Kaspichan

Kaspichan Каспичан
Kaspichan Location of Kaspichan
Coordinates:43°19′N27°10′E
Country	Bulgaria
Provinces (Oblast)	Shumen
Government
• Mayor	Valeri Valkov(independent)
Elevation	106 m (348 ft)
Population (December 2009)
• Total	3,260
Time zone	UTC+2(EET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+3(EEST)
Postal Code	9930
Area code	05327
License plate	H
Website	http://www.kaspichan.org/]

Kaspichan(Bulgarian:Каспичан,pronounced[ˈkaspit͡ʃɐn]) is a town in central northeasternBulgaria,part ofShumen Province.It is located in the easternDanubian Plain,some 70 km (43 mi) from the majorBlack SeaportVarnaand around 120 km (75 mi) from the keyDanubeports ofRuseandSilistra.As of December 2009, the town had a population of 3,260.

Kaspichan is an important railway junction linkingVarnawithSofiaandRusse,Sofia both through a railway line and theHemus motorway.

Geography

Kaspichan Municipality is located in the central part of northeastern Bulgaria. It borders the municipalities ofShumen,Novi PazarandProvadia.The administrative-territorial division includes nine settlements. It occupies an extremely important strategic position in northeastern Bulgaria. The town of Kaspichan is located 66 km from Varna and 120 km on average from the two major Danube ports of Ruse andSilistra.The railway station of the city is an important communication and transport hub in NortheasternBulgaria.Located on the town's land is the village of the same name, which has no land of its own.

History

According to the early 20th-century historianVasil Mikov,the origin of the name of the settlement is narrow, as it is identical to the name of their tribal leader.

Kaspichan began its development as a market, and in 1866 as arailway station,Shumli, on the first railway line fromRuse–Varna.The infrastructural importance of the station for the region grew rapidly after theLiberation.

Evidence of holding rural-municipal elections in the region in 1896 has been preserved.

By Decree No. 546 of the Presidium of theNational AssemblyofSeptember 7,1964, Kaspichan was declared a city and in 1979 it became the center of amunicipality.

Municipality

Main article:Kaspichan Municipality

Kaspichan is the administrative centre of Kaspichan municipality (part of Shumen Province), which includes the following nine places with a total population of 9,822 (as of 2005):

Kaspichan Kaspichan (village) Kosovo Kyulevcha Markovo

Mogila Pliska Varbyane Zlatna Niva

Notable places

The cultural events are held in the cultural center, which unites Chitalishte "Awakening",the city library and the cinema.

The former pioneer home has been turned into a municipal children's complex.

The Orthodox Church ofSt. Panteleimonthe Great Martyr is from the beginning of the 20th century.

In the village of Kaspichan isSt. ElijahEastern Orthodox Church,from the middle of the 19th century.

In the villages ofMarkovoandKosovoare Eastern Orthodox churches from the middle of the 19th century.

In the neighborhood Kalugeritza is a unique Orthodox cemetery with huge crosses from the 15th and 16th centuries. In the area ofKirekaabove the village, the archaeologistTodor Balabanovdiscovered in the 1980s the remains of an earlyChristian monasteryfrom the 4th century.

Annual events

Every year in the town of Kaspichan are held various events (festivals, concerts, fairs, competitions, etc.) related to the "Days of my city", which in Kaspichan begin the last week of May. On July 2 every yearRoca BulgariaAD celebrates its holiday atLokomotiv Stadium,Kaspichan.

Honour

Kaspichan PointonGreenwich Islandin theSouth Shetland Islands,Antarctica,is named after Kaspichan.

• 
  The Kaspichanrailway station,an important junction in the Bulgarian northeast
• 
  Ruins of the early medieval city ofPliska,the first Bulgarian capital
• 
  Central Kaspichan
• 
  Police station

External links

• Kaspichan municipality website(in Bulgarian)