Breath-taking Veliko Tarnovo.
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For the first time the ‘Best Town to Live in Bulgaria’ prize is awarded to two towns; the competition is organized by one of the leading radio stations in Bulgaria in cooperation with a top-rank newspaper. ‘The Best Town to Live in Bulgaria’ campaign was first organized in 2007.
Veliko Tarnovo and Burgas won the top spot with 40 points. All participating towns were appraised by 20 criteria. Veliko Tarnovo was crowned for the first time and Burgas for the third. The two winners received their awards by the Prime Minister Plamen Oresharski at a ceremony held at the National Art Gallery in Sofia.
Both towns were scrutinized according to the following criteria: ecological conditions, in town sports options, availability of bicycle lanes, number of kindergartens, main streets condition, number of parking spaces, time spent in traffic jams, free Wi-Fi in public areas, hospitals equipment and conditions, proximity to airports, number of universities and high schools with foreign languages learning, criminal activity statistics, per capita birth rates, etc.
Twenty-seven Bulgarian municipalities took part in the campaign.