Kurtbey

Kurtbey is a town in Uzunköprü district of Edirne Province, Turkey, It is situated in the eastern Trakya (Thrace) plains at 41°09′N 26°35′E / 41.150°N 26.583°E / 41.150; 26.583. The distance to Uzunköprü is 25 kilometres (16 mi). The population of Kurtbey was 1506 as of 2013. The settlement was founded during the Rise of the Ottoman Empire (14th-15th centuries) by an akıncı ( Ottoman milita the 14th to 16th centuries) chief named Kurtbey. In the 19th century, especially following the Russo-Turkish War (1877-1878) Muslim refuges from Bulgaria (mostly Pomaks) and Romania were also settled in Kurtbey. In 1954 Kurtbey was declared a seat of township. The town economy depends on agriculture. The crops are wheat, rice, sunflower, sugarbeet and watermelon.