41°45′N23°15′E / 41.750°N 23.250°E /41.750; 23.250

Blagoevgrad Province Област Благоевград
Province
Malyovitsa
Location of Blagoevgrad Province in Bulgaria
Country	Bulgaria
Capital	Blagoevgrad
Municipalities	14
Government
• Governor	Biser Mihaylov
Area
• Total	6,449.47 km2 (2,490.15 sq mi)
Elevation	555 m (1,821 ft)
Population  (December 2022)[1]
• Total	288,161
• Density	45/km2 (120/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+2 (EET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+3 (EEST)
Postal codes	2700 to 2969[2]
ISO 3166 code	BG-01[3]
License plate	E
Website	www.bl.government.bg

Blagoevgrad Province (Bulgarian:област Благоевград,oblast Blagoevgrad or Благоевградска област,Blagoevgradska oblast), also known asPirin Macedonia orBulgarian Macedonia (Bulgarian:Пиринска Македония; Българска Македония), (Pirinska Makedoniya or Bulgarska Makedoniya) is a province (oblast) of southwesternBulgaria. It borders four otherBulgarian provinces to the north and east, theGreek region of Macedonia to the south, andNorth Macedonia to the west. The province has 14 municipalities with 12 towns. Its principal city isBlagoevgrad, while other significant towns includeBansko,Gotse Delchev,Melnik,Petrich,Razlog,Sandanski, andSimitli.

The province has a territory of 6,449.5 km² (2,490.2 sq mi) and a population of 323,552^[1] (as of 2011^[update]). It is the third largest inBulgaria afterBurgas andSofia Provinces and comprises 5.8% of the country's territory. Blagoevgrad Province includes the mountains, or parts of,Rila (highest point of theBalkans —Musala summit, 2925 m),Pirin (highest point —Vihren summit, 2914 m), theRhodopes,Slavyanka,Belasitsa,Vlahina,Maleshevo,Ograzhden, andStargach. There are two major rivers —Struma River andMesta River — with population concentrations along their valleys, which are also the main transport corridors.

The climate varies from temperate continental toMediterranean in the southernmost parts. Natural resources are timber, mineral springs, coal, construction materials, includingmarble andgranite. The beautiful and preserved environment is widely considered an important resource. A number of national parks and protected territories care for the biodiversity. Arable land is 38.8% and forests constitute 52% of the province's territory.

TheBalkan Wars of 1912–1913 saw the annexation of the area to theBulgarian state. Before the wars, it had been underOttoman rule for over five centuries.

The Blagoevgrad province (област,oblast) contains 14 municipalities (singular: община,obshtina - plural: общини,obshtini). The following table shows the names of each municipality inEnglish andCyrillic, the main town (in bold) or village, and the population of each as of 2011.

The region is characterized with diversified economic branch structure:food andtobacco processing industries,agriculture,tourism,transport andcommunications,textile industry, timber and furniture industries, iron processing and machinery industry, construction materials industry, as well as pharmaceuticals, plastics, paper and shoes production. Approximately 10% of the population is unemployed (close to the national average). There are 4 major hospitals in the province.^{[citation needed]}

With its railway line and road connection, the region forms the heart of the land-based trading route betweennorthern Greece,Bulgaria andRomania. Since the early 2000s the province enjoys a mini boom in trade from thousands of Greek day-trippers from across the border, purchasing cheaper goods and services (dental, opticians, etc.). Since the early 1990s, the region has also attracted Greek manufacturers who moved their production line fromGreece, especially toPetrich. It was an important tourist destination during the communist years for East Germans and is slowly picking up again. The unique town ofMelnik was once a wealthy centre built on the back of exiledphanariots fromConstantinople. Now it is a centre for wine production and offers eco-tourism.

Infrastructure remains relatively underdeveloped, especially regarding road and rail communications. It remains an important target for potential EU funding. There are two major infrastructural projects in the region. TheStruma motorway, which is planned to connect the capitalSofia with the Greek border and the port ofThessaloniki, is going to run through the valley of the Sruma River, and will be ready in a few years. The second project is the airport ofBansko. The cost is currently estimated at around€30,000,000.

Historical and archaeological monuments include the ruins of antiqueThracian andRoman settlements,Early Christian basilicas, medievalByzantine and Bulgarian towns, monasteries and fortresses, as well as many preserved buildings and whole villages — examples of the architecture from theOttoman period (likeMelnik, theRozhen Monastery andBansko).

A theatre, a library with 345,000 tomes, and an opera house are situated in the provincial centre,Blagoevgrad. There are art galleries inBansko, Blagoevgrad andSandanski. Many small cultural institutions,chitalishta, are dispersed around the province. ThePirin State Ensemble is the most prominent among the numerous folklore and music bands. There are 10 museums in the province that preserve the rich historical, ethnographic and archaeological heritage. Cultural events include the Theatre Festival in Blagoevgrad, the Jazz Festival in Bansko and the Melnik Evenings of Poetry.

TheSouthwestern University and theAmerican University in Bulgaria are situated in Blagoevgrad; the latter is the second largest American university campus inEurope and is located in the former headquarters of thecommunist party. Annually the city draws around 10,000 students from the country and abroad. The number of schools in the province is 182.^{[citation needed]}

A number of the province's towns were renamed in honor of major figures such asSandanski (afterYane Sandanski).

• Paisiy Hilendarski (1722–1773)
• Neofit Rilski (1793–1881)
• Georgi Izmirliev (1851–1876)
• Boris Sarafov (1872–1907)
• Yane Sandanski (1872–1915)
• Nikola Vaptsarov (1909–1942)
• Georgi Pirinski (1948)
• Rosen Plevneliev (1964)

The province had apopulation of 323,552 according to the 2011census, of which49.3% weremale and50.9% werefemale.^[5][6][7][8]

Total population (2011 census): 323 552
Ethnic groups (2011 census):^[9]Identified themselves: 283,556 persons:

• Bulgarians: 251,097 (88,55%)
• Turks: 17,027 (6,0%)
• Romani: 9,739 (3,43%)
• Others and indefinable: 5,693 (2,01%)
• Unspecified: 40,524 (this figure is not included in the percentage.)

The ethnicBulgarian population in the province also has aregional Macedonian identity, distinct from theethnic Macedonian identity of Macedonians in theRepublic of North Macedonia.^[10] According to the 2011 Bulgarian census, there were 561 ethnic Macedonians (0.2%) in the Blagoevgrad Province,^[11] out of a total of 1,654 Macedonians in the entire country.^[12] During the same year, a total of 429 citizens of theRepublic of North Macedonia resided in the province.^[13] Since registering a permanent residence in Bulgaria is a requirement for becoming naturalized in Bulgaria, a total of 18,000Macedonian nationals were registered as residents in theBlagoevgrad Municipality alone by 2017. They are citizens of theRepublic of North Macedonia, but have alsoBulgarian citizenship, based on declared Bulgarian ethnic origin; their number in the whole of the province is higher.^[14] However, the vast majority of these people do not permanently reside in the Blagoevgrad Province.

Mother tongues in the province according to 2001 census:^[15]306,118Bulgarian (89.7%), 19,819Turkish (5.8%), 9,232Romani (2.7%) and 6004 others and unspecified (1.6%).

Religious adherence in the province according to 2001 census:^[17]

MostMuslims in the province areBulgarian Muslims, also calledPomaks. That makes Blagoevgrad Province together withSmolyan Province and the area aroundVelingrad one of the few places where Bulgarian Muslims make up the majority of the Muslims while inBulgaria general most Muslims are fromTurkish background.

Blagoevgrad Province is currently one of the best-represented provinces inBulgarian football, with 3 teams playing in theBulgarian A PFG (second only toSofia with 4) —FC Vihren Sandanski,PFC Belasitsa Petrich andPFC Pirin 1922 Blagoevgrad. One more team from the province,PFC Pirin Blagoevgrad (as distinct from Pirin 1922), began the 2005/06 season in the highest Bulgarian division, but disbanded shortly afterwards due to financial problems.

Owing to the alpine features and accessible location, the northern and eastern regionof Blagoevgrad Province is also a centre ofwinter sports. The main centre is Bansko which is becoming a leading skiing resort at European level with rapidly rising property prices.

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  Tevno Vasilashko Lake inPirin
•  
  Kamenitsa Peak and lake Tevno ezero inPirin
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  Sinanitsa Peak inPirin
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  Edelweisses under theKoncheto ridge inPirin
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  Dzhengal Peak inPirin up-close in late April
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  Vihren Peak inPirin mountain
•  
  The defeat of the army of TsarSamuil of Bulgaria in the medievalBattle of Kleidion
•  
  TheRozhen Monastery from the outside
•  
  The Church of the Holy Trinity inBansko
•  
  Genеral Ivan Tsonchev'srevolutionary band
•  
  LieutenantBoris Sarafov'srevolutionary band
•  
  Monument to the perished Bulgarian soldiers duringWorld War I inPetrich
•  
  Bansko Ski Zone as seen fromRazlog
•  
  Petrich at night

• Provinces of Bulgaria
• Municipalities of Bulgaria
• List of cities and towns in Bulgaria
• List of villages in Blagoevgrad Province

• Who are the Macedonians? by Hugh Poulton. London: 1995.

• Blagoevgrad Province — information on all of cities and villages
• Provincial administration of Blagoevgrad Province
• Municipality of Blagoevgrad
• Municipality of Gotse DelchevArchived 2008-10-04 at theWayback Machine
• Municipality of SandanskiArchived 2011-08-09 at theWayback Machine
• Municipality of Petrich
• Official website of Bansko
• Pirin National Park
• Rila National Park
• Neofit Rilski Southwestern University
• American University in Bulgaria
• Pirin Folk song and dances State Ensemble
• Historical and Architectural Reserve Village KovachevitsaArchived 2008-01-11 at theWayback Machine
• Rozhen Monastery St. Nativity of Virgin Mary
• Bansko Ski Zone
• Beautiful Blagoevgrad Online
• Kordopulova House in MelnikArchived 2019-05-08 at theWayback Machine
• Radio Blagoevgrad online, regional station of the Bulgarian National Radio(in Bulgarian)
• Informative site about South-Western Bulgaria(in Bulgarian)
• Struma Daily newspaper of South-Western Bulgaria(in Bulgarian)
• Village Dabrava - Blagoevgrad