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Shumen (Kolarovgrad in the period 1950 - 1965) is a town in northeastern Bulgaria, administrative and economic center of the eponymous municipality of Shoumen and Shoumen district. The city is the tenth largest in the country with a population of 75,442 inhabitants as of December 31, 2019 according to the NSI (85,504 inhabitants at the current address as of December 15, 2019 according to ESGRAON).
Symphonies and choirs
The first attempts to create a classical
orchestra date back to the middle of the 19th century. In 1848-1849,
a group of Hungarian emigrants settled in Shumen. In 1850, under the
direction of one of them, Mihai Shafran, they created their own
orchestra. One year later, with the help of wealthy merchant Anastas
Hadji Stoyanov, Shafran founded a new orchestra in which 12 local
youths participated. The ensemble existed until 1860, when Shafran
left Shumen. The first modern symphony orchestra in Shumen was
created in the fall of 1941 under the direction of Vladimir Vasilev,
a music teacher at the Teachers' Institute. On November 23, 1942,
the first concert of the Shumen Symphony Orchestra was held in the
community center "Dobri Voynikov" with conductor Vladimir Vasilev.
In 1954, the orchestra acquired the status of a state cultural
institute. The first concert of the State Philharmonic - Shumen is
conducted by Vasil Stefanov, and the soloist is Pancho Vladigerov.
By decision of the Council of Ministers from 2010, the State
Philharmonic in Shumen was transformed into a symphony. Symphonies -
Schumen maintains a rich repertoire of different styles and genres,
she has toured in Germany, Austria, Italy, Spain, Switzerland,
Monaco, Belarus, Greece and the Republic of Korea.
There are
also two extremely popular choirs in Shumen - the children's "Bodra
Song" and the mixed "Native Sounds", created in 1898. For half a
century, the head and chief conductor of both ensembles was Prof.
Veneta Vicheva.
Theaters
The Shumen Drama and Puppet
Theater "Vasil Drumev" is located on "Slavyanski" Blvd. He is known
for the first theatrical performance in Bulgaria. Every year, from
May 11 to 16, the theater hosts Drum Theater Festivals - theater
festival "New Bulgarian Drama", aimed at stimulating and realizing
dramaturgical works by Bulgarian authors.
Reading centers,
libraries and cultural centers
People's community center "Dobri
Voynikov 1856" - "Vazrazhdane" square.
The second community
center in Bulgaria, founded in the spring of 1856 by Sava
Dobroplodni. Together with the community centers in Svishtov and
Lom, established in the same year, it marks the beginning of the
Bulgarian community center work. The original community center
building was built in 1895-1898 on an area of 1,692 square meters
and was the first large and modern community center built in
Bulgaria after the Liberation. It was opened on December 28, 1898
with the presentation of the play "Ivanko" by the first Bulgarian
playwright Vasil Drumev, born in Shumen. It was declared a monument
of 19th century architecture. The new building next to it was built
in 1964.
The community center develops multifaceted activities: a
library (the second largest in the city), lectures, various courses,
amateur artistic creativity, cultural and mass events, concerts,
publication of books and brochures.
In the community center
"Dobri Voynikov-1856" - Shumen, the beginning of the Bulgarian
theater was set with the Bulgarianized comedy "Mihal Mishkoed" on
August 15, 1856, at the Art Gallery, at the Society of Artists, at
the Society of Writers through the Mayakovsky Literary Club.
The
first operetta in Bulgaria was performed here in 1914 and the first
Bulgarian children's library was created. The community center has
given rise to four community centers in Shumen.
Napreduk 1869
People's Community Center - Crystal Square, Panayot Volov Street.
One-story building in good condition.
People's community center
"Boyan Penev 1949" - "Trakia" residential complex, "Odrin" street.
There are 2 buildings, the larger one in good condition. The
community center has a library, schools, clubs, circles and groups
for amateur creativity - schools in classical dances /ballet/,
piano, English language and visual arts; clubs "Children's Fairytale
World", "Ecology", "We in Society", "Tae-bo Aerobics", folklore
group "Thrace" and a group for recreating folk The community center
is a recipient of the order "Cyril and Methodius" - 2nd degree and
the Shumen Award.
People's Community Center "Stiliyan
Chilingirov 1963" - Grivitsa Square. There is a library. Building in
good condition.
People's community center "Todor Petkov 1963" -
Dobrudzhan district, "Madara" Blvd. Massive building in
unsatisfactory condition. Activities: Folk Song and Dance Ensemble
"Madara", Children's Folklore Ensemble "Bell"; Bagpipe Orchestra;
Schooled Singing Choir; 3 pcs. schools: Folk dances, Folk singing,
Folk instruments - bagpipe, kaval, gudulka and tambourine.; Library.
People's Community Center "Eurolil 2005" - g. k. "Everest", Vysoka
Polyana St. It does not have its own building.
People's community
center "Asen Zlatarov 1872" - Divdyadovo district, "Veliki Preslav"
blvd. Activities: Children's and youth theater studio "Antrakt",
Children's dance troupe "Venche", Youth dance troupe "Divdyadovo",
club "Traditsia"; library; summer academy for talents "On the spring
dance dances".
People's community center "Prosveta 1926" - Makak
quarter. Activities: Cooking group "Arabs", Group for humor and
satire, Children's dance group, Children's recitation group, Local
lore circle, Club "Sedyanka" - for culinary and knitting art, Club
"Personal creativity", library.
"Father Paisiy 1929" People's
Community Center - "Mutnitsa" quarter.
Nazam Hikmet 1881 People's
Community Center, Rakovski Street. There is a library. Building in
bad condition.
"Probuda 1958" People's Community Center - "Mlad
Gvardia" quarter, "Gen. Skobelev". It was established on June 24,
1958. Activities: clubs "Nature Lover", "Tourist", "Artistic Word",
"Lessons in Patriotism"; library. A building in poor condition,
shared with the "Team" NL.
People's community center
"Ekipe-Edinstvo 1997" - "Gen. Skobelev" 33. In unsatisfactory
condition. Shared building with "Probuda" residential complex in
poor condition. Activities: 2 dance groups for Roma folklore,
singing group, rap group "Baroni".
Stiliyan Chilingirov Regional
Library - Center, Slavyanski Blvd. The largest library in the Shumen
region with over 750,000 library documents. Established in 1922 as
the fourth depository library in Bulgaria on the initiative of
Stiliyan Chilingirov. The library is one of the few in the country
with a specially designed and built in 1980 building that provides
conditions for differentiated and efficient service to readers. It
works in several directions: "Funds and catalogs", "Reader service",
"Reference - bibliographic and information service". There is a loan
room for adults over 14 years of age, a children's department, a
general reading room with interlibrary loan, a foreign language
reading room, a digital studio, a studio with the necessary sound
recording and sound reproduction equipment, records, audio
cassettes, CDs, video cassettes, reproductions, etc. Access to all
automated databases and electronic version of APIS is provided.
Elena Karamihailova Art Gallery. It was originally founded as a
community gathering in 1947 at the "Dobri Voinikov" community
center. The gallery was established in 1955 as a collection of works
of plastic art. Then it was opened with a significant fund and in
private premises on "Slavyanski" Blvd. In 1978, it was moved to the
building of the current courthouse. After restitution of the
building by the Court, the gallery was moved to its current building
on Tsar Ivan Alexander Street, where it was opened for visits on
December 22, 1992. Over 2,000 works in the fields of painting,
sculpture, graphics and applied art are stored here in the period
from the end of the 19th century to the present day. Among them are
works of high artistic value, significant for Bulgarian culture.
Periodically, the gallery shows collections from the fund. The
exhibition halls with a total area of 333 square meters are open for
art exhibitions of a diverse nature, as well as for other cultural
events.
Youth Centre. There is a ritual hall, a theater-concert
hall "Prof. Veneta Vicheva", a cinema hall for spatial (3D) cinema,
a dance hall, a chess club, sports halls and halls for cultural mass
events.
Armenian Cultural House.
On the Shumen Plateau is the largest historical monument in Bulgaria "Founders of the Bulgarian State" and many monuments of famous historical figures.
Also known as the "1300 Years of Bulgaria" Monument, it is located 6
kilometers from the town of Shumen in the highest part of the Danube
plain - the Shumen Plateau. It can be seen within a radius of 30
kilometers. It is 140 meters long and 75 meters wide. The monument is
made of 8 concrete blocks. At 52 meters there is a lion that weighs 1000
tons. It is contrasted by 2,000 elements of darker granite. There is
also a stylized butterfly behind his tail, which is a symbol of
longevity. The message is that just as the butterfly goes through
various metamorphoses, Bulgaria undergoes ups and downs in its
development.
The memorial complex presents the most important
moments of the History of Bulgaria from the 7th to the 10th century
through large-scale sculptural compositions, fragments of inscriptions
and mosaic panels inside the monument. The interior is decorated with 21
sculptures and 540 m2 of mosaics. The statues are of the most famous and
deserving Bulgarian state rulers (khans and kings) from Asparukh to
Simeon I, the creators of the Slavic alphabet Cyril and Methodius, their
students Clement, Nahum and Angelarius, etc. This is the only monument
of its kind in Europe, which through its internal statues and monuments
recreates the history of the state. Another interesting fact is that
this is the monument with the largest amount of concrete used in Europe.
It can be reached by 1300 steps from the city of Shumen, which are a
symbol of every single year since the establishment of the Bulgarian
state. From there, a panoramic view of Shumen opens up, and tourist
routes along the Shumen plateau also begin. The monument is part of the
Hundred National Tourist Sites of the Bulgarian Tourist Union. Ticketed
entry. It is called by people of Shumen for brevity with the default
being only "The Monument".
west of the city center. In the past it was destroyed, but in the
20th century it was partially restored. It is very well preserved and is
the most significant historical and archaeological site of the city. It
was built on 4 platforms in early and late antiquity, and later in the
Middle Ages it was expanded. Among the more important finds are: the
Shumen inscription of Tsar Ivan Shishman, which mentions the visit of
this ruler to Shumen; the tile with the image of a dancing man; the
inscription of "Ostro...bogoin" (the first Cyrillic inscription in
Bulgaria); sgraffito-ceramics; Buchel-ceramics of the Trojan type; belt
appliqués; golden liturgical vessels; a large number of coins from
almost all periods. The fortress is number 94 of the Hundred National
Tourist Sites of the Bulgarian Tourist Union.
Bullet fountain.
Original fountain from 1774. It is located at the intersection of
Saedinenie St. and Stefan Yanev St. in a small garden. Kurshun fountain
was built in the former Kozluk hamlet and was near the southern gate of
the inner fortress. It is covered with lead tiles. According to the
legend, the Sultan said that wars and bloodshed should stop already and
ordered the bullets to be melted down and the lead plates to be made for
the roof of the fountain. From there comes its name "Kurshun -
fountain", which translated from Turkish means "lead fountain". This is
one of the largest and most beautiful fountains preserved to this day in
the country.
In terms of volume and external design, it is
fundamentally different from the adopted way of building fountains. It
was built from limestone hewn stones. The building is proportioned and
sustained in architectural and artistic terms. It has a rectangular
shape with dimensions of 7.20 by 2.20 m and a tiled roof and looks like
a small house. The height to the upper stone cornice is 3.00 m, and the
eaves project 0.90 m. No water flows from the three holes, in which
there were once spouts. The front facade is richly ornamented. The north
side of the fountain is the main one, it has pilasters and semi-columns
separating three bays, acting as niches and ending at its upper end with
oriental arches. Under each of them there is a composition of three
medallions. In the middle field is embedded a marble slab with an
inscription of 7 lines praising the guarantor of the fountain, Sultan
Abdul Hamid. It describes the builder Echem Hadji Mehmed and the
calligrapher of the inscription Mehmed Esasd Esadi. It was built with
funds donated by the Ottoman warlord Egen Hadji Mehmed Aga Pasha.
Freedom Monument (1965) – in the garden next to the Municipality. It
is known by the name Razperko and is one of the symbols of Shumen. It
symbolizes the victory of communism over fascism. The warrior with his
arms outstretched is a communist, and the one below with his hands tied
behind his back is a fascist.
Russian monument - at the roundabout on
Bulgaria Square (Russian Square).
Monument to the fallen soldiers
from the Shumen region in the wars (1994) - on Crystal Square. A common
place for rituals. The names of 435 fighters and commanders from Shumen
and the region who died in the wars after 1878 are inscribed on six
memorial columns made of white Vratsa stone. The columns are connected
by metal castings of orders, bayonets and grenades. In the middle of the
monument is placed a sword made of bronze and brass embedded in a laurel
wreath.
Monument to the fallen soldiers of the V Shumen Regiment - on
"Maritsa" street in front of the "Arena Shumen" hall, at the entrance to
the former "Fifth Regiment" barracks.
Monument to the students. It is
located in the area of Baikova Polyana on the Shumen Plateau. On March
19, 1933, students from the teacher's institute Dimo Penchev (23), Mara
Baleva (22) and Tsvyata Hristova (27) were killed by a group of officers
of the military-fascist organization "Produch". The goal of the
authorities was to expose the youth organization in the city and destroy
it. Despite the brutal torture, the Remsists prefer death to betrayal.
Monument to Vasil Levski (2015) - Slavyanski Boulevard, opposite the
Court.
Monument to Panayot Volov - "Slavyanski" Blvd., opposite the
Military Club.
Monument to Lajos Kossuth (1952) - "Slavyanski" Blvd.,
opposite the Municipality.
Monument to Dobri Voynikov - "Slavyanski"
Blvd., next to the Theater.
Monument to General Konstantin
Kavarnaliev (2009) - in front of the Shumen Hotel.
Monument to
General Valerian Madatov - "Slavyanski" Blvd., opposite the Central
Cooperative Bank and "Detski Svyat" store.
Bust-monument of Dimitar
Blagoev (1956) - on Crystal Square.
Bust-monument of Stefan Karadzha
(1937) - near the bus station, at the beginning of Madara Blvd., in the
garden opposite the supermarket.
Monument to Todor Petkov - near the
bus station, at the beginning of Madara Blvd., in the garden in front of
the Todor Petkov community center.
Bust-monument of Vela Piskova
(1954) - after the central entrance of the City Garden.
Bust-monument
of August Popov (2015) – in the City Garden.
Monument to Todor Kolev
- in the City Garden in front of the fountain. Bronze monument of the
actor with a violin in his hands and a bombe. The monument
simultaneously recreates the various talents and incarnations of Todor
Kolev as a theater actor, musician and showman. The sculpture is 205 cm
tall and weighs around 650 kg. The second part of the composition is a
film strip made of bronze, which is located behind the statue of the
actor.
Monument to the Victims of Communism (2009) – in the City
Garden.
Monument to Liliana Dimitrova - in the courtyard of the
Profiled Natural and Mathematical High School "Nancho Popovich"
(formerly "Lilyana Dimitrova").
Monument to Nancho Popovich - in the
garden in front of the "Dobri Voynikov 1856" People's Community Center,
between the UBB and the old polyclinic.
Monument to Boyan Bulgaranov.
Monument to Metropolitan Simeon - "Simeon the Great" Blvd., next to the
Church of the Holy Ascension.
Monument to Georgi Dimitrov – a
full-length bronze colossus weighing 5 tons, cast from hundreds of empty
artillery shells, next to the headquarters of the former VNVAU "Georgi
Dimitrov". It was dismantled under the UDF government in 1992 and
replaced on the pedestal by two Russian missiles. Now the monument is in
a warehouse with combat equipment of the Shumen military formation in
the yard of the former KEC division.
Monument to Vasil Kolarov - in
front of the Courthouse in Shumen until 1992, when the SDS government
ordered its removal. Defenders of Kolarov are dissatisfied and organize
sit-down strikes. Finally, the monument was dismantled by the police.
First it was moved to the warehouse of the municipal dog kennel, and now
it is stored in the premises of a construction company.
18 km east of
Shumen, at the foot of the Madar Plateau, stands the Madar Horseman. Not
far from the city, in the Shumen region, are the first two old capitals
of Bulgaria - Pliska (27 km northeast) and Preslav (20 km southwest).
rad garden. It is located in the broad center of the city between the
Russian Monument and the p. station. The central entrance with columns
and architectural ornaments is from the roundabout. After 2010, it was
renovated according to the project. There is a large children's
playground, several monuments and a fountain in front of the former City
Casino, converted into a patisserie, restaurant and day bar.
Central
Park. It is located in the ideal center of the city, between the
municipality, the theater, the library and the youth center. There is
the Freedom Monument (Razperko) - one of the symbols of Shumen, a
favorite place of the city's youth.
Student Park. It was built next
to the "Bila" supermarket in the direction of Shumen University, on the
site of the old cemetery. Its value is about BGN 3 million. It was
opened on June 30, 2009. It contains children's attractions, a concert
podium and the multi-purpose field /for handball, volleyball and
basketball/ for holding international and national sports competitions.
It is planned to introduce a ban on the walking of pets on the territory
of the park. Security is provided by the municipal security company with
installed video cameras.
Park in front of the "Todor Petkov"
community center in the Dobrudzhan district. It was renovated by design
and opened on June 16, 2015. It includes 4 acres of grass surfaces,
1,700 square meters of asphalt surfaces, parking spaces, 1,200 square
meters of paved surfaces, 148 new trees, new lighting.
The kiosks.
Emblematic of Shumen, a large forest park in the western part of the
city. There is a zoo, a small lake, a children's corner and 2
hotel-restaurants. It is provided with public transport. Tourist routes
to the Shumen Plateau start from there.
Shumensko Plateau Nature
Park. It occupies a vast wooded area on the plateau south and west of
the city. The park areas with picnic areas around the monument and the
tourist center south of it are massively visited, especially on
weekends. To the left of the road to the Shumen fortress are the
monument and the grave of the course participants, the "Long Meadows"
area with the "Detelina" tourist shelter and the "Secret Abyss" cave.
Among the more famous sites in the central and northern part of the park
around the Shumen fortress are the Biserna (Zandana) and Rusalka
(Sulumara) caves, the Vysoka Polyana fortress, camp buildings, climate
and green schools and departmental villas.
The Regional Historical Museum in Shumen (RIM) is part of the Hundred
National Tourist Sites of the Bulgarian Tourist Union. It was
established in 1904. In November 1981, in honor of the 1300th
anniversary of the founding of Bulgaria, an exposition of the District
History Museum was opened in the newly built building, which is located
in 9 halls and occupies an area of 2600 m2. Only about 9,000 exhibits
are on display out of 75,000 stored in the museum, documenting different
sides of the centuries-old history of this region. The exposition of the
museum is arranged chronologically by historical eras. Early history
(3500 – 3100 BC) is shown with exhibits discovered during the
archaeological excavations of settlement mounds in the region.
The
ceramic icon "St. Theodore Stratilat", the silver cup of župan Sevin and
the Golden Preslav treasure are true masterpieces of the old Bulgarian
art due to their artistic craftsmanship and original ideas.
House
Museum of Panayot Volov
House Museum of Lajos Kossuth
Shumen
Garrison Museum
House Museum of Dobri Voinikov
House Museum of
Todor Rahnev –
"Divdyadovo" quarter
House Museum of Pancho
Vladigerov
House museum of Vela Piskova
Kabiyuk Horse Museum
The majority of the population of the city of Shumen are Christians,
with the second largest religious community being Muslims. In the city
there are administrative buildings of the episcopal vicarage and the
regional mufti office.
Christianity
The vast majority of
Christians are Orthodox. There are churches of other Christian
communities in the city, such as - Methodists, Pentecostals, Adventists.
The Bulgarian Orthodox Church has 8 churches in the city (one each
in the districts of Divdyadovo, Makak and Mutnitsa), as well as 4
chapels. They are part of the Shumen spiritual district.
Temples:
"St. Three Saints" (from 1857), "Ascension of the Lord" (from 1829),
"St. Paisius Hilendarski" (since 1947), "St. Assumption" (from 1914),
"St. Prophet Ilia" (since 1829, Divdyadovo district), "St. vmchk.
Panteleimon" (Mamak quarter), "Birth of St. John the Baptist" (Mutnitsa
quarter)
Chapels: "St. Nicholas", "St. Life-giving source" (since
1999), "St. St. Apostles Peter and Paul" (since 2001), "St. Assumption"
(since 1999)
Other Christian churches:
Evangelical Methodist
Episcopal Church, located near Shumen Hotel
"Life Through Christ"
Evangelical Pentecostal Church, located in the center of Boyan Penev
Street 2A.
Armenian Apostolic Church "St. Bogoroditsa" (since 1834),
located in Grivitsa district
St. Anne's Eastern Catholic Chapel
The city is home to the largest mosque in Bulgaria and the second on the Balkan Peninsula - Tombul Mosque, built in 1744. The mosque complex consists of a main building (prayer hall), a courtyard and an annex consisting of twelve rooms (boarding to the madrasa). It is included in the List of 100 National Tourist Sites with number 95.
Shumen is located in the Shumen field, which is open to the southeast
and gradually decreases in height; the western parts of the city lie at
about 280 - 300 m above sea level, and the extreme eastern - at 180 -
200 m. The city is located at the foot of the Shumen plateau, which has
an extremely diverse nature. Its ridge rises 500 m above sea level. Its
excess in relation to the city is about 250-300 m.
The small
Poroina river passes through Shumen. 3 km west of the modern city, on a
part of the Shumen plateau, is the area of Hisarlka (or the Old Town),
surrounded by steep valleys, in which streams flow year-round.
There are several residential complexes and neighborhoods in Shumen:
residential complexes - Kherson, Dobruja, Thrace, Boyan Bulgaranov
neighborhoods - Industrial zone, Grivitsa, Byalata prist, Everest,
Divdyadovo, Makak, Mutnitsa.
The climate of the city is temperate continental. In winter, cold continental air masses freely invade from the north and northeast with strong winds. Winter is relatively cold, with an average January temperature of -0.5 °C, and summer is hot with an average July temperature of 22 °C. The average annual number of days with snow cover is between 35 and 40. The lowest temperature in the city was measured in January (-27.4 °C) and the highest in August (45.0 °C). The amount of precipitation in the city is about 600 mm per year and is close to the average for the country. The most precipitation usually falls in May and June, and the least in September. The proximity of the Black Sea has almost no effect on the city's climate.
The first information about Shumen is
from the Stone-Copper Age. Excavations by Raphael Popov in 1907
identify the settlement mound Kodjadermen, inhabited during the
Middle and Late Chalcolithic (approximately the period 4500 - 4000
BC). It has a diameter of 60 m and a height of 5 m, and is located 6
km north of the town, to the left of the road Shumen - Targovishte.
There is also information from the Early Iron Age - XII century
BC, when the first fortification surrounding the accessible parts of
the fortress was dated. It has a wall thickness of about 2 meters,
built of untreated quarry stones. In the 5th century BC, a second
wall was built in front of the first.
In the 2nd century the
Romans built a military castle on the ruins of the Thracian
fortress. The construction of the wall is already soldered with
mortar; a tower was built above the gate; on the weakly fortified
sections of the wall are also built a square tower to the west and a
semicircular one to the south.
In the IV - V century the whole hill was fortified with a new
wall and 9 towers were built on it, to the south and west the old
and the new walls are a few meters apart. From this period are known
the remains of two churches - a single-nave basilica from the IV
century and a three-nave basilica from the end of the V century or
the beginning of the VI century.
Archaeological excavations
conducted in 1957, 1961 to 1987 established the chronological
periods, way of life and livelihood of the inhabitants of the
fortress, known to us from the medieval inscriptions found here
about the town of Shumen. In the VIII - X century the fortification
was renovated and for this purpose the foundations of the Byzantine
wall and towers were used, to which a new wall with two towers was
built from the north-northeast - a small but perfectly protected
area. Little known even to prominent archaeologists is the fact that
600 meters west of the medieval city there was, albeit for a short
period (VII - VIII century), earthen Bulgarian fortification with a
rectangular shape, oriented in the directions of the world on an
area of about 20 acres.
The old Bulgarian
fortification from the 7th - 10th century developed in a feudal town
with a castle with adjacent inner and outer fortification belt,
which can be counted 28 towers and bastions, three gates and 5 small
porticos, with many churches and workshops (12th - 14th century). ).
Here is found the inscription of Tsar Ivan Shishman, mentioning
his visit to Shumen:
"... appointed by God, I, Tsar of Bulgaria
Ivan Shishman, son of the great Tsar Ivan Alexander, came to the
city of Shumen by royal favor in the name of the king of heavenly
Christ, and I, Sraco wrote, the grandson of the great epicurean
Sratsimir, these words."
It was first mentioned as Simeonis
(Shimeonis) in 1153 by the Andalusian-Sicilian traveler Idrisi, who
described it as a large city with a crowded market. According to
Konstantin Irechek and Georgi Dzhumaliev, the origin of the name
Simeonis is from that of Tsar Simeon. In the 12th - 14th century
Shumen was a significant military, administrative and economic
center, displacing even the old capital Veliki Preslav, developing
outside the fortress. The city fell under Turkish rule after a long
and prolonged siege in 1388, finally ceased to exist after the
campaign of Vladislav III Jagiello (Varnenchik) in 1444.
In
the medieval town of Shumen, the main religion is Orthodox
Christianity, as evidenced by the seven churches found in the
outlines of the fortress walls, cut, albeit in small numbers,
commemorative coins depicting a cross, an angel and numerous single
finds of Orthodox crosses, as well as the image their rings and
other household items found in graves and homes. Change came only
after the final conquest of the city by the Ottoman Turks in the XV
century.
In the Ottoman Empire. Revival
After the Middle
Ages, the Turks used the ruins of the city to build several baths
and mosques, the Bezisten (1529), the Clock Tower with a fountain
(1740) and the Tombul Mosque (1774) opposite it. In the 17th - 18th
century Shumen was turned into a strongly fortified military town,
with a large garrison in the fortress, it was inhabited by many
Turks, Jews, Tatars, Armenians. It is mentioned by different names
such as Shumen, Shumna, Shumular, Sumunum, and in the last centuries
of the rule - Shumen. According to Konstantin Irecek, during the
Ottoman conquest there were 800 houses in Shumen, and in the 17th
century they already numbered 4000-5000.
In the 19th century,
Shumen was a communications hub of paramount importance in the
Ottoman Empire. In 1820, Porter wrote that in Shumen there was "a
suburb inhabited by its Christian inhabitants."
During the
Ottoman rule (XVIII and especially XIX century) the city developed
as a major craft center. On May 11, 1813, the first celebration of
the Holy Brothers Cyril and Methodius in Bulgaria took place in the
town, as well as the first theatrical performance. In 1828 the first
cell school for girls was established, and in 1856 the first girls'
class school and community center. In 1846 the first school amateur
groups were founded, in 1850 the first Bulgarian symphony orchestra
was founded. In 1856 the first community centers in Bulgaria were
founded - Svishtov (January), Shumen (in the spring) and Lom.
After the Crimean War, Crimean Tatars settled near Shumen.
According to a report by American missionaries who visited
Shumen in 1857, the city had a population of 40,000, of whom 75%
were Turks, 20% Bulgarians, and the rest Jews and Armenians. They
note several Bulgarian schools with a total of 700 students, as well
as the bad reputation of the Greek bishop.
After the Liberation of Bulgaria, the
city initially declined due to the loss of craft markets, the
emigration of many Ottomans and relatively cheap and high-quality
Western industrial goods competing with local ones, but gradually
recovered, becoming a regional and county center. At the outbreak of
the Balkan War in 1912, 35 people from Shumen were volunteers in the
Macedonian-Edirne militia. With the advancement of technology,
electricity gradually began to enter. It was originally installed in
the Military Club in the city (1919). In September 1927, the first
power plant began operating in the town of Shumen.
Immediately after the September 9 coup in 1944, a serious skirmish
broke out in the city when the Communists tried to take over one of
the police stations.
In the period
between January 29, 1950 - July 29, 1965 the city was named
Kolarovgrad.
In the autumn of 1951 the Sofia Military School
was relocated to the town of Shumen. By decree of the Presidium of
the National Assembly № 213 of April 29, 1952, the battle flag of
the school was handed over. In addition to the training of
artillerymen, new specialties in "Radar" were opened, the school
became a university and trained engineering personnel for
anti-aircraft missile and radio engineering troops. In 1969 at the
Higher People's Military Artillery School (VNVAU) "Georgi Dimitrov"
was established Secondary Sergeant Military Artillery School
(SSVAU), and in 1972 a new specialty was opened - "Computing and
automated control systems for troops" ) “. Founded in 1919, the
Pedagogical Institute for Junior High School Teachers became in 1964
a branch faculty of Sofia University. On its basis in 1971 the
Higher Pedagogical Institute was opened.
In 1981, one of the
largest monumental monuments in Bulgaria - "Creators of the
Bulgarian state" was built in the Shumen Plateau Nature Park.
Large-scale construction took place in the 1980s in view of the
forthcoming visit of the diplomatic corps, but changes in the late
1980s halted the process. The largest hotel-restaurant complex
"Shumen" in the city was built. Construction of a trolleybus line
began, which was later abandoned.
After 1989 a mall was built in Shumen - the Regional Department Store (RUM) was modernized and a City Center was established. The emblematic for the city restaurants with the hotel part "The Corners" and "The Glass" have been rebuilt and restored. A number of new restaurants and hotels have been built in a contemporary style. After Bulgaria's accession to the European Union, the main boulevards, streets and roads have been asphalted. The pedestrian zone from the center through the city garden to the railway station has been repaired and modernized.
Football, volleyball, basketball, handball, fencing, weightlifting
and equestrian sports are actively developed in Shumen.
The
city's football club is FC Volov (1929), which has one appearance in the
UEFA Cup tournament, fourth place in Group A in 1994, as well as 2
semi-finals of the Bulgarian Cup in 1957 and 2006. After the 2012/13
season, participant in B group.
The central stadium of Shumen is
"Panayot Volov" (24,390 seats), in addition to it, the so-called student
stadium is also used, and for volleyball and basketball matches - sports
hall "Mladost".
The city has a tradition of "kyokushinkai"
karate. The club is thirty years old and has many national competitors:
athlete No. 1 and coach No. 1 for 2007 – Vitaly Marinov – 1 cue; and
senpai Daniel Dimitrov – 1 dan. "Kabiyuk" horse base also operates in
Shumen.
The sports club in handball for children and teenagers of
Shumen has won the State Championship for men 3 years in a row.
Since 1970, the "Old Capitals" rally has been held in the area of the
city - a car race, a round of the National Rally Championship. The
competition is organized annually by the Union of Bulgarian Motorists
Shumen branch and АСК "Old Capitals", Shumen. Rally "Old Capitals" was
won by prominent Shumen competitors Iliya Bonev, Dancho Danchev and
Valeri Velikov. Until 2008, a round of the "Valery Velikov" mountain
climbing championship of Bulgaria was also held.
Arena Shumen
The multifunctional sports hall "Arena Shumen" was built on the
territory of the former military unit "Fifth Regiment". "Shoumen Arena"
was opened with an official ceremony on July 21, 2018. The Shoumen Hall
is one of the most beautiful sports facilities in the country, and proof
of this is the award for "Building of the Year" for 2018. The facility
has a capacity of 1,500 seats and the possibility of installing an
additional 1,000 spectator seats. Meets all the requirements of the
sports federations for holding competitions in volleyball, basketball,
football, handball, etc. A certified parquet floor has been laid on the
field, and the sports equipment has been delivered. The building also
has a cafe, gym, sauna and steam bath, six changing rooms, rooms for
coaches and judges, a room for press conferences, places for journalists
to broadcast live events, rooms for doping control and a medical office.
There are disabled access on the ground floor. An optical connection is
also provided for direct broadcasts of sports and cultural events. A
parking lot with 300 parking spaces was also built.
"Arena
Shumen" is part of a complete multifunctional complex, which will be
realized in several stages. The area around the hall has already been
improved. A park with 200 newly planted trees and places for recreation
has been built on an area of 21 acres. The project envisages the
construction of outdoor sports fields, an outdoor swimming pool, a
children's corner and a hotel. A new residential complex and commercial
establishments are being built.
Feast of Shumen - May 11
Twice a year (spring and autumn) a bazaar
is held, where only Bulgarian goods are offered.
Cheerleading
Festival - "Madarski Konnik" (held on different dates every year in the
month of May)
June 1 - Children's Day
Every two years (in the
fall) a Fertility Carnival is held
Medieval Council "Valor and Glory"
- attractions and recreation of historical events of the fortress "Old
Town"
Rally "Old Capitals"
Every year in May, the International
Festival "Drumevi Theater Holidays New Bulgarian Drama" takes place
International music competition for pianists and violinists "Pancho
Vladigerov" (April - May)
International children's and youth choir
holidays "Good Voynikov" (every two years)
International competition
for young pop artists "Constellation" (October-November)
Madara
International Biennale of Sculpture (August), in Madara Equestrian
Reserve
Madarski Konnik National Dance Cheerleader Festival (May)
Magic of Dance National Dance Festival (March)
National School
Theater Festivals (every two years)
National competition for
performance of Hungarian and Bulgarian poetry
National competition
"The Madarian horseman - a symbol of Bulgaria's historical past and
European future" (May), in the Regional History Museum
National
competition "Cosmos - present and future of mankind".
Regional
competition "Applied art in folk customs from Christmas to St. Basil's
Day" (December).
Regional youth competition for drawing, photography
and computer presentation on the topic "Portrait of my city Shumen"
Regional competition for children's funny song "Golden Rooster" (April)
Regional competition for making the smallest, largest, original,
authentic martenitsa, necklace, bracelet, panel "Pijo and Penda"
(February)
Festival of popular urban song "Autumn noisy evenings"
(September)
Shumen is associated with the names of national heroes who died in
the wars, the national liberation movement, state leaders, as well as
notable historical figures, in whose honor a museum, monument or public
building was built in the city:
Panayot Volov (1850 – 1876) –
Bulgarian revolutionary, national hero. One of the main actors of the
April Uprising of 1876, chief apostle of the IV revolutionary district -
Plovdiv. Wounded in a battle with Ottoman cavalry near the town of
Byala, he drowned while trying to swim across the Yantra River.
Zahari Velichkov (1834 – 1876) – Bulgarian revolutionary who worked in
Shumen. Vice-chairman of the local revolutionary committee in Yambol and
participant in the April Uprising. Wounded, captured, convicted and
hanged in Edirne.
Andrey Bogdanov (? – 1877) – a participant in the
Russian-Turkish War of Liberation (RTOV) as a doctor in the First
Militia Company. Died during the war.
Konstantin Kavarnaliev (1866 –
1913) – Bulgarian officer, colonel, died heroically in the Allied War,
posthumously promoted to the rank of "general".
Enyo Markovski (1873
– 1923) – an actor of the labor movement in Bulgaria. After the coup
d'état of June 9, 1923, he was arrested and died in prison.
Vela
Piskova (1889 – 1925) – activist of the labor movement in Bulgaria.
Physicist, teacher at "Nancho Popovich" high school in Shumen. She was
the organizer of the women's anti-war movement in Shumen during the
First World War (1915-1918). Leader of combat groups in the September
Uprising of 1923. The first woman commandant of a city and secretary of
the District Committee of the BKP (ts). Killed in 1925 in a battle with
the police in Ruse.
August Popov (1909 – 1942) – Bulgarian communist,
secretary of the OC of the RMS and secretary of the OC of the BRP (k) in
Shumen (1932), participant in the partisan movement during the Second
World War and in a group of the so-called paratroopers and submariners.
Sentenced to death at the trial of the paratroopers and shot.
Heads of state and politicians
Vasil Kolarov (1877 – 1950) –
Bulgarian politician, head of the Comintern, head of state of Bulgaria
(15 September 1946 – 9 December 1947), prime minister of Bulgaria in the
65th (1949 – 1950) and 66th (1950) government, chairman of the XXVI
Ordinary National Assembly (1945 – 1946) and the VI Grand National
Assembly (1946 – 1947).
Zhelyu Zhelev (1935 – 2015) – Bulgarian
philosopher (doctor of philosophy), dissident and politician, head of
state of Bulgaria from August 1, 1990 to January 22, 1997.
Vasil
Drumev (1841 – 1901) – Bulgarian writer, clergyman and politician,
author of the first Bulgarian novel and the first Bulgarian drama with
an original plot, metropolitan of the Diocese of Tarnovo and twice prime
minister of Bulgaria.
Dimitar Blagoev ("The Grandfather") (1856 –
1924) – Bulgarian politician and philosopher, founder of the organized
socialist movement in Bulgaria and the first social democratic party on
the Balkan Peninsula.
Lajos Kossuth (1802 - 1894) - prominent
Hungarian national hero, statesman, jurist and revolutionary during the
period of the Hungarian Revolution 1848 - 1849, Minister of Finance of
Hungary from March to September 1848, head of the executive power from
September 1848 to August 1849, temporary head of state (regent) of
Hungary from April to August 1849.
Todor Ikonomov (1835 – 1892) –
Bulgarian writer, publicist, publisher and politician, one of the most
prominent Renaissance teachers and participants in the struggle to
create an independent Bulgarian exarchy, vice-president of the
Constituent Assembly in Tarnovo, one of the leaders of the Conservative
Party, minister of Internal Affairs (1880), Mayor of Sofia (1880) and
District Governor of Shumen (1881), Chairman of the II Great National
Assembly (1881) and the newly created State Council (1882).
Stoyan
Danev (1858 – 1949) – Bulgarian revolutionary, lawyer, financier and
politician. A volunteer in Philip Totyu's company during the Staro
Zagora Uprising. Chairman of the V Supreme Court and XV Supreme Court.
Head of the Moderate Liberal Party and later the Progressive Liberal
Party. Minister of Foreign Affairs. Four times Prime Minister of
Bulgaria (1901 – 1903 and 1913). Minister of Finance. Chairman of the
BCH and Chairman of the International Union of the Red Cross in Geneva.
Member of the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague.
Yanko
Sakazov (1860 - 1941) - Bulgarian politician, publicist and public
figure, one of the leaders of the BRSDP (united - "broad socialists").
Racho Petrov (1861 – 1942) – Bulgarian infantry general and politician.
Chief of Army Staff during the Serbo-Bulgarian War and until 1894, 2
times Minister of War, 2 times Minister of Foreign Affairs and
Confessions and 2 times Prime Minister of Bulgaria during the time of
Prince Ferdinand. Deputy in the XI (1901) and XIII (1903 – 1908)
Ordinary People's Assembly. Holder of 10 orders for military merit from
5 countries - Bulgaria, Russia, Prussia, Serbia and the Ottoman Empire.
Sava Savov (1865 – 1945) – Bulgarian infantry general and politician
from the Democratic Party, commander of armies during the First World
War and Minister of War at the end of the war. People's representative
in XXI (1925 – 1927) and XXIII (1931 – 1934) Ordinary National Assembly.
He was awarded 11 orders for military merit from 5 countries - Bulgaria,
Russia, Germany, Austria-Hungary and the Ottoman Empire.
Nikola Penev
(1879 – 1955) – Bulgarian military officer, lieutenant general; born in
Shumen, brother of the famous Bulgarian literature scholar Boyan Penev.
Andrey Blaskov (1857 – 1943) – Bulgarian revolutionary and general. Son
of the prominent Renaissance teacher Rashko Blaskov. Brother of
Vladimir, Dimitar, Ilia, Stefan and Hristo Blaskovi. Courier of the
revolutionary committee in Gabrovo during the April Uprising. He
participated in RTOV as a militiaman. Participant in the Serbo-Bulgarian
war. He was awarded 6 orders and the cross for bravery and military
merits from Bulgaria and Russia. Fired for participating in the
dethronement of Prince Al. Battenberg. Rehabilitated. He rose to the
rank of Major General.
Boyan Bulgaranov (1896 – 1972) – Bulgarian
general and politician from the BKP. Participant in the partisan
movement during the Second World War, commander of the Second Plovdiv
insurgent operational zone of the so-called People's Liberation Rebel
Army (NOVA). Member of the Politburo of the Central Committee of the
BKP. Member of the Presidium of the National Assembly of the People's
Republic of Bulgaria. He was honored with the title "Hero of the
People's Republic of Bulgaria" and awarded with 5 "Georgi Dimitrov"
orders, as well as with the title "Hero of Socialist Labor". A
neighborhood in Shumen is named after him.
Dobri Voinikov (1833 – 1878) – Bulgarian Renaissance teacher,
writer-playwright, educator, journalist, musical and theatrical actor,
founder of the Bulgarian theater, first Bulgarian director and author of
theatrical plays.
Sava Dobroplodni (1820 – 1894) – Bulgarian writer,
pedagogue and enlightened and cultural figure of the Renaissance.
Nancho Popovich (1818 – 1883) - Bulgarian public figure and donor for
the construction in Shumen of one of the first girls' schools in the
country, today the "Nancho Popovich" Profiled Science and Mathematics
High School. In his honor, December 6 is celebrated as Donor's Day in
Bulgaria.
Iliya Blaskov (1839 – 1913) – Bulgarian writer and teacher,
one of the founders of Bulgarian narrative prose.
Stiliyan
Chilingirov (1881 - 1962) - Bulgarian writer, ethnographer, prominent
public figure from the beginning of the 20th century, politician. One of
the founders of the Union of Bulgarian Writers and its chairman (1941 –
1944). He is known as "the last revivalist".
Boyan Penev (1882 –
1927) - literary critic, professor, one of the most famous Bulgarian
literary historians and critics in the 20th century, brother of General
Nikola Penev. The Regional Library in Razgrad (since 1992) and the
Publishing Center of the Institute of Literature at the BAS bear his
name.
Todor Kolev (1939 – 2013) – actor, comedian, singer, musician and
showman; people's artist.
Pancho Vladigerov (1899 – 1978) – composer,
musician, conductor, pedagogue and public figure; people's artist. He
was awarded the Dimitrov Prize and the title "Hero of Socialist Labor".
Veneta Vicheva (1931 – 2013) – choir conductor, pedagogue and public
figure, long-time leader of the choir "Native Sounds" in Shumen, founder
and conductor of the children's choir "Bodra Pesen"; people's artist.
Awarded the Order of "St. St. Cyril and Methodius" I degree and
statuette "Crystal Lyre".
Elena Karamihailova (1875 – 1961) – one of
the first Bulgarian artists in post-liberation Bulgaria, impressionist.
She was awarded the Order of Civil Merit. The art gallery in Shumen is
named after her.