Momchilgrad

Momchilgrad (Bulgarian: Момчилград [momˈt͡ʃiɫɡrat], lit. 'the town of Momchil', Turkish: Mestanlı) is a town in the very south of Bulgaria, part of Kardzhali Province in the southern part of the Eastern Rhodopes. According to the 2011 census, Momchilgrad is the largest Bulgarian settlement with a Turkish majority (75% of the total).^[2]

Momchilgrad Момчилград
Town square
Momchilgrad Location of Momchilgrad
Coordinates: 41°32′N 25°25′E
Country	Bulgaria
Province (Oblast)	Kardzhali
Named after	Momchil
Government
• Mayor	Ilknur Kazim (DPS)
Elevation	452 m (1,483 ft)
Population  (01.02.2011)
• Total	7,831[1]
Time zone	UTC+2 (EET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+3 (EEST)
Postal Code	6800
Area code	03631

Notable natives include Petar Stoychev (b. 1976), the fastest swimmer across the English Channel until 2012, table tennis player and coach Daniela Gergelcheva (b. 1964), Turkish weightlifter Naim Süleymanoğlu (1967–2017), and singer Zdravko Zhelyazkov from the Riton pop duet.

History

Momchilgrad became part of Bulgaria after the First Balkan War. The town was officially renamed to Momchilgrad from Mastanli (Bulgarian: Мастанли) in 1934, though is still known as Mestanlı by the Turkish population.