Pleven
:
This article is about a town in Bulgaria. For other meanings, see Pleven (disambiguation).Pleven ( ), known as
Plevna in English in some historical documents) is the seventh most populated town in
Bulgaria. It is located in the northern part of the country and is the capital of
Pleven Province, as well as of the subordinate Pleven municipality.
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. Its central location in Northern Bulgaria defines its importance as a big administrative, economic, political, cultural and transport centre. The town 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 â€"15
°C) and hot dry summers (up to +35-40
°C).
Prehistory and Antiquity
The earliest traces of human settlement in the area date from the
5th millennium BC, the
Neolithic.
|
The central streets of Pleven |
Numerous archeological findings, among them the largest golden treasure found in
Bulgaria, evidence for the rich culture of the
Thracians, who have 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), that later evolved into a
fortress. One of the most valued archeological monuments in
Bulgaria from the period is the
Early Christian basilica from the 4th century found near the modern town.
Middle Ages
During the
Middle Ages, Pleven was a well-developed stronghold of the
First and
Second Bulgarian Empire. When
Slavs populated the region, they gave the settlement its contemporary name (
Pleven comes either from the
Slavic word
"plevnya" (
"barn") or from
"plevel", meaning
"weed", that share the same root). The name is first mentioned in a charter by
Magyar King Stephen V in 1270 in connection to a military campaign in Bulgarian lands.
Ottoman rule
During
Ottoman rule, Pleven 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 is the place where Bulgarian
national hero Vasil Levski grounded the first revolutionary committee in 1869, part of
his national rebel 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 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
1911 Britannica concluded its lengthy entry on Pleven (transcripted as
Plevna) with the memorable dictum:
"Plevna is a striking example of the futility of the purely passive defence, which is doomed to failure however tenaciously carried out. Victories which are not followed up are useless. War without strategy is mere butchery."Modern history
The events of the Russo-Turkish War proved crucial for the development of Pleven as a key settlement 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.
According to statistical data, Pleven has a population of about 140,000. The ethnic breakdown is 94%
Bulgarians and 5%
Roma, with other ethnic groups being represented by about 1%.
About 90% of Pleven's residents are
Eastern Orthodox, while 5% of the population is of
Muslim denomination. The Diocese of
Nikopol, of which Pleven is part, is one of two
Roman Catholic dioceses in Bulgaria, and another 5% of the citizens 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, St Paraskeva Church (1934) and Holy Trinity Church, built at the place of a church mentioned as early as 1523 in 1870 and inaugurated by Exarch
Antim I. 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
Protestant church that is situated in the building of the former local puppet theatre.
Historical sights
Most of the sights of the town are connected to the
Russo-Turkish War. Only the monuments related to the war are about 200. Some of the more popular include the
mausoleum-
tomb 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.
The
Pleven Regional Historical Museum is also a popular tourist site.
Parks
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.
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 town 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
national players 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.
*
Emil Dimitrov,
singer and
composer*
Tereza Marinova,
triple jump athlete,
Olympic games gold medal winner in 2000
*
Slavi Trifonov, popular
showman and singer
*
Svetlin Rusev,
artist*
Lucy Diakovska,
singer*
Silvia Dimitrova,
artist*
Rostov-on-Don,
Russia*
Kaiserslautern,
Germany*
Charlottesville, Virginia,
USA*
Volos,
Greece*
GuimarĂ£es,
PortugalPleven is the seat of Pleven municipality (part of Pleven Province), which includes the following 23 villages and 2 towns (in bold):
{| valign="top" |
*
Beglezh*
Bohot*
Brestovets*
Brashlyanitsa*
Bukovlak*
Disevitsa*
Gortalovo*
Grivitsa*
Koilovtsi*
Kartozhabene*
Kashin*
Laskar*
Mechka
* Nikolaevo
* Opanets
* Pelishat
* Pleven
* Radishevo
* Ralevo
* Slavyanovo
* Tarnene
* Todorovo
* Trastenik
* Tuchenitsa
* Varbitsa
* Yasen | 
