Suhindol is a town in north central Bulgaria

Bulgaria

Bulgaria , officially the Republic of Bulgaria , is a parliamentary democracy within a unitary constitutional republic in Southeast Europe. The country borders Romania to the north, Serbia and Macedonia to the west, Greece and Turkey to the south, as well as the Black Sea to the east...

, part of Veliko Tarnovo Province

Veliko Tarnovo Province

Veliko Tarnovo is a province in the middle of the northern part of Bulgaria. Its capital city, Veliko Tarnovo, is of historical significance as it is known as the capital of Medieval Bulgaria...

. It is the administrative centre of the homonymous Suhindol Municipality

Suhindol Municipality

Suhindol Municipality is a small municipality in Veliko Tarnovo Province, Central-North Bulgaria, located in the transition between the Danubian Plain and the area of the so called Fore-Balkan...

. As of December 2009, the town has a population of 2,146 inhabitants.

Its position in the middle of the Danubian Plain

Danubian Plain

Danubian Plain can be a translation of:*the approximate Serbian name for the Serbian part of the Pannonian plain, see Danubian Plain...

 creates excellent conditions for growing wine grapes. The local co-operative "Gamza" is famous for producing wines from the local vine with the same name. In addition, Suhindol winemakers craft Merlot

Merlot

Merlot is a darkly blue-coloured wine grape, that is used as both a blending grape and for varietal wines. The name Merlot is thought to derive from the Old French word for young blackbird, merlot, a diminutive of merle, the blackbird , probably from the color of the grape. Merlot-based wines...

 and Cabernet Sauvignon

Cabernet Sauvignon

Cabernet Sauvignon is one of the world's most widely recognized red wine grape varieties. It is grown in nearly every major wine producing country among a diverse spectrum of climates from Canada's Okanagan Valley to Lebanon's Beqaa Valley...

, as well as a local variety "Dimyat". The town's proximity to a large dam on the Rositsa

Rositsa

The Rositsa is a river in central northern Bulgaria, the most important tributary of the Yantra River. It is long and has a drainage basin of ....

 river and to the foothills of the Balkan Mountains

Balkan Mountains

The Balkan mountain range is a mountain range in the eastern part of the Balkan Peninsula. The Balkan range runs 560 km from the Vrashka Chuka Peak on the border between Bulgaria and eastern Serbia eastward through central Bulgaria to Cape Emine on the Black Sea...

 make it a favourable tourist destination. The Rositza River near this town is known to hold "som" or European Catfish and some of them reach lengths of over 2 meters, especially the ones that live in the dam Alexandar Stamboliiski.

History

Suhindol is one of the most well-known and wealthiest historical Bulgarian settlements. It is known as Bulgarian Champagne by the lovers of Bacchus. According to archeologists of the Veliko Turnovo's museum, signs of human settlement in the area date to the Neolithic (New Stone) age - approx. 6000 years B.C. They have dated remains of domiciles, captured springs, ceramic fragments, jewelry, household items (hammers, woodworking instruments and bowls) and there is evidence of settlement and activity throughout the centuries. Suhindol has existed as a town for over a century. According to the archaeologist Polichronii Sirku who visited the town in 1878, a wealthy Roman village existed in the vicinity. Folk tales tell that the town is ancient, however, the age it is not established with any certainty. In the area of "Seltze" there are remnants of a settlement dating back to the 2nd century and in the neighborhood of "Drachevo" a medieval fort known as "Diritza" existed. The ancient name of Suhindol was "Seoundal".

Honour

Suhindol Point

Suhindol Point

Suhindol Point is a point on the southeast coast of Smith Island, South Shetland Islands projecting 450 m southeastwards into Osmar Strait, and situated 3.54 km east-northeast of Cape James and 4.3 km southwest of Dupnitsa Point. Bulgarian early mapping in 2009. Named after the town of...

 on Smith Island

Smith Island (South Shetland Islands)

Smith Island is long and wide, lying west of Deception Island in the South Shetland Islands of the British Antarctic Territory. Surface area ....

, South Shetland Islands

South Shetland Islands

The South Shetland Islands are a group of Antarctic islands, lying about north of the Antarctic Peninsula, with a total area of . By the Antarctic Treaty of 1959, the Islands' sovereignty is neither recognized nor disputed by the signatories and they are free for use by any signatory for...

is named after Suhindol.