Stara Zagora Oblast: The Valley of Roses and Thracian Kings
Stara Zagora Oblast covers a swathe of central-southern Bulgaria, stretching from the sub-Balkan valley in the north to the Sredna Gora range and the Upper Thracian Lowland. With approximately 316,000 residents, it ranks among the more populous provinces. Stara Zagora city, home to around 138,000 people, was rebuilt on a grid plan after being burned during the 1877 Russo-Turkish War and today functions as an important economic centre. The Neolithic Dwellings Museum in the city preserves two of the best-preserved prehistoric houses in Europe, dating to roughly 6000 BC.
Kazanlak, in the northern part of the oblast, sits at the heart of the Rose Valley, where Bulgarian damask roses are cultivated for rose oil production. Bulgaria produces a large share of the world's rose oil supply, and Kazanlak hosts the annual Rose Festival in early June. The Thracian Tomb of Kazanlak, a 4th-century BC burial chamber with remarkably preserved frescoes, is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The Valley of the Thracian Kings along the Tundzha River has yielded dozens of burial mounds and treasure finds over the past decades.
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Stara Zagora Oblast covers a swathe of central-southern Bulgaria, stretching from the sub-Balkan valley in the north to the Sredna Gora range and the Upper Thracian Lowland. With approximately 316,000 residents, it ranks among the more populous provinces. Stara Zagora city, home to around 138,000 people, was rebuilt on a grid plan after being burned during the 1877 Russo-Turkish War and today functions as an important economic centre. The Neolithic Dwellings Museum in the city preserves two of the best-preserved prehistoric houses in Europe, dating to roughly 6000 BC.
Kazanlak, in the northern part of the oblast, sits at the heart of the Rose Valley, where Bulgarian damask roses are cultivated for rose oil production. Bulgaria produces a large share of the world's rose oil supply, and Kazanlak hosts the annual Rose Festival in early June. The Thracian Tomb of Kazanlak, a 4th-century BC burial chamber with remarkably preserved frescoes, is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The Valley of the Thracian Kings along the Tundzha River has yielded dozens of burial mounds and treasure finds over the past decades.
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