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Pernik is the largest town in Southwestern Bulgaria after Sofia. It is 710 metres above sea level and 30 km. southwest of Sofia, 59 km. northeast of Kyustendil and 70 km. to the north of Blagoevgrad. Pernik is a regional center and has the largest coal output centre in Bulgaria.
It became part of Danubian Bulgaria during the ninth century and was a strategic fortress against the Byzantine invasions. It was completely destroyed by an earthquake in the eleventh century and because of the numerous raids and damage caused during the rule of the Ottoman Empire, it had less than 1,000 inhabitants when Bulgaria was eventually literated. In 1891 the coal factory was declared state property (the first in Bulgaria) and in 1929 it was declared a town.
The town has good road and rail connections to Sofia, Blagoevgrad, Kulata and Kyustendil. There are bus lines in the city area. The E 79 highway passes through the town.
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