Bolhrad (, ; ; , ) is a small city in Odesa Oblast (Oblast) of southwestern Ukraine, in the historical region of Budjak. It is the Capital city of Bolhrad Raion (Raion) and hosts the administration of Bolhrad urban hromada, one of the of Ukraine.
History
Bolhrad was founded in 1821 by Bulgarian settlers in
Bessarabia, under the direction of General
Ivan Inzov who is "revered" by Bolhrad residents as the "Founder of Our City."
[Куемжи, Мария, Болградский Историко-Этнографический Музей (Bolhrad, Odes'ka Oblast, Ukraine; Фонд им. И.Н. Инзова, 2007)] Bolhrad became part of
Moldavia from 1856 to 1859,
Romania from 1859 to 1878, then becoming part of the Moldavian Democratic Republic, from 1917 to 1918.
Home to a significant Romanians community at that time, the citizens of Bolgrad played an important role in supporting Greater Romania. Through cultural institutions and political activism—especially during the events of 1917–1918—Romanians from Bolgrad strongly advocated for the union of Bessarabia with Romania, contributing meaningfully to the formation of Greater Romania.
File:Bolgrad, Sveto Preobrazenie, katedrala, 1938.jpg|Transfiguration Cathedral
File:Historical image of Bolhrad High School (Romania time).jpg|Bolhrad High School
Demographics
The surrounding Bolhradsky district is predominantly populated by ethnic Bulgarians (a majority of 61%). Bolhrad itself is inhabited by a large number of Bessarabian Bulgarians and is considered by locals to be the unofficial capital of the
historic district of
Budjak.
In 1897, the linguistic make-up was 68.9% Bulgarian, 11.3% Moldavian, 7,1% Jewish, 5.0% Russian, 5,1% Ukrainian, 1.0% Turkish, and 0.8% Polish.
As of the 2001 Ukrainian census, Bulgarians still constitute the largest ethnic group in the city, accounting for almost half of the population. The second largest group are Ukrainians, closely followed by Russians. The town also has a significant Moldovan/Romanian and
[The Ukrainian census of 2001, ethnicity/nationality data by localities, at http://pop-stat.mashke.org/ukraine-ethnic2001.htm ]
Economy
As of 1920, Bolhrad has had a
coal industry.
Education
The Georgi Sava Rakovski Bolhrad High School founded in 1858 is the oldest high school of the Bulgarian National Revival.
Notable people
Natives
-
Dimitar Grekov (1847–1901), Bulgarian politician
-
Danail Nikolaev (1852–1942), Bulgarian general
-
Georgi Todorov (1858–1934), Bulgarian general
-
Vladimir Cavarnali (1910–1966), Bulgarian Romanian poet, journalist, and political figure
-
Petre Cișmigiu (1915–2006), Romanian sports shooter and civil engineer
-
Nicolae Văcăroiu (born 1943), former Prime Minister of Romania
-
Irina Molokanova (born 1957), Transnistrian politician
-
Petro Poroshenko (born 1965), fifth President of Ukraine, entrepreneur and business oligarch
Residents
External links
