Haskovo (Хасково) is a city in South-Central Bulgaria, in the Upper Thracian Plain. Nearby, there are mineral springs, ancient Thracian tombs, and the communist-era "planned city" of Dimitrovgrad, built from scratch in the 1950s.

Understand

The Madonna and Child monument overlooking Haskovo

Monument to the Unknown Soldier

Thracian dolmen in front of the Communist-era House of Technology; its other wing is the History Museum and the Regional Library

Theatre Ivan Dimov

With a population of about 65,000 (2021), Haskovo is the administrative centre of Haskovo Province, which extends in the south-east to the borders with Greece and Turkey, including a chunk of the Eastern Rhodope Mountains. To the north, it borders the province of Stara Zagora; to the east - the province of Yambol; to the south-east: Eastern Thrace in Turkey; to the south - Western Thrace in Greece; to the west - the provinces of Plovdiv and Kardzhali. The only other sizable city in the province is nearby Dimitrovgrad, 14 km (8.7 mi) to the north; between the two cities run the river Maritsa and the A4 motorway. Two other towns in the province have a population above 10 thousand: Harmanli further down the Maritsa and Svilengrad on the national border, a major border crossing to both Greece and Turkey.

Get in

The nearest international airport is in Plovdiv (PDV ^IATA), about 70 km (43 mi) away.

By train

Haskovo is a major station on the secondary railway line that runs between Dimitrovgrad and Kardzhali, one of the few not-electrified lines in Bulgaria. In turn, Dimitrovgrad is a railway junction with connections to Plovdiv and Stara Zagora.

Renovations of the railway network have caused major and inconvenient temporary changes to any train routes connected to Plovdiv. As of late 2024, in practice this means that the only daily direct train from Plovdiv to Haskovo and Kardzhali starts at the Plovdiv East station (about 110 min to Haskovo). The same train is also one of the two daily trains from Dimitrovgrad (less than 30 min), the other one being an early commuter shuttle train. In the opposite direction, there are also two daily trains from Kardzhali (about 100 min) - the Plovdiv train and another shuttle train. Intercity trains that would otherwise pass through Dimtrovgrad have been redirected to avoid Plovdiv and the southern lines; the international train Sofia - Svilengrad - Istanbul has been redirected through Stara Zagora.

• 1 Railway Station (ЖП гара, zhe peh gara) (in an industrial area 1.7 km (1.1 mi) east of the city centre). Renovated old building. Exits right onto the large Saedinenie Blvd, which connects it to the city centre. Walking is theoretically possible, but awkward and unpleasant because of the narrow sidewalks. It's better to take a taxi or bus. (updated Oct 2024)

By bus

Intercity and international lines by the ubiquitous Union-Ivkoni and Arda Tur.

• 2 Bus Station (Автогара, avtogara) (right by the eastern end of the city centre, on the large Saedinenie Blvd, across the street from the monument to Cptn. Petko Voyvoda). Utilitarian Communist-era building. Like elsewhere in Bulgaria, each transport company has its own ticket office. (updated Oct 2024)

See

• 1 Monument to the Mother of God (on the hill south of the city centre; a pedestrian street and staircase connect it to the riverside Bulgaria Blvd). A 32.8-metre (108 ft) statue of the Madonna and Child, erected in 2003; there's a chapel in the base of the 17 m (56 ft) pedestal. Officially recognised by the Guinness Book of Records as the tallest such statue at the time. In 2010, they added nearby a 30-metre (98 ft) remotely-operated belfry, which is a popular spot for selfies and offers a good view of Haskovo. Just avoid being up there when the bells start ringing if you value your hearing... (updated Oct 2024)
• Regional History Museum
• City Centre - chained pedestrian streets and squares; public art and old buildings
  • Theatre Ivan Dimov - western end of the city centre, building built 1924-1926
  • Atlantic Square (ploshtad Atlanticheski) - the name is almost certainly a reference to NATO...
    • 2 Old Clock Tower. A 23-metre (75 ft) wood-and-stone tower, an exact copy of the original 19th century tower that was demolished in 1913. This one was erected in 2012, amusingly making it newer than the New Clock Tower... (updated Oct 2024)
    • Statue of a "Haskovo kaun" (хасковски каунь, haskovski kaun). A comical sculpture of a "kaun" (kah-OON), the informal nickname for an inhabitant of Haskovo (from the Turkish word for "melon", 'kavun'). Erected 2015, sculpted by Gospodin Tenev as a large version of a prize awarded annually since 1999. (updated Oct 2024)
    • New Clock Tower (Monument to 1000 Years of Haskovo) (north-east of the Kaun, overlooking a parking lot). An avant-garde public clock with four faces on top of a 26.5-metre (87 ft) sculpture of granite, concrete and metal tubes. Built in 1985 for the ostensible 1000th anniversary of the city, on top of the foundations of the original Old Clock Tower. (updated Oct 2024)
  • Liberty Square (ploshtad Svoboda) - Haskovo's main square, with many notable buildings and public art
    • 3 Monument to the Unknown Warror (to the Fallen in the Unification Wars) (east end of the square). A 1927 war memorial dedicated to the Bulgarian soldiers who fell in the Liberation War, the Serbo-Bulgarian War, the two Balkan Wars, and World War I. Topped with a large sculpture of a soldier, with four smaller at the corners representing different branches - infantry, cavalry, artillery, officer corps. (updated Oct 2024)
    • Monument to Envy - bronze sculpture of a winged man (Icarus?), with a pair of huge hands clasping down onto his wings. The pedestal says "envy is a constant companion of glory/fame". Also created by Gospodin Tenev (and yes, his first name does mean "Mister").
  • House-museum Kirkov's School (Kirkovoto uchilishte)
  • House-museum Paskalev's House (Paskalevata kashta)
• Park Kenana - on the north-western outskirts of town; a narrow strip wedges in closer to the city centre, but the rest is a large, wood-covered area. In the closer part, there's a network of alleys, a skate park, a pond, etc. Dogs forbidden.
  • Zoo
• Park Yamacha - south of the city centre, where the Monument of the Mother of God is. Also home to the city stadium, etc.
  • Monument to the Fighters Against Fascism - Communist-era monument and ossuary, an obelisk with bas-reliefs at its base. Like elsewhere, it conflates the failed September Uprising of 1923 and the guerilla movement during World War II (which was involved in the successful coup d'etat that overthrew the monarchy when Soviet troops entered the country).
• Medieval fortress ruins - fragments of walls scattered on a clearing on the southern edge of town, south-east of the Yamacha Park. Curiously juxtaposed with the nearby ruins of a modern concrete water tower that was shaped like a flying saucer.

An instructive story about historic preservation in Bulgaria is the fate of the historic Old Haskovo Prison, built in the late 19th century and the subject of a well-known (and quite vulgar) "new folklore" song. The municipality had the prison demolished in 2015 and the land was auctioned off. The then-mayor's explanation? He didn't know it had been listed as a heritage building of national importance! Years of litigation later, he received a suspended sentence of one year...

Do

• Open air stage / ice skating rink - amphitheatre-like, next to the Communist-era Sport Hall Spartak (Spartacus).

Sleep

• Hotel Africa - small 3-star, family-run hotel in an awkward-looking modern building on the riverside boulevard. Notable mostly for its interior decoration: African-themed kitsch that's both amusing and surprisingly pleasant, with every room having a different "patron animal" and colour scheme.

Nearby

Ruins of the "Holy Spirit" fortress by Mineralni bani

Church of the Dormition, Uzundzhovo (2015)

The whole region is rich in ancient remains, though not all of them are visually spectacular or easily accessible to visitors. It has also played a role in the more recent history of Bulgaria.

Alexandrovo

Alexnandrovo (Александрово) is a village 15 km (9.3 mi) to the north-east of Haskovo, roughly in the middle of the triangle Haskovo-Dimitrovgrad-Harmanli. The A4 motorway passes nearby, but you can't use it to reach the village. Alexandrovo and § Uzundzhovo are on the same rural Road 8007 (in good condition). Approaching from the east (Harmanli), on leaving Harmanli get off the motorway onto Road 554 to Simeonovgrad (to the north); in the suburbs of Simeonovgrad but before crossing the Maritsa keep west (left) to get onto Road 8007 to Konstantinovo (Константиново) and Alexandrovo. From Dimitrovgrad, exit the city to the south-east (eastern exit of the large clover-leaf exchange in the city itself), then follow the road south through a couple of villages until you reach a T-intersection with Road 8007 heading east (left). From Haskovo, follow Saedinenie Blvd east to exit the city, then head north and at the large interchange with E85/Road 8 continue north to get onto Road 8007 to Uzundzhovo; after that turn east at the T-intersection.

• 4 Thracian Tomb of Alexandrovo / Museum of Thracian Art in the Eastern Rhodopes (Александровска гробница, Aleksandrovska grobnitsa) (1 km (0.62 mi) east of the village centre along Road 8007; there's a free parking lot by the road). 9:00-17:00 (closed M). The tumulus tomb of an ancient Thracian ruler, discovered by archaeologists in 2000. One of the largest such tombs discovered in Bulgaria, and one of the handful with intact frescoes (two of the other ones are UNESCO World Heritage Sites). To preserve the frescoes, the tomb is closed to visitors; there's an exact copy in the museum right next to it, which opened in 2009. Adults: 4 лв, students/retirees: 2 лв, guided tour: 6 лв. (updated Oct 2024)

Mineralni bani

Mineralni bani (Минерални бани, lit. "mineral baths") is a spa resort village in the foothills of the Rhodope Mountains, 18 km (11 mi) west of Haskovo along Road 508. The local hot springs reach 57 °C (135 °F), and there are multiple modern hotels, pools, etc, as well as a couple of nice parks, the largest one surrounding the village church. Road 506 exits the village to the south and after another 18 km (11 mi) merges into Road 5 to Kardzhali near Beli Plast with its stone mushrooms.

• 5 Toplitsa Fortress (Holy Spirit Fortress) (on the hill overlooking the village park; small parking lot on the dead-end street south of the fortress). The remains of a small, four-tower fortress, originally built in the 2nd century CE, rebuilt several times and finally razed in the 14th century. Also known as the Holy Spirit Fortress, after the hill it's on, which in turn is named after a chapel built on the hill. Free entry. (updated Oct 2024)
• 6 Municipal Public Bath (Обществена баня, Obshtestvena banya) (on the side of Road 508, west of the village park). 8:00-18:00 (closed every last M of the month). Ornate, old building (facade mosaic says 1937), with separate wings and entrances for men and women. Pool: 8 лв, bathtub: 10 лв, children under 7: 4 лв, family minipool: 24 лв, family bathtub: 18 лв. (updated Oct 2024)
  • Public drinking fountain with foot bath (next to the public bath, along the same road). Sourced from a hot mineral spring. The foot bath seems to work only in the warm part of the year. (updated Oct 2024)
• Balneo-hotel Bozhur
• Pool complex Olympic

Uzundzhovo

Uzundzhovo (Узунджово, oo-zoon-JAW-vo) is a village less than 10 km (6.2 mi) to the north-east of Haskovo. It used to host the famous Uzundzhovo Fair, which in the 18th and 19th centuries grew to be one of the largest annual trade fairs in the Ottoman Empire. At its peak, more than fifty thousand people from all over Bulgaria and the rest of the Empire gathered here to trade livestock, crafts, and products imported from abroad. A dedicated fairground was built, which included a fortified caravanserai and a mosque. The fair gradually declined in the second half of the 19th century, due to the introduction of railways and other economic advances. The final nail in its coffin was the Liberation War (1877-1878), which disrupted trade and separated Bulgaria from the rest of the Empire. The Plovdiv Fair was established in 1893 as a modern alternative.

• 3 Uzundzhovo Train Stop (about 1.9 km (1.2 mi) west-northwest of the village centre). Unattended train stop/halt; the small building has been looted to a skeleton. Only stop between Haskovo and Dimitrovgrad (less than 15 min to any of them). The once-paved road to the village is in a very poor condition. (updated Oct 2024)
• 7 Church of the Dormition of the Mother of God (tree-covered yard right by Road 8007 which crosses the village). Formerly a mosque, the last remnant of the Uzundzhovo fair. Stone building erected in 1593; converted to a church in 1903; last renovations in 2007. Certain elements of its previous function remain, such as an Arabic inscription above the main door. Functioning Eastern Orthodox Church and a small museum of the Uzundzhovo Fair. (updated Oct 2024)
• Uzundzhovo Airfield Memorial Complex (on the main square of the village, 300 m/yd north of the church along the same road). A number of monuments commemorating the nearby 18th Base of the Bulgarian Air Force, which existed between 1951 and 1998. There's a Soviet-made MiG-21 jet fighter on a pylon, a radar antenna, a memorial list of dead pilots, and monuments to various 19th century Bulgarian revolutionaries. (updated Oct 2024)
• Pub/restaurant Karadzhata (Караджата) - village pub and roadside restaurant; doesn't work during the colder part of the year.

Go next

• To the north: Dimitrovgrad, and further away Stara Zagora, Kazanlak and the Shipka Pass through the Balkan Mountains.
• If you like small towns and ancient sites, to the east is Harmanli, and then to the north-east Topolovgrad under the low mountain Sakar and Elhovo on the river Tundzha; you can then swing north towards Yambol and Karnobat, or proceed directly to Burgas on the Black Sea coast.
• To the south-east: Svilengrad on the border, then Greece and Turkey.
• To the south-west is Kardzhali in the Eastern Rhodope Mountains; on the way you can swing by the famous ruins of ancient Perperikon.
• To the west is colourful and ancient Plovdiv, a gateway to a number of other destinations either further west or in the Rhodope Mountains