The town of Targovishte is the centre of the district. It has a population of 39 000 inhabitants and lies at a distance of 318 km northeast of Sofia. The town is in proximity to the northern slopes of the Stara Planina Mountains at an altitude of 170 m. It is situated along both banks of the Vrana River, a tributary of the Kamchiya River. Targovishte is a municipal centre of 50 settlements. Until 1934 the town is known under the name of Eski Dzhumaya.

The archaeological findings tell that there has been life on the site since the Copper-Stone Age (the Halcolith) -V-IV c. B.C. There have also been discovered remains from Thracian sanctuaries from V-III c. B.C, a settlement from the Roman Epoch (II-IV c. A.D.), a settlement and a fortress from the Byzantine Epoch (V-VI c.), settlements from the First and Second Bulgarian Kingdoms. In 1573 the town is mentioned under the name of Eski Dzhumaya in a tax registry book of the Ottoman Empire. It grows as a fair centre in the European part of the Ottoman Empire. Merchants from Austria, Germany, England, Russia and the Middle East sell their products here. The town is liberated from the Ottoman yoke in 1878. After the Liberation the main means of living of its inhabitants does not change but becomes more industrialized. Many windmills, a weaving factory, an oil-factory, a slaughterhouse and a tobacco warehouse are opened in the town.

Targovishte is the home town of the artist Nikola Marinov.

The tourist sights of the town are: 30 Revival-period houses, the church "Uspenie Bogorodichno"/The Assumption/ (1851), the school "Saint Sedmochislenitzi" (1863), the art gallery.

In the region of Targovishte has been discovered the Kralevo gold treasure, dating from IV-III c. B.C. It consists of beautiful body decorations and applications for a horse's ammunitions with engraved mythical images. The treasure is discovered by the village of Kralevo at a distance of 14 km southeast of Targovishte. The Targovishte mineral spring is situated to the southwest of the town. Its mineral water has a temperature of 27^oC and a capacity of about 6 litres per second. The water is suitable for healing kidney and intestinal diseases.

The most famous wineries in the region are Targovishte, Popovo and Nadarevo.