Septemvri

Septemvri (Bulgarian: Септември, lit. September) is a town in Pazardzhik Province, Southern Bulgaria, located at the western end of the Upper Thracian Lowland, 19 km (12 mi) away to the west from the city of Pazardzhik. It is the administrative centre of homonymous Septemvri Municipality. As of December 2009, the town has a population of 8,422 inhabitants.[1]

Septemvri Септември
Municipality
Septemvri Municipality
Coat of arms
Septemvri Location in Bulgaria
Coordinates: 42°13′N 24°06′E
Country	Bulgaria
Province	Pazardzhik Province
Population  (December 2009)[1]
• Total	8,422
Time zone	UTC+2 (EET)
Postal code	4490

History

Four Thracian mounds and traces of two ancient cities - Greek[2] Pistiros and a Roman town that lies on Trayan's Drum were discovered near the town. It has succeeded as an old Bulgarian settlement, which was destroyed in the late 14th century during the Ottoman onslaught. The town was rebuilt at the end of the 15th century under the Turkish name of Sara Khan bey, and carried this name until 1949.

Septemvri developed into a typical railway town following the construction of the Haskovo–Belovo railway line in 1873. The scenic Septemvri-Dobrinishte narrow gauge line to the Rhodopi mountain town of Dobrinishte over Bansko was constructed in 1945.

In 2011 a couple of gun-ballers cycled from Oxford to Septemvri.

References

1. (in English) Bulgarian National Statistical Institute - towns in 2009
2. Readings in Greek History: Sources and Interpretations by D. Brendan Nagle and Stanley M. Burstein , 2006,page 232: A GREEK TRADING POST IN THRACE"... Maronea, Apollonia, and Thasos living in the trading post of Pistiros. ...