It is located at the distance of 48 km to the south of Stara Zagora, 78 km east of Plovdiv, 13 km north of Haskovo, 215 km west of Bourgas and 220 km to the south-east of the city of Sofia. It is an important industrial centre and one of the youngest towns in Bulgaria. It is also a regional administrative centre.
History: The birth date of this town is well known - 3 April 1947, when the villages of Rakovski, Mariino and Chernokonyovo (earlier called the "Small Batak" due to its suffering from the Ottoman invaders) were united to place the foundations of what Dimitrovgrad is today. It was named after Georgi Dimitrov.
The vast deposits of lignite and lime as well as the proximity of the waters of the Maritsa River were the base for the construction of a cement and a chemical plants. Thousands of young people, called "brigadiri" came to participate in the construction works and populated the town. Apart from being a centre of industry, Dimitrovgrad developed as a powerful vegetable-producing region - the second in the country after Plovdiv.
In 1957 the town elected a representative and participated in the Constituent Congress of the World Federation for the Fraternity of Towns and became one of its founders. The town is also associated with the esteemed poet - Penyo Penev, called the poet with the "vatenka" (a coarse thick upper garment usually worn by builders).
Transport: Dimitrovgrad maintains regular bus lines to Sofia, Plovdiv, Varna, Bourgas, Stara Zagora and Haskovo as well as to the smaller towns and villages in the region. The central bus station, the bus station to Haskovo and the railways station are close to each other on the centre of the town. Dimitrovgrad can be reached through the Sofia - Plovdiv - Svilengrad and Rousse - Toulovo - Podkova railway lines, as well as their international extensions. It has well-organised bus transport.
Surrounding areas: The Sanctuary of the Nymphs is located 15 km south-east of the town (nearby the village of Kasnakovo). It is a Thracian monument of culture of great national importance and consists of cult-related buildings (2nd century), an inn (3rd century), amphitheatre (4th century) and an interesting architectural decision uniting the three natural springs. Regular bus line. 16 km to the north-west of the town one can visit the Merichleri Mineral Spring (refer to Chirpan section herein), regular bus line from the town. The Izvora na Belonogata Tourist Complex (Spring of the White-legged Maiden) is located 35 kilometres south-east of Dimitrovgrad (near the town of Harmanli). Regular bus and railway transport available. 20 km to the south-west one can visit the Haskovo Mineral Baths (refer to Haskovo section herein), accessible by regular bus lines.
