A new estate area situated on the way to Golden sands, just 1 km before St. Konstantin resort. The area has been developed as a royal summer residence and in 1882 the Euxinograd Palace is build. Many nice properties are being developed here as magnificent sea views are possible.
The palace and its wonderfully kept formal gardens resemble a French chateau. It is set in a beautiful wooded parkland which reaches down to the fine sandy beaches. On the edge of the estate the famous and delicious Euxinograd wine , cognac and rakiya are bottled.

The Palace – History
The construction of the palace began soon after the land which it occupies was given to Knyaz Alexander of Bulgaria as a present by the Greek bishopric on 16 March 1882. There had previously been small monasteries called St Demetrius and St Constantine at that place, the buildings of which were subsequently converted into another small residence.
The interiorViennese architect Viktor Rumpelmayer designed the palace, which was named Sandrovo in 1885 after the Italian diminutive of Alexander’s name — Sandro. Later the knyaz extended the estate to its contemporary area of 80 hectares.
The Unification of Bulgaria was proclaimed in Euxinograd in 1885 by Alexander, and after the knyaz’s abdication the palace was bought by the state for 1,400,000 gold leva. It was eventually finished under Tsar Ferdinand, to whom the Bulgarian state awarded it after that, by Swiss architect Hermann Mayer and Bulgarian architect Nikola Lazarov. The palace was renamed Euxinograd in 1893 on the insistence of Knyaginya Marie Louise, Ferdinand’s first wife. The name comes from the Ancient Greek term for the Black Sea, ???????? ?????? (Euxeinos Pontos, “hospitable sea”) and the South Slavic suffix –grad, meaning “town” or, historically, “fortress”.
Tsar Ferdinand’s second wife, Tsaritsa Elenore, died in Euxinograd on 12 September 1917.
After the abolishment of the monarchy in Bulgaria following the end of World War II, Euxinograd became a summer residence of the then-Communist authorities. The democratic changes in 1989 made the former royal palace a presidential and governmental residence and opened it for the public.

The Palace – Buildings
Modelled after the French Ch?teau de Saint-Cloud, Euxinograd is often considered to be one of the finest examples of post-Liberation architecture in Bulgaria. After the French chateau was destroyed in 1870, Ferdinand bought the pediment of its right-hand wing for the Euxinograd palace in 1890–1891. The palace was designed after the French 18th-century ch?teau style, with a high metal-edged French roof, figured brickwork and a clock tower.
The statue of NeptuneEuxinograd has three storeys: the first housing the reception halls, the music hall and the dining room, the second being the place where the chambers of the royal family are located, and the third intended for the staff. The furniture is made of mahogany and walnut wood and the giant chandelier decorated with a royal crown and gold lilies is a gift from the House of Bourbon. The doorhandles of the toilets bear the coat of arms of Tsar Ferdinand. The sundial, a gift from Queen Victoria, is another object of interest.
The palace’s wine cellar was created in 1891 for the needs of the Bulgarian royal family and takes up two underground floors. It still produces high-quality white wine (12 varieties) and brandy (7 varieties). The wine produced in the palace nowadays is thought of as one of the best in Bulgaria. The Euxinograd cellar also preserves valuable 125-year-old French wines since the Liberation of Bulgaria.

The Palace – Park
The Euxinograd park, the arrangement of which began in 1890 and took several decades, is home to over 310 plant varieties from Asia, South America, North Africa and Southern France, said to be picked out by Ferdinand himself. It occuipies an area of over 550 decare. The park is a combination of English and French styles and was finished by ?douard Andr?. It has two bridges, a metal one and a cement one, which imitates a felled tree. The area is surrounded by vineyards.
The tiny Kestrichka Bara River flows through the park. The park also features a small lake full of lilies, French-made bronze figures and a sculpture of Neptune. More than 50,000 trees were purchased from Marseille and fertile soil was brought from the mouth of the Kamchiya River.

source: wikipedia

Location
The Elhovo municipality is situated in the southeast part of the Republic of Bulgaria and is included in the administrative unit of the District of Yambol.
It borders the Topolovgrad municipality, District of Haskovo, to the southwest, the Bolyarovo municipality to the east, the Republic of Turkey to the southeast, and the Tounja municipality to the north.
The total territory of the Elhovo municipality is 708 sq. km and encompasses 22 settlements.

History
The town of Elhovo is situated along the valley of the Lower Toundzha River.
The favourable natural conditions made human presence possible in the region as early as the Neolithic (6000-4000 BC). Evidence for that are the discovered stone and copper tools and the hand-made pottery with carved ornaments.
The Bronze Age culture was that of the Thracians. There are preserved remains of Thracian fortresses, settlements and burial mounds. Most of the artifacts discovered in them are fragments of pottery, weapons, tools and votive tablets with the image of the Thracian Horseman. The Thracians also left interestingly built megalithic tombs called dolmens. It was the Thracians that built the first settlement near the present-day town, which was known as Orouditsa.
The region fell under Roman rule in 72 BC. They fortified the settlement and called it Orudica ad Burgum – a road station between Cabile and Adrianopolis. The Romans left many traces of their material culture, mostly fragments of pottery and structural ceramics, coins and bronze sculptures.
The town was known as Yoanitsa during the early Middle Ages. The Slavs settled permanently on the Balkan Peninsula in c. 7 AD. They pronounced the name of the town as Yanitsa.
The Elhovo region was annexed to the Bulgarian state, which was officially founded in 681, during the rule of Khan Kroum (802-814). A proof to that is the famous Hambarlii Inscription, which was found in the near the present-day village of Malomirovo.
The town was conquered by the troops of Timourtash Bey in 1373. That event was the start of the hardest period in the historical development of Elhovo – the five-century Ottoman rule.
The Elhovo region gave its modest contribution to the struggles for new Bulgarian education, an authonomous Church (from the Greek Patriarchate) and national liberation. The town’s first school was opened in 1833; and the townspeople drove out of town the hated Greek metropolitan Dionysius in the spring of 1874. The construction of a new church with a nave and two isles was finished in 1877/1878 to replace the small and half-built into the ground chapel.
The first form of resistance against the Ottoman oppressors was the haidout movement (more or less chaotic struggle by small groups of rebels) – especially popular among its leaders were Indzhe Voivoda and Kara Kolyu. An organized revolutionary movement was started in1872 with the foundation of a Secret Revolutionary Committee headed by the tailor Dzhenko Dimitrov. The town welcomed its liberation on 21 January 1878 at a great sacrifice of life.
The years at the end of c. 19 and the beginning of c. 20 were marked by the struggles of the Bulgarian people for the realization of its national ideal – a free and united Bulgarian state. The soldiers from the Elhovo region fought bravely and many of them died with the name of Bulgaria on their last breath. 103 inhabitants of the town were killed in the wars of 1912-1918.
The town gradually established itself as an administrative and economic centre in the following years. Its Turkish name Kazalagach of the Ottoman rule was replaced with the Bulgarian name Elhovo and it was legally acknowledged as a town with Decree № 86 of 18 march 1925.
A new stage in the historical development of Elhovo started in the 1940’s. The Fatherland Front came to power on 10 September 1944 and active preparation for participation in the Fatherland War started at once. The fallen in the war were 16 inhabitants of Elhovo, and over 100 inhabitants of the whole municipality.
The town changed radically in the second half of c. 20, affirming itself as a leading administrative and economic centre.
Overcoming the latest difficult period in its historical destiny, the Elhovo region today strives for a better future. There is a lot of work yet to be done for its becoming a well-developed and prosperous part of Bulgaria. This is the aim of all people who are connected with it and devoted to it.

Source: bulgaria.domino.bg

Karnobat is a town in the Burgas Province, Bulgaria.

Geography
Karnobat municipality is situated in the south-eastern part of the Bulgaria and it falls within the administrative boundaries of Burgas region. Rishki Passage links the municipality to north Bulgaria. The Karnobat-Aitos range of the Balkan mountain is located in the northern part of the municipality. Hisar hills raise to the south of the town of Karnobat. The territory of Karnobat municipality is 806 km?, 87.37% of which is agricultural land, 9.81% forest land and 2.82% residential areas.

History
The Karnobat region, located in front of the south approaches of the Rishki and Varbishki passes, features an ancient history, dating back to the Neolithic era. Villages and tumuli reveal traces of life from the Neolithic and the Iron Age, rich settlement life during the antiquity and Middle Ages.The first information for Karnobat was written in 1153 and included in The Geography by Muhammad al-Idrisi- Arabic traveller and scientist. The historical sources show that since the 19th century up to present days the town has always been an administrative, economic and commercial centre with a traditional yearly fair.

The town of Karnobat was mentioned under different names in the documents from the Turkish registers and travel notes: Karinovassa. Karinabad, Karnovo…

After the foundation of the Bulgarian state in 681, because of its exceptional role, the lands of the Karnobat region were field of many battles between Bulgaria and Byzantium. Markeli fortress, a south Episcopal and military center, located 7.5 km west of Karnobat, has been the most significant place of interest since the times of the First Bulgarian Kingdom. During the Ottoman rules, the town was an important administrative and trade center included in the Silistra district. The fact that the Bulgarian priest Stoiko Vladislavov (known as Sofronii Vrachanski, one of the prominent men of the Bulgarian national revival) performed the service in Karnobat parish is indicative of the revival processes that took place in the region from 1791 to 1792.

During the Renaissance Karnobat became the rallying point for cultural and educational development of the region. St. Yoan Theologian Church was built in 1838. Razvitie Reading Club (now St. Kiril i Metodii Reading Club) one of the first reading clubs in South-Eastern Bulgaria was established in 1862 and a non-clerical school was opened in 1864.

The town had a significant contribution to the religious struggles during the Renaissance-in the 19th century the active and public-spirited citizens of Karnobat expelled the bishop of Anhialo and in this way they completely eliminated the Greek influence.

During the Russian-Turkish War (1877-1878) the region became a victim of outrageous bashi-bazouks and Circassians.

The Liberation of Karnobat on 24 January 1878 gave grounds for huge social and economic reforms. The town strengthened its positions as a cultural and educational center. About 22 periodicals reflect its new appearance.

Population
According to the data of the carried out census of the population on 04.12.1992 (4 December 1992 or April 4, 1992) the constant population in Karnobat municipality has been 32 868 and in the end of 1999 it has been 31,444. From the period since 1965 up to now the population has constantly decreased. Basically this is due to the migrations and the worsen age structure in some of the villages in the municipality-Devetnitsi, Kozare, Dobrinovo, San Stefano. In the process of the mechanical movement major part of the migrating population has been oriented to the municipal centre and a small part of the municipality.

Residential areas
Karnobat municipality includes in its administrative territory totally 30 residential places – 1 town and 29 villages, with population of 31,444 persons in 1999, 21,557 of which live in the municipal centre the town of Karnobat. Among the villages only Ekzarh Antimovo is with a population over 1000 people. With a population of 500 to 1000 people are the villages of Iskra, Krumovo, Gradishte, Klikach and Nevestino. The rest villages are with a population under 500 persons. With population under 100 people is only the village of Kozare. The residential areas are 22.74 km?, which represents 2.8% of the municipal territory (806 km?). Housing areas of 9.445 km? cover 41.5% of the fund. The lands in the residential areas under cultivation and used for private industry are 8.377 km? (36.8%).

The average population density of is 1400 people per square kilometer, or average 710 m? of residential territory per a resident. Only two of the villages are with indexes which are near to the average for the municipality. The typical density of residence is up to 10 people/ha gross density of residence.

Museums
The museum house “Dimitar Polyanov” is the only preserved and reconstructed renaissance house, built in the 70s of ХІХ century. The museum exhibition has been established on 23.11.1973 and possesses a fund, which contains belongings, documents, works and letters of the writer D. Polyanov, born in the town of Karnobat, as well as property of his family, necessities of life. In the museum and in the nearby located and recently constructed similar house exhibition of the ethnographic way of living in the region and of the famous authors from the town is in a process of establishment.

The historical museum in the town has been established in 1921 as an archeological collection. Its creator is the explorer with many years of service, a principal of the local high school Atanas Ignatiev Karaivanov. Since 1953 it has become a state museum with three departments – “Archeology”, “Ethnography” and “New History”. In 1992 “Nature” department has been established as well. It is located in a separate building in the southern park in the town, next to the zoo.

Culture
Cultural club “Dimitar Polyanov” has a city library, a picture gallery named after the world famous Bulgarian painter Bencho Obreshkov, born in Karnobat. The cultural club hall is with 310 seats and the movie hall beside it – with 460 places. To the cultural club, there is an amateur mixed choir with about 50 singers, which in 1992 celebrated 90 years since its establishment. In 1993 a cultural club ensemble for folk songs and dances has been established as well. Recently the variety and satiric ensemble to the cultural club celebrated 75 years of its establishment. Within the days of the traditional annual May festivals of culture the municipal folk festival is held as well.

Gorna Oryahovitsa is a town in northern Bulgaria, situated in Veliko Tarnovo Province, between the towns of Veliko Tarnovo and Dolna Oryahovitsa. The nearby village of Arbanasi is an architectural reserve with a large number of historical monuments, such as medieval churches and examples Bulgarian National Revival architecture.

Early history
The first settlement in the area dates back to the second half of the 5th millennium BC (Middle Neolithic Age). There are traces of a later Thracian settlement between the Kamaka (The Stone) Hill and the Arbanasi Plateau. Its inhabitants were from the tribe of Krobizi. They erected the Kamaka Fortress that existed from the 5th century BC to the 1st century BC, when the Romans built up their own fortified settlement over its ruins. It gradually acquired economic power mainly through cultivating grapes and producing wine. The life of that settlement continued up to the coming of the Slavs (6th-7th century). There is no substantial evidence of settled life between the 7th and the 12th century.Middle Ages
After the restoration of the Bulgarian State at the end of the 12th century, a need arose for protection of the new metropolis Tarnovgrad. Several fortresses were built, including Rahovets (4 km northwest of the modern town). The main purpose of the strongholds was to protect the roads leading to the Bulgarian capital Tarnovgrad. The name Rahovets means ‘road fortress’ (from Persian rah, meaning ‘road’). The medieval fortress gave its name to the modern town, even though with some Slavic twist.

During the Ottoman invasion the fortress was conquered by the Ottomans after its water pipeline was cut off (without destroying the fortress). Rahovets existed up to the year 1444 when King W?adys?aw Warne?czyk during his campaign against the Ottomans destroyed it. Three individual small villages existed during the first centuries of Ottoman rule there – Mala (Little), Sredna (Middle) and Golyama (Greater) Rahovitsa.

Development and growth
During the Bulgarian National Revival Gorna Oryahovitsa gradually turned into an economically strong settlement. Crafts prospered and trade was among the most active in Northern Bulgaria. Every Friday there was a big market for cattle, agricultural production, timber, and charcoal. As early as 1822 a monastery school was opened here and in 1827 a private school that became public in 1835 began functioning. In 1850 the first girls’ school opened gates and in 1859 the first intermediate high school was founded. A chitalishte (library and community centre) was opened in 1869. Gorna Oryahovitsa was proclaimed a town in 1870, when it numbered 4,700 inhabitants and had 1,200 houses and 5 churches.

Revolutionary struggles
The population of the town took part in the struggle for national liberation. Vasil Levski organised a revolutionary committee in Gorna Oryahovitsa during the first half of 1869 and later visited the town two more times. During the preparation of the April Uprising Gorna Oryahovitsa was designated as a centre of the First Revolutionary District with Stefan Stambolov as Chief Apostle. After the failure of the April Uprising, Georgi Izmirliev “Makedoncheto” (the Macedonian), one of the local leaders, was hanged in the centre of Gorna Oryahovitsa. His last words were: “How good it is to die for the freedom of the Fatherland!”. Three citizens of Gorna Oryahovitsa fought in Hristo Botev’s detachment of armed volunteers and 132 people joined the Bulgarian volunteer forces during the Russo-Turkish War of Liberation. The Imperial Russian Army liberated Gorna Oryahovitsa from Ottoman rule on 26 June 1877.

Liberated Bulgaria
After the Liberation the town developed as a significant transport (predominantly railway) centre as it is nowadays. Its proximity with the old metropolitan town of Veliko Tarnovo, tourist centre Arbanasi, the monasteries around and a great number of other sites of interest makes it a known tourist destination.

Economy
Gorna Oryahovitsa is an important producer of sugar and sugar products in Bulgaria. Apart from the major sugar factory Sugar Plants Ltd. the town also has numerous smaller firms producing sweets and pastries.