Dobrich, largest town of southern Dobruja, in north-eastern Bulgaria. Lying about 40 km (25 mi) north of the Black Sea port of Varna, Dobrich is an important industrial, agricultural, and commercial centre. Its industries include food processing, cotton- and woollen-milling, machine-building, electrical engineering, and timber-processing.

Built on the site of a former Roman fortress, the town was established in the 15th century while the region was part of the Ottoman Empire. Originally named Hajioglu Pazarjik, meaning “the town of pilgrims”, it became known as Dobrich at the end of Ottoman rule in the 19th century. Bulgaria was forced to cede southern Dobruja to Romania in 1913 after being defeated in the Second Balkan War. The 1919 Treaty of Neuilly, which followed World War I, also recognized southern Dobruja as part of Romania. The area was not returned to Bulgaria until 1940. After World War II, the town was completely rebuilt and in 1949 renamed Tolbukhin, after Fyodor Tolbukhin, a marshal in the Soviet Army. In 1991 the town’s name reverted to Dobrich. Population 100,379 (2001).