Chirpan
Chirpan (, ) is a town on the Tekirska River in Stara Zagora Province of south-central Bulgaria. It is the administrative centre of the homonymous Chirpan Municipality. As of December 2013, the town had a population of 15,109 down from 16,355 inhabitants in December 2009. Chirpan is located north of the Maritsa River on the Chirpan highlands, south-east of the Sredna Gora mountains. The town is a centre for wineries and viticulture. History. The modern town is the successor of the Ancient Roman settlement of Sherampol and re-emerged in the beginning of the 15th century, its current name  likely being derived from the Roman one. Upon his return from the Council of Sardica, Saint Athanasius established the first Christian monastery in Europe circa 344 near modern-day Chirpan in Bulgaria. There has been extensive archaeological excavation at the Karasura (Carasura) site. During the Ottoman rule of Bulgaria, Chirpan () was known for its craftsmen and agriculture. The town suffered badly from an earthquake on 18 April 1928. Chirpan was the birthplace of Ottoman Turkish soldier Abdülkerim Nadir Pasha, and the Bulgarian poet Peyo Yavorov, whose native house is now a museum. Chirpan was the home of painter George Danchov . His house in the centre of the town is an excellent example of Bulgarian National Revival architecture. Economy. There are 23,470 (2009) people in the municipality, two thirds of whom live in the town. 53% of the land is in cultivation, with major crops from wheat, sunflowers, cotton, grapes, and fruit trees. There is a 139 hectare Natura 2000 Special Protection Area for preservation of avian habitat along the Tekirska River. Honour. Chirpan Peak on Livingston Island in the South Shetland Islands, Antarctica is named after Chirpan.