Bolhrad facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Bolhrad Болград
City
Transfiguration Cathedral
Flag Coat of arms
Bolhrad Location in Ukraine Show map of Ukraine Bolhrad Location in Odesa Oblast Show map of Odesa Oblast
Country	Ukraine
Oblast	Odesa Oblast
Raion	Bolhrad Raion
Hromada	Bolhrad urban hromada
Founded	1821
Area
• Total	94 km2 (36 sq mi)
Elevation	75 m (246 ft)
Population  (2022)
• Total	14,818
• Density	157.6/km2 (408.3/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+2 (EET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+3 (EEST)
Postcode district(s)	68700—706
Area code(s)	+380-4846

Bolhrad is a small city in southwestern Ukraine. It is located in the Odesa Oblast, which is like a province. The city is part of the historical region called Budjak.

Bolhrad is the main town for the Bolhrad Raion (a district). It also manages the Bolhrad urban hromada, which is a local community area in Ukraine. As of 2022, about 14,818 people live here.

Discovering Bolhrad's Past

How Bolhrad Started

Bolhrad was founded in 1821. It was created by Bulgarian settlers. General Ivan Inzov led this effort. People in Bolhrad still honor him as the city's founder.

Changes Over Time

Bolhrad has been part of many different countries. It was part of Moldavia from 1856 to 1859. Then it became part of Romania for several periods. These periods were from 1859 to 1878, 1918 to 1940, and 1941 to 1944.

After that, it joined the Soviet Union (as part of the Ukrainian SSR). Finally, in 1991, it became part of independent Ukraine. In 1921, an incident occurred at a palace in the city.

• Old Photos of Bolhrad (Romanian Times)
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  Transfiguration Cathedral

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  Bolhrad High School

Who Lives in Bolhrad?

Different Cultures in Bolhrad

The area around Bolhrad has many different groups of people. Most people in the wider Bolhradsky district are ethnic Bulgarians. They make up about 61% of the population there.

Bolhrad itself is home to many Bessarabian Bulgarians. Locals often see it as the unofficial capital of the Bessarabian region of Budjak.

Languages Spoken

In 1897, most people spoke Bulgarian (68.9%) as their first language. Other languages included Russian, Jewish languages, Moldavian/Romanian, and Ukrainian.

According to the 2001 Ukrainian census, Bulgarians are still the largest ethnic group. They make up almost half of the city's population. Ukrainians and Russians are also very large groups. There are also many Moldovans and Gagauz people living in Bolhrad.

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In 2001, no single language was spoken by the majority. Russian was spoken by 48.7% of people. Bulgarian was spoken by 32.65%, and Ukrainian by 13.92%. Many ethnic Moldovans spoke Russian as their main language.

Bolhrad's Economy

Coal Industry

As of 1920, Bolhrad had a coal industry. This means that mining coal was an important part of the city's economy.

Learning in Bolhrad

Bolhrad High School

Bolhrad High School

The Georgi Sava Rakovski Bolhrad High School is very old. It was founded in 1858. It is the oldest high school from the Bulgarian National Revival period. This period was a time when Bulgarians worked to regain their cultural identity.

Famous People from Bolhrad

Born in Bolhrad

• Dimitar Grekov (1847–1901), a Bulgarian politician.
• Danail Nikolaev (1852–1942), a Bulgarian general.
• Georgi Todorov (1858–1934), another Bulgarian general.
• Vladimir Cavarnali (1910–1966), a poet and journalist.
• Nicolae Văcăroiu (born 1943), a former Prime Minister of Romania.
• Irina Molokanova (born 1957), a politician from Transnistria.
• Petro Poroshenko (born 1965), the fifth President of Ukraine.

Lived in Bolhrad

• Mykola Shmatko (born 1943), a Ukrainian visual artist.