Country Bulgaria Municipality Kubrat Postal Code 7300 Population 8,118 (31 Dec 2009) Area code 0838 | Province (Oblast) Razgrad Time zone EET (UTC+2) Elevation 201 m Local time Saturday 7:33 PM | |
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Weather 13°C, Wind SW at 13 km/h, 55% Humidity | ||
Kubrat (Bulgarian: Кубрат; Turkish: Balbunar) is a town in Razgrad Province, Northeastern Bulgaria, part of the Ludogorie region. Named after the Bulgar ruler Kubrat, it is the administrative centre of the homonymous Kubrat Municipality. As of December 2009, the town has a population of 8,118 inhabitants.
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Map of Kubrat, Bulgaria
A notable native is famous singer Lili Ivanova. The population is ethnically mixed where the two main groups are the Bulgarians and the Turks.
History
The first documented mention of the city is from 1624, while the legend says it was founded in the 15th century. During the Ottoman rule of Bulgaria, it was known as Balbunar ("copper well") in Turkish, as the town was centred on the Copper Well that is now the town square. A primary school was founded in 1890 and the Cyril and Methodius community centre (chitalishte) followed on 4 May 1891. The then village acquired its present name in 1934 and was proclaimed a town in 1949.
An influx of investment has come from Bulgarians and other nationals since EU accession in 2007 leading to a boost to the local economy. The town is now serviced by over 5 builders merchants which is an indication of the expansion and renovation that is currently going on in the area.