The Road Network in East Rumelia – New Data
The Road Network in East Rumelia – New Data

Summary/Abstract: For its brief existence – less than a decade, Eastern Rumelia left historians with numerous unresolved questions, with answers being sought for more than a century. Until now, the primary focus of research has been on the province’s railway network, as it was the most modern means of transporting people and goods in the second half of the 19th century. However, despite this interest in railways, information about Eastern Rumelia’s road network is extremely limited. This study aims to address this gap by analyzing the available documents that describe the road network in the region, completing the overall picture of Eastern Rumelia’s infrastructure. The main documents providing information about the development of infrastructure in the autonomous region have been preserved because they were printed in special collections in the city of Plovdiv. The survival of these documents during World War I, and especially World War II, despite the bombingof Sofia, is essential for this study. These documents have been preserved thanks to the efforts of the staff at the National Library in Sofia. While peripheral data might alsobe found in the Ottoman Empire’s archives, the research focuses on the normative framework and how the rulers of Eastern Rumelia envisioned the future construction of the road network. Although the road network would notbe essential for the economy for many years, it remained a vital element for the local population.

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