On January 29, Targovishte municipality celebrates its official holiday. Archeological surveys have shown that people inhabited these lands as early back as the copper-stone age (V-IV century BC).

In the areas close to the town, remains of Thracian and Roman settlements have been found, as well as a fortress dated back to the early Byzantine age. Ruins of villages from the First and Second Bulgarian states have also been discovered. The old name of the settlement - Eski Jumaya, was first mentioned in a tax register from 1573. In 1658, it became an administrative center.

The geographical allocation, flourishing crafts and active trade helped Eski Jumaya become the center of the most popular fair in the European part of the Ottoman empire. In XVIII century, a monastery school was founded here, which in 1846 was transformed into a secular school.

In 1872, Angel Kanchev established a secret revolutionary committee. Following Bulgaria’s Liberation, the town began to develop rapidly, both economically and in cultural aspect. Its commercial traditions led to the change of its name from Eski Jumaya to Targovishte (which in Bulgarian language means a “trading place”).

In 1958, the town became an administrative center of the region.