Plovdiv, Bulgaria

Plovdivis thesecond-largest cityinBulgariaafter the capitalSofia. It is the administrative center ofPlovdiv Province. Plovdiv's history spans 6,000 years and it is one of the oldest European cities.

Plovdiv is situated in south-central Bulgaria, in Thracian valley, on the two banks of theMaritsa River at the foot of the Rhodope Mountains. Through Plovdiv a network of international roads of great significance passes, such as the road Sofia-Edirne-Istanbul or Sofia-Plovdiv-Burgas.

City of Plovdiv	The Coat of Arms	Location in Bulgaria

In Plovdiv there are many enterprises of food industry, metallurgy and textile industries. The business fair of international importance is held in the city. Plovdiv is situated on the main road between Minor Asia and Central Europe. The city has two airports. According to the census of December in 2006, the city has 377,425 inhabitants.

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Silistra Bulgaria

Silistra is a port city in the northeast of Bulgaria. Silistra is the administrative centre of theSilistra Province. The city lies on the southern bank of the lowerDanubeat the country's border with Romania.

City of Silistra	The Coat of Arms	Location in Bulgaria

Built by the Romans, Silistra (Durostorum) was a fortress of great strength, which covered the northern corner of the famous Quadrilateral (Ruse, Silistra, Shumen and Varna), however its walls were knocked down after the Berlin Treaty of 1878.

The city was part of Romania between 1913 and 1940. According to the census of 2005 the number of inhabitants is 49,166.

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Kyustendil, Bulgaria

Kyustendil is a town in the far west of Bulgaria with the total population of 51,000. It is the administrative center of Kyustendil Province and the municipality of Kyustendil. Near the town a great battle was fought, in which the forces of the Serbian king Stefan (1322-1331) and the young king Dusan (king from 1331-1346, Emperor from 1346-1355) defeated the Bulgarian army on 28.6.1330. The city is named after Konstantin Dragas, a 14^th-century regional lord.

City of Kyustendil	The Coat of Arms	Location in Bulgaria

The name the city has today was given by the Ottomans after their occupation of this region at the end of XIV century; it was called Kyustendil, which means Constantine’s spa when translated literally from Turkish. The town was named Kyustendil since it was ruled by a Serbian lord Constantine.

The town lies in the Gorge of Kyustendil, not far from Osogovo Mountain, in the mountainous region of Bulgaria. It is 69 km far from Sofia and 22 km from the border with the Republic of Macedonia. Kyustendil is a famous balneological center in Bulgaria.

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Kumanovo, Маcеdonia

Kumanovo with the population of 70,000 is the third largest city in the Republic of Macedonia (after Skopje and Bitola) and the seat of Kumanovo Municipality which is the largest municipality in the country. It is situated in the northeast of Macedonia at an altitude of 344 metres. The rivers Lipovka and Kojnarka flow through the city. It is believed that the city is named after the Cumans, a Turkish tribe that migrated there in 12. and 13. century.

City of Kumanovo	The Coat of Arms	Location in Macedonia

In the vicinity of Kumanovo, on October 23, 1912 a famous battle, in which the Serbian army defeated the Turkish army and forced to withdraw, was fought. That was one of the most important battles in the First Balkan War. At Srebrnjak, nearby the battlefield, the monument was built and during World War II the Bulgarians partially demolished it.

According to the census from 2002. Kumanovo has 70,842 inhabitants (105,484 in the municipality). The city has developed metal and textile industry. Kumanovo has good road and railway connections with Veles, Skopje and Serbia in the north. The Skopje airport is located about 30 kilometres south of the city.

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