Stara Zagora is one of the 28 districts in Bulgaria. It occupies an area of 5 151,1 km² and is the fifth on the territory of the country. Its population as of 31 December 2015 amounts to 323 685, with a little more than 57.6% of all the inhabitants living in the two largest cities - Stara Zagora (136 807) and Kazanlak (49 825). The postal codes allocated for the settlements in the Stara Zagora district start from 6000 (for the city of Stara Zagora) to 6299. Its Vehicle Code is CT.

In the southeastern part of the district on the edge of Radnevo municipality there is a coal production facility. Between 1934 and 1949 the area included parts of today's Kardzhali region.

History

The first evidences of the transformation of Stara Zagora into a regional center dates back to the 2nd century AD, then the town was named after Augusta Trayana. In the second 10th century, the Bulgarian state was divided into military-administrative units called "strategies". Stara Zagora is a center of a strategy, well known in the written sources, and is a strategist of the city of Beroe-Andronik. At the time of the Second Bulgarian State, Stara Zagora continued to be a regional center, and then the territorial units had the name "people". Since the acception of the Christian religion, Stara Zagora is also an episcopal center. Years after the Russo-Turkish Liberation War, Stara Zagora remains in Eastern Rumelia. With the Organic Statute / Constitution of Southern Bulgaria / since 1879, the city is designated as a prefecture.

The first prefect of Stara Zagora, appointed by the temporary Russian government, is Panteley Nabotkov. Until 1934 Stara Zagora is a regional center. In the same year a new territorial division of the state was accepted and Stara Zagora accepted the status of a regional center with 13 districts - Ardino, Borisovgrad, Ivaylovgrad, Krumovgrad, Kardzhali, Momchilgrad, Kazanlak, Nova Zagora, Svilengrad, Haskovo, Chirpan. This status quo continues until 1948 when the counties resume again. In 1987, Stara Zagora County was part of one of the nine districts in the country - Haskovo. On January 5, 1999, with a Decree of the President of the Republic of Bulgaria Stara Zagora became a regional center of Stara Zagora Region, including 11 municipalities. The Constitution of the Republic of Bulgaria defines: the district is an administrative-territorial unit for conducting regional policy, for implementing state governance on the places and for ensuring correspondence between national and local interests.

Monuments

Eski mosque - Stara Zagora

Museum of Religions Hamza Bay

House-museum Geo Milev

Regional History Museum - Stara Zagora

Temples of Augusta Trayana

Opera Stara Zagora

Astronomical Observatory

Neolithic Housing Museum

Beer Museum Zagorka