The town of Targovishte is the centre of the district. It has a population of 39 000 inhabitants and lies at a distance of 318 km northeast of Sofia. The town is in proximity to the northern slopes of Stara Planina at an altitude of 170 m. It is situated along both banks of the Vrana River, a tributary of the Kamchiya River. Targovishte is a municipal centre of 50 settlements. Until 1934 the town was known under the name of Eski Dzhumaya.
The archaeological findings tell that there has been life on the site since the Copper-Stone Age (the Halcolith) -V-IV c. B.C. There were also discovered remains from Thracian sanctuaries from V-III c. B.C, a settlement from the Roman Epoch (II-IV c. A.D.), a settlement and a fortress from the Byzantine Epoch (V-VI c.), settlements from the First and Second Bulgarian Kingdoms. In 1573 the town was mentioned under the name of Eski Dzhumaya in a tax registry book of the Ottoman Empire. It grew as a fair centre in the European part of the Ottoman Empire. Merchants from Austria, Germany, England, Russia and the Middle East sold their products here. The town was liberated from the Ottoman yoke in 1878. After the Liberation the main means of living of its inhabitants did not change but became more industrialized. Many windmills, a weaving factory, an oil-factory, a slaughterhouse and a tobacco warehouse were opened in the town.
Targovishte is the home town of the artist Nikola Marinov.
The tourist sights of the town are: 30 Revival-period houses, the church "Uspenie Bogorodichno"/The Assumption/ (1851), the school "Saint Sedmochislenitzi" (1863), the art gallery.
In the region of Targovishte was discovered the Kralevo gold treasure, dating from IV-III c. B.C. It consists of beautiful body decorations and applications for a horse's ammunitions with engraved mythical images. The treasure was discovered by the village of Kralevo at a distance of 14 km southeast of Targovishte. The Targovishte mineral spring is situated to the southwest of the town. Its mineral water has a temperature of 27oC and a capacity of about 6 litres per second. The water is suitable for healing kidney and intestinal diseases.
The most famous wineries in the region are Targovishte, Popovo and Nadarevo.
Historical Museum, Town of Popovo
The town of Popovo has a population of 17 000 inhabitants and lies at a distance of 37 km northwest of Targovishte. Popovo is a municipal centre of 34 settlements. It is the second biggest town in the district. The relief of the predominant part of the town is of hills, fields and plateaus with an altitude varying from 130 to 485 metres which is favourable for the growing of grains, technical cultures, vegetables and cattle breeding.
There are 40 settlement mounds, 70 burial mounds and over 50 ancient and medieval fortresses on the territory of the municipality. Until 1880 the settlement had a population of 1100 inhabitants. Its development is due to the construction of the railway line Sofia-Varna. At the beginning of XX c. Popovo is granted with administrative functions which further contributes to its development. There are preserved architectural monuments from XX c. in the town. The southwestern part of the municipality is covered with centuries-old forests. The region of the municipality has many facilities for hunting and fishing tourism.
Church "St. Dimiter", town of Omurtag
The town of Omurtag has a population of 9 000 inhabitants and lies at a distance of 24 km southwest of Targovishte. Omurtag is a municipal centre of 44 component settlements. The town is situated in the eastern part of Fore-Balkan. The terrain is of plains and mountains with average altitude of 500 m.
The first known inhabitants of the region date back to the Eneolith. During IV-V c. the region was included in a big defensive system created by the Byzantine emperor Justinian. During the Middle Ages the municipality was in close proximity to the first Bulgarian capitals - Pliska and Preslav. The first written evidence of the existence of the present-day town is from 1676 where the settlement is mentioned in the Turkish tax registry books as an administrative centre under the name of Osman Pazar. Until 1934 the town was known under that name.
The tourist sights of the town are: the Menzilishka fountain (1779), the church "Saint Dimiter" (1851), Revival-period houses, the bridge on the territory of the village of Stevrek dating from XVI c. and others.
The town of Opaka
The town of Opaka has a population of 3 000 inhabitants and lies at a distance of 48 km northwest of Targovishte. Opaka is a municipal administrative centre of 5 settlements. The town is mentioned in the Ottoman tax registry books from 1573. The municipality of Opaka is specialized in the production of grains, tobacco, fodder cultures, vines, fruit and vegetables.
The town of Antonovo
The town of Antonovo lies at a distance of 51 km southwest of Targovishte. Antonovo is a municipal administrative centre of 59 settlements. The town is situated on the road connecting Sofia with Varna. The region is specialized in the light industry and agriculture. The settlement is registered in the Ottoman documents from 1676 with the name of Yaila.
