Mountains, beyond which can be seen the proud Balkan Mowatains0
It is very pleasant to travel on the plain on an early summer
morning. The sweet songs of the birds echo everywhere. Sparkling
dew covers rich wheat, large sunflowers, and corn. Here there are
almost no pastures. The entire area is covered by fields, gardens,
meadows, and vineyards.
We travel to the east of Ruzhevo Konare toward Momino vil-
lage. This is one of the famous vegetable- and rice-growing
settlements in the Plovdiv area. It has a population of 1,600.
It produces large amounts of early tomatoes, potatoes, peppers,
eggplants, etc. Not far from the rich vegetable gardens stretches
the light green expanse of the rice fields-,which cover an area of
800 decares. Cooperative farmers can be seen walking rapidly about.
Here orchard growing is rapidly developing. In the area of Momino
there are over 200 decares of orchards, which yield high-quality
fruits. Viticulture is less well developed. There is about half
of 'a decare of vineyard per family.
We hurry to reach General Nikolaevo village. It is located
far to the east of Momino village. Here too the plain is just as
wide and monotonous, zoo that even with a map it is difficult to
find ones way. The footpaths and the roads between the villages
turn around large blocks of cooperatively-owned land cove id with
wheat and corn and vineyards. On the plainpne can zee from afar
the high belltower and the chimney of the brick factory in, General
Nikolaevo village. The village is located 26 km to the northeast
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of Plovdiv by the highway to Brezovo village. General Nikolaevo
village is among the largest villages in-Thrace. It has a popu-
lation of over 6,200 Bulgarian.Ronan Catholics. The neighboring
Sekirovo and Parchevich villages are also Roman Catholic. General
Hikolaevo is one of the oldest villages in the Plovdiv plain. It
is believed that its population settled here after participating in
the Chiprovo rebellion. Its old name was Kaluohli. During the war
of liberation a battle took place in the neighborhood of this vil-
lage. With the rank of captain in the Russian armies, the Bul-
garian Danail Nikolaev participated in this battle. He was wounded
by the Turks, but the brave population of Kaluchli saved him.
After the liberation Danail Nikolaev became the first Bulgarian
general. In 1934 the village was given his name.
The population
of the neighboring cities call this village 'tGenerala.'t
General Nikolaev village has a large Farm Workers' Coopera-
tive called "Purvi May." It includes over 80% of the farmers of
the village and of the cultivated area of the village. Here the
local population has a large amount of cultivated land. Families
which are KZS members have an average of about 30 decares of culti-
vated land epiece. Under capitalism production consisted mainly of
grain crops and a small amount of industrial crops.. Under the
people's regime agriculture is being modernized and mechanized.
Production has increased, and new crops such as rice, strawberries,
and ramie have, been introduced. The cultivation of vegetables in-
creased, and more orchards and vineyards were planted.. The wealth
of the village is also growing.
The land around General Nikolaevovillage is vast and fertile,
but for many years drought destroyed a large percentage of the crops.
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That is why in order to prevent the destruction of the drought
and to increase even further' agricultural yields, the cooperative
farmers of the village decided to use the local water and 4i2-
thusiastically built three small dams to collect a total of over
2,000,000 m3 of water. There are three new lakes built by the,,
people following the road toward socialism.
Hear the village and the highway shine the waters of the two
small lakes, which are very close to one another. A small acacia
forest has been planted near the waters of these lakes, and near
it has been built a modern poultry farm belonging to the TKZS.
The third of the small General Nikolaevo dams is located about 8
km northeast of the village on a hilly site. Here in the Kavatsite
is located the largest small dam of the Plovdiv plain. It holds
over 1,000,000 2 of water. The wall of the dam is almost 400 m
long, and its width at the bottom is 60 m. It is 12 m high. Ac-
cording to the plans, the wall of this dam will be raised another
3 to 4 in, and then the dam will hold over 2,000,000 m3 of water.
The economic importance of the small General Nikolaevo dams is
considerable. They help the irrigation of over 3,000 deeares of
cultivated land, which has been forever saved from the destruction
of droughts. In addition, there is fish in the lakes. The income
;yo;
which is obtained from the increased a rieultural yields because
of irrigation and from the fish will repay in only a few years all
the funds which have been invested in the construction of the
small. dams. This increases the security of the cooperative farmers,
ensures then wth.larger incomes, and inspires them to build Here
small dams in the vast area around their settlement.
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Rice was planted for the first time in 1954 in General
Nikoluovo aillage, and during the following year over 1,000
decares of rice were planted. A high yield may be obtained
from rice when planted on the ;at Chernozem-pitch soils. The
planting of rice became possible only because of the small dams.
Irrigation expands vegetable growing. Already over 1,000
decares have been planted in vegetables. In addition to
tomatoes, peppers, onions, beans, and other vegetables, large
areas are planted with peas, a large part of which is sent to
be processed in the canneries in Plovdiv and Krichim railroad
station.
The growing of strawberries (over 800 decares), watermelons,
and cantaloupes is of great importance to the Purvi May TKZS in
General Nikolaevo village. In addition, here the growing of
industrial crops, such as cotton (nearly 4,000 decares), sugar
beets, sunflowers, and a little tobacco is well-developed.
Orchard growing is rapidly developing here, as well. Under
capitalism the village had only a few decares of orchards, while
now there are over 800 decares of orchards which will soon be-
gin producing abundant fruit. Plum trees constitute the largest
orchard area. Viticulture is still poorly developed (there is
an average of one deeare per family).; however, it will grow
rapidly in the near future to cover an area of 10,000 decares.
In the neighboring villages, as well as here, livestock raising
is less well-developed than is vegetable growing. The area planted
in alfalfa is now being increased, which will help the development
of livestock raising. In '1954 the income from livestock raising was
only 14% of the total income obtained by the village from agri-
cultural sources.
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After 9 September 1944 a brick factory was built in General
Nikolaevo village. This brick factory entirely supplies the
needs of the local population, $,nd the excess is supplied to the
surrounding communities. Even in Madan and Rudozem there are
many buildings built with bricks produced in General Nikolaevo
village.
Traveling by train from Plovdiv to Chirpan, one can see
this fertile land, so abundantly watered and carefully cultivated.
Corn here grows 3 m high. Rice fields look like a sea of heavy
sheaves. Vegetable gardens are prolific; fruit, sweet cantaloupes,
and juicy watermelons ripen in the fields. The train runs across
one of the biggest vegetable- and rice-growing areas in the
Thracian lowlands -- Skugare, Rogosh, Manole, Belozem, and
Orizovo. Further to the east, toward the foothills of the Chirpan
Heights and near Cherna Gora village one can see the high chimneys
of the Stomana plant, which produces bricks and tiles. This large
and modern plant was constructed under the people's regime aid com-
pleted in 1951. The plant is in a region which is very rich in
clay and which also contains a small amount of fine sand. The
plant has available enough raw materials near the plant to last
for at least 100 years. Modern earth moving equipment digs and
loads earth into hand cars which run on a special narrow-gauge track
to the plant. Over 300 m3 of clay are processed here daily, and 15
t of coal are used in the process. The majority of the production
processes here are mechanized. In this respect the plant-is one
of the beat in Bulgaria. It has the second Bulgarian steam instal-
lation for drying bricks and tiles. These are baked in large,
modern ring-like kilns...
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The Stomana Plant in Cherna Gora village (Chirpan okoliya)
produces some of the most solid bricks and tiles in Bulgaria. It
has an annual production of over 3,000,000 tiles, and over 13,000,000
bricks, which satisfy a large percentage of the construction needs
in the Thracian lowlands, the Rhodope Mountain region, and the
Sofia region. In additiono a large part of the production is ex-
ported. For example, in 1955 over 1/2 of the tiles and 1/4 of the
bricks were exported to Czechoslovakia.-
This brick plant in Cherna Gora village is a large industrial
enterprise which uses very profitably locally-found raw materials,
gives work to about 250 to 300 of the local population, helps con-
struction, and even contributes to Bulgarian exports.
In the Chirpan Hills
East of Cherna Gora village the railroad tracks enter the
Chirpan Hills, which are the southernmost branches of the Sredna
Gora Mountains, dividing the Plovdiv and Stara Zagora plains. Once
the train enters this region the view suddenly changes. Here one
sees the large fields of the farm workers' cooperatives planted with
cotton and sunflower seeds, with long rows of sheaves. What strikes
one most are the vast vineyards-among which can be seen single
orchard trees covered with fruit.
The eeono"y in the Chirpan region is quite varied. The region
produces a considerable amount of grain crops which entirely satisfy
the needs of the local population. However, the most important
crops are those of cotton growing and viticulture. These yield 2/3
of the income of the farm workers' cooperatives, which include over
85% of the farmers and cultivated land in the okoliya.
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Cotton colers 10% of the cultivated land here and is wide-
in the flatter or slightly hilly land which is covered
spread
with Chernozem-pitch soil containing many nutritive substances
needed by cotton. The areas covered by cotton are extremely vast.
In summer they represent an endless green area which, when the
cotton blossoms, are colored by yellow-rose cotton blooms. And
when in autumn the cotton bolls crack and the large soft balls
of snow-white cotton fiber appear, the sight becomes even more
pleasant. One is charmed by the songs of the cooperative farmers
who hurry to harvest this white gold which brings them large in-
comes, supplies the industry with valuable raw material, and
ensures the people clothing. In 1954, 1/3 of the income of the
TKZS of the okoliya was obtained from cotton, and individual TKZS
had an oven larger percentage of their income from cotton growing.
Along with cotton growing, of great importance to the economy
of this region is vineyard growing, for which natural conditions
are favorable. The hilly topography facilitates the movement of
the wind in the vineyards and helps prevent diseases. The southern
exposure helps the grapes collect more sugar. The soils, with their
small amount-of lime, favor vineyard growing. In the Chirpan hills
a traveler may walk kilometer after kilometer.among nothing but
vineyards. They cover an average of 10% of the cultivated area
of the okoliya,, but they are even more developed in the hillier
parts of the region. The largest vineyard growing villages here
are Izvorovo, Spasovo, Vedren, Stoyan Zaimovo, Sredno Gradishte,
and Bragya Daskalovi. In this region about 20% of the cultivated
areas, and even more in certain plaoes, are covered by vineyards.
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Viticulture has a great future in the Chirpan hills. More
and more vineyards are being planted here. On the basis of future
plans, the Chirpan okoliya alone will have over 100,000 deeares
of vineyards.in 1960; while in 1954 the total area was only about
16,000. Thus the people's regime will make the Chirpan hills
into a typical vineyard-growing and wine-producing region.
A large percentage of the income of the farmers in Chirpan
okoliya comes from vineyards. According to 1954 data, 1/3 of
the income of all the TKZS in the okoliya has been obtained from
vineyards and orchard growing. However, taking into considera-
tion that orchard growing is poorly developed here (the entire
okoliya has only 6,500 deoares of orchards), it is obvious that
this income is due mainly to vineyard growing, which in this re-
gion holds second place after cotton. The other branches of
agriculture are less important. For example, vegetable gardens,
watermelons, and cantaloupes account for only 13% of the income,
and tobacco in this region is of very little importance. It ac-
counts for only 1% of the income obtained from vegetable growing.
Here the soils required for the production of high-quality tobac-
co cannot be found.
Livestock raising is poorly developed. In 1954 the income
from livestock raising in Chirpan was 5 times smaller than income
obtained from vegetable growing. The growing of fodder is also
inadequately developed.
Plater made available through the construction of small dame
is of great importance to the rural economy of this Bulgarian re-
gion. First attempts in this respect were very effective. The
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waters of small dams built in the Rupki, Bratya Daskalovi,
Partizanin, Merichleri, and other villages already help irrigate
vegetable gardens, watermelon patches, alfalfa fields, vineyards,
etc.
Chirpan: The train passes vineyards, cotton fields, and
sunflower fields to reach this city, the largest market in the
cultural and administrative center of this region. It is lo-
cated south of the railroad tracks on a slight slope. A beauti-
ful paved road connects it with the railroad station. Only the
center of this settlement looks like a city. There streets have
been paved or cobblestoned; a park, which is now being enlarged,
has been built. The center of the city includes the main city
shepa, the okoliya administrative offices, etc. The larger part
of Chirpan, however, resembles a large village. The houses are
small with large courtyards and include a large number of rural-
type hoses.
Chirpan is an old settlement. Its first settlers probably
settled ar?uid large cold water springs at the Tekira site,
which is located in the lower part of the present city. Accord-
ing to archeological data, during the Roman epoch a settlement
existed bore called Sherampol. During the Turkish enslavement
there was a city here which was fortified with walls and towers.
Its population was engaged mainly, in crafts. Here hides were
processedi shess and fur garments were made. Also sewing,
geldssithing, and other crafts were developed. A large percentage
of the produoo was exported to the markets in Edirne and Uzundzhovo.
Later on uodor the competition from industrially-produced goods,
crafts in Chirpan declined; and the city gradually beams a typical
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agricultural settlement. That is why its population remained al-
most stable in the capitalist epoch. For example, in 1887 it
numbered 11,000, and the census of 1935 was again the same. After
9 September 1944 the population of Chirpan began to grow rapidly:
in 1946 Chirpan numbered 13,230.
Along with a well-developed agriculture, there is consider-
able industrial production in Chirpan. There at the location of
the site of the former small workshop which manufactured small
tools the people's regime built the Budeahtnost Machine-Building
Plant. It is true that its premises are small and old, but it
nevertheless produces me?ern seed-cleaning agricultural machinery,
spare parts for harvesters and threshing machines, winnowing
machines, and even large snow plows. That the agricultural
machines which are manufactured here are of good quality is proved
by the fact that at the Leipzig Fair the seed-cleaning machine
from this plant was given an award.
Wine production iarof great importance to Chirpan's industry.
Chirpan is one of the largest wine centers of the Thracian low-
lands. Isere the Vinprom enterprise annually produces' 8,000,000
to 9,000,000 1 of various kinds of wine, liquera, Malaga-typo wine,
Damyat-type, standard-type wine, etc. In addition, substances are
produced for the manufacturing of champagnes, wine distillates,
wine spirits,, calcium tartrate, etc. A large percentage of this
wine is exported to the USSR and to the peoples' democracies.
The production of wine is also well developed in the large
vineyard-growing villages in. the okoliya where there are eight
wine cellars,, the largest of which are'located in the villages
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M
Spasovo (1.5 million 1) and Vetren (1,000,000 1)-. In. the Chirpan
okoliya over 12,000,000 kg of grapes are processed into wine every
year.
Chirpan's industrial developn+ent is poor. Chirpan does not
have enough work for the local population; accordingly, part of
its inhabitants work in the coal mines in Marbas and others in the
tile plant in Cherna Gora village.
The basic livelihood of Chirpan's inhabitants is agriculture.
Its cultivated area exceeds 46,000 decares. Viticulture and
cotton growing are the most important agricultural pursuits. Vines
cover 7,500 decares and are located mainly on the hillier northern
and northeastern areas around the city. There are vast coopera-
tive fields planted. with cotton. With over 6,000 decares of-,I nod
planted with ootton, Chirpan competes with the greatest Cotton-
producing oenters of Bulgaria. Chirpan also produces grain crops,
sunflower seeds, a small amount of sugar beets, eta.
Chirpan is important because it combines agricultural science
and practical work. The Central Scientific and Research Gotten
Institute is located near the city. Here an experimental agri-
cultural station was established in 1925 to develop the cultiva
-Mien of hard wheat. Later on this station was given thes of
'helping in the dissemination of knowledge regarding cotton growing.
In 1953 it was reorganized and became the Central Scientific and
Research Cotten Institute. This institute has Created new and
highly productive types of hard wheat-(typical Zagariya), barley,
corn, vetch, otc., which are,of great value to the economy of the
r,.
Bulgarian peopli. This instikv i`created the cotton typos Nos 38,
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2,363, and 2,367. The two latter types have fibers 31 to 32 mnl
long. They are being disseminated more and more in the various
regions of Bulgaria in which they can be successfully culti-
vated. In addition, valuable research is being conducted on
agrotechnical methods for the cultivation of grain and industrial
crops. The staff .2. scientific workers near Chirpan works
quietljyand effectively. They render valuable aid to the rural
economy of Bulgaria.
Chirpan is the native city of the poet revolutioner P. K.
Yavorov. 11is home has been made into a museum where visitors
can become more familiar with the life and works of this Bulgarian
poet who so aptly described the misery of the working peasants
under capitalism. The museum contains, among other objects, the
clothing worn by Yavorov when he was a rebel fighter in Macedonia.
In the Stara Zazera Plain
East of Chirpan the train enters a hilly region where the
railroad line makes wide turns. At the Mikhaylovo railroad sta-
tion, where a railroad track leading to Dimitrovgrad branches off,
the train enters the famous Stara Zagora plain. The altitude of
this plain is 150 to 180 in. It-is flat and covered with fat
chernozem soil, which is the most valuable asset of this plain.
In size (nearly 1,600 km2) the Stara Zagora plain is second largest
in Bulgaria --.only the Pazardzhik-Plovdiv plain being larger. It
is larger than the.Sofia plain. To the north and northwest the
Stara Zagora plain is bordered by the Sredna Gora Mountains, and
to the east it stretches as far as Mount Brannitsa, and to the
Manastiraki and Sveti-Iliyski Heights, which can be seon,dimly is
the distance.
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This flat and fertile plain has been crisscrossed by new ir-
rigational canals through which flows the water of the Tundzha
River, brought here by the work of the people who have boldly led
the way toward socialism. The lifebringing water has banished
forever the centuries-old drought which plagued most of the
fertile Stara Zagora plain. Here crops which are bigger than
capitalism could dream of, are already being obtained. The Stara
Zagora is very beautiful in summer! The heavy stalks of wheat
look like a real sea. The high cornstalks are colored dark blue.
Large sunflowers bend their heads toward the earth. Cotton casts
a green tint to the vast fields.
The Stara Zagora plain is the granary of Thrace. Grain
crops cover about 60% of the cultivated area. This plain is
famous all over Bulgaria for its production of Zagariya, atype
of hard wheat which contains a large percentage%f gluten and
which serves in the production of high-quality dough. Corn grow-
ing is also well developed here. When corn is properly irrigated
it grows over 3 m high and produces an excellent crop. In 1955
the Oblast Institute on Livestock Breeding near Stara Zagora grew
record crops of corn -- over 1,000 kg of grain per decare.
Vetch is a typical crop for the Stara Zagora plain. Vetch
coverts 7% of the cultivated area, is valuable fodder, and enriches
the soil with nitrogen.- The Stara Zagora plain is first in central
and southern Bulgaria in the cultivation of vetch,
With the introduction of irrigation the areas covered by
grain crops will gradually decrease, while the growing of industrial
crops and rice will increase. Travelers in the flats Stara Zagora
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plain cannot but admire the vast hills in which heavy sunflowers
are bending their heads toward the soil. This crop covers nearly
10% of the plain, and even without irrigation its yield is good.
The Stara Zagora plain is a most important cotton-growing
region. Here conditions for the growing of cotton are very
good -- thick ohernozem soils, a long period of high temperature,
the farmers' experience in cotton-growing, etc. The socialist
reconstruction of Bulgarian agriculture, the application of
modern agricultural technological methods, and abundant ferti-
lizing and irrigation will improve even further the naturally
favorable conditions for cotton growing. At present cotton covers
10 to 15% of the cultivated area of the plain, but in the future
it will be further expanded.
Viticulture is developed here, mainly in the peripheral parts
of the plain, the foothills of the Sredna Gora Mountains. Orchard
growing is less well developed, but the expansion of irrigation
will permit its growth.
Stara Zagora is the second largest city in upper Thrace. It
already has over 50,000 inhabitants and is one of the most beauti-
ful of Bulgarian cities. It is located in the southern foothills
of the Surnena Gora Mountains and extends down the valley of the
Bedechka River and into the plain itself. The city offers a won-
derful vier. It can be seen from afar, lush with verdure and sur-
rounded with vineyards, among which grow orchard trees. The
view becomes even more attractive at night.when one travels on the
highway from Dimitrovgrad to Stara, Zagora. From afar the city
resembles a cluster of thousands of stars, among which'one can see
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straight lines of light crisscrossing at right angles. Such a view
cannot be seen anywhere else in Bulgaria. It is due to the
peculiar location of the city and to its straight streets which
are perpendicular to one another.
Located on the sunny slopes of the Surnena Gora Mountains,
Stara Zagora enjoys a mild continental climate. The Stara
Planina and Sredna Gora mountain chains protect the city from
the cold northern winds. Here the agreeable breath of the south
can be felt. Winter is mild and quite sunny. Snow remains on
the ground for only a few days at a time. Fog and bad weather
are unknown here. Summer is long, hot and comparatively dry.
Under the influence of this climate southern vegetation
grows successfully, and it creates a striking impression on
visitors to Stara Zagora, for it gives the city a peculiar :harm.
One can see in the courtyards and parks eternally-green, sharp-
pointed cypress trees, which have dug their long roots into the
rocky soil. Also widely spread are figs, almond trees, pome-
granates, and even strawberry trees.
To enjoy the beauty of the city and the most beautiful
southern Mediterranean vegetation in Thrace one must visit Lenin
Park, which was called in the past Ayazmoto Park. It is on a
large rocky hill with southern exposure which is thickly afforested
mainly with Mediterranean vegetation. Among the bare slopes of
the Sredna Gora Mountains it resembles,a big green bouquet above
Stara Zagora. It is very pleasant to walk in Lenin Park. Lean
cypress trees border the paths, together with large and widely
branched cedar trees. Here one sees small forests of almond trees))
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 and bushes which have thick, shiny, eternally-green leaves. When
almonds blossom in early spring-the countryside is particularly
nice to look at. And in summer when intense heat covers the city
it is agreeably cool in Lenin Park. This place is a favorite
promenade for the Stara Zagora people.
Stara Zagora has behind her a history of over 2,000 years.
It was one of the earliest settlements in upper Thrace. It rose
during the epoch of the Thracians. The Romans improved and
fortified the city (this was the famous Avgusta Trayana fortress).
Frequent battles took place there. The city knew the glory of
success, as well as defeat and destruction. In the Middle Ages
it was called BeFoe,,Boruy, or Vereya. When the Turks conquered
it the city was destroyed but later restored. At this point the
Turks built their Eskizara fortress, which, translated into Bul-
garian, is "Stara Zagora." During the Turkish enslavement the
city again became an important strategic, economic, and adminis-
trative center. At this point the then-important roads from
Plovdiv to Yambol and from northern Bulgaria to Edirne crossed.
Stara Zagora remained the most important economic center in the
plain which surrounds it. During the Turkish enslavement many
Bulgarians settled in this city. A large percentage of them dealt
in crafts and trade.
During the nineteenth century Stara Zagora became an im-
portant center both of Slavic culture and of the revolutionary -
struggle. It became a-regional revolutionary center. In September
1875 the Stara Zagora rebellion began here. It was led by the noted
craftsman Kolyu Ganchev., Today a village near the city has been
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named after him, as has nne of the central streets of Stara Zagora.
The Stara Zagora people have glorious revolutionary traditions
behind them. They actively participated in the September 1923
rebellion, and later on in the struggle against fascism, as well.
During the 1877 war of liberation the flourishing craftsman
and merchant center of Stara Zagora was plundered, destroyed, and
burned'by the Turks. A large part of the Bulgarian population
was killed. After the liberation the city was built anew with
long straight streets which were located at right angles to one
another.
Under capitalism Stara Zagora failed to become a large in-
dustrial center, but some industries, including milling; the pro-
duction of canned vegetables, cigarettes, wine, copperas; the
manufacturing of beds, etc., did develop. Only the center of
the city was partially planned, while the outskirts of the city
continued to be covered with dust in summer and mud in winter.
After 9 September the city began to rapidly change its ap-
pearance. The old industrial enterprises were nationalized, ex-
panded, and modernized. The city has large mills and oil extract-
ing factories, which service a large area. The manufacture of
beds and other furniture increased. This has helped to improve
the cultural and living conditions of the working people through-
out the Thracian lowlands, in the Rhodope Mountain region, and
elsewhere. 'The production of canned vegetables, cigarettes, wine,
spirits, etc., increased. Metal processing was also greatly de=
veloped. Under the people's regime the production of agricultural
machinery, tools, and spare parts of machinery was undertaken. The
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big sunny buildings of the new modern plant for rough processing
of cotton produced in the Stara Zagora plain has been built near
the city. This plant has been equipped with a modern hydraulic
press for baling the cotton.
The construction of the "Stara Zagora" VETS has been of
great importance to the development of the city's industry and
for the even further improvement of the living conditions of the
Stara Zagora people. It produces hydro-electricity with the
Tundzha River waters, which flow through canals across the Sredna
Gora Mountains.
Stara Zagora is an important transportation center. It is
a crossroads for the railroad lines Plovdiv, Burgas, and Ruse
Podkova. The city is connected by highway with Chirpan, Dimitrov-
grad, Maritsa City, Topolovgrad, Nova Zagora, and Kazanluk. In
addition, there is a large airport near the city which provides
air-transportation facilities for the people of Stara Zagora.
The city is not only an important industrial and transporta-
tion center; it is also of great importance as a cultural and ad-
ministrative center. Stara Zagora is an o_tg center. It is
famous forits?well-organized state opera and theater, state
symphonic orchestra, and art museum. It has a radio-broadcasting
station.
Under the people's regime the city is being continuously
improved. A large part of the city has already been paved. The
park areas have been greatly increased. A large number of houses
and public buildings have been built. By the end of 1955 a large
modern aqueduct, the need for which-had long been felt, was
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completed. Earlier the city suffered from lack of water. How-
evert thanks to the concern of the people's, regime for the living
conditions of the population, the construction of the second
largest Bulgarian aqueduct was undertaken in 1953. This aqueduct
is over 50 km long and supplies the city with water from the foot-
hills of the Stara Planina.Mountains. The aqueduct passes under
the Tundzha Riverbed, crosses the Sredna Gora Mountains, and
only then reaches Stara Zagora. The great importance of this
aqueduct was stressed by Comrade G. Chankov, who said at the
opening of the aqueducts "For several scores of years the Stara
Zagora population wishsd for an adequate amount of good water for
its living and cultural needs. This justifiable dream of the
Stara Zagora citizens was not only well understood, but also im-
plemented by the Bulgarian Communist Party and the people's regime,
who have no other interests, no other dreams and desires, but those
of the toiling population."
In the East Rhodope Stbmowit jn Terrace
The view changes radically when the east Rhodope submountain
terrace is reached. The traveler will then see extremely varied
scene2 l.`The topography is quite rugged to the south and southeast
with complicated branches of hills in the central and northwestern
part of the area. However,, this land is covered with fertile
soils, a large part of which are the thick chernozem-pitch soils
so highly valued by the population. The east Rhodope submountain
terrace is famous for the many crops it raises. The wheat fields
of this region seem endless. The fields are covered with wheat,
rye, and barley. By, the end of June they glimmer under the rays of
the sun with a golden yellow-green color. Light-colored, large-stalked,
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they await the rich harvest. Here cooperative-owned land covers
huge areas; it goes up the hills and then goes down toward the
low river valleys. The corn and sunflower crops grow fast and
cover the dark cultivated land, their dark green leaves growing
very tall. In the low places along the river terraces one sees
the vegetable gardens in which tomatoes, peppers, onions, cu-
cumbers, potatoes, and other vegetables are grown. Watermelons
also grow here. The production of vegetables and watermelons
helps satisfy the local needs, and enough is left for shipments
to Khaskovo, the Khaskovo mineral baths, and to the lead and
zinc mines located nearby. The sugar beets grown here go to
Plovdiv.
The east Rhodope submountain terrace also grows other crops.
This is the land of "white gold" -- cotton. Tobacco is also
grown among the hills. Cotton was grown here even in the time of
the Turkish domination, but the area devoted to cotton increased
considerably under socialism. The area planted with tobacco In
the entire submountain terrace covered 20% of the cultivated land
in 1953, and cotton production in the Khaskovo okoliya amounts to
about 3,000,000 measure not specified. Cotton yields increase
year after year. Farmers in Voyvodovo village (Khaskovo okoliya)
have already harvested 313 kg of cotton per deeare, while in the
Purvomay okoliya up to 350 kg per decare have been harvested. The
widest areas sown with cotton are the cooperative-owned fields in
Uzundzhovo village. Wherever one looks the view remains unchanged.
Only cotton grows there. The cotton area dominates all other crops.
With the opening in autumn of the green bolls which grow so abundantly
on the stems of the cotton plant, a new charm is given the dark green
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land. More and more fluffy snow-white balls appear from each
open boll. The plain becomes white. Then hundreds of cotton
pickers enter the cooperative-owned field, and the first cotton-
picking combines start to work.
The area devoted to cotton growing is larger than that de-
voted to tobacco. To the north it reaches the lowlands of the
Maritsa River, end to the south it includes the largest part of
the terrace.
Tobacco covers the entire submountain and hilly region.
outside of the cotton region. Its quality is-only average, not
as good as the Rhodope Mountain tobacco. Tobacco covers 7% of
the over-all cultivated area, and only in the tobacco region does
the area devoted to tobacco zise to 20%. The average yield is 60
kg per decare, but up to 120 kg have been obtained.
In addition to the production of cotton and tobacco, in the
future the cultivation of new agricultural products will be
undertaken, e.g., viticulture and orchard growing. The vast
hilly regions, with their limey soil and good exposure to the
winds,- have been planted with vineyards which grow grapes for
dessert and for wine. In many places orchard trees grow among the
vineyards. The view of the Khaskovo vineyards is particularly
pleasant. These vineyards are located on the limey hill south of
the city. It looks like a strange sort of a rest park in which
grapes and fruit grow abundantly. The thick branches of many wal-
nut trees can be seen among the vineyards, together with almonds,
apricot and cherry trees. The soil and climatic conditions in the
entire submountain terrace are wry favorable for the growing of
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vineyards and orchards. In the forthcoming years the cultivation
of vineyards and orchards will be well represented here along with
the cultivation of cotton and tobacco.
More and more varieties of crops are being grown in this
region. Highly productive livestock raising has been expanded
by the establishment of a solid fodder base. In many TKZS fish
ponds have been stocked, and beehives have been built in the
submountain villages.
Here the most important problem is irrigation. But this
problem will soon be solved. The dam at Studen Kladenets vil-
lage on the Arda River will be completed by the end of the
second five-year plan, and some 10 years from now more dams will
be built on the Kharmanliyaka River at Karamentsi and Trakiets
villages. The waters of other small rivers will also be
dammed. Already the construction of small dams has been com-
pleted at Knizhovnik, Gorski Izvor, and Konush villages. Many
swells have been drilled, and pumping stations have been constructed
in Bolyarovo Voyvodovo, Uzundzhovo, Chernogorovo, Krum, Ivanovo,
Dolno Cherkovishte, and other villages. The area under irrigation
at present covers 20,000 decares. After the new irrigational
works are completed, all of this region will have a sufficient
amount of water. It will produce even more cotton, anise, tobacco,
grapes, and fruit. In the valleys the areas covered by vegetable
gardens and watermelon patches will be increased. Rice, as well
as strawberries, will be grown.
Khaskovoa seen from the heights north or south of the city,
Khaskovo looks like a big settlement stretching over a vast area
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on both sides of the Khaakovsla liver. The narrow river valley
hare can no longer contain this expanded city. That is why the
houses have spread high up the side of the hills. To the south
they have crossed a lour hill and have filled the small, narrow,
beautiful Akssunarr v.-aley, whc::e :* splendid park has been built.
They have reached even higher along the southern bordering height
directly under the level of the vineyards. The city is also
growing to the hest, along the highway to the Khaskovo mineral
baths, and even more to the east toward the railroad station and
around the railroad tracks to Kurdzhali. As a matter of fact,
this entire area is already full of new houses, hospitals, and
industrial enterprises. Since the site on which the city is lo-
cated -Ls quite hilly, the altitude differs in the various parts
of the city, ranging between 130 to 230 m.
:;haskovo began growing particularly after Bulgaria's!libera-
tion from the Tucks, when the old commercial center of Uzundzhovo
declined. The growth of Khaskovo was helped mainly by its
central location in the vase and fertile region of the Khaskovo
submountain terraca, the Maritsa valley to the north, and the huge
area south toward the Rhodope Mountains. At that time Dimitrovgrad
did not yet exist, while Kurdzhali was just a small settlement.
The expansion of the city was aided by the "yellow gold" -- the
best quality Rhodope tobacco which was shipped from the Khaskovo
and Rhodope regions to be processed in the huge warehouses of
Khaskovo"c~rJLllhkinda..og v Iuab3e? industrial crops grow in the
Khaskovo region. This fact also contributed to a greater or lesser
extent to the rapid development of thie comparatively young city,
which was just a village during the Turkish domination. At first
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shaded by trees.
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Khaskovo appeared as a purely Turkish village near the river and
was called 'Khaskyoy (from "Khan" -- land which was given to the
people related to the Sultan, and from "kyoy" -- village). Khadzhi
Kalfa described this city during the seventeenth century as being
owned by a pasha and housing a court and a marketing center for
the region. Gradually the Turkish soldiers moved from the plain
into a permanent settlement in this city. Then its external ap-
pearance began to change, and it became a small Oriental city
with a well-planned central park, market, and beautiful houses.
However, its streets remained narrow and t'Jisting -- dirty, dusty,
and filthy -- and the odor of rot came from the river. The out-
skirts of the city were particularly pitiful. There small, poor
shacks nestled in the midst of large courtyards and rich gardens
The Bulgarians beg~n settling here when the city began to
grow. Skillful craftsmen came from the Rhodope Mountains, and
wealthy farmers came from the plain, and merchants also arrived.
In 1845 the Bulgarians opened a school here and built churches,
and in 1856 they started a cultural club. During the time of the
liberation the city already had 13,000 inhabitants. As the
Turkish population left the city the number'of Bulgarians in-
creased, and in 1910 Khaskovo had a population of 15,067. Parti-
cularly large numbers of settlers came here after 1912 from Thrace
and Macedonia. In 19261the population of Khaskovo was 26,256.
Prior to 9 September 1941E the population remained almost stationary,
numbering 27,394. -In 1955 it was over 30,000. Even today many
Turks, Gypsies.. and people of other nationalities live in Khaskovo.
They enjoy full citizenship rights under the people's regime.
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The city owes its capitalist development mainly to its tobacco.
Even now in the midst of the houses one can see huge tobacco ware-
houses in which the tobacco is processed. In the past this work
gave jobs to thousands who were mercilessly exploited by the rich
tobacco merchants, wholesalers, and owners of the warehouses. No-
where else in Bulgaria was exploitation so merciless, cruel, and
predatory. Working in the-poisonous atmosphere of the warehouses,
in moist and stinking air, the workers carried out their tobacco
manipulation work. Their lungs were burned by the bitter tobacco
dust, which caused them to fall ill with tuberculosis; their eyes
hurt unbearably. Here thousands of the poorest people of the city
and of the villages were destined to become slowly poisoned. In-
cluded were many small children. Their young lungs were burned
day by day.. and the tobacco dust finally sent them prematurely to
their graves. The tobacco tycoons siphoned out the last living
forces of children and, women and of the hurriedly collected "tramps,"
as well as of the workers, who were-not class conscious and organized.
However, the misery and exploitation created also a resistance and a
decision to fight. Heroic strikes took place in Khaskovo, and under-
ground fighting was determinedly waged. Many victims fell. Many
of the leaders of the heroic workers' class perished in the dark
solitary cells of the Khaskovo prison and in the buildings of the
public "security" organs. Here many people were tortured'and killed
and were shot on the Khaskovo streets, or thrown out of windows.
Not only adults, but also youngsters, school pupils, and even in-
fants. However, hundreds of new reserves appeared in their place
ready, as their predecessors, to die for the liberation of their
relatives and for their class. Today the walls of many buildings
and many streets carry commemorative inscriptions to the victims of
this cruel terrorism.
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The bourgeois became wealthy from the blood of the workers.
flew warehouses were built, together with factories for silk and
cotton yarns, forges, mills and oil-extraction factories. When
the Rhodope railroad line was built it-facilitated the transporta-
tion of tobacco from the Rhodope Mountains, food from the plain,
and the industrial production of the region.
Khaskovo changed, as well. The city lost its Oriental look.
City sectors began to be differentiated. There was a rich center
of the city which differed sharply from the poor outskirts. New
offices were built to facilitate the complex mechanism of running
the city..
it.fter the victory of 9 September 1914 radical changes took
place in Khaskovo. The workers became masters of the factories
and tobacco warehouses. Production activities were reorganized;
local industry was organized and developed. Construction com-
menced on a wide scale. The center of the city was renewed, and
the outskirts of the city improved. Streets were paved, bridges
and parks were built, and more areas were planted with trees.
Modern housing projects for the workers and excellent schools
were builtita . seeduoational.s d.,economic institutes. The
city now has many varieties of new schools: general-educational
schools, teachers' training schools, professional schools,
evening technical schools, school institutes, a school for nurses,
and various schools-for the minorities. The People's Theater is
located in the center of,the city facing the main street. It has
been reconstructed inside and out. One can see from afar the big
new post office on the boulevard by the river.
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A water supply, with wells as the source, is being built
to supply Khaskovo's needs. The city has a radio service with
loudspeakers. Many new shops, cooperatives, restaurants, and
canteens have been opened. A new hotel -- the Republika -- was
constructed. The number of children's homes has increased;
clubs were opened; playgrounds and movie halls were built.
Clinics and hospitals were established. There is a cemetery,
an epidemiological center, and an antituberculosis dispensary.
The city hospital is particularly striking. It is a five-story
building covered with white marble and shines like crystal. Now
a new plant for the baking of bread has replaced the work of
dozens of bakeries and facilitates the rapid supplying of bread
to the city.
Many booths have been built around the city marketplaett. In
them the TKZ8 regularly offers to the citizens various types of
fresh agricultural produce -- vegetables, fruit, watermelons,
grapes, milk, etc. A greenhouse has been built for the raising
of early vegetables. A-well-equipped livestock breeding farm
and a machine-tractor station are located near the city.
Many parks have been built in Khaskovo and its surroundings.
One of them which is particularly beautiful is the city public
garden, where the working people can gather on Sundays for relaxa-
tion and rest under the shade of the trees. A park has also re-
cently been built in the center of the city at Liberty Square.
Many other public gardens have been built in the various parka
of the city. In the neighborhood of the city and north of it
there are splendid locations for trips and for rest. One of the
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favorite places of the Khaskovo people is the Kenana site, which
is a natural forest with green meadows and is very popular on
holidays. From Khaskovo hikers go on climbing expeditions to the
Mechkovets (Aida) Peak, which is located nearby, or go along the
valley of-the Ards River and into the eastern Rhodope Mountains.
From Khaskovo a beautiful highway leads to the west, toward
the Khaskovo mineral baths. There are daily bus trips to the
baths. There are abundant warm springs in the foothills of the
Golyamo Gradishte Peak in the Rhodope Mountains. These springs
have great curative properties. Here, particularly in autumn,
many people from the villages and the city come to use the mud-
baths and the varm sulfur water to relieve rheumatism. The baths
are in new buildings, modern, well-equipped, and r:ith all comforts.
1L splendid park with cottages and rest homes has been built here
for the working people. The waters of the baths also are used
in the growing of early vegetables in big greenhouses. Tomatoes
here ripen as early as January. The Khaskovo mineral baths are
being, constantly improved, and the settlement around the baths
is expanding. These baths are becoming more and more important
to all the people in the neighboring okoliyaa.
In the heart of the cotton-growing region: Traveling along
the railroad line from Dimitrovgrad to Khaskovo, the train stops
about midway at -a pretty small railroad station, not far from
which is Uzundzhovo village. The village can also be reached by
following a beautiful road from Khaskovo to Nova Nedeshda on the
Maritsa River. This road turns off the main road at the point where
the Kharmanli Highway starts.
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Uzundzhovo is rarely visited except by those. who want to.
enter the heart of the cotton-growing region. In the past, how-
ever, and particularly during the time of the Uzundzhovo Far,
all roads which led to Uzvndzhovo were filled with men and carts.
But the past glory of Uzundzhovo is returning again today, not
because of its fairs, ,but because of its successes in agri-
culture, the good organization of its TKZS, and its cotton grow-
ing. according to legend, Uzundzhovo was founded by Sinan Pasha
who, admiring this beautiful land, sent here from Konya 40
Turkish families. The Bulgarian population began settling in
this village later, by the end of the eighteenth century, and
worked as farm hands or servants of the Turkish farmers. In
order to immortalize his deeds, the pasha built a splendid mosque,
a caravansary, a bath, and a minaret. He also started the big
annual fair which later became famous. Gradually the fair ao-
quired great fame. It began to be visited by people from all
corners of the huge Ottoman Empire and also from other countries.
Ir the first half of the nineteenth century it was the best fair
in the Balkans arid was internationally famous. This fame was
brought about by many conditions: the fertile plain, the central
location of the settlement, and in general the then-existing
feudal eoonomy. The fair took place in September and continued'
for 50 days. Here came- thousands of people of varied backgrounds ---
Bulgarians, Turks, Greeks, Jews, Russians, Rbmanian8, Persians,'
and Europeans from different countries. Goods arrived from Con-
stantinople and Vienna, from Bucharest'and'Brugge, from Marseilles
and Genoa, from Trieste and Venice, from Alexandria and Naples.
M. 1lanki described in 18/4 the long caravans of. carts - which arrived
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at the fair harnessed to water buffaloes, horses, and camels.
The visitors uaually camped in the open. only the commercial
firma had their established places where they marketed their
products. This was located east of the mosque and stretched
up to the river. Here one could sell wheat and rice from
Thrace, wool from the Karnobat region, rough woolen material
and cloth woven in Balkan cities, cotton and silk fabrics,
Bulgarian and foreign rugs, foreign groceries, iron goods,
ropes, and various other objects. However9 after the Baron
Hirsh railroad was built along the valley of the Maritsa the
patterns of commerce changed, and the fair began to decline.
Nevertheless, it continued almost until the liberation of Bul-
garia, a and the last fair was held in 1876. The glory of
Uzundzhovo of that time was lost forever. Only for a limited
time did the memories of the city remain alive, reflected in the
songs which were sung of this city. After the liberation the
Turks left the village, and its population decreased. b?t
Uzu.dzhovo's expense Khaskovo began to grow rapidly. Today
Uzundzhovo is still one of the large villages in the haskovo
okoliya and numbers over 2,400 in population.
The large old mosque which has been turned into a church
still stands in the plain near the village and is a mute witness
of the past and present history of the village. The rich land
is no longer scratched by wooden, plows. The vast lands are now
being plowed by tractors, combines collect the rich wheat har-
vest,, and the most modern agricultural machinery has been brought
here for the cultivaation - of cotton. Pumps, deep wells, and small
water reservoirs help irrigate vast, areas of land. The cooperative
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 faacm has a membership of 70% of the local popu?iation. The Uzundzhovo
TKZS is one of the best organized in the eountr;. Here many of the
young agricultural students come to learn through practice. The
past glory of the former feudal village is coming back to it because
of its cotton work under the period of reconstruction of socialism.
One of the largest small dams in Bulgaria: Knizhovnik 4tjlage
is located about 15 km to the aout}rea;;:y of Khaskovo. It can also
be reached by train on the railroad lire) from Khaskovo to Kurdzhali.
The topography around the village is varied, and the soil is fertile.
The heights are covered mostly with foreat and pY sturelanc; and the
valleys of the Knizhovnishka and Karamr,inder_e Rivers, whir ~ in lurie
the richest land in the vicinity, are i overed with fields ;..nca, gar-
dens. The fertility of this regio?,t would have been Patch. eater
had there been an adequate amount of w:a sax? In { i sprLng
cater is plentiful, but in summer when the sail ! ; thf rsty for
moisture water is scarce and is quite i nsufi" i ci ent, o irri ,Pte
even the vegetable gardens. Occa..sionally, in the case of abundant
precipitation or rapid melting of the snow, the Karamandere River
fills with a huge mass of water which rapidly collects from the wide
semimountain Rhodope region, which tncludes Mandra, Golemantsi, and
Kozlets villages. Then the river becomes dangerous and threatening.
It has caused serious losses to the populaticr., not only in tits
area of Knizhovnik village, but onwn further down at Malevo vil-
lage, where it flows into the Kharmanhiyaka River. The flooding
of this capricious river has sad,memos ies which have already turned
into legends. More than once this wp`er,has carried away the
golden wheat sheaves, dew ?ayed' the blossoming cotton, covered with
silt the fields of wate?~nk.~1 a. and - tobacco and sun lower, and destroyed
the vegetable gardens. aor.~. the impoveri.shec1 people e e laments --the
despair and the curses for the. Qugeo regime -- could be heard all
over the plain.
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Now, under socialism, the memories remain; but they will
bespeak the fight of the working people against this stubborn
river, of the victory of the people over the river, of the aYuln-
dancy of agricultural production, and of the new life which
must come with the construction of the Kni.zhovnik Dam.
The entire dam is of earth. This dam was scheduled to be
completed in-the summer of 1955. However, in Jahuary of that
year a stormy flood of the river filled the basin of the dam
with water, which pierced the lowest part of the unfinished dam.
The uncontrolled river in a short while not only destroyed the
wall of the dam which had not yet been completed, but also
entirely destroyed the solid right bank of the river. More ef-
fort and labor were again devoted to this project. Thousands
of cubic motors of earth were dug and transported. lumcxeds of
people with carts and two Soviet scrapers dug and transported
night and day hundreds of cubic meters of earth.
Now the wall is entirely completed. It is 220 m long. It
is 60 m wide at the foundation, and 5 m wide at the top. It is
11 m high. The safety canal has-already been completed. The
danger of destruction of the-wall in the case of a new flood has
M
been removed. The safety canal is 35 m wide,. as wide as a normal
river bed. It is bordered with concrete and stone blocks 'a or a
stretch 20 m long. A safety wall, 80 m long and 2.75 ni high, has
also been erected. The safety canal has been dug into solid earth,
and it will take cared the excess water which may.accumulate behihid
the dam.
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The lake created by the dam is already being filled with
water and is gradually becoming bigger and bigger. Meadows,
fields, and trees are being covered with water. When the full
amount of water enters the lake, its area will cover 660 decares,
and it will contain 2,200,000 n3 of water. This water will help
irrigate an area of 7,500 decares. This area will include all
the land which can be irrigated in the Knizhovnik village area,
the area which is not yet irrigated in Malevo village (outside
of the valley of the Kharmanliyska River), and part of the lands
of Zhulti Bryag village. The irrigation will be done by the
gravitational method without the use of pumps. The water will
be released through the main releasing canal which will be equip-
ped with solid gates to control the water. This canal is also
already completed. The main canal is completed, and the irriga-
tional network will be finished in 1956. The lands destined for
irrigation will be irrigated as of the summer of 1956. From that
date the dam will begin regular operations.
The Knizhovnik cooperative farmers will derive another
economic advantage from the dam. The lake formed by the dam has
already been stocked with 10,000 1-year-old carps, and 120,000
other small fishes. The income of the cooperative farmers from
the fish will amount annually to many thousands of lava. Farms
for waterfowl will be built near the shores of the lake. The
lake will be stocked with 2,000 ducks.
The dam will be of great importance to the nearty villages
and to Khaskovo as a place for rest and entertainment and as an
excellent site for trips and relaxation during the holidays. Its
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southeastern shore rises high above the 'mirror-like surface of
the lake, beautiful and charming. It is entirely covered by
vineyards with huge walnut shade trees, cherry trees, and other
orchard trees. Up around the Sveti Iliya chapel the hills
are covered with dark green forests or clover and meadow grass.
These shores will be made even more solid in the future. They
will be covered with coniferous trees, acacias, and orchard
trees. Directly On the shore will be built an attractive
restaurant in the beautiful park. It will be a place for re-
laxation, pleasure, and rest. Summer resorts and camps will
be built here. Here children, students, and hard-working co-
operative farmers will spend their holidays.
The Knizhovnik Dam is one of the largest projects in Bul-
' labor and funds of the
garia, built almost entirely by the
Farm Workers'-Cooperative in Knizhovnik village.
Loutline of the Hydrology of the Maritsa River Basijl7
/,Bulletin of the Bulgarian Geological Society, Vol VI, 1938
? aetOto na or notrakU$ to nizina
2. Beshkov, Professor A. S..,
v b ,I rears oto zemede sko stonanlstvo LThe Role of the Upper
Thracian Lowlands in Bulgarian Agriculturg~, 1938, Sofia
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Mherki no kh~,drQ o Vata na baseina na r M
1. Angelov, B.,
3?
Beshkov, A. S.,
ornotrakivskuta
gamut nat kultUZ 5limate and Cotton Crops in the Upper
Thracian Lowland, IBGD 1933, Vol I
Bonchev; Bakalov, "The Earthquakes of 14 and 2.5. April 1925. in
Southern Bulgaria,, Sn. na- Built. e vo f ulgarian Geo-
logical Society Periodical,, Vol I, i:;No 2
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5. Velev, V., Purvomaiska okoliga. U Ilconometgeoszrafaka kharak-
teristika 5urvomay Okoliya: Economic Geographical Charac-
teriatic, (manuscript)
6. Kamenov; Blagoy, G., "Geology of the Southern Slopes of the
Surnena Gora Mountains in the Brazovo and Chirpan Regions,"
IBGD, Vols XV-XIX
7. Konyarov, G., Kafyayite vuj is ta.v BulggriyA /julgarian
Brown Coaa?/, 1932, Sofia
8. Osnovi na geoloAyata na B uariya .L 'undamentals of Bulgarian
Geology], GodisILnik na Direktsiv a za geolozhlci
a LAnnual of the Geological and Mining Studies
Qrouchvaniy
AdministratigD/, 1946, Sofia
9. Yeranov, D.,
Rodo 5
Contribution on the Morphology of the Western Rhodope
Mountaiz7, Vol VII, 1939
FIGURE CAPTIONSS
(All page numbers refer to pages of original)
Page 21. Climate graphs. graphs refer to Pazardzhik, Plovidv,
Purvomay, Stara Zagora, Khaskovo, and Svilengrad, respectively.
Figures on left refer to precipitation in mm; figures on
right to temperature. Legend to left of each curve refers
to mean annual precipitation; legend to right of each curve
to mean annual temperature. Letters beneath. each individual
graph refer to respective months of the year, January
through December
Page 25. Levels of the Vuoha, Topolnitsa, and Maritsa rivers
during the year. figures to left refer to m3/seoJ
Page 27. View of-the Maritsa River at Popovitsa village.(Aaenov-
grad okoliya).
196
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Page 29. The valley of the Kharmariliyaka River.
Page 47. The Stefan Kiradzhiev Cellulose Plant at the Krichim
railroad station.
Page 50. Vacuum installation at the canning combine in Pazardzhik.
Page 52. Wine cellar in Perushtitsa village.
Page 56. Plowing with a Zetor-type tractor in Purvenets village
(Plovdiv okoliya).
Page 59. Irrigation canal in the Thracian lowlands.
Page 60.
Page 72.
Page 77.
Page 83,,
Page 86.
Page 87.
Page 95.
Page 99.
Page 108.
Pumping station on the Maritsa River.
Rice fields in Purvo May okoliya.
Cotton picking in Chirpan okoliya.
Tomato picking in Ruzhey_ Kona _ _ village,
Vineyards in Plovdiv okoliya.
Vineyards in Brestovitaa.
Cocoons of silkworms in Svilengrad okoliya.
Pal
~rd? highway in the Stara Zagora Plain.
Irrigation canal near Pazardzhik.
Page 112. Apple orchards in Kurtovo Konare village.
Page 116. Grapes of the Dimyat type in the Krichim Plain.
Page 119. In the yard of the Vitamina Canning Combine at the
Krichim-railroad station.
Page 129. Khisar Kapiya Gate in Plovdiv.
Page 133. A typical house in the Plovdiv hills.
Page 138. General view of the city of Plovdiv.
Page 141. The fairgrounds at Plovdiv.
Page 147., Picking apples.
Page 150. A cooperatively-owned peanut field in Purvo,May okoliya.
Page 159. The Vulkan Cement Plant in Dimitrovgrad.
Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2013/02/25: CIA-RDP81-01043R001700150003-0
 Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2013/02/25: CIA-RDP81-01043R001700150003-0
Page 161. In the asbestos-cement plant.
Page 164. Buildings of the Stalin Chemical Combine in Dimitrovgrad.
Page 167. Georgi Dimitrov Boulevard in Dimitrovgrad.
Page 176. Mulberry groves in 1yubimets village (Svilengrad okoliya).
Page 181. Forest belts at Ruzhevo Konare village.
Page 182. A fishpond in the old bed of the Stryama River at Ruzhevo
Konare village.
Page 184. Mechanical cultivation of sugar beets at Ruzhevo Konare
village.
Page 186. The cultural club at Ruzhevo Konare village.
Page 187. A creche for children in Ruzhevo Konare village.
Page 190. A micro-dam at the General Nikolaevo village (Plovdiv
okoliya).
Page 202. Harvesting vetc4in the Stara Zagora Plain.
T.
Page 204. In Lenin Park in Stara Zagora.
Page 210. Tobacco fields in Khaskovo okoliya.
Page 216. Cotton fields in Khaskovo okoliya.
Page 220. A micro-dam near Knizhovnik village (Khaskovo okoliya).
Page 223. A fishpond in Khaskovo okoliya.
Appendix I. Morphohydrographic diagram of the Thracian lowlands.
LLegend, from top to bottoms Boundary of Thracian lowlands;
southern border of Khaskovo submountain terrace; horizontals]
Appendix II. Location of irrigational systems. fLLegends, top to
bottom: Border of Thracian lowlands; the Pazardzhik irriga-
tion system; the Maritsa (Plovdiv) irrigation system; the
Kharmanli irrigation system; the Stara Zagora irrigation system
Appendix III. Map of railroad lines and principal'- highways in-:the
Thracian lowlands.
Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2013/02/25: CIA-RDP81-01043R001700150003-0
 Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2013/02/25: CIA-RDP81-01043R001700150003-0
TABLE OF CONTENTS-
Physiooge:ographic description
Formation of Thracian lowlands
The Plovdiv syenite hills
10
,, The 'Chirpan hills
11
East Rhodope foothills
The climate of the Thracian lowlands
13
19
Rivers in the lowlands
27
Short review of soils
29
Vegetation
31
Population
35
Peoples economy
36
industry
46
Agriculture
Irrigation in the Thracian lowlands
49
Main agricultural crops in the lowlands
59
81
Livestock raising
85
Transportation
Internal and external economic relations
89
92
Across the acian Lowlands
93
Pazerdzhik
96
Across the Krichim Plain
111
Plovdiv,
Along the Valley of the Maritsa River from Plovdiv to
126
156
Svileagrad
In the northern parts of the Plovdiv Plain
156-
167
In the?Chirpan hills
173
In the Stara Zagora Plain
In, the east-Rhodope submountain terrace
180
195
Bibliography
196
jai gore: caption,
-199
Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2013/02/25: CIA-RDP81-01043R001700150003-0