HISTORY

The earliest traces of communal life were discovered in the dozens of pre – historic living mounds. The so called Racheva and Marcheva mounds are located on the territory of the present day town. Some of the finds recovered there are kept in the Archeological museum in Sofia, and predominantly in the Museum of History in Yambol. The ancient town sprang up as a Thracian settlement called “Kabile” at an important crossroads. Later it became a significant fortress. During the Roman domination the town reached its prime. On his way trough the town in 293 emperor Diokletian gave it the name of “Disopolos”. It existed till 378 when the Goths destroyed it. The first written information dates back to 6 th century. Since 11 – 14 th centuries it was mentioned as a Bulgarian town having different names – “Diosopolis”, “Dublino”, etc. The town was among the first to put up resistance to the Ottomans. It was conquered in 1373 after a long siege. Part of the imposing fortress walls and towers of medieval, Yambol have been preserved till this very day. During the Turkish rule many Turks settled to live here, and after the Russian – Turkish war of 1829 many Bulgarians from the town and the vicinity emigrated to Russia. The town is a native place of the revolutionaries Radi Kolesov, Zahari Velichkov, etc. The Russian armies liberated the town in January 1878. In memory of this act the people built and inaugurated the St. Alexandar Nevski Temple – the first monument of the Bulgarian – Russian friendship in Bulgaria.

The “St. George” church (45, “St. Georgi” str.) dates back to 1737 and it was the center of cultural and religious life. A monastery school was opened in 1805, and in 1857 a class school where Dobri Chintolov was a teacher in the period between 1857 and 1862.
Eski Mosque from 15 th century is the only preserved Muslim worship place in Yambol. The Museum of History ( 2 “Byalo More” str.) – working hours: 8.00 – 12.00 a.m. and 1.00 – 5.00 p.m.
The “George Papazov” Art Gallery, housed in an interesting antique building it is one of the richest galleries in the country. It possesses more than 3 000 works of dozens of outstanding Bulgarian and foreign painters. The town park of Yambol is very beautiful. It is an island in the Tundja river.

There are bus lines to Sliven, Nova Zagora, Elhovo, Sredets, etc. The bus station is situated near the market place (+359 46/23654, 24417). The town is a point on the railway line Sofia –Plovdiv –Bourgas. The railway station (+359 46/22626, 22254) is in the eastern part of the town. There is a railway bureau for reservations in the town (+359 46/22121).

The Archaeological reserve “Kabile” is situated north of the town. It preserves the ruins of the most significant antique Thracian town of Kabile which has been investigated for more than 25 years. The remains are really impressive. The St.St.Spas and Alexander Nevski temple on the peak of Bakadjik, 14 km. south – east of Yambol. Its construction was suggested by General Skobelev, and realized with the help of the voluntary donations from Bulgaria and Russia. A favorite place of the inhabitants of Yambol for having a rest is the wood Ormana near the Tundja River, 5 km north to the town. The lowlands of Bakadjitsite are a wonderful sight for tourism because of the deciduous woods.