Stara Zagora

Stara Zagora is one of the oldest towns on the territory of today’s Bulgaria. The town is quite famous for its rich history and fertile lands. Stara Zagora is situated in the geographical centre of the country. Its origin can be traced back to Thracian times, when back then the town was known under the name of Beroe. Later on, after the Romans settled in, the town was rebuilt and renamed into Augusta Trayana, after the emperor Trayan. The arrival of Slavic tribes was followed in those areas (6th century AC) and then the town appears in annals as Vereya, while under the rule of Byzantium. Then its name was changed into Irinopolis.

Today, Stara Zagora is called by the locals as the Town of Limes for the abundancy of lime trees planted along the main streets of the. The town was ruined during the Russian-Turkish Liberation war, but after the Liberation in 1878 it was rebuilt following the model of the straight geometrical system. The town plan, designed by the Czech Loubor Bayer, astonishes visitors with its perfectly straight and perpendicular streets and makes the town Stara Zagora unique in Bulgaria. Yet despite its thorough reconstruction, the town keeps the remains of the Augusta Trayana fortress and other sights of interest, such as Roman mosaics in 20 different places in the town. The Eski Mosk (Eski Djamia), built during the 15th century by the Ottomans, has to be seen as well.