 blagoevgrad () is Ð° city in southwestern bulgaria, the administrative centre of blagoevgrad municipality and of blagoevgrad province, with a population of 70,881 inhabitants (). it lies on the banks of the blagoevgradska bistritsa river. the city is the economic and cultural centre of southwestern bulgaria. it is located in the valley of the struma river at the foot of the rila and pirin mountains,  south of sofia, close to republic of macedonia border. blagoevgrad features a pedestrian downtown with preserved 19th-century architecture and numerous restaurants, cafes, coffee shops, and boutiques. blagoevgrad is home to two universities, the south-west university "neofit rilski" and the american university in bulgaria. the city hosts also the "sts. cyril and methodius national humanitarian high school", the former bulgarian men's high school of thessaloniki moved from thessaloniki to blagoevgrad (then gorna dzhumaya) in 1913. attractions in the surrounding area include the resort bodrost. ==climate== the climate is transitional continental with a strong mediterranean influence, due to air masses that enter from the south valley of the struma river. the city is protected from cold northerly winds due to the natural barrier of the high hills of rila massif and the village of belo pole. mountain bree
Blagoevgrad Populated_places_in_Blagoevgrad_Province Spa_towns_in_Bulgaria