the Christians were non-taxpayers in the kaza of İvraca and 83% of the Christians were recorded as middle-class. Geography The city of Vratsa is located in the foothills of "Vrachanski Balkan" (Vratsa Mountain), on the banks of Leva River, 116 km from the national capital Sofia. The area has diverse natural features. Several protected natural attractions and historical monuments are located on the territory of the Vratsa State Forestry. Climate The climate is humid continental, similar to that of Sofia. The average annual temperature is about . Climate in this area has mild differences between highs and lows, and there is adequate rainfall year-round. The Köppen Climate Classification subtype for this climate is "Cfb" (Marine West Coast Climate/Oceanic climate). Population The number of the residents of the city reached its peak in the period 1990-1991 when it exceeded 85,000. As of February 2011, the town has a population of 60,692 inhabitants. The following table presents the change of the population after 1887. Ethnic, linguistic and religious composition According to the latest 2011 census data, the individuals declared their ethnic identity were distributed as follows: Bulgarians: 53,275 (97.3%) Roma: 1,045 (1.9%) Turks: 54 (0.1%) Others: 185 (0.3%) Indefinable: 216 (0.4%) Undeclared: 5,937 (9.8%) Total: 60,692 The ethnic composition of Vratsa Municipality is 64334 Bulgarians and 2215 Gypsies among others. History Vratsa is an ancient city found by ancient Thracians. Vratsa was called Valve ("door of a fortress") by the Romans due to a narrow passage where the main gate of the city fortress was located. Nowadays, this passage is the symbol of Vratsa, and is shown on the town's Coat of arms. After the fall of Rome, Vratsa became part of the Eastern Roman Empire (Byzantium). At the end of the 6th century AD, Vratsa was populated by the South Slavic tribes. Even if they came from Pannonia and Dacia on the north, the town remained under Byzantine rule. In the 7th century, the Bulgars and the Slavs found the First Bulgarian Empire and the Slavic Vratsa became part of it. The city grew into important strategic location because of its proximity to the South State border. Vratsa became famous for its goldsmiths and silversmiths production and trade, high-quality earthenware and military significance. In the 8th century, the Bulgarian army captured Sofia, which led to the decreasing of Vratsa's importance because of the better strategic position of Sofia, its more developed