Rakovski, Razgrad Province

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Rakovski is a small village in northeastern Bulgaria. It is part of Isperih Municipality in Razgrad Province, located in the Ludogorie region. The village sits about 6 kilometers from Razgrad’s train station and 12 kilometers from the city of Razgrad.

Population and location
Rakovski has about 1,500 residents, with 1,497 people counted in 2021. It sits at an elevation of about 268 meters above sea level.

Names
In Bulgarian it is called Rakovski. In Turkish it was once known as Zincirli Kuyucuk.

History in brief
The area has long been a Turkish-speaking village. A milestone in its modern history is 1898, when a Bulgarian school was opened near the village church. The area used to be two separate settlements: Kasim Kuyucuk (west) and Zincirli Kuyucuk (east). In 1931 the places were renamed Rakovski, and in 1952 the two villages merged into one.

Economy and culture
In the 1980s the village prospered thanks to the glass factory Dianko Stefanov. The local soccer team Ustrem advanced from amateur divisions to higher levels, and a school team (made up of seventh- and eighth-graders) became province champions and competed regionally against teams from nearby towns.