Razgrad
Province: Razgrad
Population: 39 540
Postal code: 7200
Area code: 084
Geographic coordinates: 43° 32' north, 26° 31' east
Time zone: EET (UTC+2; UTC+3 in summer)
General information:
The Razgrad Region occupies a strategic position in Northeast Bulgaria, built upon the ruins of the Ancient Roman town of Abritus on the banks of the Beli Lom River. It is the centre of a district of the same name and consists of 19 settlements build-up with many holiday homes in Bulgaria. According to the National Classification of the Settlements, the town of Razgrad is of the 2nd functional type and the remaining settlements and the holiday homes in Bulgaria are from the 4th to the 7th functional type.
The municipality's population is 34.35% of the District of Razgrad's population and 0.8% of the country's population mainly living in holiday homes in Blugaria. Тhe density of the population in the Razgrad municipality is 108 people/sq.km and is higher than the average for the district and for the country (75.2 people/km2). Razgrad has one of the dense Turkish populations mostly living in holiday homes in Bulgaria, with 25% of the municipality's citizens declaring to be Turks in 1998. An absolute majority of 68% are Bulgarians, with the remaining 4% being composed for the most part of Gypsies.
The percentage of the urban population has increased in the period of urbanization from 27% in 1955 to 69% in 1999 for the country, and to 72.3% for Razgrad due to that there were many inhabited holiday homes in Bulgaria.
The smaller villages are becoming depopulated, and only aged people have remained in them. This sharpens the social problems in the villages and is a serious challenge to their stabilization and technical modernization. Because of that reason the price of the land and the properties is very low, but with very good future perspectives for profits, which is very attractive for the investors in holiday homes in Bulgaria.
Transport
All settlements and holiday homes in Bulgaria are connected with asphalted roads, whose surface are in good conditions.
The first Bulgarian railway line passes through the Razgrad municipality.
The municipality is connected by transport arteries with the nearest harbours and airports, which makes the passenger and freight services and the air and sea cargo services, very suitable for holidays homes in Bulgaria buyers.
Distances from the municipal centre Razgrad to:
The nearest checkpoint to Europe and the nearest international river harbour in the town of Rousse – 66 km;
The nearest international sea harbour and the Varna Airport – 134 km;
The republican road network to the capital Sofia – 371 km.
The total length of the street network in the settlements was 456 km by the end of 1999, including 121 km in the town of Razgrad and 327 km in the remaining holiday homes in Bulgaria settlements.
The length of the republican road network on the territory of the Razgrad municipality is:
First-class road - 1-2 (Е 70) - 27.3 km
Second-class road - ІІ 49 - 18.7 km
Third-class roads - 74.5 km
Fourth-class roads - 86.8 km
There are bus lines to all municipalities of the district, the neighboring districts and the towns of Bourgas and Sofia and to some of the holiday homes in Bulgaria. The railway transport is less used largely because of the longer time of traveling.
Water supply
The drinking water for the settlements is drawn from local water sources and the "Donaub" water supply system. The capacity for water supply from the functioning water sources is about 21 000 000 cub. m supplying all the villages and holiday homes in Bulgaria and the average annual consumption is 6 700 000 cub. m. The large reserve is due to the dropping out of a great number of consumers from other municipalities, whose water supply by the "Dounav" system was planned.
The internal water-supply system of the settlements is with a prevailing diameter ø60 and ø80, reaching ø900 at some places, and the prevailing material is asbestos cement. Its construction started in 1930 and now covers almost all of the holiday homes in Bulgaria. The system has been enlarged with steel and high-density polyethylene pipes in recant years.
The supply of the main water quantities from the "Dounav" water supply system, the comparatively medium share of the local water sources and the medium percentage of the losses in the distributional network predetermine the medium prices of the water for the country.
There is a constructed sewerage system only in the town of Razgrad and in the whole municipality there is a project for extending the system covering area of more settlements and holidays homes in Bulgaria. Its construction started in 1934. Its total length is 64.7 km. the prevailing material are concrete pipes, and their diameters vary from ø200 to ø1 200 cm. there are regions with personal building-up, which are not included in the system.
In the Region function: three industrial waste water purification plants IIWWPP); - of "Amillum - Bulgaria" JSCo, "Balkanpharma" JSC (the construction of the latter is still incomplete) and "Pilko BS" JSC; five local waste water purification plants (LWWPPP) - of 'Serdica" JSC, "Drouzhba", JSC"Meskoms" JSC, "Persey Oil" JSC and "HImik" JSC, in the town of Razgrad. The waters of "Himik" JSC are debouched in the collector of "Balkanpharma" JSC, and of the remaining enterprises - in the town sewerage system.
With the developing of the economy and the consumption an actualization of the designs is necessary. The receptacle of the treated waste waters is the Beli Lom River.
The major receptacle of the purified domestic and industrial waste waters is the Belli Lom River, which answers the standard's requirements for the second category of surface waters. The town of Razgrad has a constructed town waste water purification plant, situated in the west part of the town. It was put into operation in 1975. Domestic, industrial and rain waters are debouched into it through a mixed sewerage system. The sewerage system is 90% constructed, with average degree of usability 86%. The larger industrial enterprises, debouching their waste waters in the sewerage system, have local waste water purification equipment.
The industrial waste water purification plant of "Balkanpharma" JSC is still under construction - it is at the moment attached to the TWWPP by a temporary scheme.
Telecommunications
The automatic exchange of the town of Razgrad has a capacity of 29 300 telephones. All settlements and most of the holiday homes in Bulgaria are provided with telephones service. The total telephonic provision is 45.5 telephones per 100 people for personal use. An enlargement of the exchange's capacity by 3000 more telephones is planned. A modern combined automatic exchange with digital automatic inter-settlement exchanges is under construction. The installation of a digital telephone multiplexer, through which the automatic exchanges and the telex machines will be connected to the Digital Automatic Exchange - Sofia, is forthcoming.
The municipality's area has a range for using the services of the mobile operators Mobiltel, Globul and Mobicom.
Four Internet services providers functioned in the Razgrad municipality by the middle of 2000 –BTC, Tsifrovi Sistemi (Digital Systems), Infotel (of the Bulgarian Telecommunications Company), Razgrad.net and Abritus.net.
Cable operators also compete on the television market in the town of Razgrad -CST - Getsovo Globo, Evrocom. They cable televisions also offer high-speed Internet services.
Electric supply
The modern electric supply system in the municipality is very well-developed and designed to accept a high loading to the towns and the holiday homes in Bulgaria. The technical condition of the used equipment is good and answers the requirements of the National Bulgarian State Standard.
An optimization of the schemes of 10 and 20 kV is necessary in order to ensure the reliability of the electricity supply in extreme climatic conditions.
Some regions need a replacement of the low-voltage network with one with a greater section and a construction of additional transformer posts for improving the quality of the electricity supply of the end users and the owners of holiday homes in Bulgaria.
It is necessary to introduce a more efficient street lighting.
The percentage of the heated dwellings is 31%.
The structuring enterprises in the industrial zones are gasified. The company "Gazosnabdyavane - Razgrad" JSC (Gas Supply), in which the Razgrad Municipality is a shareholder, was founded in 1998. Its objects are construction, design, exploitation and repairs of gas distribution networks. A network of 20 km was constructed for the gasification of the public sector. Ten social objects in the fields of education, health care and sports were gasified. The gasification of six more objects of the budget-financed sphere and a part of the holiday homes in Bulgaria is planned for 2008.
Economy
The Razgrad region provides 1.59 % of the country GDP. Most of the foreign citizens who work in the municipality, use the services of the Holiday homes Bulgaria.
The structuring branches of the municipality's economy are: the pharmaceutical, the food, the silicate, tobacco and beverage industries, other industries, commerce and services farming and forestry, tourism related with holiday homes in Bulgaria.
Razgrad is known as a centre of the pharmaceutical industry. The leading enterprise is the “Balkanpharma - Razgrad” JSC.
The kaolin deposits and the immediate proximity of the production base of "Kaolin" JSC to them predetermine the development of the silicate industry.
The firm “Diamant” JSC produces sheet, reinforced, ornamental and water glass, mirrors, household and fine porcelain.
The region has a well-developed agricultural structure favouring the development of the food industry. Leading enterprises in this branch are:
• Amilum - Bulgaria” JSC
• “Perseus Oil” JSC
• "Mlechna Promishlenost - Razgrad” Ltd. (Dairying Industry)
• “Messokombinat - Razgrad” JSC (Meat-Packing House)
• “Mlin - Razgrad” JSC
• “Pilko BS” Ltd.
The commercial network in the district is comparatively well developed. Since the demand of commercial goods is decreasing as a consequence of the population's low buying capacity, part of the shops and the catering and entertainment objects changed their activities.
The services on the municipality's territory are concentrated in the town of Razgrad and are mostly in the private sector. The hairdressing, tailoring, photocopying and computer services, and also the repairs of household appliances and the car service, are developed. In contrast to the overall decrease in production, this sector increases its earnings and brings over 38% of the total revenue.
The last years' tendency in the municipality's economy is towards an increase of the private sector's percentage, attracting many foreigner owners of holiday homes in Bulgaria to start a private business.
After the land restitution, an opportunity was given for the development of the small and medium-sized business. Small processing enterprises –slaughterhouses, dairies and sausage workshops - were founded in the villages of Kichenitsa, Lipnik, Dyankovo and Yassenovets.
There is a high potential for the foundation of new small enterprises for the production of auxiliary products for the existing industrial enterprises – crates, packages, pallets etc.
Mainly Bulgarians, Turks and Gypsies live in the municipality.
The last data from the National Statistical Institute are for 1999 . According to them, the mechanical growth of the Razgrad municipality is positive - as an absolute number it is 93, and as a quotient - 1.6. Presently 52.26% of the inhabitants in the Razgrad municipality are women and the percentage of the men is 49.74%. The average ratio for the country is similar – 51.23 women versus 48.77 men.
The reform of the structuring branches of the municipality's economy has led to a increase in the number of the employed in industry, building and farming.
In the professional structure, the percentage of the employed with a specialty is high, followed by the percentage of those without workers' professions.
The data in the table show that more than half of the municipality's inhabitants are at employable age, about 1/4 are under employable age and nearly 1/5 - over employable age. It is a worrying fact that the number of the inhabitants at and under employable age is decreasing each year while the number of the inhabitants over employable age is increasing.
The continuing economic growth, which reflects upon the functioning of the state-owned, cooperative and private firms, makes it necessary that measures should be taken to provide more employment for the municipality's population.
The most substantial resource in the development of the labor market and the reduction of unemployment is in the possibility of reviving the municipal economy.
Ecology
The main receptacle of the purified domestic and industrial waste waters is the Beli Lom River, which answers the standard's requirements for the second category of surface waters. The town of Razgrad has a constructed town waste water purification plant (TTWWPP), situated in the west part of the town. It was put into operation in 1973. Domestic, industrial and rain waters are debouched into it through a mixed sewerage system. The sewerage system is 93% constructed, with a degree of usability 88%. Some of the larger industrial enterprises, debouching their waste waters in the sewerage system, have local waste water purification equipment.
The waters from the purification plant of “Amilum - Bulgaria” JSC have very good characteristics and are debouched into the Main Lipnik Dam.
The industrial waste water purification plant of "Balkanpharma" JSC is still under construction - it is at the moment attached to the TTWWPP by a temporary scheme.
As a consequence of the insufficient purification of the waste waters in the TTWWPP, the concentrations of ammonia nitrogen and phosphates are much above the allowable in the waters of the Beli Lom River after its passing through the town.
The sanitation of the settlements is performed by two basic schemes: settlements in which the activities of this type are either partially or completely organized by the municipality. The collection, transportation and deposition of the waste in the town of Razgrad and the villages of Getsovo, Poroishte and Strazhets are performed by a municipal enterprise. The waste in the remaining settlements and from the holidays homes in Bulgaria is thrown away in regulated waste depots by its owners themselves. The all the solid domestic waste in all settlements is disposed of by depositing onto special waste-unloading platforms. They are all situated upon unfertile and uncultivable municipal land.
The number of the assigned waste platforms in the municipality is 26, and additional unregulated waste platforms were created in some of the settlements as a consequence of the insufficient control on the part of the mayoralties. There are constructed roads to all waste-unloading platforms.
There are not any soils polluted with heavy metals in the town of Razgrad's area and around the holiday homes in Bulgaria as well. There are not any registered industrially polluted lands. The grey forest soils are by their nature predisposed to acidification.
The main sources of noise are the road transport and the industrial enterprises. The central town part is spatially limited, with a heavy traffic, and the public administrative buildings and the residential buildings are situated in immediate proximity to the roads. The internal spaces of the districts and around the holiday homes in Bulgaria are not affected.
The values of the background radiation are within the average for the country. There are not any traced sources of radioactive pollution.
Agriculture
The Razgrad municipality is situated on an area of 599 378 decarеs. The agricultural territories occupy 424 588 decares and constitute 72% of the total area. Grey forest soils and black earth prevail in the municipality very suitable for cropping and rural tourism.
Consolidated farm land is cultivated by cooperatives founded by the territorial principle, by renting, leasing. Few local farmers and foreign owners of holiday houses in Bulgaria work their own land.
The grain production is very well developed in the municipality. The cereals occupy about 55% of the total cultivated land and entirely cover the grain balance necessary for the feeding of the population.
The industrial crops - sunflowers, tobacco, sugar beet and oil-seed rape, occupy about 25% of the cultivated areas.
The percentage of the other crops is as follows:
Fodder crops - 18%
Vegetables - 2.6%
Medicinal plants (mustard, caraway, coriander, etc.) - 3%
Perennial plants - 1%
Deserted and inclined terrains - 1.8%.
The family tobacco-growing has been restored, especially in the municipality's larger villages -Dyankovo, Osenets, Mortagonovo and Yasenovets.
The restoration of the vineyards and orchards is a priority task.
The stock-breeding is concentrated mainly in the private sector at the moment. There is a cow-breeding farm by the village of Getsovo.
An animal market was constructed in the village of Getsovo and close to other holiday homes in Bulgaria, with means provided by the PHARE program in 1990 in the place of the existing informal market.
Medical institutions
The Regional Hospital - Razgrad is the largest medical establishment in the region, which gives medical aid to the population of seven municipalities.
Founded 125 years ago, the hospital is now an affirmed medical establishment. In order to improve the quality of the medical services and to bring its activity into compliance with the World Medical Establishments Act, an accreditation took place in 1999, as a result of which the number of the beds was reduced from 864 to 681. 30 intensive-care и 4 reanimation beds were established.
The emergency medical aid on the territory of the Razgrad municipality is performed in the Centre for Emergency Medical Aid - Razgrad. The centre is provided with modern medical equipment, ambulances and communications. Its staff consists of 20 doctors, 30 nurses and 29 people of other staff.
The village health-care network of the municipality serves a population of about 26 500 people included the proprietors of holiday homes in Bulgaria in the region. One village health centre, nine village medical sections and eight health centres served by medical auxiliaries function at the moment. The medical aid is performed by 11doctors, 28 cadres with a secondary or college education and 15 people of other staff.
Education institutions
There are the following educational institutions in the municipality according to the degree of education: two colleges – the Technological College of the Higher Technical University - Rousse, and the Economic College of the University of National and World Economy - Sofia.
For satisfying the children's and the youths' needs in the fields of science, technology, art and sports, various training centres and schools, and the "Europe Schools – Foreign Languages and Management Centre”Ltd(providing services to the holiday homes in Bulgaria owners) function in the municipality
There is cooperation with the non-governmental organizations. Public councils have been founded to help the local authorities for the leading of a modern educational policy for the development of the civil society and for the working out of local educational projects.
Museums
The development of the museum work is an important factor in the development of the region's culture through the years. Its beginning was laid as early as 9 years after the National Liberation in 1879 by the botanist and public worker Acad. Anani Yavashev, who was born in Razgrad.
The Historical Museum, founded by him in 1887, now is works with and popularizes over 53 500 movable cultural monuments.
The largest exhibition is the archaeological, which has a depository, a specialized library, restoration studios and a photographic darkroom.
The ethnographic museum exhibition is in a separate museum, which is part of the National Revival Architectural Complex "Varosha". That complex of 6 houses from the 19th century with spacious gardens is also an attractive place for tourism. There are many holiday houses in Bulgaria and the region made in traditional authentic style, which attracts many tourists in the country around the world.
Places of interest
There are about 300 immovable archaeological, architectural, art and historical cultural monuments, including churches, the Clock Tower, the mosque "Ibrahim Pasha", fountains, public buildings, memorial monuments, etc.
The archaeological reservation "Abritus" with an area of 1 000 decares is a cultural monument of national importance. The settlement is of the Roman era (c. 1-4 AD). Part of the south necropolis with graves from c. 2-4, a fortified wall from c. 3, buildings' foundations, etc. have been researched.
The Momina Cheshma (The Lass' Fountain) (1885) is also a symbol of the town. This original and exquisitely worked cast-iron statue of a girl in a classic style is the only female figure of its kind in Bulgaria.
The temple "Sv. Nikolay Chouditvorets" (1860) -the first dome basilica to be built in the town - is also among the monuments of the National and the Church Revival of Razgrad in c. 19.
The Art Gallery "Ilia Petrov" searches, buys and stores works of the fine arts. It popularizes its stock and organizes representative and temporary thematic exhibitions. It possesses a basic stock of 2 064 works and an auxiliary stock of 785 works.
Some of Razgrad's landmarks include the Varosha architectural complex from the 19th century, the ethnographic museum and several other museums, the characteristic clock tower in the centre built in 1864, the St Nicholas the Miracle Worker Church from 1860, the Momina cheshma sculpture and the Ibrahim Pasha Mosque from 1530. The mosque is the third largest one in the Balkans (excluding Istanbul) and its reconstruction has still not been completed, having begun in Communist times.
The first orchestra in Razgrad was founded in the middle of the nineteenth century. The history of the theatrical work started at the same time.
The symphony orchestra prepares and plays symphony concerts, records its performances, and organizes the Musical Days “Dimitar Nenov” and the Balkan Forum of Young Pianists. It also performs activities of musical education.
The Dramtic Theatre "Anton Strashimirov" performs its own theatrical production of a highly professional artistic standard. It organizes an international forum of the alternative theatrical forms - the Balkan regional festival "Theatre for Peace".
The professional folk ensemble searches, arranges and performs Bulgarian folk songs and dances. It delivers an educational performance for the schools' pupils and performs recording and publishing activities.
Population: 39 540
Postal code: 7200
Area code: 084
Geographic coordinates: 43° 32' north, 26° 31' east
Time zone: EET (UTC+2; UTC+3 in summer)
General information:
The Razgrad Region occupies a strategic position in Northeast Bulgaria, built upon the ruins of the Ancient Roman town of Abritus on the banks of the Beli Lom River. It is the centre of a district of the same name and consists of 19 settlements build-up with many holiday homes in Bulgaria. According to the National Classification of the Settlements, the town of Razgrad is of the 2nd functional type and the remaining settlements and the holiday homes in Bulgaria are from the 4th to the 7th functional type.
The municipality's population is 34.35% of the District of Razgrad's population and 0.8% of the country's population mainly living in holiday homes in Blugaria. Тhe density of the population in the Razgrad municipality is 108 people/sq.km and is higher than the average for the district and for the country (75.2 people/km2). Razgrad has one of the dense Turkish populations mostly living in holiday homes in Bulgaria, with 25% of the municipality's citizens declaring to be Turks in 1998. An absolute majority of 68% are Bulgarians, with the remaining 4% being composed for the most part of Gypsies.
The percentage of the urban population has increased in the period of urbanization from 27% in 1955 to 69% in 1999 for the country, and to 72.3% for Razgrad due to that there were many inhabited holiday homes in Bulgaria.
The smaller villages are becoming depopulated, and only aged people have remained in them. This sharpens the social problems in the villages and is a serious challenge to their stabilization and technical modernization. Because of that reason the price of the land and the properties is very low, but with very good future perspectives for profits, which is very attractive for the investors in holiday homes in Bulgaria.
Transport
All settlements and holiday homes in Bulgaria are connected with asphalted roads, whose surface are in good conditions.
The first Bulgarian railway line passes through the Razgrad municipality.
The municipality is connected by transport arteries with the nearest harbours and airports, which makes the passenger and freight services and the air and sea cargo services, very suitable for holidays homes in Bulgaria buyers.
Distances from the municipal centre Razgrad to:
The nearest checkpoint to Europe and the nearest international river harbour in the town of Rousse – 66 km;
The nearest international sea harbour and the Varna Airport – 134 km;
The republican road network to the capital Sofia – 371 km.
The total length of the street network in the settlements was 456 km by the end of 1999, including 121 km in the town of Razgrad and 327 km in the remaining holiday homes in Bulgaria settlements.
The length of the republican road network on the territory of the Razgrad municipality is:
First-class road - 1-2 (Е 70) - 27.3 km
Second-class road - ІІ 49 - 18.7 km
Third-class roads - 74.5 km
Fourth-class roads - 86.8 km
There are bus lines to all municipalities of the district, the neighboring districts and the towns of Bourgas and Sofia and to some of the holiday homes in Bulgaria. The railway transport is less used largely because of the longer time of traveling.
Water supply
The drinking water for the settlements is drawn from local water sources and the "Donaub" water supply system. The capacity for water supply from the functioning water sources is about 21 000 000 cub. m supplying all the villages and holiday homes in Bulgaria and the average annual consumption is 6 700 000 cub. m. The large reserve is due to the dropping out of a great number of consumers from other municipalities, whose water supply by the "Dounav" system was planned.
The internal water-supply system of the settlements is with a prevailing diameter ø60 and ø80, reaching ø900 at some places, and the prevailing material is asbestos cement. Its construction started in 1930 and now covers almost all of the holiday homes in Bulgaria. The system has been enlarged with steel and high-density polyethylene pipes in recant years.
The supply of the main water quantities from the "Dounav" water supply system, the comparatively medium share of the local water sources and the medium percentage of the losses in the distributional network predetermine the medium prices of the water for the country.
There is a constructed sewerage system only in the town of Razgrad and in the whole municipality there is a project for extending the system covering area of more settlements and holidays homes in Bulgaria. Its construction started in 1934. Its total length is 64.7 km. the prevailing material are concrete pipes, and their diameters vary from ø200 to ø1 200 cm. there are regions with personal building-up, which are not included in the system.
In the Region function: three industrial waste water purification plants IIWWPP); - of "Amillum - Bulgaria" JSCo, "Balkanpharma" JSC (the construction of the latter is still incomplete) and "Pilko BS" JSC; five local waste water purification plants (LWWPPP) - of 'Serdica" JSC, "Drouzhba", JSC"Meskoms" JSC, "Persey Oil" JSC and "HImik" JSC, in the town of Razgrad. The waters of "Himik" JSC are debouched in the collector of "Balkanpharma" JSC, and of the remaining enterprises - in the town sewerage system.
With the developing of the economy and the consumption an actualization of the designs is necessary. The receptacle of the treated waste waters is the Beli Lom River.
The major receptacle of the purified domestic and industrial waste waters is the Belli Lom River, which answers the standard's requirements for the second category of surface waters. The town of Razgrad has a constructed town waste water purification plant, situated in the west part of the town. It was put into operation in 1975. Domestic, industrial and rain waters are debouched into it through a mixed sewerage system. The sewerage system is 90% constructed, with average degree of usability 86%. The larger industrial enterprises, debouching their waste waters in the sewerage system, have local waste water purification equipment.
The industrial waste water purification plant of "Balkanpharma" JSC is still under construction - it is at the moment attached to the TWWPP by a temporary scheme.
Telecommunications
The automatic exchange of the town of Razgrad has a capacity of 29 300 telephones. All settlements and most of the holiday homes in Bulgaria are provided with telephones service. The total telephonic provision is 45.5 telephones per 100 people for personal use. An enlargement of the exchange's capacity by 3000 more telephones is planned. A modern combined automatic exchange with digital automatic inter-settlement exchanges is under construction. The installation of a digital telephone multiplexer, through which the automatic exchanges and the telex machines will be connected to the Digital Automatic Exchange - Sofia, is forthcoming.
The municipality's area has a range for using the services of the mobile operators Mobiltel, Globul and Mobicom.
Four Internet services providers functioned in the Razgrad municipality by the middle of 2000 –BTC, Tsifrovi Sistemi (Digital Systems), Infotel (of the Bulgarian Telecommunications Company), Razgrad.net and Abritus.net.
Cable operators also compete on the television market in the town of Razgrad -CST - Getsovo Globo, Evrocom. They cable televisions also offer high-speed Internet services.
Electric supply
The modern electric supply system in the municipality is very well-developed and designed to accept a high loading to the towns and the holiday homes in Bulgaria. The technical condition of the used equipment is good and answers the requirements of the National Bulgarian State Standard.
An optimization of the schemes of 10 and 20 kV is necessary in order to ensure the reliability of the electricity supply in extreme climatic conditions.
Some regions need a replacement of the low-voltage network with one with a greater section and a construction of additional transformer posts for improving the quality of the electricity supply of the end users and the owners of holiday homes in Bulgaria.
It is necessary to introduce a more efficient street lighting.
The percentage of the heated dwellings is 31%.
The structuring enterprises in the industrial zones are gasified. The company "Gazosnabdyavane - Razgrad" JSC (Gas Supply), in which the Razgrad Municipality is a shareholder, was founded in 1998. Its objects are construction, design, exploitation and repairs of gas distribution networks. A network of 20 km was constructed for the gasification of the public sector. Ten social objects in the fields of education, health care and sports were gasified. The gasification of six more objects of the budget-financed sphere and a part of the holiday homes in Bulgaria is planned for 2008.
Economy
The Razgrad region provides 1.59 % of the country GDP. Most of the foreign citizens who work in the municipality, use the services of the Holiday homes Bulgaria.
The structuring branches of the municipality's economy are: the pharmaceutical, the food, the silicate, tobacco and beverage industries, other industries, commerce and services farming and forestry, tourism related with holiday homes in Bulgaria.
Razgrad is known as a centre of the pharmaceutical industry. The leading enterprise is the “Balkanpharma - Razgrad” JSC.
The kaolin deposits and the immediate proximity of the production base of "Kaolin" JSC to them predetermine the development of the silicate industry.
The firm “Diamant” JSC produces sheet, reinforced, ornamental and water glass, mirrors, household and fine porcelain.
The region has a well-developed agricultural structure favouring the development of the food industry. Leading enterprises in this branch are:
• Amilum - Bulgaria” JSC
• “Perseus Oil” JSC
• "Mlechna Promishlenost - Razgrad” Ltd. (Dairying Industry)
• “Messokombinat - Razgrad” JSC (Meat-Packing House)
• “Mlin - Razgrad” JSC
• “Pilko BS” Ltd.
The commercial network in the district is comparatively well developed. Since the demand of commercial goods is decreasing as a consequence of the population's low buying capacity, part of the shops and the catering and entertainment objects changed their activities.
The services on the municipality's territory are concentrated in the town of Razgrad and are mostly in the private sector. The hairdressing, tailoring, photocopying and computer services, and also the repairs of household appliances and the car service, are developed. In contrast to the overall decrease in production, this sector increases its earnings and brings over 38% of the total revenue.
The last years' tendency in the municipality's economy is towards an increase of the private sector's percentage, attracting many foreigner owners of holiday homes in Bulgaria to start a private business.
After the land restitution, an opportunity was given for the development of the small and medium-sized business. Small processing enterprises –slaughterhouses, dairies and sausage workshops - were founded in the villages of Kichenitsa, Lipnik, Dyankovo and Yassenovets.
There is a high potential for the foundation of new small enterprises for the production of auxiliary products for the existing industrial enterprises – crates, packages, pallets etc.
Mainly Bulgarians, Turks and Gypsies live in the municipality.
The last data from the National Statistical Institute are for 1999 . According to them, the mechanical growth of the Razgrad municipality is positive - as an absolute number it is 93, and as a quotient - 1.6. Presently 52.26% of the inhabitants in the Razgrad municipality are women and the percentage of the men is 49.74%. The average ratio for the country is similar – 51.23 women versus 48.77 men.
The reform of the structuring branches of the municipality's economy has led to a increase in the number of the employed in industry, building and farming.
In the professional structure, the percentage of the employed with a specialty is high, followed by the percentage of those without workers' professions.
The data in the table show that more than half of the municipality's inhabitants are at employable age, about 1/4 are under employable age and nearly 1/5 - over employable age. It is a worrying fact that the number of the inhabitants at and under employable age is decreasing each year while the number of the inhabitants over employable age is increasing.
The continuing economic growth, which reflects upon the functioning of the state-owned, cooperative and private firms, makes it necessary that measures should be taken to provide more employment for the municipality's population.
The most substantial resource in the development of the labor market and the reduction of unemployment is in the possibility of reviving the municipal economy.
Ecology
The main receptacle of the purified domestic and industrial waste waters is the Beli Lom River, which answers the standard's requirements for the second category of surface waters. The town of Razgrad has a constructed town waste water purification plant (TTWWPP), situated in the west part of the town. It was put into operation in 1973. Domestic, industrial and rain waters are debouched into it through a mixed sewerage system. The sewerage system is 93% constructed, with a degree of usability 88%. Some of the larger industrial enterprises, debouching their waste waters in the sewerage system, have local waste water purification equipment.
The waters from the purification plant of “Amilum - Bulgaria” JSC have very good characteristics and are debouched into the Main Lipnik Dam.
The industrial waste water purification plant of "Balkanpharma" JSC is still under construction - it is at the moment attached to the TTWWPP by a temporary scheme.
As a consequence of the insufficient purification of the waste waters in the TTWWPP, the concentrations of ammonia nitrogen and phosphates are much above the allowable in the waters of the Beli Lom River after its passing through the town.
The sanitation of the settlements is performed by two basic schemes: settlements in which the activities of this type are either partially or completely organized by the municipality. The collection, transportation and deposition of the waste in the town of Razgrad and the villages of Getsovo, Poroishte and Strazhets are performed by a municipal enterprise. The waste in the remaining settlements and from the holidays homes in Bulgaria is thrown away in regulated waste depots by its owners themselves. The all the solid domestic waste in all settlements is disposed of by depositing onto special waste-unloading platforms. They are all situated upon unfertile and uncultivable municipal land.
The number of the assigned waste platforms in the municipality is 26, and additional unregulated waste platforms were created in some of the settlements as a consequence of the insufficient control on the part of the mayoralties. There are constructed roads to all waste-unloading platforms.
There are not any soils polluted with heavy metals in the town of Razgrad's area and around the holiday homes in Bulgaria as well. There are not any registered industrially polluted lands. The grey forest soils are by their nature predisposed to acidification.
The main sources of noise are the road transport and the industrial enterprises. The central town part is spatially limited, with a heavy traffic, and the public administrative buildings and the residential buildings are situated in immediate proximity to the roads. The internal spaces of the districts and around the holiday homes in Bulgaria are not affected.
The values of the background radiation are within the average for the country. There are not any traced sources of radioactive pollution.
Agriculture
The Razgrad municipality is situated on an area of 599 378 decarеs. The agricultural territories occupy 424 588 decares and constitute 72% of the total area. Grey forest soils and black earth prevail in the municipality very suitable for cropping and rural tourism.
Consolidated farm land is cultivated by cooperatives founded by the territorial principle, by renting, leasing. Few local farmers and foreign owners of holiday houses in Bulgaria work their own land.
The grain production is very well developed in the municipality. The cereals occupy about 55% of the total cultivated land and entirely cover the grain balance necessary for the feeding of the population.
The industrial crops - sunflowers, tobacco, sugar beet and oil-seed rape, occupy about 25% of the cultivated areas.
The percentage of the other crops is as follows:
Fodder crops - 18%
Vegetables - 2.6%
Medicinal plants (mustard, caraway, coriander, etc.) - 3%
Perennial plants - 1%
Deserted and inclined terrains - 1.8%.
The family tobacco-growing has been restored, especially in the municipality's larger villages -Dyankovo, Osenets, Mortagonovo and Yasenovets.
The restoration of the vineyards and orchards is a priority task.
The stock-breeding is concentrated mainly in the private sector at the moment. There is a cow-breeding farm by the village of Getsovo.
An animal market was constructed in the village of Getsovo and close to other holiday homes in Bulgaria, with means provided by the PHARE program in 1990 in the place of the existing informal market.
Medical institutions
The Regional Hospital - Razgrad is the largest medical establishment in the region, which gives medical aid to the population of seven municipalities.
Founded 125 years ago, the hospital is now an affirmed medical establishment. In order to improve the quality of the medical services and to bring its activity into compliance with the World Medical Establishments Act, an accreditation took place in 1999, as a result of which the number of the beds was reduced from 864 to 681. 30 intensive-care и 4 reanimation beds were established.
The emergency medical aid on the territory of the Razgrad municipality is performed in the Centre for Emergency Medical Aid - Razgrad. The centre is provided with modern medical equipment, ambulances and communications. Its staff consists of 20 doctors, 30 nurses and 29 people of other staff.
The village health-care network of the municipality serves a population of about 26 500 people included the proprietors of holiday homes in Bulgaria in the region. One village health centre, nine village medical sections and eight health centres served by medical auxiliaries function at the moment. The medical aid is performed by 11doctors, 28 cadres with a secondary or college education and 15 people of other staff.
Education institutions
There are the following educational institutions in the municipality according to the degree of education: two colleges – the Technological College of the Higher Technical University - Rousse, and the Economic College of the University of National and World Economy - Sofia.
For satisfying the children's and the youths' needs in the fields of science, technology, art and sports, various training centres and schools, and the "Europe Schools – Foreign Languages and Management Centre”Ltd(providing services to the holiday homes in Bulgaria owners) function in the municipality
There is cooperation with the non-governmental organizations. Public councils have been founded to help the local authorities for the leading of a modern educational policy for the development of the civil society and for the working out of local educational projects.
Museums
The development of the museum work is an important factor in the development of the region's culture through the years. Its beginning was laid as early as 9 years after the National Liberation in 1879 by the botanist and public worker Acad. Anani Yavashev, who was born in Razgrad.
The Historical Museum, founded by him in 1887, now is works with and popularizes over 53 500 movable cultural monuments.
The largest exhibition is the archaeological, which has a depository, a specialized library, restoration studios and a photographic darkroom.
The ethnographic museum exhibition is in a separate museum, which is part of the National Revival Architectural Complex "Varosha". That complex of 6 houses from the 19th century with spacious gardens is also an attractive place for tourism. There are many holiday houses in Bulgaria and the region made in traditional authentic style, which attracts many tourists in the country around the world.
Places of interest
There are about 300 immovable archaeological, architectural, art and historical cultural monuments, including churches, the Clock Tower, the mosque "Ibrahim Pasha", fountains, public buildings, memorial monuments, etc.
The archaeological reservation "Abritus" with an area of 1 000 decares is a cultural monument of national importance. The settlement is of the Roman era (c. 1-4 AD). Part of the south necropolis with graves from c. 2-4, a fortified wall from c. 3, buildings' foundations, etc. have been researched.
The Momina Cheshma (The Lass' Fountain) (1885) is also a symbol of the town. This original and exquisitely worked cast-iron statue of a girl in a classic style is the only female figure of its kind in Bulgaria.
The temple "Sv. Nikolay Chouditvorets" (1860) -the first dome basilica to be built in the town - is also among the monuments of the National and the Church Revival of Razgrad in c. 19.
The Art Gallery "Ilia Petrov" searches, buys and stores works of the fine arts. It popularizes its stock and organizes representative and temporary thematic exhibitions. It possesses a basic stock of 2 064 works and an auxiliary stock of 785 works.
Some of Razgrad's landmarks include the Varosha architectural complex from the 19th century, the ethnographic museum and several other museums, the characteristic clock tower in the centre built in 1864, the St Nicholas the Miracle Worker Church from 1860, the Momina cheshma sculpture and the Ibrahim Pasha Mosque from 1530. The mosque is the third largest one in the Balkans (excluding Istanbul) and its reconstruction has still not been completed, having begun in Communist times.
The first orchestra in Razgrad was founded in the middle of the nineteenth century. The history of the theatrical work started at the same time.
The symphony orchestra prepares and plays symphony concerts, records its performances, and organizes the Musical Days “Dimitar Nenov” and the Balkan Forum of Young Pianists. It also performs activities of musical education.
The Dramtic Theatre "Anton Strashimirov" performs its own theatrical production of a highly professional artistic standard. It organizes an international forum of the alternative theatrical forms - the Balkan regional festival "Theatre for Peace".
The professional folk ensemble searches, arranges and performs Bulgarian folk songs and dances. It delivers an educational performance for the schools' pupils and performs recording and publishing activities.
