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{{Expand Bulgarian|topic=geo|date=December 2008|Смолян}}
{{Infobox settlement <!--more fields are available for this Infobox--See Template:Infobox Settlement-->
| official_name            = Smolyan
| image_skyline            = Kaptaja.jpg
| image_shield             = Smolyan Coat of Arms.png
| map_caption              = Location of Smolyan
| pushpin_map              = Bulgaria <!-- the name of a location map as per http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Template:Location_map -->
| pushpin_label_position   = <!-- the position of the pushpin label: left, right, top, bottom, none -->
| pushpin_map_caption      = Location of Smolyan
| coordinates              = {{coord|41|35|N|24|42|E|region:BG|display=inline,title}}
| subdivision_type         = [[Countries of the world|Country]]
| subdivision_name         = [[Bulgaria]]
| subdivision_type1        = [[Provinces of Bulgaria|Province]]<br>{{small|(Oblast)}}
| subdivision_name1        = [[Smolyan Province|Smolyan]]
| leader_title             = Mayor
| leader_name              = Nikolay Melemov {{small|([[GERB]])}}
| area_total_km2           = 134.59
| elevation_m              = 1002
| population_footnotes     = 
| population_total         = 30 689
| population_as_of         = Census 2021
| population_density_km2   = auto
| population_urban         = 34465
| timezone                 = [[Eastern European Time|EET]]
| utc_offset               = +2
| timezone_DST             = [[Eastern European Summer Time|EEST]]
| utc_offset_DST           = +3
| postal_code_type         = [[List of postal codes in Bulgaria|Postal Code]]
| postal_code              = 4700
| area_code                = 0301
| website                  = {{URL|http://www.smolyan.bg}}
<!--| MunicipalCode    = CM-->| settlement_type          = Town
}}

'''Smolyan''' ({{langx|bg|Смолян}}) is a [[List of cities and towns in Bulgaria|town]] and ski resort in the south of [[Bulgaria]] near the border with Greece. It is the administrative and industrial centre of the [[Smolyan Province]]. The town is built along the narrow valley of the [[Cherna (Arda)|Cherna]] ('black') and the [[Byala River|Byala]] ('white') river in the central [[Rhodope Mountains]]. It is located at the foot of the mountain's highest peak [[Golyam Perelik]] (2191&nbsp;m). Popular ski resorts of [[Pamporovo]] and [[Chepelare]] lie in the vicinity. As of June 2022 the town has a population of 30 689 inhabitants.

==Name==
The name of the town comes from the local Slavic tribe of the [[Smolyani]], the name of whom is probably cognate to the Slavic word ''smola'' ("resin").<ref name=smolyan>{{cite web |url=http://www.bgglobe.net/index.php?l=0&s=-286 |title=гр. Смолян |publisher=BGGLOBE |language=bg |access-date=2008-09-14 }}</ref>

==History==
[[File:Salih Aga Pashmakli Residence.jpg|thumb|Salih Aga Pashmakli Residence]]
According to archaeological evidence, the area around Smolyan was first settled in the [[2nd millennium BC|2nd]]-1st millennium BC. In the Middle Ages it acquired its name from the [[Slavic peoples|Slavic]] tribe, the ''[[Smolyani]]'', who settled in the region in the 7th century. During the [[Middle Ages]], it was ruled by the Part of the [[Byzantine Empire|Byzantine]] and [[First Bulgarian Empire|Bulgarian Empires]]. For a while during the 14th century it came under the control of the Bulgarian feudal lord [[Momchil]], alongside the whole [[Rhodope mountains]], before eventually being subjugated by the [[Ottoman Empire]]. During the Ottoman period the town was renamed to "Paşmaklı". It remained under [[History of Ottoman Bulgaria|Ottoman rule]] for five centuries, a township of the Ottoman [[Sanjak of Gümülcine]] in the [[Adrianople Vilayet]] between 1867 and 1912. It remained a Muslim-majority town with a large Christian minority until 1912.

The area was liberated by the 21st [[Sredna Gora]] Regiment led by Vladimir Serafimov in 1912, during the [[First Balkan War]]. However, the town retained its Ottoman-era name "Paşmaklı" until 1934, when it was changed to "Smolyan" by official decree. The modern town of Smolyan was formed by the merger of three existing villages&nbsp;— Ustovo, Raykovo and Ezerovo&nbsp;— in 1960.

<!-- Deleted image removed: [[File:Smolyan-houses-gruev.JPG|right|thumb|280px|Characteristic old [[architecture]] from [[Ottoman Empire|Ottoman]] time]] -->
[[File:St-Visarion-Smolenski-Church.jpg|right|thumb|280px|Smolyan's massive [[Cathedral of Saint Vissarion of Smolyan|Cathedral of Saint Vissarion]] (2006)]]
<!-- Deleted image removed: [[File:Smolyan-gruev.JPG|right|thumb|280px|View of Smolyan]] -->

== Population ==
The population of Smolyan just after [[World War II]] was about 5,000.<ref name="pop-stat">[http://pop-stat.mashke.org/bulgaria-cities.htm България / Bălgarija] pop-stat.mashke.org</ref> Since then, it started growing decade by decade, mostly because of the migrants from the rural areas and the surrounding  smaller towns, reaching its peak in the beginning of the 1990s, exceeding 34,000.<ref name="population">{{in lang|en}} [http://www.citypopulation.de/Bulgaria-Cities.html „WorldCityPopulation“]</ref>
<!--THIS TABLE IS STANDARD TO ALL BULGARIAN CITIES ARTICLES. PLEASE LEAVE -->
{{Table BG town population
| city = Smolyan
| 1887 = no data
| 1910 = no data
| 1934 = no data
| 1946 = 5,406
| 1956 = 7,472
| 1965 = 17,448
| 1975 = 28,492
| 1985 = 31,539
| 1992 = 34,086
| 2001 = 33,153
| 2005 = 31,988
| 2007 = 31,922
| 2009 = 31,718
| 2011 = 30,642  
| 2013 = 30,045
| 2021 = 26,167
| 2022 = 28,418 
| highest number=34,086|highest year=1992}}

===Ethnic linguistic and religious composition===
According to the latest 2011 census data, the individuals who declared their ethnic identity were distributed as follows:<ref>{{in lang|bg}} [http://www.nsi.bg/ORPDOCS/Census2011_1.pop_by_age.xls Population on 01.02.2011 by provinces, municipalities, settlements and age; National Statistical Institute]</ref><ref>[http://www.nsi.bg/ORPDOCS/Census2011_4.pop_by_ethnos.xls Population by province, municipality, settlement and ethnic identification, by 01.02.2011; Bulgarian National Statistical Institute] {{in lang|bg}}</ref>
*[[Bulgarians]]: 25,045 (97.0%)
*[[Roma in Bulgaria|Roma]]: 258 (1.0%)
*[[Turks in Bulgaria|Turks]]: 153 (0.6%)
*Others: 120 (0.5%)
*Indefinable: 248 (1.0%)
**Undeclared: 4,818 (15.7%)
Total: 30,642

In [[Smolyan Municipality]] 32708 declared as Bulgarians, 301 as Roma and 170 as Turks, and 9,000 did not declare their ethnic group.

== Culture and sports ==
Due to its suitable location on top of [[Mount Rozhen]], the [[Bulgarian National Astronomical Observatory]] is located nearby, with a [[planetarium]] in operation in the town. There is one theatre, the Rhodope Drama Theatre, and a gathering of theatre practitioners and scholars known as [[The Rhodopi International Theatre Laboratory]] is held every summer. There is also a regional historical museum founded in 1935.{{cn|date=March 2023}}

Smolyan has an elite division football team, [[PFC Rodopa Smolyan]], that had been playing in the [[A Professional Football Group]] between 2003-2007.

The largest church in southern Bulgaria, the [[Cathedral of Saint Vissarion of Smolyan]], was inaugurated in the city in July 2006.

==Municipality==
Smolyan is also the seat of Smolyan municipality (part of Smolyan Province), which includes the following 79 villages:
{{div col|colwidth=20em}}
* [[Aligovska]]
* [[Arda, Bulgaria|Arda]]
* [[Belev dol]]
* [[Bilyanska]]
* [[Borikovo]]
* [[Bostina]]
* [[Bukata, Bulgaria|Bukata]]
* [[Bukatsite]]
* [[Chamla]]
* [[Chepleten]]
* [[Chereshkite]]
* [[Chereshovo, Smolyan Province|Chereshovo]]
* [[Chereshovska Reka]]
* [[Chokmanovo]]
* [[Chuchur]]
* [[Dimovo, Smolyan Province|Dimovo]]
* [[Dunevo]]
* [[Elenska]]
* [[Elyovo]]
* [[Fatovo]]
* [[Gabritsa, Smolyan Province|Gabritsa]]
* [[Gela, Bulgaria|Gela]]
* [[Gozdevitsa]]
* [[Gorna Arda]]
* [[Gorovo, Smolyan Province|Gorovo]]
* [[Gradat]]
* [[Gudevitsa]]
* [[Hasovitsa]]
* [[Isyovtsi]]
* [[Katranitsa]]
* [[Kiselichevo]]
* [[Kokorkovo]]
* [[Koshnitsa]]
* [[Kremene]]
* [[Kukuvitsa]]
* [[Kutela]]
* [[Laka, Smolyan Province|Laka]]
* [[Levochevo]]
* [[Lipets]]
* [[Lyulka, Bulgaria|Lyulka]]
* [[Milkovo, Smolyan|Milkovo]]
* [[Mogilitsa]]
* [[Momchilovtsi]]
* [[Mugla, Bulgaria|Mugla]]
* [[Nadartsi]]
* [[Oreshitsa]]
* [[Ostri Pazlak]]
* [[Petkovo, Smolyan Province|Petkovo]]
* [[Peshtera, Smolyan Province|Peshtera]]
* [[Pisanitsa]]
* [[Podvis, Smolyan Province|Podvis]]
* [[Polkovnik Serafimovo]]
* [[Poprelka]]
* [[Potoka, Bulgaria|Potoka]]
* [[Rechani]]
* [[Reka, Bulgaria|Reka]]
* [[Rovina, Bulgaria|Rovina]]
* [[Selishte, Smolyan Province|Selishte]]
* [[Shiroka Laka]]
* [[Sivino]]
* [[Slaveyno]]
* [[Smilyan]]
* [[Sokolovtsi]]
* [[Solishta]]
* [[Sredok]]
* [[Stikal]]
* [[Stoykite]]
* [[Sarnino, Smolyan Province|Sarnino]]
* [[Strazha, Smolyan Province|Strazha]]
* [[Taran, Bulgaria|Taran]]
* [[Tikale]]
* [[Trebishte, Bulgaria|Trebishte]]
* [[Turyan (Bulgaria)|Turyan]]
* [[Uhlovitsa]]
* {{Interlanguage link multi|Valchan, Smolyan|bg|3=Вълчан|lt=Valchan}}
* [[Varbovo, Smolyan Province|Varbovo]]
* [[Vievo]]
* [[Vlahovo, Bulgaria|Vlahovo]]
* [[Zaevite]]
* [[Zmievo]]
{{div col end}}

==Geography==
===Climate===
Smolyan has a dry-[[warm-summer humid continental climate]] ([[Köppen climate classification]]: '''Dsb'''), featuring warm, dry summers and cold, snowy winters.

{{Weather box 
| metric first = yes
| single line  = yes
| location     = Smolyan
<!-- Average high temperatures -->
| Jan high C = 2.7
| Feb high C = 4.5
| Mar high C = 9.2
| Apr high C = 13.6
| May high C = 18.5
| Jun high C = 22.2
| Jul high C = 25.6
| Aug high C = 25.7
| Sep high C = 21.1
| Oct high C = 16.3
| Nov high C = 10.2
| Dec high C = 4.1
| year high C = 14.6
<!-- Average low temperatures -->
| Jan low C = -5.2
| Feb low C = -3.4
| Mar low C = -2.1
| Apr low C = 3.9
| May low C = 7.7
| Jun low C = 10.8
| Jul low C = 12.8
| Aug low C = 12.7
| Sep low C = 8.8
| Oct low C = 4.7
| Nov low C = 1.1
| Dec low C = -3.8
| year low C = 4.0
<!-- Minimum wind chill -->
| Jan chill = 
| Feb chill = 
| Mar chill = 
| Apr chill = 
| May chill = 
| Jun chill = 
| Jul chill = 
| Aug chill = 
| Sep chill = 
| Oct chill = 
| Nov chill = 
| Dec chill = 
| year chill =
<!-- Total precipitation, this should include rain and snow. -->
| Jan precipitation mm = 80
| Feb precipitation mm = 70
| Mar precipitation mm = 90
| Apr precipitation mm = 90
| May precipitation mm = 200
| Jun precipitation mm = 100
| Jul precipitation mm = 80
| Aug precipitation mm = 30
| Sep precipitation mm = 10
| Oct precipitation mm = 90
| Nov precipitation mm = 180
| Dec precipitation mm = 210
| year precipitation mm = 1290
<!-- Average daily % humidity -->
| Jan humidity = 72
| Feb humidity = 74
| Mar humidity = 69
| Apr humidity = 70
| May humidity = 70
| Jun humidity = 69
| Jul humidity = 66
| Aug humidity = 57
| Sep humidity = 62
| Oct humidity = 74
| Nov humidity = 72
| Dec humidity = 77
| year humidity = 69
<!-- Mandatory fields, source -->
| source 1 = <ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.weatherbase.com/weather/weatherall.php3?s=52751&refer=&cityname=Smolyan-Bulgaria&units= |title=Weather Base |publisher=Weather Base |access-date=December 21, 2012 }}</ref>
}}

==Honour==
[[Smolyan Point]] on [[Livingston Island]] in the [[South Shetland Islands]], [[Antarctica]] is named after Smolyan.

==Notable people==
* [[Valya Balkanska]]
* [[Victor Houteff]], founder of the Davidian branch, an offshoot of the [[Seventh-day Adventist Church]].
* [[Velichko Cholakov]]
* [[Daniil of Bulgaria]]

==Gallery==

<gallery mode="packed">
File:Смолян Райково 2713784204 3519c6e659 o.jpg 
File:Смолян Технически Колеж 2727441793 76680bdefa o.jpg
File:Смолян Невястата 2702326413 a0331a0230 o.jpg 
File:Смолян Стенопис 1 2827787856 aae5a15ff2 o.jpg 
File:Смолян 2695825013 82452c9437 o.jpg 
File:Смолян 2691396959 f63b323fab o.jpg 
File:Смолян Райково 2724872359 21527b973c o.jpg 
File:Смолян Устово 2851700364 587e738628 o.jpg 
File:Kaptaja.jpg 
File:Stanevska.jpg 
File:Ustovo.jpg 
File:Historical-museum-smolian.jpg
</gallery>

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
{{commons category}}
* [http://www.smolyan.com/index_en.aspx Smolyan municipality website]
* [http://bulgaria.domino.bg/smolyan/eng/ Smolyan municipality at Domino.bg]
* [http://planetarium-sm.org/ Planetarium Smolyan]
* [http://www.astro.bas.bg/rozhen.html National Astronomical Observatory "Rozhen"]
* [http://www.kutela.bg/ Official website of village of "Kutela"]

{{Geographic location
| Centre    = Smolyan
| North     = [[Asenovgrad]]
| Northeast = [[Haskovo]]
| East      = [[Kardjali]]
| Southeast = ''[[Greece]]''
| South     = ''[[Greece]]''
| Southwest = ''[[Greece]]''
| West      = [[Gotse Delchev (town)|Gotse Delchev]]
| Northwest = [[Peshtera]]
}}
{{Cities in Bulgaria}}
{{Smolyan Province}}

{{Bulgarian ski resorts}}

{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Smolyan| ]]
[[Category:Cities and towns in the Rhodopes]]
[[Category:Populated places in Smolyan Province]]