Town of Karnobat

The town of Karnobat (population: 22 000, 220 m above sea level) is situated in the Karnobat Plain, in the north-eastern part of Gornotrakiyska (Upper Thracian) Lowland. From the town northwards starts the Stara Planina Mountain. It is 336 km and 58 km to the east of Sofia and Sliven, respectively, 22 km west of Aitos, 54 km north-west of Burgas, 100 km south of Shumen and 50 km north-east of Yambol.

History: The territory of the present day town was inhabited in ancient times. A real evidence supporting this fact is the Karnobat mound and the Roman fortress called Markela (or Krumovo Kale, Hisarluka), where in 8th century Khan Kardam won a brilliant victory over the Byzantine. Ever since the settlement has been Bulgarian.
The town fell under Turkish domination in 1372. In a document in Doubrovnik from 1595 it was registered as Karanovo that is how the Bulgarians called it. In 1762 Bozhkovich from Doubrovnik first mentioned it using its present name Karnobat. At that time the town was an important centre of sheep breeding famous for the local breed called Karnobat sheep. Huge quantities of meat, wool, pastarma (similar to pastrami), lukanka (homemade piquant sausage), candles, soap were produced. The two-week cattle fair was famous all over. After the Russian-Turkish wars in the first half of 19th century many inhabitants of the town moved to Besarabia. The first class school known as Karanovsko School was opened in 1862. During the Russian-Turkish War of Liberation (1877-1878) Karnobat was severely destroyed but consequently due to the rich agricultural resource of the region, the traditions in cattle breeding and wine manufacturing, as well as to the railway line Sofia-Burgas it continued to develop and grow. From 1953 till 1962 the town was called Polyanovgrad, but after that it regained its present day name. It is the native place of Slav Merdzhanov who was Bulgarian revolutionary spending most of his lived in Odrin.

Landmarks: The Clock Tower is situated in the old southern part of the town. It was built by Tryavna masters in 1841 as a Revival symbol of a prospering trade and crafts settlement. The St Archangel Yoan Bogoslov Church (in the town centre, tel.: 0559 4271, working hours: 7.00 a.m. - 12.00 a.m. and 2.00 p.m. - 5.00 p.m.) with an iconostasis made by Debar masters, was built in 1880 in a Revival architectural style.

The Town Museum hosts a precious archaeological and ethnographic collection. The houses of Nikifor Minkov and Saroolou Bey are interesting with the wood-carvings in them. The Bencho Obreshkov Gallery (in the house of the communal cultural centre, downtown, working hours: 10.00 a.m. - 12.00 a.m. and 4.00 a.m. - 6.00 p.m.).

Accommodation: Karnobat Hotel (in the town centre, near the Sofia-Burgas road, 5, Asparouh St) offers about 100 beds. The Orlovets Motel (7 km eastward) offers 30 beds and a restaurant. The Orlovets Chalet (two buildings, 5 bungalows, 10 km east of Karnobat, and 3 km away from the village of Sokolovo, if one cuts through the town the distance is 7 km) offers 28 beds in 2 suites and two-, three- and five-bed rooms, a restaurant and a coffee-bar. There are interesting places offering traditional cuisine like the Starata Kashta Tavern (The Old House) (21, Aleksi Denev St), etc.

Tourist Information: at the hotels and at the Orlovets Tourist Association (1, Todor Kableshkov St, tel.: 0559 2192).

Transport: The town is an important transport centre with regular bus lines to Burgas, Sliven, Yambol, Aitos, Sredets, Kotel, Shumen, etc. Karnobat Bus Station (tel.: 0559 2043). The railway station of Karnobat (tel.: 0559 2150, 2151) is the forth important in the country. It is a station on the line Sofia – Karlovo - Burgas, and a point of departure in the direction of the railway station of Komunari where it forks to Northern Bulgaria.

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