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EC
Project of
The
Association Of Economic Development Of The Commercial, Business
And Industrial Enterprises in Bulgaria
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MUNICIPALITY
POPOVO |
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| Characteristics
of the population |
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There
are 35 settlements on the territory of Popovo Municipality,
including one town and 34 villages. According to official
statistic data, the stationary population of the Municipality
is 36 600 people. 20 000 live in the town of Popovo. 51,5
% of them – women and 48,5 % - men. The number of active
population is 9 520 people (56 %).
The share of people with higher education or college diploma
is 14%, 46 % having high school diploma, and 21 % have not
concluded their elementary education.
In
the ethnical structure of population, the share of the Bulgarian
ethnical group is 71%, Turk ethnical group – 21%, and
on the third place – Roma with 5%.
In
our Municipality all of the ethnic groups live together in
an atmosphere of tolerance and human rights consideration,
there are no evidences of ethnical based conflicts. Our general
concerns are economical – unemployment and poverty,
mainly in Roma minority. |
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Characteristics of the geographic region |
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The
town of Popovo is situated in the North-East part of the Republic
of Bulgaria.
The strongest advantages of the town are connected with the
favorable geographic situation towards main international
corridors.
The town is situated on central railway line connecting Sofia
and Varna, 70km far from the town of Russe and the Romanian
border, 150km away from the port of Varna, which gives access
to international ports and industrial centers, under the influence
of international transport corridors No 7 and No 9.
In connection with the project for “Hemus” highway,
connecting Sofia and Varna, transport and social-economic
relation in the region will be improved.
These facts contribute to the forming of Popovo as one natural
communication center in this part of the country. |
Agricultural
lands form 71 % of the territory of Popovo Municipality, which
determines the economical activity.
The climate in our region is temperate-continental. Winters
are cold. Spring comes early – in the middle of March.
Because of the comparatively high altitude and the nearness
of Stara Planina Mountain, summer is not too hot. |
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Land
fertility gives great opportunities for agriculture –
wheat, grain crops, industrial crops, vegetables, vineyards
and fruit growing.
There are great deposits of chalk and clay on the territory
of Popovo Municipality, which are partially exploited and
there is high potential for developing the sector. |
| Employment
characteristics – industry, agriculture, tourism, etc. |
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The level
of unemployment in the Municipality of Popovo is high, although
it is getting lower during last few years.
By 30.09.2005 18 % of the active population is unemployed.
The number is twice bigger then the average for Bulgaria.
57 % of the unemployed are people without qualification, and
24 % are people with working professions.
Most of the unemployed has elementary education.
40 % of the
employed work in the industrial sector, 28 % in agriculture.
The share of the employed in the fields of services is low,
especially in business- and financial services.
95 % of the
active economic property is in the private sector.
Leading branch is the “Manufacture industry”,
where lots of investments were made during last few years.
On the second place stand the “Agriculture, Reserve
and Forestry” industry.
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This
is the structure of the municipal economy:
• Production of foods, drinks, tobacco – 30 %
• Trade; service and technical maintenance of vehicles,
personal belongings and household goods – 20 %
• Production of textiles and textile products –
20 %
• Agriculture, Reserve and Forestry – 14 %
• Production of machines and equipment – 4 %
• Transport, warehouses and communications – 3 %
• Construction – 2 % |
| Most
of the people are employed in the textiles and textile products
manufacture. |
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Most
of the enterprises in Popovo Municipality are small (89 %),
with personal less than 10 people.
Textiles and
textile products Industry is most developed in the town. Biggest
enterprises are “Rodina Popovo” Ltd., “Sport”
Joint-stock Company ? “Freshtex” Ltd. The sector
is also presented by some smaller firms which mainly work
with clients’ materials. Almost 100 % of the production
is being exported to the West European countries, USA and
Canada.
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In
town there are several manufacturing enterprises for agricultural
production, such as “Rosa” Joint-stock Company,
for refined cooking oil, which has its own platform at the
goods-station in town, the mill “Kristera” Pls
and some other smaller mills, meat production enterprises
“Bratia Tomovi” and “Tandem – B”
Joint-stock Company |
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The
“Golden Fruit” company manufactures vegetable
cans and pickles.
The transport Company “Meteor” performs passenger
and goods transportation services.
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The
machine-building plant “Cast-iron Fitment - Bulgaria”
is the only one in the country to manufacture industrial fittings
for water-supply equipment, and part of its production is
being exported.
“Polisep”
Plc manufactures PVC separators for accumulators, PVC and
wooden flatnesses and details, PVC pipes.
The
company “Electrical equipment” Plc in the village
of Kovachevets specializes in manufacturing spare parts for
electric trucks and telphers, spare electrics for household,
military production.
“Steel profiles” Plc is a licensed producer of
steel shapes and pipes for construction industry, machine
building, electronics, furniture industry, agriculture, etc.
Agrotehremont
61 Ltd. that produces and repairs agricultural machines and
is specialized in repairing tractor diesel engines and spares.
The firm “Rodna Industria” exploit local clay
field and manufactures bricks for the construction.
The
firm “Forest Group” is dealing with logging and
woodworking and sells most of its production on foreign markets.
In
2004 “Vinprom Popovo" Plc resumed its activity,
as its installations were put into action after a long time
of a standstill and the capacity for manufacturing vine and
spirituous liquors raw materials is increasing.
Active
in the sphere of construction works are: “Geostroy”
Plc, “Antola” Plc, ST “LIMO – Sasho
Sabev, “Road Maintenance – Popovo” Ltd and
some other smaller firms.
For
several years there is a gas company functioning in our town
– “Gas Supply – Popovo”, that maintains
the gas-supplying systems, and the number of industrial and
everyday life subscribers has increased.
An
enterprise for extraction and bottling of mineral water was
put into operation near the town in 2004. The natural mineral
water is good for drinking and balneotherapy.
Municipality
of Popovo has on its disposal some good natural resources
for developing agricultural activity - plenty of fertile lands,
which give opportunities for producing raw materials for the
purpose of food, wine and tobacco industries.
The
natural resources are a precondition for developing grain-producing
industry, the wine-producing, the stock-breeding. A serious
problem for effective agriculture activity is the strongly
parceled out lands. The necessary equipment in agriculture
is outdated and overworked.
The
machinery fleet is amortized and insufficient. The irrigation
systems, which are very important for farming, are also in
bad condition. In the mean time, investment opportunities
for establishing new agricultural co-operations are limited.
There is a certain need of using the opportunities for financing
by the EU structural funds and grant programs.
There
is a well organized market for agricultural production in
our Municipality. There are certain chances of increase of
demands, on the base of the well developed food, wine and
tobacco industries and the presence of output capacity, not
fully exploited yet.
Tourism
is one perspective sector with great meaning in economical,
social, cultural and ecological aspect, which contributes
to opening new work places. The geographical position, favorable
climate conditions, wealthy nature and cultural heritage –
set as a prerequisite for alternative forms of tourism, profitable
economic activities. |
In
the Municipality of Popovo we can find the following favorable
conditions for tourist activity: |
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Picturesque
nature and rich cultural heritage – a great number
of cultural and archaeological monuments. |
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Comparatively
favorable geographical situation |
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Developing
tourist super- and infrastructure – there are
4 hotels with capacity of more than 210 beds on the
territory of the municipality. |
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In
the region of the State Reserve Station “Cherni
Lom” there are 41 hunting grounds,on about 103
345 hectare. Four reserve complexes are established
within the borders of the Station on an aggregate area
of 16 649 hectare. The State Reserve Station “Cherni
Lom” successfully develops organized hunting tourism.
The Station possesses 2 luxurious shooting lodges. The
high-classed hunting lodge “Elenovo” has
12 beds capacity. The hunting lodge “Goliamo Gradishte”
affords an opportunity of 6 beds, swimming pool and
one tennis court to tourists. The population of the
royal slag, the reserve variety and natural conditions
in Popovo locality are a premise for developing international
hunting tourism. |
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There
is project financed by the PHARE program funds running,
for the purpose of the development of ecotourism –
“On the boundary between the Fore Balkan and the
Danube Plain – Plains of Adventure”. |
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The
Municipality of Popovo is situated close to some wealthy
of tourist attractions regions, which could complement
its own supply; to develop regional tourist product,
on the base of cultural and cognitive tourism. |
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At
this stage, the tourist demand on the territory of our municipality
is unsatisfactory, but the favorable geographical situation
and the nearness of some of the leading black sea resorts
may become a factor for the development of concomitant tourism,
to stimulate local tourist services demand. Most of the tourists
visiting our town are Bulgarians. Among the foreign guests,
the Russians, Turks, Serbians, Spanish, French and German
predominate. |
Developing
business services is important for improving the competitiveness
of local enterprises. On the territory of Popovo Municipality
function 8 bank institutions and 6 insurance companies. |
Participation
of small and middle-sized enterprises in the process of development
of the private sector is increasing. We could definitely mark
a progress in the future development of the municipal economic,
on the base of creating possibilities for the small- and middle-sized
business.The volume of foreign investment does not correspond
the real capacity. |
A
good precondition for drawing foreign investments is the fact,
that from 2003 the Municipality of Popovo is one of the few
Bulgarian municipalities where the investors are not charged
with the corporative tax if they are registered and carry
out its activity on municipal territory. That preference stays
in force even 5 years after the Municipality is dropped out
of that list. |
There
are certain perspectives for investments in the food, drink
and tobacco industry, textile and tailoring industry, agricultural
machine-building industry, modern agro-industry for producing
and manufacturing of plant and animal products. |
| Cultural
characteristics. |
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| In
the Municipality 40 settlement mounds and prehistoric villages
have been registered; More than 70 tumuli, the biggest in
the village of; more than 50 antique medieval strongholds
and remains from human settlements. |
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The
stronghold “Kovatchevsko Kale” is located
6km west from the town, just on the road to Veliko Turnovo.
It is supposed that the stronghold was a refreshment
stand on the road between the Roman cities Nikopolis
ad Istrum and Marcianopolis. It was probably built in
the first half of the IV century round one earlier Thracian
settlement, which acquired lately a city pattern. Among
the most interesting founds are a marble sanctuary table,
two bronze lamps, fibulas, applications, amulets, sealed
bricks, coins (including gold ones), handiworks made
of bone and horn, etc. |
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The
early Byzantine stronghold near the village of Dolna
Kabda. In the valley formed of low leveled, but steep-slope
hills, 10km east from the town of Popovo is located
the village of Dolna Kabda. On a 2km distant from the
village locality were found the remains of ancient stronghold,
known among local population as “Kaleto”
or “Chichek Kalesi” (the stronghold of flowers).
The hill is steep-sloped. The remains from the stronghold
wall are kept under the form of high embankments, surrounding
some space at about 20-25 decare. Besides the usual
materials, connected with the lifestyle of the inhabitants,
two collective coin founds (one from the Roman period,
I-II century and the other from the Byzantine period,
XII century) were made there. |
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The
antique stronghold in the village of Dolets. |
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Architectural
Monuments of the Bulgarian national revival are the churches
in Palamartsa, Voditsa, Zaraevo, Sadina, Lomtsi and Konak. |
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Monuments
in the localities of the battles during the Russian –
Turk War of Liberation: the villages of Svetlen, Zaraevo,
Posabina. |
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The
Monument of Tanyo Voivoda, put up in “Kerchana”
locality, near the village of Aprilovo. |
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The Historical Museum – Popovo preserves mobile monuments,
historical records, prehistoric cult plastic arts,small roman
bronze plastic, consecrated ground marble,icons of the Bulgarian
national revival, relics from old town living, and other objects,
connected with the economical, political, educational and
cultural life in town, masterpieces of outstanding Bulgarian
painters and some local authors. In a separate building (the
Mara Tasseva house) is set the ethnographical exhibition “Living
and culture of village people and small-town population from
the end of the 19th to the middle of the 20th century”. |
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The Aegean ethnographic museum in the village of Svetlen
• The Ethnographic museum in the village of Sadina
• The 1863 year-built church “Sveti Arhangel Mihail”
of the Bulgarian national revival.
• The “Uspenie Bogorodichno” church in Popovo. |
On
the territory of the Municipality function 32 community centers.
These cultural institutions are keeping, developing, popularizing
and carrying out cultural activity. Together with the community
centers, the Municipality maintains open public libraries.
The
main goal of these centers is developing amateur art activity.
Especially significant are the honors of the successful: Dancing
Group “Severnyatsi”, of the Folklore Assemble
“Severnyache”; the “AGRA” vocal trio;
The Modern Ballet Studio, Dance formation “Char”,
Dancing Group “Veselyache”; Children Music School
by the Community Center in, the “Antola” Vocal
Group, artistic groups performing authentic songs, customs
and festivities.
The
Cultural Calendar of our Municipality includes: Balkan film
festival “Golden Eye” for cameramen artistry,
National festival of the alternative movie “Mini film”,
The “Capantsi Fair” – a local population
festivity in the village of Sadina, The Aegean fair in the
village of Svetlen, The Ethnical Fair, The May Days of Culture,
village folk fairs, The feast of the town of Popovo and many
other.
In
Popovo functions a private art gallery called “Art-TT”,
which organizes exhibitions together with the Municipality.
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| Contact
address: |
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| Popovo
Municipality |
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| Dr.
Ludmil Vesselinov - Mayor of the Popovo Municipality |
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| Phone:+359
608 4-00-88 |
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Fax: +359 608 4-00-24 |
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| E-Mail:
obstina@popovo.bg;
eu_program@popovo.bg
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| Internet:
http://www.popovo.bg |
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