Internationally known for thesiege of Plevna of 1877, today it is a major economic centre of the Bulgarian Northwest and Central North and the third largest city ofNorthern Bulgaria afterVarna andRuse.
Pleven is in an agricultural region in the middle of theDanubian Plain, the historical region ofMoesia, 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 170 kilometres (106 miles) from the capital city ofSofia, 320 km (199 miles) west of theBulgarian Black Sea Coast and 50 km (31 miles) south of theDanube.
The riverVit flows near the city and the tiny Tuchenitsa river (commonly known in Pleven asBarata, literally"The Streamlet") crosses it.
Pleven has ahumid continental climate (Köppen Climate ClassificationDfa). Winters are cold with snow: temperatures can fall below −20 °C (−4 °F) overnight. Springs are mild, with temperatures around 20 °C (68 °F). Summers are warm, and temperatures have exceeded 38 °C (100 °F) on occasion. The average annual temperature is around 12 °C (54 °F).
Numerous archaeological findings, among them the Nikolaevo treasure found inBulgaria, evidence the rich culture of theThracians, who inhabited the area for thousands of years.
In the beginning of the new era, the region became part of theRoman province ofMoesia, and a road station calledStorgosia arose near present-day Pleven on the road fromOescus (near modernGigen) toPhilippopolis (nowPlovdiv). It later evolved into afortress. One of the most valued archaeological monuments in Bulgaria from the period is theEarly Christian basilica from the fourth century discovered near the modern city.
During theMiddle Ages, Pleven was a well-developed stronghold of theFirst and theSecond Bulgarian Empire. WhenSlavs populated the region, they gave the settlement its contemporary namePleven, it was first mentioned in a charter byHungarian kingStephen V in 1270 in connection to a military campaign in the Bulgarian lands.
During theOttoman rule, Pleven, known asPlevne inOttoman Turkish, preserved its Bulgarian appearance and culture. Many churches, schools and bridges were built at the time of theBulgarian 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 Bulgariannational heroVasil Levski established the first revolutionary committee in 1869, part ofhis national revolutionary network.
The city (then mostly known as Plevna outside Bulgaria) was amajor battle scene during theRusso-Turkish War of 1877–1878 that RussianTsarAlexander II held for the purpose of the liberation of Bulgaria. The jointRussian andRomanian army paid dearly for the victory, but it paved the path for the defeat of theOttoman Empire in this war, the restoration of Bulgaria as a state and the independence of Romania from the Ottoman Empire. It cost the Russians and Romanians 5 months and 38,000 casualties to take the town after four assaults, in what was one of the decisive battles of the war. The siege is remembered as a landmark victory of theRomanian War of Independence, as on 28 November 1877 the Plevna citadel capitulated, andOsman Pasha surrendered the city, the garrison and his sword to the Romanian ColonelMihail Cerchez.
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.[4]
On the other hand, the siege of Plevna stands out among other countless sieges and military actions in the region because of its significance.[5]
Plevna is one of the few engagements that changed the course of history.[6]
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.
According to census 2021, Pleven has a population of 89,823 inhabitants as of December 2021.[7] The ethnic breakdown is 97%Bulgarians among others. The number of the residents of the city reached its peak in the period 1988-1991 when exceeded 135,000.[8]
InPleven Municipality 112,414 declared as Bulgarians, 4626 as Gypsies, 3204 as Turks and 10,384 did not declare their ethnic group. Most Roma people in Pleven Municipality live in the village ofBukovlak (bg:Буковлък).
An overwhelming majority of 90% of Pleven's residents areEastern Orthodox Christian. The Diocese ofNikopol, 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, theBulgarian National Revival St Nicholas Church (1834) that was constructed at the place of a chapel from theSecond 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 ExarchAntim I. As of 2005[update], a new Eastern Orthodox church is being built in the Strogoziya quarter.
The construction of a large Roman Catholic church ofOur Lady of Fatima began in 2001. A mosque also exists in the town to serve the needs of the Muslim population, as well as aMethodist church that is situated on the site of the former local puppet theatre.
A major centre of oil processing, metalworking, machinery construction, of light and food industries in Socialist times. However, the late 1990s and early 2000s saw a revival of light industry[citation needed] and the development of branches such as knitwear and store clothes production. Tourism, which had attracted many people from theSoviet Union prior to 1989, and had experienced a slump in the following years, is on the rise again.[citation needed]
In 2015, the unemployment rate in Pleven district was 9.2%.[14]
The most important economic sectors in Pleven are chemical, textiles and foodstuffs industries, the manufacturing of cement and glass, machine building, tailoring, agriculture, retail and services.[15]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 twoBilla, twoKaufland, twoCarrefour,DM,Plus,ELEMAG,METRO, two LIDL stores, aPraktiker,HomeMax and a number of other hypermarkets being opened as of 2006[update]. ThePleven City Center andCentral Mall Pleven were opened in 2008. A new mall called ''Panorama mall'' was opened in 2014.
The international railway Sofia — Bucharest — Moscow runs through Pleven. The international road E 83 passes just north of the city. The national A2 Hemus highway Sofia — Varna is projected to pass 16 km (10 mi) south of Pleven.
Over 90% of the inner city transportation in Pleven is maintained by trolleybuses. There are 14 trolleybus lines, and 75 km (47 mi) trolleybus network. The trolleybus fleet consist of ZIU-682 (1985–1988) and Skoda 26-TR Solaris trolleybuses, produced in 2014. A project for 12 km (7 mi) trolleybus routes extension is underway. When the extension is completed Pleven will become 100% covered by trolleybus transport.[citation needed]
Near Pleven, there is a large facility for medium wave and short wave broadcasting. Pleven medium wave transmitter, working on 594 kHz, uses as antenna two 250 metres (820 feet) tall guyed mast radiators insulated against ground. These masts belong to the tallest structures of Bulgaria.[16]
Medical University - Pleven, one of the five medical universities in Bulgaria, was established in 1974, aiming to expand the horizons, size and reputation of the City Hospital, founded in 1865.
Pleven is often regarded[according to whom?] as an important centre of sports in Bulgaria, with many noted Bulgarian sportspeople having been born and/or trained in the town, includingTereza Marinova andGalabin Boevski.
The city hosts twofootball clubs,Spartak Pleven andBelite 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 formerBulgarian internationals such asPlamen Getov.
Spartak Pleven is also a basketball team, a national championship winner in 1995 and national cup winner in 1996 (then namedPlama Pleven). Other than that, the team is a regular first league participant.
Pleven is famous for itsKaylaka (where the ruins of the Storgosia fortification can be found) andSkobelev parks. The latter is home to thePleven Panorama and is situated on the original location of the battle during the Russo-Turkish War.
Acity in Kansas and atown in Montana in the United States, as well asa village in Ontario,Canada were named after Pleven, or more precisely its historical name in EnglishPlevna, the reason for which is the battle in 1877.
A road in Hampton, Middlesex, London is named Plevna, adjoining another called Varna Road both made up of Victorian terraced housing built in the 1870s and named after the battles in Bulgaria of the period.
In other countries there are five cities and towns named after Plevna, and eighteen Plevna streets in Britain alone[18]
InRomania, more than 10 large cities have a Plevna (Romanian for "Pleven") street, as Pleven was the location for an important battle between theOttoman Empire on one side, and theRussian Empire and Romania on the other, after which Romania gained independence.
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
