Varbitsa (town)
Encyclopedia
Varbitsa is a town in eastern Bulgaria
, part of Shumen Province
. It is the administrative centre of Varbitsa Municipality
, which lies in the southwestern part of Shumen Province. As of December 2009, the town has a population of 3,585 inhabitants.
Varbitsa is located in the southeastern Danubian Plain
, at the foot of the eastern Balkan Mountains
, on both banks of the Gerila river. The area was populated in Antiquity by the Thracians
and Romans
, while the Slavs and Bulgars
arrived in the Early Middle Ages
. It is thought that the first ruler of the First Bulgarian Empire
, Asparuh, settled the Severians
in the region of the Varbitsa Pass
in order to guard it in the 7th century. The pass was the site of the Battle of Pliska
on 26 July 811, during which Krum of Bulgaria
's forces routed the Byzantine
army, killing and beheading Byzantine Emperor Nikephoros I
.
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 Shumen Province
Shumen Province
-Religion:Religious adherence in the province according to 2001 census:-Transportation:Shumen lies on the main route between Varna and Sofia and is served by numerous trains and buses serving the city. The city is also very well connected with Istanbul which serves the large Turkish community in...
. It is the administrative centre of Varbitsa Municipality
Varbitsa Municipality
Varbitsa Municipality is a municipality in Shumen Province, Northeastern Bulgaria, located in the vicinity of the northern slopes of the Eastern Stara planina mountain to the area of the so called Fore-Balkan...
, which lies in the southwestern part of Shumen Province. As of December 2009, the town has a population of 3,585 inhabitants.
Varbitsa is located in the southeastern Danubian Plain
Danubian Plain (Bulgaria)
The Danubian Plain constitutes the northern part of Bulgaria, situated north of the Balkan Mountains and south of the Danube. Its western border is the Timok River and to the east it borders the Black Sea. The plain has an area of . It is about long and wide.The relief of the Danubian Plain is...
, at the foot of the eastern 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...
, on both banks of the Gerila river. The area was populated in Antiquity by the Thracians
Thracians
The ancient Thracians were a group of Indo-European tribes inhabiting areas including Thrace in Southeastern Europe. They spoke the Thracian language – a scarcely attested branch of the Indo-European language family...
and Romans
Ancient Rome
Ancient Rome was a thriving civilization that grew on the Italian Peninsula as early as the 8th century BC. Located along the Mediterranean Sea and centered on the city of Rome, it expanded to one of the largest empires in the ancient world....
, while the Slavs and Bulgars
Bulgars
The Bulgars were a semi-nomadic who flourished in the Pontic Steppe and the Volga basin in the 7th century.The Bulgars emerge after the collapse of the Hunnic Empire in the 5th century....
arrived in the Early Middle Ages
Early Middle Ages
The Early Middle Ages was the period of European history lasting from the 5th century to approximately 1000. The Early Middle Ages followed the decline of the Western Roman Empire and preceded the High Middle Ages...
. It is thought that the first ruler of the First Bulgarian Empire
First Bulgarian Empire
The First Bulgarian Empire was a medieval Bulgarian state founded in the north-eastern Balkans in c. 680 by the Bulgars, uniting with seven South Slavic tribes...
, Asparuh, settled the Severians
Severians
The Severians or Severyans or Siverians were a tribe or tribal union of early East Slavs occupying areas to the east of the middle Dnieper river around the rivers Desna, Sejm and Sula on the territory of the archaeological Romny culture....
in the region of the Varbitsa Pass
Varbitsa Pass
Varbitsa Pass is a mountain pass in the Balkan Mountains in Bulgaria. It connects Shumen and Petolachka crossroads.The famous Battle of Pliska was fought in the pass on August 26, 811 between the armies of Bulgarian Empire led by Khan Krum and the Byzantine Empire under Nicephorus I which ended...
in order to guard it in the 7th century. The pass was the site of the Battle of Pliska
Battle of Pliska
The Battle of Pliska or Battle of Vărbitsa Pass was a series of battles between troops, gathered from all parts of the Byzantine Empire, led by the Emperor Nicephorus I Genik, and Bulgaria, governed by Khan Krum...
on 26 July 811, during which Krum of Bulgaria
Krum of Bulgaria
Krum the Horrible was Khan of Bulgaria, from after 796, but before 803, to 814 AD. During his reign the Bulgarian territory doubled in size, spreading from the middle Danube to the Dnieper and from Odrin to the Tatra Mountains. His able and energetic rule brought law and order to Bulgaria and...
's forces routed the Byzantine
Byzantine Empire
The Byzantine Empire was the Eastern Roman Empire during the periods of Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages, centred on the capital of Constantinople. Known simply as the Roman Empire or Romania to its inhabitants and neighbours, the Empire was the direct continuation of the Ancient Roman State...
army, killing and beheading Byzantine Emperor Nikephoros I
Nikephoros I
Nikephoros I or Nicephorus I, Logothetes or Genikos was Byzantine emperor from 802 to 811, when he was killed in the Battle of Pliska....
.
Municipality
Varbitsa municipality includes the following 16 places:
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