Haskovo

Haskovo is a city in southern Bulgaria, near the borders with Greece and Turkey, and serves as the administrative center of Haskovo Province. The surrounding area has been continuously inhabited for about 7,000 years, and the town celebrated its 1,000th anniversary in 1985. Its name derives from the Ottoman era term Haskoy, meaning special village, with the Bulgarian suffix ovo later replacing the Turkish koy after independence; the city, whose 2023 population was about 64,564, is also home to a 32 meter statue of the Virgin Mary recognized by Guinness World Records as the tallest statue of its kind.