Everything about Pleven totally explained
» This article is about a city in Bulgaria. For other meanings, see Pleven (disambiguation).
Pleven ([ˈplɛ.vɛn]; historically known as
Plevna in
English) is the seventh most populous city in
Bulgaria. Located in the northern part of the country, it's the administrative centre of
Pleven Province, as well as of the subordinate Pleven municipality.
Internationally known for the
Siege of Pleven of 1877, it's today a major economic centre of the Bulgarian Northwest and Central North and the third largest city of Northern Bulgaria after
Varna and
Rousse.
Geography
Pleven is located in an agricultural region in the very heart of the
Danubian Plain, the historical region of
Moesia, surrounded by low limestone hills, the Pleven Heights. The city's central location in Northern Bulgaria defines its importance as a big administrative, economic, political, cultural and transport centre. Pleven is located 170
km away from the capital city of
Sofia, 320 km west of the
Bulgarian Black Sea Coast and 50 km south of the
Danube.
The river
Vit flows near the town and the tiny Tuchenitsa river (commonly known in Pleven as
Barata, literally
"The Streamlet") crosses it.
The climate is temperate continental, with cold winters (down to –15
°C) and hot dry summers (up to +35-44
°C).
History
Prehistory and antiquity
The earliest traces of human settlement in the area date from the
5th millennium BC, the
Neolithic.
Numerous archaeological findings, among them the largest golden treasure found in
Bulgaria, evidence for the rich culture of the
Thracians, who inhabited the area for thousands of years.
In the beginning of the new era, the region became part of the
Roman province of
Moesia, and a road station called
Storgosia arose near present-day Pleven on the road from
Oescus (near modern
Gigen) to
Philippopolis (now
Plovdiv). It later evolved into a
fortress. One of the most valued archaeological monuments in Bulgaria from the period is the
Early Christian basilica from the 4th century discovered near the modern city.
Middle Ages
During the
Middle Ages, Pleven was a well-developed stronghold of the
First and the
Second Bulgarian Empire. When
Slavs populated the region, they gave the settlement its contemporary name (
Pleven is derived either from the
Slavic word
"plevnya" (
"barn") or from
"plevel", meaning
"weed", which share the same root). The name was first mentioned in a charter by
Hungarian king Stephen V in 1270 in connection to a military campaign in the Bulgarian lands.
Ottoman rule
During the
Ottoman rule, Pleven, known as
Plevne in
Ottoman Turkish, preserved its Bulgarian appearance and culture. Many churches, schools and bridges were built at the time of the
Bulgarian National Revival. In 1825, the first secular school in the town was opened, followed by the first girls' school in Bulgaria in 1840, as well as the first boys' school a year later. Pleven was the place where the Bulgarian
national hero Vasil Levski established the first revolutionary committee in 1869, part of
his national revolutionary network.
Siege of Pleven
The city was a
major battle scene during the
Russo-Turkish War of 1877–1878 that Russian
Tsar Alexander II held for the purpose of the liberation of Bulgaria. The joint
Russian and
Romanian army paid dearly for the victory, but it paved the path to the defeat of the
Ottoman Empire in this war, and the restoration of Bulgaria as a state. It cost the Russians and Romanians 5 months and 38,000 casualties to liberate the town after four assaults in what was one of the decisive battles of the war.
The
Encyclopædia Britannica Eleventh Edition of 1911 concluded its lengthy entry on Pleven (transcribed as Plevna) with the memorable dictum:
Modern history
The events of the Russo-Turkish War proved crucial for the development of Pleven as a key town of central northern Bulgaria. The town experienced significant demographic and economic growth in the following years, gradually establishing itself as a cultural centre of the region.
The
Bulgarian Agrarian National Union, a leading
interwar party representing the Bulgarian peasantry, was founded in the town in December 1899.
Prior to the Bulgarian
orthographic reform of 1945, the name of the town was spelled Плѣвенъ (with
yat) in
Cyrillic.
Demographics and religion
According to statistical data, Pleven has a population of about 137,000 (or 124,000). The ethnic breakdown is 94%
Bulgarians and 5%
Roma, with other ethnic groups being represented by about 1%.
An overwhelming majority of 90% of Pleven's residents are
Eastern Orthodox Christian, while 5% of the population follows
Islam. The Diocese of
Nikopol, of which Pleven is part, is one of the two
Roman Catholic dioceses in Bulgaria, and another 5% of the residents are Roman Catholic by faith, a significant number compared to other Bulgarian cities.
Pleven has three Eastern Orthodox churches, the
Bulgarian National Revival St Nicholas Church (1834) that was constructed at the place of a chapel from the
Second Bulgarian Empire, the St Paraskeva Church (1934) and the Holy Trinity Church, built in 1870 at the place of a church mentioned as early as 1523 and inaugurated by Exarch
Antim I. As of 2005, a new Eastern Orthodox church is being built in the Strogoziya quarter.
The construction of a large Roman Catholic church of
Our Lady of Fatima began in 2001. A
mosque also exists in the town to serve the needs of the Muslim population, as well as a
Methodist church that's situated on the site of the former local puppet theatre.
Image:Pleven TodorBozhinov (23).jpg|Eastern Orthodox church
Image:Pleven TodorBozhinov (63).jpg|Eastern Orthodox church
Image:Pleven TodorBozhinov (64).jpg|St George the Conqueror Chapel Mausoleum
Image:Pleven TodorBozhinov (65).jpg|Methodist church
Economy
A major centre of oil processing, metalworking, machinery construction, of light and food industries in Socialist times, after 1989 Pleven found itself in an economic crisis, with many of the major enterprises (such as the Plama oil refinery) closing or practically ceasing to work. However, the late 1990s and early 2000s saw a revival of light industry and the development of branches such as knitwear and store clothes production. Tourism, which had attracted many people from the
Soviet Union prior to 1989, and had experienced a slump in the following years, is on the rise again. Other economic branches have also improved in the 2000s. The
unemployment has fallen from 17% in 2000 to 7.5% in 2005 and continues to decrease.
The city has seen a number of major foreign investments in the late 1990s and early 2000s. Particularly noticeable is the mass construction of hypermarkets, with two
Billa stores, a
Praktiker outlet and a number of technology hypermarkets being opened
as of 2006. In 2005, the investments in the economy of Pleven amounted to around 250 million
leva (around
€125 million).
Image:Pleven TodorBozhinov (45).JPG|Technomarket
Image:Pleven TodorBozhinov (44).JPG|Billa 2
Image:Pleven TodorBozhinov (39).JPG|Praktiker
Image:Pleven TodorBozhinov (36).JPG|Technopolis
Transmitter
Near Pleven, there's a large facility for mediumwave and shortwave broadcasting. Pleven mediumwave transmitter, working on 594 kHz, uses as antenna two 250 metres tall guyed mast radiators insulated against ground. These masts belong to the tallest structures of Bulgaria
(External Link
).
Attractions and culture
Historical sights
Most of the sights of the town are related to the
Russo-Turkish War. The monuments related to the war alone are about 200. Some of the more popular include the
St George the Conqueror Chapel Mausoleum in honour of the many Russian and Romanian soldiers who lost their lives during the
Siege of Pleven and the
ossuary in
Skobelev Park. Another popular attraction is
Pleven Panorama, created after (and reputedly larger than) the
Borodino Panorama in
Russia on the occasion of the anniversary of the Siege of Pleven.
Image:Pleven TodorBozhinov (22).jpg|Buildings in central Pleven
Image:Pleven TodorBozhinov (53).jpg|House on the Old Main Street dating to 1900, now a bank
Image:Pleven TodorBozhinov (32).jpg|Bank on the Old Main Street
Image:Pleven TodorBozhinov (56).jpg|Bank in the city centre
Image:Pleven TodorBozhinov (51).jpg|Old Main Street
Image:Pleven TodorBozhinov (57).jpg|City centre
Image:Pleven TodorBozhinov (61).jpg|Monument to the Perished in the Serbo-Bulgarian War of 1885
Image:Pleven TodorBozhinov (8).jpg|City centre
Culture
The
Pleven Regional Historical Museum is another popular tourist attraction, while the
Svetlin Rusev Donative Exhibition, situated in the former public baths, exhibits works by Bulgarian artists, as well as noted Western European art figures like
Pablo Picasso,
Francisco Goya,
Honoré Daumier,
Marc Chagall,
Maurice Denis,
Pierre-Auguste Renoir,
Salvador Dalí,
Renato Guttuso and
Eugène Delacroix,
Auguste Rodin and
Edgar Degas.
The
Ivan Radoev Dramatic Theatre is the centre of theatrical life in Pleven. A number of community centres (
chitalishta) are also active in the city.
Image:Pleven TodorBozhinov (17).jpg|Ivan Radoev Dramatic Theatre
Image:Pleven TodorBozhinov (2).jpg|Svetlin Rusev Donative Exhibition
Image:Pleven TodorBozhinov (62).jpg|Pleven Regional Historical Museum
Image:Pleven TodorBozhinov (67).jpg|Tsvetan Spasov Junior High School
Sport and recreation
Pleven is often regarded as an important centre of sports in Bulgaria, with many noted Bulgarian sportspeople having been born and/or trained in the town, including
Tereza Marinova and
Galabin Boevski. The sports school in Pleven is thought of as one of the most prominent in the country.
The city hosts two
football clubs,
Spartak Pleven and
Belite Orli, which have separate stadiums. Both teams play in the second Bulgarian league and haven't had any major successes in the past, although Spartak Pleven has been the first team for a couple of former
Bulgarian internationals such as
Plamen Getov.
Spartak Pleven is also a
basketball team, a national championship winner in 1995 and national cup winner in 1996 (then named
Plama Pleven). Other than that, the team is a regular first league participant.
Pleven is famous for its
Kaylaka (where the ruins of the Storgosia fortification can be found) and
Skobelev parks. The latter is home to the Pleven Panorama and is situated on the original location of the battle during the Russo-Turkish War.
Image:Pleven TodorBozhinov (68).jpg|The Ivan Vazov School's artificial turf football pitch
Image:Ossuary-skobelev-pleven-gruev.JPG|Ossuary in Skobelev Park
Image:Pleven Kaylaka two dams.jpg|The water reservoirs in Kaylaka
Image:Trees-skobelev-pleven-gruev.JPG|Nature in Skobelev Park
Notable natives
Twin cities
| Brest, Belarus
Jinzhou, People's Republic of China
Kaiserslautern, Germany
Edessa, Greece
Volos, Greece
Bitola, Republic of Macedonia
Kavadarci, Republic of Macedonia
Agadir, Morocco
|
Guimarães, Portugal
Moscow Central Administrative Okrug, Russia
Rostov-on-Don, Russia
Brăila, Romania
Gornji Milanovac, Serbia
Bursa, Turkey
Chernivtsi, Ukraine
Charlottesville, Virginia, United States
|
Municipality
Pleven is the seat of Pleven municipality (part of Pleven Province), which includes the following 23 villages and 2 towns (in bold):
Trivia
A city in Kansas and a town in Montana in the United States, as well as a village in Ontario, Canada were named after Pleven, or more precisely its historical name in English Plevna, the reason for which is the battle in 1877.
A road in Hampton, Middlesex, London is named Plevna, adjoining another called Varna Road both comprising of Victorian terraced housing built in the 1870's and named after the battles in Bulgaria of the period.Further Information
Get more info on 'Pleven'.
|
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