2.   The town of Dobrich is situated in Northeast Bulgaria in the Dobrudzha Plateau. The town, which lies 37 km away from the border with Romania, is known as the ‘capital’ of the fertile land of Dobrudzha, the biggest grain-growing region of the country.  Dobrich (Bulgarian: Добрич ) is a town in northeastern Bulgaria and the administrative centre of Dobrich Province. With 92,672 inhabitants, as of December 2009, Dobrich is the eighth most populated town in Bulgaria, being the centre of the historical region of Southern Dobruja. It is located 30 km west of the Bulgarian Black Sea Coast, not far from resorts such as Albena, Balchik, and Golden Sands.

3.   The first evidence of settlement in what is now Dobrich date from 4th-3rd centuries BC. Ruins from 2nd-4th century and 7th-11th century have also been found, including a Bulgar necropolis featuring pagan graves in the centre of the city.  During the 11th century, Pecheneg invasions devastated the interior of Dobruja, leaving many settlements in the region uninhabited at the time of the Second Bulgarian Empire.  The settlement was founded for a second time in the 16th century by the Turkish merchant Hacıoğlu Pazarcık, whose name it bore until 1882. According to Turkish data from 1646–1650, there were over 1000 houses in the city, about 100 shops, 3 inns, 3 Turkish baths, twelve mosques and twelve schools.  From the 17th to the 19th century, the city developed as a handicraft, trade and agricultural centre, being famous for its weaving, homespun tailoring, coppersmith's trade, leather-work and agricultural products, such as wheat, linseed, wool and cheese.

4.   At the beginning of the 19th century, the city's population reached 12,000, many of whom refugees from eastern Bulgaria after the Russo-Turkish Wars. The cultural appearance of the city was also formed. The first Orthodox church was built in 1843.  The city was liberated from the Ottoman Empire on 27 January 1878 and renamed Dobrich on 19 February 1882 after Dobrotitsa, a medieval ruler of Dobruja. This was done by means of a decree issued by knyaz Alexander I.

5.   After the Treaty of Bucharest of 1913 (confirmed by the Treaty of Neuilly of 1919), Dobrich and the whole of Southern Dobruja were incorporated in Romania for a period until 1940. During that time, the city bore the name Bazargic and was centre of Caliacra County (judeţ in Romanian). *On 25 September 1940, the Bulgarian army marched into the city after signing Treaty of Craiova on September 7, 1940; that date is celebrated as the city's holiday.  During the period of Communist rule, Dobrich was renamed Tolbukhin ( Толбухин ) after Marshal of the Soviet Union Fyodor Tolbukhin. On 19 September 1990, a presidential decree restored the city's old name of Dobrich.

6.   2001 census data states that about 86% of Dobrich inhabitants are ethnic Bulgarians, followed by Turks at 8% and Roma at 3.5%. The percentage of Orthodox Christians is 86%, whereas 10% of the population are adherents of the Muslim faith.

7.   Higher Education: * Dobrudzha Technological College http://www.tu-varna.bg/tu-varnakd/ * College of Education Shoumen University * International University College http://vumk.eu/

8.  Famous People from Dobrich  Dora Gabe: a poetess  Dimitar Spisarevski: a famous fighter pilot  Ivaylo Petrov: a poet  Yordan Yovkov: a writer

9.   Boncho Genchev: a football player, 4th in the 1994 FIFA World Cup with the Bulgarian national team  Preslava: a pop-folk singer  Miro: a singer  Georgi Petrov: an artist

10.   Once in Dobrich, tourists can visit *The Historical Museum of a renowned Bulgarian writer, Yordan Yovkov. *The Ethnographic Museum, hosted by a beautiful house of the Bulgarian Renaissance period, is another interesting sight. *The Old Dobrich ethnographic complex, which exhibits traditional arts and crafts of the region, is worth seeing as well. *Other places of tourist appeal are the Archeological Museum of the city, *the Art Gallery, *remains of a Roman settlement, *St George’s Church,

11.  Thank you for your attention! Nona Ruseva