Topolovgrad
Тополовград
Coat of arms of Topolovgrad
Coat of arms
Topolovgrad is located in Bulgaria
Topolovgrad
Topolovgrad
Location of Topolovgrad
Coordinates: 42°5′N 26°20′E / 42.083°N 26.333°E / 42.083; 26.333
CountryBulgaria
Provinces
(Oblast)		Haskovo
Government
 • MayorBozhin Bozhinov
Elevation
311 m (1,020 ft)
Population
 (2020)
 • Total5,131
Time zoneUTC+2 (EET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+3 (EEST)
Postal Code
6560
Area code0470

Topolovgrad (Bulgarian: Тополовград [toˈpɔlovɡrat], lit. 'town of poplars'; Greek: Καβακλί) is a town in south-central Bulgaria, part of Haskovo Province, situated at the northern foot of the Sakar Mountain. It is the administrative centre of the homonymous Topolovgrad Municipality.

Etymology

Until 1934 the town was known as Kavakli, a name deriving from the Turkish word kavak, "poplar", under this name it was also known by its Greek inhabitants.

History

Topolovgrad and the surrounding area have been inhabited since ancient times, as evidenced by the dolmens found at Hlyabovo and the Paleokastro fortress that may have been built by the Thracians.

Until the early 20th century, the town was predominantly inhabited by Greeks (96 percent) and hosted Greek schools and churches. Although a Greek majority town, after 1906, the Bulgarian government appointed the first Bulgarian mayor.[1] From 1906 to 1925, about 22,000 Greeks left the town and its surroundings and settled in Greek Macedonia. They were replaced by groups of Bulgarian refugees from Western Thrace, Eastern Thrace, Asia Minor and Macedonia. The Greek dialect of Topolovgrad is still spoken by some descendants in several villages of Greek Macedonia (see the video documentation from Koufalia village by Thede Kahl and Sotirios Rousiakis).

People

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References


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