# Kırklareli

> central district and city in Kırklareli Province, Turkey

**Wikidata**: [Q206903](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q206903)  
**Wikipedia**: [English](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kırklareli)  
**Source**: https://4ort.xyz/entity/krklareli

## Summary
Kırklareli is a city, municipality and central district in Kırklareli Province in northwestern Turkey, located in the East Thrace part of Europe. It is the capital of Kırklareli Province and has recorded population figures ranging across official address-based registration counts (most recently 79,884 for 2020).

## Key Facts
- Instance: city; district of Turkey; municipality.
- Role: capital of Kırklareli Province; located in Kırklareli Province (central district).
- Country / sovereignty timeline (as recorded): Ottoman Empire (until 30 May 1913), Occupation zone of the Balkan Union (30 May 1913–10 Aug 1913), Bulgaria (10 Aug 1913–29 Sep 1913), Ottoman Empire (29 Sep 1913–17 Nov 1922), Turkey (from 17 Nov 1922).
- Continent: Europe; located in/on physical feature: East Thrace.
- Coordinates: 41.734722222222° N, 27.225277777778° E.
- Elevation: 203 metres above sea level.
- Postal code: 39000.
- Licence plate code: 39.
- Timezone: time in Turkey; UTC+03:00 (qualification: start_time 2018-10-02).
- Population (Address-Based Population Registration System): 79,884 (2020, preferred); 79,093 (2018); 73,517 (2015); 61,880 (2008); 53,221 (2000); 43,017 (1990); 36,296 (1980); 27,431 (1970); 27,431 (1970 repeated in urban_population records).
- Urban population series (selected): 83,248 (2021); 79,093 (2018); 77,226 (2017); 70,161 (2014); 68,004 (2013); 67,360 (2012); 61,880 (2008); 59,970 (2007); 53,221 (2000); 43,017 (1990).
- Rural population series (selected): 22,277 (2021); 23,816 (2018); 22,505 (2013); 21,596 (2012); 21,933 (2010); 27,509 (2000); 39,441 (1965).
- Population point (2018): total 79,093 (point_in_time 2018, ABPRS).
- Coordinates reference: Wikidata record.
- Aliases and historical names: Kırklareli City; Kirklareli; Lozengrad; Kir-Kilissé; Kirk-Kilissé; Kirk Kilissé; Kirkkilise; Kirk Kilisse; Saranta Ekklesiai; Kırkkilise; Лозенград; كركلرايلي; 크르클라렐리.
- Name in Japanese kana: クルクラーレリ.
- Image (representative): https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Special:FilePath/Kirklareli_mosque.jpg.
- Locator map image: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Special:FilePath/Kırklareli_location_Merkez.svg.
- Official website: http://www.kirklareli.bel.tr (Turkish).
- Twitter handle: kirkbelbasin (account metadata: language Turkish; account id 2242408250; start_time 2013-12-12).
- Instagram handle: kirklarelibelediyesi.
- Social media followers (Twitter id 2242408250): 9,219 (2021-01-02); 10,780 (2022-03-01); 11,677 (2023-02-11, preferred).
- Major local cultural institutions: Kırklareli Museum (natural history, archaeology, ethnography; inception 1993); Museum Directorate of Kırklareli (government agency).
- Sports club headquartered in the city: Kırklarelispor (inception 1968; Turkish sports club; headquarters recorded).
- Villages in the central district (listed in source): Çağalayık; Karakoç; Kızılcıkdere; Koyunbaba; Karadere; Asılbeyli; Erikler; Kadıköy; Şükrüpaşa; Çeşmeköy; Çukurpınar; Dokuzhüyük; Değirmencik; Beypınar; Geçitağzı; Koruköy; Kuzulu; Demircihalil; Düzorman; Dereköy; Karahamza; Armağan; Kayalı; Kakava (listed as related Roma(ni) festival); and others referenced.
- Twinned / sister administrative bodies: Walldorf; Manisa; Nilüfer district (qualified start_time 2012); Ardino.
- Described by historical reference sources: Jewish Encyclopedia of Brockhaus and Efron; Encyclopædia Britannica (11th edition entry "Kirk-Kilisseh").
- Encyclopædia Britannica online id: place/Kirklareli (label  'Kırklareli').
- Continual cultural and catalog identifiers: GND id 4313350-2; VIAF id 140146950; idref id 176037918; Library of Congress authority id n96086190; WorldCat Entities id E39PBJx8H7JTXMKDBddWRhVV4q; National Library of Israel j9u id 987007533339405171; Bibliothèque nationale de France id 14614994k.
- Other geographic / mapping ids: geonames id 743166; freebase id /m/07jb_s; inaturalist_place_id 106622; openstreetmap relation id 1834227; who's_on_first_id 101911155; GNS unique feature id -760441.
- Cultural inventory / taxonomy: kulturenvanteri taxonomy id 4482.
- TDV Encyclopedia of Islam id: kirklareli.
- Yale Lux id: place/ee65f9d1-39d9-4b32-8ff2-9cd9af47463c.
- FactGrid item id attributed: Timo Hoffmann (as recorded).
- Hikr waypoint id: 80834.
- Topic's main category: Category:Kırklareli.
- Wikipedia presence: wikipedia_title "Kırklareli"; sitelink_count 69; available in many language editions including ar, bg, de, en, fr, it, ja, ko, nl, pl, ru, tr, uk, zh, and others (full list present in record).
- Wikidata description: "central district and city in Kırklareli Province, Turkey".
- Different from: Kırklareli Province (distinct entity).
- Open catalog / reference dates: multiple reference dates in metadata (e.g., viaf record 2015-08-03; idref record 2022-07-06; Library of Congress 2019-03-06; WorldCat 2024-04-22).
- SEO Data: no SEO data available yet.
- Category metadata: category_for_people_born_here "Category:Births in Kırklareli"; category_of_associated_people "Category:People from Kırklareli"; category_for_people_who_died_here (references present).

## FAQs
Q: What is Kırklareli and where is it located?
A: Kırklareli is a city, municipality and the central district of Kırklareli Province in northwestern Turkey, located in East Thrace on the European continent at 41.7347222° N, 27.2252778° E.

Q: What administrative roles does Kırklareli hold?
A: Kırklareli serves as the capital of Kırklareli Province and is officially classified as a city, a district of Turkey, and a municipality.

Q: How many people live in Kırklareli?
A: Official address-based population figures include 79,884 (2020, preferred), 79,093 (2018), 73,517 (2015) and other historical counts; urban and rural population series are recorded separately in the provided data.

Q: What is the city's elevation, postal code and licence plate code?
A: Elevation is 203 metres above sea level; postal code is 39000; licence plate code is 39.

Q: What are Kırklareli’s historical sovereignties?
A: The city was part of the Ottoman Empire, passed through an occupation zone of the Balkan Union (May–Aug 1913), briefly belonged to Bulgaria (Aug–Sep 1913), returned to the Ottoman Empire (Sep 1913–Nov 1922), and has been part of the Republic of Turkey since 17 November 1922.

Q: What cultural institutions and events are associated with Kırklareli?
A: Notable institutions include the Kırklareli Museum (natural history, archaeology, ethnography; opened 1993) and the Museum Directorate of Kırklareli. The Kakava Roma(ni) festival is listed among related cultural items in the city’s context.

Q: Does Kırklareli have sister city relationships?
A: Yes; recorded twin / sister administrative bodies include Walldorf, Manisa, Nilüfer district (formally from 2012), and Ardino.

Q: Where can I find official online and social media information?
A: Official website: http://www.kirklareli.bel.tr (Turkish). Social accounts: Twitter handle "kirkbelbasin" (account id 2242408250, active from 2013-12-12) and Instagram "kirklarelibelediyesi".

Q: What authoritative identifiers and catalog records exist for Kırklareli?
A: Identifiers include GND 4313350-2; VIAF 140146950; idref 176037918; Library of Congress n96086190; WorldCat Entities E39PBJx8H7JTXMKDBddWRhVV4q; Geonames 743166; freebase /m/07jb_s; OpenStreetMap relation 1834227; inaturalist_place_id 106622.

Q: In what languages is Kırklareli covered on Wikipedia?
A: The city has Wikipedia articles in many languages (sitelink_count 69) including Arabic, Bulgarian, German, English, French, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Russian, Turkish, Ukrainian, Chinese and others.

## Why It Matters
Kırklareli matters as the administrative and population center of Kırklareli Province, serving regional governance, culture and services for northwestern Turkey’s East Thrace. Its historical changes in sovereignty reflect the geopolitical shifts of the Balkans during the early 20th century, making the city relevant to studies of Ottoman, Balkan Union, Bulgarian and Turkish modern history. The city hosts provincial cultural infrastructure such as the Kırklareli Museum and a Museum Directorate, preserving archaeology, ethnography and natural history for the region. As a local transport and social hub with documented urban and rural population series, Kırklareli is a locus for demographic, urbanization and rural studies inside Turkey’s address-based population registration framework. International ties (multiple twin towns) show active municipal diplomacy and cultural exchange. The city’s presence across authoritative catalog systems (VIAF, GND, LOC, WorldCat, Geonames, OpenStreetMap) and extensive multilingual Wikipedia coverage make it a well-documented place for researchers, planners and travelers.

## Notable For
- Being the capital and central district of Kırklareli Province in northwestern Turkey (East Thrace).
- Multiple documented historical sovereignties in the 1910s and early 1920s (Ottoman Empire, Balkan Union occupation zone, Bulgaria, then Ottoman Empire, then Turkey).
- Hosting the Kırklareli Museum (opened 1993) covering natural history, archaeology and ethnography.
- Home to Kırklarelispor, a Turkish sports club founded in 1968 with headquarters recorded in the city.
- Well-documented demographic series with separate urban and rural population time series used in Turkish Address-Based Population Registration System reporting.
- Extensive presence in international authority and geographic databases (GND, VIAF, LOC, Geonames, Freebase, OpenStreetMap, WorldCat, inaturalist).
- Twinning and sister-city relations including Nilüfer district (from 2012), Walldorf, Manisa and Ardino.
- Multilingual representation on Wikipedia (sitelink_count 69) and coverage in classic reference works such as the 1911 Encyclopædia Britannica and the Jewish Encyclopedia of Brockhaus and Efron.

## Body

### Overview
- Kırklareli is a city, municipality and the central district of Kırklareli Province in northwestern Turkey. Wikidata describes it as the "central district and city in Kırklareli Province, Turkey."  
- It functions administratively as the provincial capital and is distinct from the province entity (property different_from: Kırklareli Province).

### Names, aliases and language forms
- Recorded aliases and historical names: Kırklareli City; Kirklareli; Lozengrad; Kir-Kilissé; Kirk-Kilissé; Kirk Kilissé; Kirkkilise; Kirk Kilisse; Saranta Ekklesiai; Kırkkilise; Лозенград; كركلرايلي; 크르클라렐리.
- Japanese kana form: クルクラーレリ.
- Wikipedia title: "Kırklareli"; sitelink_count across languages: 69 (languages include Arabic, Bulgarian, German, English, French, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Russian, Turkish, Ukrainian, Chinese and many others).

### Location and geography
- Coordinates: 41.734722222222° N, 27.225277777778° E.
- Continent: Europe; located in the East Thrace region.
- Elevation: 203 metres above sea level.
- Postal code: 39000.
- Licence plate code: 39.
- Locator map image available: Kırklareli_location_Merkez.svg on Wikimedia Commons.
- Representative image available: Kirklareli_mosque.jpg on Wikimedia Commons.

### Administrative status and governance
- Instance types recorded: city; district of Turkey; municipality.
- Capital of: Kırklareli Province (the city is the provincial seat).
- Municipality maintains an official website (http://www.kirklareli.bel.tr) in Turkish.

### Historical sovereignty and references
- Historical country/sovereignty records: part of the Ottoman Empire before May 1913; in an Occupation zone of the Balkan Union from 30 May 1913 to 10 Aug 1913; under Bulgarian control from 10 Aug 1913 to 29 Sep 1913; returned to the Ottoman Empire from 29 Sep 1913 until 17 Nov 1922; then became part of the Republic of Turkey starting 17 Nov 1922.
- The city is described in historical reference works including the Jewish Encyclopedia of Brockhaus and Efron and the 11th edition of the Encyclopædia Britannica (entry "Kirk-Kilisseh").

### Population and demographics
- Population (Address-Based Population Registration System; assorted years):  
  - 2020: 79,884 (preferred).  
  - 2018: 79,093.  
  - 2015: 73,517.  
  - 2008: 61,880.  
  - 2000: 53,221.  
  - 1990: 43,017.  
  - 1980: 36,296.  
  - 1970: 27,431.
- Urban population series (selected years; ABPRS): includes 24,004 (1965), 27,431 (1970), 33,265 (1975), 36,296 (1980), 40,881 (1985), 59,970 (2007), 61,880 (2008), 62,152 (2010), 67,360 (2012), 68,004 (2013), 70,161 (2014), 77,226 (2017), 79,093 (2018), 79,884 (2020), 83,248 (2021).  
- Rural population series (selected years): 39,441 (1965), 35,745 (1970), 34,896 (1975), 34,833 (1980), 34,409 (1985), 21,596 (2012), 21,505 (2013), 22,353 (2014), 22,890 (2017), 23,816 (2018), 79,038 (2019, single anomalous entry recorded), 21,567 (2020), 22,277 (2021).  
- Note: data series reflect the separation of urban and rural counts in the available records from the Address-Based Population Registration System (ABPRS).

### Culture, museums and festivals
- Kırklareli Museum: described as a natural history museum, archaeology museum and ethnographic museum; inception recorded as 1993. It is located on Mustafa Kemal Bulvarı in Kırklareli.
- Museum Directorate of Kırklareli: recorded as a government agency in Turkey connected to local museum administration.
- Kakava: listed among related items as a Roma(ni) festival associated in the region (source list includes Kakava among related entities).

### Localities and settlements within the central district
- The central district includes numerous villages recorded in the data set. Villages listed include: Çağalayık; Karakoç; Kızılcıkdere; Koyunbaba; Karadere; Asılbeyli; Erikler; Kadıköy; Şükrüpaşa; Çeşmeköy; Çukurpınar; Dokuzhüyük; Değirmencik; Beypınar; Geçitağzı; Koruköy; Kuzulu; Demircihalil; Düzorman; Dereköy; Karahamza; Armağan; Kayalı; plus others referenced in the central-district listing.

### Sports
- Kırklarelispor: Turkish sports club headquartered in Kırklareli; inception year recorded as 1968.

### International relations and twinning
- Twinned / sister administrative bodies include Walldorf; Manisa; Nilüfer district (formal start 2012 according to Nilüfer municipality reference); and Ardino (references to Bulgarian municipal sources).
- Twin relationships indicate municipal-level cultural and administrative exchanges with other localities.

### Identifiers and library/catalog records
- GND id: 4313350-2.
- VIAF id: 140146950 (reference metadata includes publication retrieval dates).
- idref id: 176037918.
- Library of Congress authority id: n96086190.
- WorldCat Entities id: E39PBJx8H7JTXMKDBddWRhVV4q.
- National Library of Israel j9u id: 987007533339405171.
- Bibliothèque nationale de France id: 14614994k.
- Freebase id: /m/07jb_s.
- Geonames id: 743166.
- inaturalist_place_id: 106622.
- OpenStreetMap relation id: 1834227.
- who's_on_first_id: 101911155.
- GNS unique feature id: -760441.
- Yelp / other commercial ids are not present in the provided record.

### Online presence and social media
- Official municipal website: http://www.kirklareli.bel.tr (Turkish language qualifier recorded).
- Twitter: handle "kirkbelbasin" (account id 2242408250; language Turkish; account start 2013-12-12).
- Instagram: handle "kirklarelibelediyesi".
- Recorded social media follower counts for the Twitter id: 9,219 (2021-01-02); 10,780 (2022-03-01); 11,677 (2023-02-11).

### Mapping and open data
- Locator map and representative images available on Wikimedia Commons (commons_category: Kırklareli).
- OpenStreetMap relation id: 1834227 provides mapping geometry in OSM.
- Inaturalist place id and other biodiversity place identifiers available (inaturalist_place_id 106622).

### Reference works and documentation
- Historical encyclopedia references: Jewish Encyclopedia of Brockhaus and Efron; Encyclopædia Britannica (11th edition).
- Encyclopædia Britannica online entry id: place/Kirklareli (label  'Kırklareli').
- TDV Encyclopedia of Islam entry id: kirklareli.
- Multiple catalog records list the city in national and international library and authority systems.

### Miscellaneous metadata
- Sitelink count (Wikidata): 69.
- Topic's main category on Wikimedia: Category:Kırklareli.
- Category tags for people born in or associated with the city: Category:Births in Kırklareli; Category:People from Kırklareli.
- Several metadata records include retrieval and publication dates (VIAF 2015-08-03; idref 2022-07-06; WorldCat 2024-04-22; Library of Congress 2019-03-06).
- FactGrid item and Hikr waypoint ids are recorded in the data set (FactGrid: Timo Hoffmann; Hikr waypoint: 80834).

If you need any of these items exported as machine-readable lists (e.g., all identifiers, all population time series, or the full list of village names), tell me which and I will format them for download.

## References

1. [Source](https://statoids.com/ytr.html)
2. [Source](https://www.nilufer.bel.tr/icerik/kardes-kentler)
3. [Source](https://ardino.bg/aktualno/novini/predstaviha-kulturnoto-nasledstvo-na-ardino)
4. [Source](https://ardino.bg/aktualno/novini/ardino-otkriva-esennite-praznitsi)
5. Virtual International Authority File
6. BnF authorities
7. [Source](https://web.archive.org/web/20240224154238/https://www.resmigazete.gov.tr/eskiler/2016/09/20160908-2.pdf)
8. [Source](https://www.lexpera.com.tr/resmi-gazete/metin/gun-isigindan-daha-fazla-yararlanmak-amaciyla-butun-yurtta-uygulanan-ileri-saat-uygulamasinin-devam-3)
9. Freebase Data Dumps. 2013
10. GeoNames
11. [iNaturalist](https://www.inaturalist.org/places/inaturalist-places.csv.zip)
12. National Library of Israel Names and Subjects Authority File