PRESENTATION OF STRALDZHA MUNICIPALITY 8680 Straldzha town No. 12, Hemus Street Phone: (++359) 4761 25 00 Fax: (++359) 04761 34 04 Web site: http://www.straldja.net General information and infrastructure Territory - 676.3 sq. km Number of population centers - 22 Population - 15,553 Administrative center - Straldzha town Straldzha Municipality is situated in the southeastern part of Bulgaria and falls within Yambol Region. Its northernmost parts touch the foot of the Balkan Range, and its southernmost parts reach the slopes of the Bakadzhitsi Mountain and the northwestern spurs of Strandzha Mountain. It borders on Kotel municipality to the north, Karnobat municipality and Sredets municipality to the east, Bolyarovo municipality and Elhovo municipality to the south, and Toundzha municipality and Sliven municipality to the west. Eleven telephone exchanges of total capacity 5,500 subscribers operate and provide services to all of the population centers in the Municipality. Economy and business Out of the total area of the municipality farming land occupies 542,473,000 sq. m. The irrigated areas are about 80,000,000 sq. m. Straldzha Municipality has slightly developed processing industry. The prevailing sectors are: Production of building materials - There are favorable prerequisites for this type of production because the region abounds in non-metal mineral resources, such as clay, limestone, cyclopean stone blocks and others, which are the raw materials for this sector. The following companies operate in the ceramics sector: Straldzha-Keramika AD - this enterprise was built in 1984 and was equipped with Italian machinery. In 1995 it was privatized by means of workers-managers buyout. Its main production is roof tiles, and there is a workshop for production of bricks and covers. The annual production capacity is 12 million of roof tiles. The raw materials used are of local origin; 50 % of the clay is quarried from Atolovo village quarry called Blatoto (the swamp) and 50 % - from the Konak Karla locality in the Balkan Range. The lime production activity in Kamenets village is of substantial importance to the construction sector. Lime is widely used in the sugar, leather and chemical industry. There are also quarries for cyclopean blocks. In the recent years some faster development in metal working has been observed. It is due to the expansion of the activities of the Plant for Profiled Pipes AD, Straldzha town, which was privatized in 1999 by means of workers-managers buyout; it is specialized in the production of thin-walled pipes and electric-welded closed profiles. Modern equipment and state-of-the-art technologies ensure complete production process cycle on the site - from cutting out the rolls of metal to production of the zinc-plated pipelines and a wide range of shaped pipes of varying cross-sectional area. Attempts are being made for development of the furniture industry in order to satisfy the increasing demand of furniture both on the domestic and foreign market. A major company in this sector is ARS Mebel AD (a former military production plant), which produces household furniture and furniture for hotels - beds, wardrobes, cupboards, etc. Strategic projects and opportunities for foreign investments Water supply for Bakadzhik Group, Voynika section; Overhaul repair of the sports complex at P. K. Yavorov comprehensive high school; Replacement of the pipeline from the water intake to the water reservoir in Malenovo village; Covered municipal market-place; Public works in the central part of Straldzha town. Jobs have been ensured for socially disadvantaged persons, pensioners and young people with tertiary education under different programs. A large number of projects were successful in obtaining funding for repairs, office equipment and machines in Straldzha town and the villages of Lozenets, Zimnitsa, and Aleksandrovo. Repair has been made of the "chitalishta" (arts, culture and literature centers) in the villages of Zimnitsa, Vodenichane, Nedyalsko, Malenovo and Polyana. By means of small demonstration projects repairs have been made to chitalishta, orthodox churches, and public works were conducted in green areas, foundations and bus stops. Natural sights and monuments of culture The Municipality has eleven churches, which have been declared monuments of culture of local importance. A large number of houses in the villages of Kamenets, Lozenets, Malenovo, Palauzovo, Saransko, Bogorovo, Vodenichane and Irechekovo have been declared monuments of architecture. There is a museum exhibition consisting of ethnography exhibits. It is shown in Vazrazhdane chitalishte in Zimnitsa village.