Time zone EET (UTC+2) License plate CH Population 6,232 (31 Dec 2009) Area code 0453 | Postal Code 8970 Elevation 643 m Local time Friday 9:26 PM | |
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Weather 1°C, Wind NW at 2 km/h, 76% Humidity | ||
Kotel (Bulgarian: Котел, "cauldron") is a town in central Bulgaria, part of Sliven Province. It is the administrative centre of the homonymous Kotel Municipality. As of December 2009, the town has a population of 6,232 inhabitants.
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Map of Kotel, Bulgaria
Kotel is known for the numerous personalities of the Bulgarian National Revival that are somehow connected to the town, such as politicians Alexander Bogoridi and Stefan Bogoridi, enlighteners Sophronius of Vratsa and Petar Beron, public figure Gavril Krastevich, revolutionary Georgi Rakovski, as well as World War II prime minister Dobri Bozhilov. It has a well-known music school and a large talented Romani population who can be found playing in restaurants and orchestras all over Bulgaria. Because of its situation in the mountains Kotel is also a popular healthy resort for the cure of diseases such as TB. Kotel has been a center for carpet making and there is a museum devoted to the craft.
History
Kotel was settled during the beginning of the Ottoman occupation of Bulgaria, when people fled from neighboring cities and towns.
Honour
Kotel Gap on Livingston Island in the South Shetland Islands, Antarctica is named after Kotel.
Agriculture
There is a strong sheep farming tradition in the region, which includes the practice of transhumance, migrating the sheep from lowland winter pastures to mountain summer pastures. This was profiled in a BBC Radio 4 documentary.