Southern Dobruja

Southern Dobruja, also romanized as Dobrudja, Dobrudza and Dobrudzha among other spellings (Bulgarian: Добруджа) is a Bulgarian region, a part of the greater Dobrudja area located in both Bulgaria and Romania. The region is located in the Bulgarian Northeast, on the eastern part of the Danubian Plain, between the rest of North Bulgaria to the west, the Balkan to the south and the Black Sea Coast to the east. To the north, its boundary is drawn by the Danube river and the international border that separates the region from Northern Dobruja in Romania.

Understand

The region is commonly referred to as the granary of Bulgaria because most of the grain in the country is a product of the region. Grain-rising has historically been the major economical sphere in Dobruja and thus in previous centuries an important economical region. As a result, the area was suitable for a government centre and was the home of the first two capitals of Bulgaria. For centuries, its fertile grounds generated the wealth of its owners so the region has always been well developed. The fruitful environment meant that even after Bulgaria gained back its independence from the Ottoman empire in the late 19th century, many Turks decided to stay in Dobrudja and live in the reinstated Bulgarian country. Today, the region has many ethnic Turks so it is not uncommon to hear people speaking Turkish for example.

Cities

• 1 Dobrich (Добрич) — the administrative centre of Dobrich Province, and the ninth largest city in the country by population.
• 2 Isperih (Исперих) — town with a multi-ethnic population, close to Thracian tomb of Sveshtari, a UNESCO World Heritage site.
• 3 Razgrad (Разград) — the administrative centre of Razgrad Province. Notable mostly for the ruins of the ancient Roman city of Abritus.
• 4 Shumen (Шумен) — a huge, Communist-era monument looms over the city from the top of the green Shumen Plateau; several historic sites are nearby - the medieval capitals of Pliska and Preslav and the Madara Rider, another UNESCO World Heritage Site. Another province centre, and the tenth largest city in the country by population.
• 5 Silistra (Силистра) — city on the banks of the Danube. The administrative center of Silistra Province.
• 6 Targovishte (Търговище) — a calm provincial city, the administrative centre of Targovishte Province.
• 7 Tutrakan (Тутракан) — small town on the Danube with an old fishing area; a large battle took place there in World War I, so there is a military cemetery that commemorates it.
• 8 Veliki Preslav (Велики Преслав) — a small town in Shumen Province. Notable for the extensive ruins of the medieval city of Preslav, the second capital of the First Bulgarian Empire.

Do

• Watch football at PFC Ludorets Razgrad, who play soccer in the Bulgarian First League, the country's top tier. Their home ground is Huvepharma Arena, capacity 10,400, in Razgrad town centre.