The Haskovo region is located in the central part of South Bulgaria and occupies the westernmost part of the Haskovo province. It is a key geographical position and very favorable too. The county itself comprises the town of Haskovo and 35 villages. It is the transport junction between Europe, Near and Middle East, rendering excellent opportunity for international commercial and cultural interchange. Its territory is trespassed with the major bus and railway routes to and from the main checkpoints of Bulgaria, which is the basic prerequisite for the successful trade with the Republic of Greece and the Republic of Turkey.
The county of Haskovo is situated in the central part of South Bulgaria and occupies the westernmost part of the Haskovo province. Its location is very advantageous. There are good requisites for international commercial and cultural interchange. The relief is various. The climate of the county is characterized with the very strong influence from the Mediterranean climate. The historical monuments and the rich culture of the region, in conjunction with the well-developed transport and tourist infrastructure offer excellent opportunity for further enhancement of tourism. The Haskovo province encompasses 261 settlements, organized in 11 counties, namely Haskovo, Dimitrovgrad, Svilengrad, Lyubimetz, Harmanli, Madzharovo, Simeonovgrad, Ivaylovgrad, Topolovgrad, Mineralni Banni and Stambolovo county.
The Mineralni Banni is a national balneotherapeutical center and a very beautiful resort. It is the perfect place for balnelogical, ecological and rural tourism. The county is most famous for the medicinal mineral water of unique composition and characteristics. It is sited among a green countryside on the northern flanks of the Eastern Rhodopa mountain. Around the springs a lot of remnants of bath houses, balneotherapeutical facilities, fortress walls, numerous everyday-life articles,coins, etc. were found, dated back not only to the Roman empire, but to the Thracian period also. This region is characterized with hilly relief, warm continental climate and moderate precipitation. The mineral springs spout out from 15 hydrothermal natural and artificial sources with water temperature ranging from 54 to 56 degrees Centigrade. Due to its southern position in the country, the resort has mild moderate continental climate, with traces of Mediterranean influence. It is well known and often frequented in particular for curative procedures of many common ailments. The visitors can enjoy a variety of pleasant activities and entertainments, not to mention the long strolls and outings in the picturesque surroundings of the resort.
The county of Madzharovo is located in the Eastern Rhodopa mountainside, renowned for its ecologically clean and free of industrial wastes environment. The county has excellent opportunities to develop ecological, hunting and alternative tourism.
The Ivaylovgrad fortress is the most preserved mountainous fortress not only in the whole of Rhodopa mountain, but in the whole of the country as well. The height of the walls is 10 meters and is preserved along the entire length of the fortress. In this county, which is the most spacious of all in the province, there are marvelous requisites for development of ecological, hunting and rural tourism, coupled with specialized tourism for water sport lovers. The county is very attractive due to the unique mixture of mountain, mild climate and abundance of water resources. The county of Ivaylovgrad is sited in the southernmost parts of the Rhodopa mountain. To the east it borders with the Republic of Greece. The rich archaeological and cultural heritage of the county is just another fact, that helps boost the tourism there.
The county of Lyubimetz occupies the eastern part of the Haskovo province and is situated in the lowlands with especially fertile soils. In comparison to the other counties, here the Mediterranean climatic influence is felt even stronger. The agriculture is the main economic sector in the county of Lyubimetz. Here various vegetables are mostly grown. The whole of the county is renowned in Bulgaria for its sweet melons and watermelons. Incredible conditions exist for creation of vineyards, building the basis for a prosperous wine industry.
The county of Svilengrad is located in the southeastern part of the Haskovo province. The climate is mild, transitional to Mediterranean Through its territory flows the Maritza river, and there is a huge network of micro dams and reservoirs. The major economic sectors are the industry and agriculture, complemented with trade and tourism. The tourism is relatively new sector of the local economy. Its fast development is favored by the increasing traffic in the last years and the the so called “weekend” tourism, based on the combination of trans border ecological routes, encompassing nearby territories on both sides of the Bulgarian national border. The county also boasts rich historical heritage, which is another major factor in the development of the tourism in it. Of particular interest is the ancient Thracian tomb by the village of Mezek, the medieval Bulgarian necropolis in the town of Svilengrad, the cliff churches in the vicinities of the villages of Mihalitch and Matochina, as well as the medieval fortress in the neighborhood of Kaleto.
The county of Simeonovgrad is located in the northernmost part of the Haskovo province. It is situated in the Upper-Thracian valley (the Stara Zagora lowlands) on numerous isolated from one another hills. The climate is characterized with mild winter and hot summer. The Maritza river is crossing the county, with some of its tributaries, the most important of which is the Salzliyka river. In the basin of the Maritza river there are a lot of clay deposits, gravel and sand are also derived here. The county of Stambolovo is situated in the Eastern Rhodopa massif and protracts from the Haskovo lowlands to the Arda river, most of the terrain characterized with alternating of small glens with hills. The county comprises of 26 settlements. The major local landmarks are as follows: the mineral spring of table water in the vicinity of the village of Dolno Botevo and the Arda river, which can be very effectively utilized for the development of tourism and economy. The very well preserved historical heritage and the clean environment are the factors attracting domestic and foreign investors in their ambitions to foster the tourism and ecological agriculture in the county. Here can be found also numerous archaeological remnants from the turbulent Bulgarian past.
The county of Topolovgrad is situated in the southeastern part of Bulgaria. Apart from its favorable geographical position, it also boasts optimum transport and communication location, which influences to a great extent the development of the economy in the county. The relief is very varied – the hillsides and mountainsides abide, with an altitude ranging between 100 and 300 meters. Here the bowels of the earth are abundant in various ores and minerals – uranium, rare minerals, lead,zinc, marble, granite, precious metals. The county has all the necessary conditions to develop hunting and alternative tourism.
The county of Harmanli occupies the central part of the Haskovo province. The moderate continental climate predetermines the diversity of vegetation, found on its territory. A number of natural phenomena, such as the “Kyumurluka” and the “Kuru dere” with their waterfalls, or the reserve of “Deffileto” - a gorge of exceptional natural beauty and popular resting-place.
