Information about Yambol

The town of Yambol with population: 82 924, 135 m above sea level is situated in the eastern part of the Upper Thracian Lowland, on the banks of the Tundzha River. The town is at 37 km. north of Elhovo, 106 km. west of Bourgas, 28 km. south - east of Sliven and 304 km. east of Sofia. It is one of the oldest Bulgarian towns.

History

The earliest traces of communal life were discovered in the dozens of prehistoric living mounds. The so called Racheva and Marcheva mounds are located on the territory of the present day town. Some of the finds recovered there are kept in the Archaeological museum in Sofia, and predominantly in the Museum of History in Yambol. The ancient town sprang up as a Thracian settlement called Kabile at an important crossroads. Later it became a significant fortress. During the Roman domination the town reached its prime. On his way trough the town in 293 emperor Diokletian gave it the name of Disopolos. It existed till 378 when the Goths destroyed it. The first written information dates back to 6 th century. Since 11 ? 14 th centuries it was mentioned as a Bulgarian town having different names Diosopolis, Dublino, etc. The town was among the first to put up resistance to the Ottomans. It was conquered in 1373 after a long siege. Part of the imposing fortress walls and towers of medieval, Yambol have been preserved till present days. During the Turkish rule many Turks settled to live here, and after the Russian ? Turkish war of 1829 many Bulgarians from the town and the vicinity emigrated to Russia. The Russian armies liberated the town in January 1878. In memory of this act the people built and inaugurated the St. Alexandar Nevski Temple ? the first monument of the Bulgarian ? Russian friendship in Bulgaria.

Besides the contribution that this town has given to the archaeological studies it has another contribution to the world progress - Yambol is the native place of the artist of world popularity George Papazov and John Popov. The computer inventor - John Atanasov has family roots in the district.

Climate

The Middle parts of Tundzha valey spread over the most of the district. The hilly plain relief predominates - 100 - 150m above the sea level. The North areas of Tundja valley are characterized by trans-continental climate while the south parts have typical continental - Mediterranean climate. The average annual temperatures are 12-12.50 C. The Tundzha River, the fourth of its size with an earth embankment, flows through the district. Mineral water wells are found near the village of Stefan Karadzhovo. Agricultural lands take 76.9 % of the whole district territory and the forests - 15.5 % of it. The wood resources include elm-tree, yoke-elm, willow, poplar, oak tree.