General information and infrastructure
Territory - 885 sq. km
Number of population centers - 91
Population - 95,345
Administrative center - Veliko Tarnovo city
The Municipality of Veliko Turnovo is located in Central Northern Bulgaria at the foot of the Balkan Range and is at an almost equal distance from Sofia, Varna, Plovdiv and Bourgas. The landscape is varied - there are plains, hills and mountains. The average altitude is 208 m. The climate is moderate continental. The meandering Yantra River crosses the town through a number of gorges. There is road, rail and air transport. The density of the road network is 47.1 km/100 sq. m. The municipal road network is 167.50 km long. One important facility in the road infrastructure is the newly-built southern road junction, which is a strategic component of European Transport Corridor No. 9 and joins the most important routes connecting Northern and Eastern Bulgaria with Southern and Western Bulgaria respectively. The town of Gorna Oriahovitsa has an airport and a railway station, which is the largest one in Northern Bulgaria. It is the junction of the railway lines from Sofia to Varna and from Rousse to Podkova and is connected with almost every Bulgarian town and city. Veliko Turnovo and 25 other population centers in the municipality have central water supply from Yovkovtsi Dam Lake and the remaining 11 ones are supplied with water from underground sources. The water supply network is 185,295 m long. There is a waste water treatment plant on the territory of Veliko Turnovo. The sewerage network is about 91,160 m. long. All the population centers in the municipality have electric power supply. As a result of the implementation of a project the street lighting in the towns of Veliko Turnovo, Kilifarevo, Debelets and the village of Sokolovo has been renovated and modernized. Heat is supplied via a central heating system, which is about 41 km long. The heat supply network covers about 14,700 flats and approximately 24,000 people. The number of heat exchangers that have been installed is about 265. A natural gas license has been issued and the area will be converted to natural gas. The ratio between the telephone network density and the installed capacity is 65 % in Veliko Turnovo and between 75% and 85 % in the other population centers. Digitization in terms of subscribers' telephone lines is 34 % and in terms of network transmission it is 100% - via optic fiber and copper cables. Cell phone service provider networks cover 100% of the municipality.
Economy and business
The Municipality of Veliko Turnovo has 3,423 operating enterprises of which 94.13% in the private sector - retail and wholesale trade, technical services and repairs, extraction and processing industry, production and distribution of electricity, natural gas and water, and construction. Trade, industry and services account for 38.5%, 37.4% and 4.6% of revenues respectively.
Agriculture
Arable land totals 42,191.7 ha including 39,645.7 ha of fields, 772.2 ha of meadows and 1,601.5 ha of perennial plants. The soil in the area is suitable for growing vegetables, fruits and vineyards. In terms of crop distribution the greatest share of arable land is taken by cereals, followed by industrial and fodder crops. Vegetables are not so commonly grown. The prospects for stockbreeding are positive. Poultry and pigs are raised mainly in the grain-producing lowland areas in the district, cattle are bred in the central areas and sheep and goats - in the mountainous and hilly areas.
Strategic Projects and Foreign Investments
Construction of a functioning Municipal Center for Information and Public Services; Holding an annual International Folklore Festival in the Municipality of Veliko Turnovo with the assistance of the Veliko Turnovo International Folklore Festival Foundation; Implementation of a PHARE-funded energy efficiency program including 8 pilot projects - Centralized System for Regulating Heat Supply in 13 kindergartens and schools, solar collectors for domestic hot water in 1 kindergarten and replacement of 450-Watt mercury-vapour lamps used for street lighting with energy-saving compact fluorescent lamps; The following projects have been implemented: Financial Plan for Development of the Public Technical Infrastructure of Veliko Turnovo, A Strategic Plan for the Old Military Academy in Veliko Turnovo, Technical Terms of Reference for the development of a surface and groundwater management plan in order to preserve the infrastructure in Veliko Turnovo - between the Municipality of Veliko Turnovo and the City of Golden, Colorado, USA under a technical twinning program between Bulgarian and US municipalities; The Beautiful Veliko Turnovo Project - public works, improvement of urban infrastructure and promotion of tourism; A project for the replacement of street lighting with energy-saving light fixtures; A High-tech Business Incubator - renovation and modernization of the building where the business incubator will be located, technological equipment, management.
Environmental Protection and Tourism
Following a competitive selection procedure the treatment of domestic waste from Veliko Turnovo was granted under concession to TITAN AS OOD - Sofia for a term of 15 years. Domestic waste is treated in a landfill in the Stublitsa area near the village of Sheremetiya. The landfill occupies 3.5 ha and is located 12 km to the south-east of Veliko Turnovo. It is also used for disposal of domestic waste from the town of Lyaskovets and some of the villages in the vicinity. The landfill has been used for more than 30 years and its capacity is almost used up.Studies are now being conducted to select a new regional landfill site. The Municipality of Veliko Turnovo and the adjacent areas have a very good potential for year-round development of different forms of tourism - favourable climatic conditions, unique landscape, existence of natural and historical sights, preserved arts and crafts. The potential of the town lies in the development of a modern tourist industry offering educational, cultural, congress, rural and ecotourism. With the help of Tsarevgrad Turnov EOOD, the municipal tour operator and travel agency, Veliko Turnovo was visited in May 2003 alone by over 6,000 tourists from Bulgaria and abroad. Hunting tourism in the area is traditionally strong and well developed. Hunting grounds in the district are managed mainly by Masalat 99, a company based in Veliko Turnovo. The game is wild boar, doe, hare, wild duck, pheasant and quail. The Municipality of Veliko Turnovo has a special program for the development of sustainable tourism in accordance with its priorities as a winner of the Special EU Award for Sustainable Development for 1997. In this connection, the municipality is open to international cooperation with partners interested in this field.
Natural sights and monuments of culture
The rich cultural and historical heritage and the unique natural, historical and architectural features make Veliko Turnovo a remarkable historical, cultural and tourist center. The museum facilities include museums and exhibitions of national and international significance. On the territory of the municipality there are 1,087 prehistoric, ancient, medieval and Renaissance cultural monuments grouped in protected areas and complexes, as well as 1,515 individual ones. Tourists show strong interest in: Tsarevets Hill - the main fortress of the medieval capital city, now an impressive open-air museum displaying the remains of the royal palace and the patriarchate of the Second Bulgarian Kingdom (12-14 century A.D.). and Trapezitsa Hill - a combination of many churches from the same period. Archeological excavations have discovered the remains of 14 churches with richly decorated interior and exterior. At a distance of 18 km from Veliko Turnovo are the remains of the Roman town of Nicopolis ad Istrum founded by Emperor Traian in 102 A.D. The village of Arbanasi located 4 km away from Veliko Turnovo is famous for its fortress-like houses, (Konstantsaliev's House, Hadjiiliev's House), which have an authentic interior and are richly decorated with woodcarvings, as well as for its churches with their exquisite mural paintings - all of them dating back to the 12-th century A.D. Arbanasi was declared a resort and a "historical village" of national importance. One of the symbols of Veliko Turnovo is the unique audiovisual show called "Tsarevgrad Turnov - Sound and Light". Many non-governmental organizations, foundations, clubs and associations promote culture and the development of the municipality as a tourist center.
Associations, memberships, twin cities
The town of Poltava - Hungary, Nis - Serbia, Toledo - Spain, the Municipality of Colonia Tovar - Venezuela, Asti - Italy, Seres - Greece, Krakow - Poland, the town of Tver - Russia, the City of Golden - Colorado - US, the Municipality of Menara -Geliz of the town of Marakesh - Morocco, Shopron- Hungary.
|
Bulgarian
