The town of Stara Zagora is the centre of the district. It has a population of 142 000 inhabitants. The town lies at a distance of 233 km southeast of Sofia. Stara Zagora is a municipal centre with 50 component settlements. The town is situated at an altitude of 140 m on the southern slope of the Sarnena Sredna Gora Mountains by the Bedechka River. Stara Zagora is one of the ancient towns in Bulgaria.

Beroe is the first name of the town founded in V c. B.C. The town gets its name from the Thracians. From this period there are preserved Neolithic settlements - the oldest and most well-preserved in the whole of Europe. The name of the town means "iron" because iron has been obtained in the ore mines of Stara Zagora. The mine "Mechi kladenetz" dates from IV c. B.C. It is the oldest copper mine in Europe. Augusta Trayana is the Roman town founded by Emperor Mark Ulpius Trayan (98-117). The emperor liked the town so much that he wanted it to have his name. So the town was fortified with powerful defense facilities and became the second biggest in Thrace Province. Augusta Trayana has been a centre of an administrative district and has had the right to mint its own bronze coins. Today one can see the ruins of an amphitheatre, Roman thermal baths, part of the main trade street and the western gate of the town. In 684 the town is part of the Byzantine Empire. It is dedicated to empress Irina and is renamed into Irinopolis. Empress Irina restores its fortified walls. The town enters the limits of the Bulgarian state after its conquering by khan Krum in 812. The Bulgarians call the town Boruy, coming from the Thracian name of Beroe. In 969 the settlement is again conquered by the Byzantines. It is later returned to the limits of Bulgaria as a token of gratitude from the Byzantine emperor to the Bulgarian khan Tervel who helps the Byzantines to defeat the 30 000 Arab army, which has laid siege to Constantinople. During the period of XI-XIV c. the town is a Bulgarian fortress and in XIII-XIV c. it is a district centre. In 1364 the town is captured by the Ottomans which rename it to Eski Zara and make it an administrative centre. During the Revival Period the town is an important craftsman's centre. The Eski mosque, built in XV c. is preserved from this period. The town gets its present-day name in 1871 at an Ecclesiastical Synod in Istanbul when the Stara Zagora eparchy is established. During the Russian-Turkish War from 1878 the town has been burned down several times and has lost one third of its population. After the Liberation the town is restored according to the city plan of an Austro-Hungarian architect.

The tourist sights of the town are: the churches "Saint Nikolay", "Saint Dimiter"(1743), "Saint Cyril and Methodius", "Sveta Bogoroditza"/Holy Virgin/, "Sveta Troitza"/Holy Trinity/, the remains of Augusta Trayana, the ancient forum, the late ancient times mosaics, the history museum, the art gallery.

15 km west of Stara Zagora is located the village of Ladzhite, known also as the Stara Zagora Mineral Baths. The village has a population of 300 inhabitants. It is a national spa resort. The mineral water is hydrocarbon-calcium-magnesium one with a capacity of 18 litres per second and a temperature of 51,5^oC. The mineral water is suitable for healing diseases of the locomotory system, the peripheral nervous system, liver and other diseases. In the village there are also remains of a Roman bath from II c. built for the inhabitants of Augusta Trayana.

The spa resort by the village of Yagoda is located at a distance of 16 km from Stara Zagora. The mineral waters have a temperature of 35-40^oC and are used for healing diseases of the locomotory system, nervous and gynaecological diseases.

Other famous cultural-historic sights on the territory of the district are: the national park-museum Shipka, the temple-monument "Rozhdestvo Hristovo"/Jesus' birth/, the monastery in Kazanlak etc.

In the Stara Zagora District are located the following natural landmarks: the reserves "Sokolna" (Central Balkan), "Elenova gora", "Kamenitza", "Leshnitza" and part of the famous Rose Valley.

The district of Stara Zagora is famous for the production of wine as well. The most well-known wineries in the region are: Stara Zagora, Chirpan, Kazanlak, Oryahovitza and Svoboda.

Tourist sights

The archaeological reserve "Augusta Trayana - Vereya" has preserved the remains of ancient settlements and is located in the central part of the town. There are remains of ancient streets, gates, towers, thermal baths and other buildings.

The ancient forum dates back to II-IV c. and is one of the most monumental facilities in the ancient town. There is a preserved original late Ancient Times mosaics from a rich housing building. It is determined by the specialists as one of the best examples of the Roman art.

The history museum of Stara Zagora has precious collections of prehistoric ceramics and plastics, ancient glass and bronze, Thracian chariots, medieval plastics etc.

The Bereketska mound is situated in the Kolyo Ganchev housing quarter. It is 17 m high with a diameter of the foundation 250 m.

The copper mines of Stara Zagora are the most ancient copper mines in Europe. They date from IV millennia B.C. The discovered galleries reach a depth of up to 18 metres. From the obtained copper have been made copper objects which have been afterwards exported. According to scientists from the mines have been obtained over 1 000 tons of copper and examples of it have been found in present-day Ukraine. From the copper obtained from the "Mechi kladenetz" mine have been made the vessels of the famous Karbunovo treasure. The copper mines lie at a distance of 7 km from Stara Zagora.

The Geo Milev's House houses the works of the poet, artist and publisher Geo Milev (1890-1925). He is a famous Bulgarian poet, publicist and translator.