Stara Zagora Province

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**Stara Zagora Province**
Област Стара Загора

Capital	Stara Zagora
Population	360,203
Area	5,151.1 km²
Municipalities	11
License plate province code	CT
Time zone	EET (UTC +2; UTC+3 in summer)
Governor	Mariya Neykova
Website	http://www.sz.government.bg/

Stara Zagora is a province of south central Bulgaria. Its main city is Stara Zagora, while other towns include Chirpan and Kazanlak. There is another town nearby called Radnevo. On the edge of Radnevo there is a coal production facility.Radnevo is 20 kilometers south of Stara Zagora. There are approximately 360,203 residents of Stara Zagora Province, while the population of Stara Zagora and Kazanlak towns is 141,480 and 51,565 respectively.

Stara Zagora is a cultural centre of particular significance for Bulgaria as it is an ancient Thracian, subsequently Greek, Roman and Byzantine metropolis. The oldest Neolithic remains were found in Stara Zagora. The famous film of BBC The History of Europe starts with the Neolithic museum in Stara Zagora. It shows the remains of the first homes of the people in Europe. Stara Zagora is one of the oldest cities in Europe.

In October 2004, Stara Zagora Province was awarded for having the best quality of life in Europe, together with Greater Zürich (Switzerland), and ahead of Andalucia (Spain), and Flanders (Belgium). The award was given by fDi Magazine, produced by the renowned Financial Times Group, for the region's low-cost, newly built accommodation and rich cultural heritage.

Towns in the Stara Zagora Province by population: