Kyustendil

Kyustendil
	Kyustendil; Кюстендил
	; Coat of arms
	; Coat of arms
	; Kyustendil Location of Kyustendil
	Coordinates: 42°17′N 22°41′E / 42.283°N 22.683°E
Country	Bulgaria
Province; (Oblast)	Kyustendil
	Government
- Mayor	Petar Paunov
Elevation	513 m (1,683 ft)
	Population (2007-06-01)
- Total	51,872
Time zone	EET (UTC+2)
- Summer (DST)	EEST (UTC+3)
Postal Code	2500
Area code(s)	078
License plate	KH

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Coordinates: 42°17′N 22°41′E / 42.283°N 22.683°E / 42.283; 22.683

Kyustendil (Bulgarian: Кюстендил, historically Велбъжд, Velbazhd) is a town in the far west of Bulgaria, the capital of Kyustendil Province, with a population of 58,059 (2005 census). Kyustendil is situated in the southern part of the Kyustendil Valley, 90 km southwest of Sofia. It was named after the Serb medieval lord of eastern Macedonia, Constantine Dragaš.

[edit] Geography and history

Kyustendil is a national balneological resort at an altitude of 500 metres. The ancient name of the town, Pautalia (a town of springs) is Thracian^[1].

There are more than 40 mineral springs in the town. The waters have a high content of sulfite compounds. These are used for the treatment of the locomotory system, gynecological and other kinds of diseases. The resort region includes several baths, balneological complexes and others.

Kyustendil is located at the foot of the Osogovo mountain, on both banks of the Banska River and is a well-known centre of balneology and fruit growing. The town is 90 kilometres southwest of Sofia, 69 km northwest of Blagoevgrad and 22 km from the border with the Republic of Macedonia. The fortress was built by the Romans. Thermae, basilicas, floor mosaics have been uncovered.

A Thracian settlement was founded at the place of the modern town in the 5th-4th century BC and the Romans developed it into an important stronghold, balneological resort and trade junction called Pautalia in the 1st century AD.

The Hisarlaka fortress was built in the 4th century and the town was mentioned under the Slavic name of Velbazhd (Велбъжд, meaning "camel")^[1] in a 1019 charter by the Byzantine Emperor Basil II. The name came from the name of its heir, Konstantin Velbazhd. It became a major religious and administrative centre.

During the reign of Kaloyan, the town was liberated and became part of the Second Bulgarian Empire, acquiring its modern name in the 16th century, named after a local feudal lord Konstantin Dragash (ruled from 1379 to 1395).^[1] In 1330 the Battle of Velbazhd took place in the vicinity of the town. After the war, she was under Serbian rule between 1330-1355. About 1355 Velbuzhd and its region were included in the semi-independent feudal Velbazhd principality of Despot Deyan. In 1372 the Turks conquered the town. It was known as "Köstendil" during Ottoman rule. Köstendil was derived from Constantine Dragas' name. She was a sanjak centre at first in Rumelia province, after Manastır and Nis vilayets. She was a kaza centre in Sofia sanjak in Tuna Vilayeti before the creation of the Principality of Bulgaria in 1878.

The residents of Kyustendil took an active part in the Bulgarian National Revival and crafts and trade flourished. The town was liberated from Ottoman rule on 29 January 1878.

[edit] Sister cities

Cocoa Beach, Florida, USA

[edit] Honour

Pautalia Glacier on Livingston Island in the South Shetland Islands, Antarctica is named after Pautalia.

[edit] Notable people

Constantine Dragaš, 14th-century local ruler
Ilyo Voyvoda (1805–1898), hajduk, revolutionary and Bulgarian liberation fighter (died in Kyustendil)
Dimitar Peshev (1894–1973), World War II Minister of Justice who prevented the deportation of the Bulgarian Jews to Nazi death camps
Todor Angelov (1900–1943), communist revolutionary and anti-fascist terrorist in Belgium

[edit] Gallery

The municipality hall (architect Friedrich Grünanger)	The municipality hall
			Timber-framed tower	10th-11th century Church of St George in the Kolusha neighbourhood