Sliven district is one of the 28 districts of Bulgaria. It is located in South-Eastern Bulgaria. It covers an area of 3,544 km² and has a population of 172,690 people. The postal codes of the settlements in the Sliven region are from 8800 (for the city of Sliven) to 8999. Its vehicle code is SN.
1. Municipality of Kotel
The Municipality of Kotel is known for
its rich history and traditional Bulgarian architecture. It includes the
following settlements:
Kotel (administrative center) and the villages
of:
Mokren, Borintsi, Bratan, Gradets, Dabova, Zheravna, Katunishte,
Kipilovo, Malko Selo, Medven, Neykovo, Orlovo, Ostra Mogila, Padarevo,
Sedlarevo, Sokolartsi, Streltsi, Ticha, Topuzevo, Filaretovo, and
Yablanovo.
2. Municipality of Nova Zagora
Nova Zagora is one
of the larger municipalities in the province, encompassing both the town
of Nova Zagora and many rural settlements:
Nova Zagora
(administrative center) together with the villages of:
Asenovets,
Banya, Bogdanovo, Bryastovo, Byal Kladenets, Dyadovo, Ezero, Elenovo,
Zagortsi, Kamenovo, Karanovo, Konyovo, Korten, Kriva Krusha, Ljubenets,
Ljubenova Mahala, Mlekarevo, Nauchene, Novoselets, Omarchevo, Pet
Mogili, Pitovo, Polsko Padarevo, Prokhorovo, Radevo, Radetsky, Sokol,
Stoil Voivoda, Sborishte (Collected), Sadievo, Sadiepole, and Tsenino.
3. Municipality of Sliven
This is the central and most populous
municipality, centered around the city of Sliven itself:
Sliven (administrative center and largest city
in the province) along with the following villages:
Bykovo, Binkos,
Blatets, Bozhevtsi, Bozadjii, Byala, Uganlen, Gavrailovo, Gergevets,
Glufishevo, Glushnik, Golyamo Chochoveni, Gorno Aleksandrovo, Gradsko,
Dragodanovo, Zhelyu Voivoda, Zaichari, Zlati Voivoda, Izgrev, Ichera,
Kaloyanovo, Kamen, Kermen, Kovachite, Krushare, Malko Chochoveni,
Mechkarevo, Mladovo, Nikolaevo, Novachevo, Panaretovtsi, Rakovo,
Samuilovo, Seliminovo, Skobelevo, Sotirya, Sredorek, Stara Reka, Staro
Selo, Strupets, Topolchane, Trapoklovo, Chintulovo, and Chokoba.
4. Municipality of Tvarditsa
The Municipality of Tvarditsa lies in
the western part of the province and includes:
Tvarditsa
(administrative center) and the villages of:
Bliznets, Borov Dol,
Byala Palanka (White Palanka), Zhlŭt Bryag (Yellow Beach), Orizari,
Sborishte, Srtsevo, Chervenakovo, and Shivachevo.
Best Time to Visit
The ideal periods are spring (April–June) and
autumn (September–October). Weather is mild (15–25°C / 59–77°F), perfect
for hiking and outdoor activities without extreme heat or cold. Summers
(June–August) can get hot (above 30°C / 86°F) and dry, while winters are
cold with possible snow, though the mountains offer scenic winter views.
Weekends in good weather can be busier at popular spots as locals head
to the mountains.
How to Get There
By air: Fly into Burgas
Airport (about 110 km / 68 miles away) or Sofia Airport (farther). From
Burgas, take a bus, taxi, or rent a car.
By train or bus: Sliven lies
on the Sofia–Burgas railway line with regular connections. Buses also
serve the city from major Bulgarian hubs.
By car: Good road access;
driving allows flexibility to explore the surrounding province,
including mountain passes and villages.
Within the province: Local
buses, taxis, or renting a car are convenient. A cable car (lift) runs
up to the Karandila area in Sinite Kamani Nature Park.
Top
Attractions and Things to Do
Sinite Kamani (Blue Rocks) Nature Park:
The highlight of the region. This protected area in the Balkan Mountains
features striking blue-gray rock formations, panoramic views over the
Thracian Valley, hiking trails, waterfalls (like Futula), caves, and the
Halkata (Ring) rock arch. Take the cable car from Sliven for easy access
to Karandila plateau—great for walks, picnics, or paragliding. Go early
in the morning for fewer crowds, better light, and wildlife spotting.
Sliven City Sights: Stroll the pedestrian main street and central park
(with chestnut trees and a lake). Visit the Hadzhi Dimitar Museum House
(dedicated to the national hero), the Sliven Historical Museum, the old
Clock Tower, the Art Gallery “Dimitar Dobrovich,” and the ancient
Stariya Briast (Old Elm) tree. The Monument to Hadzhi Dimitar is a
central landmark.
Nearby Highlights:
Medieval Tuida Fortress
ruins.
Peach Valley (west of Sliven) for spring blossoms and mineral
springs.
Villages like Zheravna or Kotel for traditional Bulgarian
architecture and folklore.
Wine tasting— the region produces good
local wines; look for degustation centers.
Other spots: Tvardishki
Pass, Nova Zagora city garden, or Thracian sites like Kabile.
Hiking,
camping, and nature walks dominate in summer. The area has a strong
revolutionary history tied to the Hajduks (freedom fighters).
Practical Tips
Getting Around the Park: Combine cable car with
walking trails. Wear sturdy shoes for hikes; paths can be uneven.
Accommodation: Options range from affordable city hotels and guesthouses
to mountain lodges or boutique stays in villages. Book in advance for
peak weekends.
Food and Drink: Try Bulgarian staples like grilled
meats (meshana skara), shopska salad, or local specialties. The province
has fresh produce markets. Wine and rakia (fruit brandy) are common—pair
with meals. Tap water is generally safe, but bottled mineral water is
widely available and recommended as a precaution.
Money and Payments:
Carry some cash (Bulgarian Lev) for small shops, rural areas, markets,
or entry fees—cards are accepted in larger places but not everywhere.
Language: Bulgarian is the official language; English is limited outside
tourist spots, so a translation app helps. Cyrillic signs are
standard—learn basic phrases or use Google Translate.
Safety: Sliven
Province is generally safe with low crime rates. Exercise normal
precautions: watch belongings in crowded areas or on transport. Roads
can have aggressive drivers, so drive carefully. No major health risks,
but standard travel insurance is wise. Respect nature—stick to trails in
the park.
Additional Advice
Pack layers for variable mountain
weather, sunscreen, insect repellent, and comfortable walking shoes.
Combine with day trips: Many visitors pair Sliven with Burgas coast or
other Balkan Mountain spots.
For a relaxed vibe, visit mid-week to
avoid local weekend crowds at Karandila.
Eco-friendly tip: The nature
park is protected—leave no trace and support local businesses.
The population of Sliven region lives in 117 settlements. Traditionally for Bulgaria, most of it lives in the cities. As a result of the absolute decrease of the population in the district, a tendency to decrease the population density indicator was established and at the end of 2006, it was estimated to be 59 people/km². The regional center is the city of Sliven. The second largest city on the territory of the district is Nova Zagora, followed by the city of Kotel and the city of Tvarditsa. According to NSI observations, the economically active population in the district is 51.0% of the population aged 15 and over. For cities, this coefficient of economic activity is 56.3%, and for villages 40.5%.
The households in which the population of Sliven region lives as of
February 1, 2011 number 73,605. Almost two-thirds (67.4%) of all
households are in cities. Before the period 2001 - 2011, the number of
households in the district decreased by 2664, with the most noticeable
decrease in the municipality of Nova Zagora - by 1441 households. The
average size of a household decreased from 3 persons in 1992 to 2.6
persons in 2011. In cities, this size in 2011 was 2.6, and in villages –
2.7.
This dynamic is determined by a number of demographic and
socio-economic factors. In 2011, more than half of the households in the
Sliven district were one- or two-person (55.5%). The number of the
former changed from 15,137 (2001) to 19,899 (2011). The relative share
of single-member households is the largest in the municipalities of Nova
Zagora (28.8%) and Sliven (26.8%), and the smallest in the municipality
of Kotel (25.1%).
The distribution of the households by ethnic
groups was made depending on the indicated answer of the head of the
household - 55,718 identified themselves as belonging to the Bulgarian
ethnic group (83.3%), 5347 to the Turkish (8%), and 4871 to the Gypsy
(7.3 %). For 9.2% of households, the head did not answer the question
about ethnicity.
Prehistoric and Ancient Times (c. 7000 BCE – 7th century CE)
Human
presence in what is now Sliven Province dates back to the Neolithic
period. The most spectacular evidence comes from the Karanovo tell
(village mound) near Nova Zagora, one of Bulgaria’s (and Europe’s) most
important prehistoric sites. Inhabited for roughly 3,000 years from the
late 7th millennium BCE to the Bronze Age, Karanovo contains layered
remains of Neolithic through Bronze Age settlements, including tools,
ornaments, pottery, and possible early symbolic markings from the
Karanovo culture. Nearby tumuli, necropolises, and other prehistoric
sites in the Nova Zagora area add to a rich archaeological record of
early farming communities.
In the Sliven area itself, Neolithic
remains date to around 6000 BCE, with later Thracian settlements
(5th–3rd centuries BCE) on Hisarlaka hill. Thracian tribes—primarily the
Asti, Kabileti, and Seleti—inhabited the region until conquered by
Philip II of Macedon and Alexander the Great. The area was known in
antiquity as Selymnos.
Roman conquest began around 72–71 BCE. The key
settlement was Tuida (also Suida/Tsuida, likely of Thracian origin), a
fortified trade center and later bishopric on Hisarlaka hill. It lay
along the important Roman road from Anchialos (modern Pomorie) to
Serdica (Sofia). The fortress was destroyed and rebuilt multiple
times—by Huns in the 5th century, then fortified under Emperor
Anastasius I and Justinian I (with basilicas and baptisteries). It
served as the seat of a bishop subordinate to Adrianople until its final
destruction around 598–599 CE, probably by Avars and Slavs.
Medieval Bulgarian Period (7th–14th centuries)
The area entered the
First Bulgarian Empire around 705 CE as part of the Slav-settled region
of Zagore, under Khan Tervel’s treaty with Byzantine Emperor Justinian
II. Bulgarians rebuilt the Tuida fortress walls and water systems,
adding structures using marble from Preslav workshops. A lead seal of
Boris I (r. 852–889) found locally confirms early Bulgarian presence.
The settlement persisted after the First Empire’s fall. It declined
under Pecheneg raids in the mid-10th century but was rebuilt by 1153,
when Arab geographer Muhammad al-Idrisi described it (as Iztlifanost or
similar) as a large, important town. During the Second Bulgarian Empire,
24 monasteries formed a spiritual complex around Sliven, underscoring
its role as a religious center under Tsar Ivan Alexander.
Tvarditsa
(from the Bulgarian for “fortress,” originally Gradishte) originated as
a strategic stronghold guarding mountain passes in the Second Empire’s
defensive network.
Ottoman Rule (1388–1878): Resistance, Crafts,
and Early Industry
Ottoman forces conquered the medieval town in
1388, destroying it and burning the monasteries. It was rebuilt and
known as İslimye or Enidzhe Kariesi (“New Town”). It became a sanjak
(district) center, later a kaza, and flourished as a crafts hub
producing guns, pickaxes, iron tools, and textiles.
Sliven earned its
enduring nickname “City of the 100 Voyvodi” (voyvoda = leader of a
detachment) due to its central role in the haiduk movement—the armed
resistance of outlaws and guerrillas against Ottoman rule. Legendary
haiduks included Hadji Dimitar, Panayot Hitov, and Zlati Voivoda. The
Old Elm tree in central Sliven reportedly served as a hanging tree for
revolutionaries.
Economically, the town pioneered industry on the
Balkan Peninsula. In 1834 (some sources cite 1836), local entrepreneur
Dobri Zhelyazkov founded the first textile factory in the Ottoman Empire
and Balkans in Sliven, harnessing local water power and marking the
start of modern Bulgarian industry. A second mill opened in 1864;
tobacco and spirit factories followed.
The 19th century also saw
massive participation in uprisings. During the Russo-Turkish War of
1828–1829, Russian troops briefly liberated Sliven, but their withdrawal
triggered mass emigration (over 15,000 people to Russia, Bessarabia, and
Wallachia), devastating the local population.
Bulgarian National
Revival and Path to Independence (mid-19th century–1878)
Sliven
became one of Bulgaria’s premier centers of the National Revival. It
hosted early schools (1827), the Zora community center/chitalishte
(1860), and cultural figures such as:
Dobri Chintulov — the first
Bulgarian poet
Dimitar Dobrovich — the first academically trained
Bulgarian artist
Sava Dobroplodni — pioneer of Bulgarian theater
The town actively joined the church struggle, expelling the Greek
bishop in 1859 and joining the Bulgarian Exarchate in 1870.
The Kotel
area (Kotel, Zheravna, Medven) in the northern part of the province
served as another cradle of the Revival, nurturing intellectuals and
revolutionaries like Georgi Sava Rakovski, Zahari Stoyanov, Neofit
Bozveli, Petar Beron, and others. It played a major role in the April
Uprising of 1876 and the liberation movement.
Sliven was liberated by
Russian troops on 16 January 1878 during the Russo-Turkish War that led
to Bulgaria’s autonomy.
Modern History (1878–present)
After
liberation, Sliven rapidly rebounded as an industrial and cultural
center within the new Bulgarian state, maintaining its textile tradition
(still evident today). The province saw typical 20th-century
developments: participation in the Balkan Wars and both World Wars,
post-WWII communist industrialization, and post-1989 transition
challenges. Population peaked in the 1980s before declining due to
emigration and economic shifts.
Today, Sliven Province blends its
deep historical layers with natural beauty (Sinite Kamani Nature Park,
caves, waterfalls) and a diverse ethnic makeup (Bulgarians ~77%, Romani
~12%, Turks ~10% per 2011 census). It remains an administrative,
industrial, and cultural hub, with museums preserving its heritage—from
prehistoric Karanovo to Revival-era artifacts.
Topography and Major Landforms
The relief of Sliven Province is
highly varied, divided roughly into a northern mountainous/hilly zone
and a southern flat-to-hilly zone. The northern part encompasses the
southern foothills and slopes of the Eastern Balkan Mountains
(specifically the Sliven Mountain subdivision), along with the far
eastern extensions of the Sredna Gora range. This creates a dramatic
contrast with the plains to the south.
Key elevations include:
Chumerna Peak (1,536 m) — the highest in the province, located in
the northern mountainous section (Kotel/Tvarditsa area).
Bulgarka (or
Balgarka) Peak (1,181 m) — the highest point in the eastern Balkan
Mountains overall.
Razboyna Peak (1,128 m).
The terrain
features steep, ravine-dissected slopes, especially in the north, with
alluvial fans where rivers descend from the mountains.
A standout
feature is the Sinite Kamani Nature Park (Blue Rocks / Blue Stones),
covering 113.8 km² just north of the city of Sliven. This protected area
(IUCN Category V) features a dramatic quartz-rich rock massif with
erosion-sculpted formations, including arches (e.g., the legendary
Halkata or “The Ring”), caves (such as Zmeevi Dupki, Haydushkata
Peshtera), ravines, waterfalls, and pools. Elevations in the park range
from about 290 m (lowest) to 1,181 m at Bulgarka. The northern slopes
are steep and forested, while the southern reaches are more open with
sparse vegetation. The park’s complex geology (sandstones, limestones,
conglomerates, tuffs) dates back to the early Neogene period.
Southward, the province includes part of the Sliven Valley (one of the
Sub-Balkan valleys), a 70 km long (west–east) and up to 15 km wide
one-sided graben filled with Tertiary and Quaternary sediments. The
valley has an average elevation of 150 m (inclined southward) and covers
about 830 km² overall (spanning parts of Sliven, Burgas, and Yambol
provinces). It is enclosed by the Balkan Mountains to the north (with
alluvial fans) and the Sredna Gora, Bakadzhitsite, and Hisar Heights to
the south. The valley is divided into the higher western Sliven field
and the partially marshy eastern Straldzha field by the Hamambair
heights.
Further south lie the lower Kermen and Nova Zagora plains
(average ~130 m) and the broader Tundzha hilly and low-mountainous
region, part of the Upper Thracian Plain. These areas feature gentler
rolling terrain suitable for agriculture.
Hydrography
The
province’s hydrology is dominated by the Tundzha River (one of
Bulgaria’s major rivers, ~398 km long within the country), which drains
much of the area as part of the Aegean Sea basin (via the Maritsa
River). It flows through the Sliven Valley and southern plains,
supporting irrigation and drinking water. A key infrastructure feature
is the Zhrebchevo Reservoir on the Tundzha, one of Bulgaria’s largest
(capacity >400 million m³), primarily for irrigation.
Several smaller
left-bank tributaries feed the Tundzha, including the Asenovska reka,
Novoselska reka, Sotirska reka, Mochuritsa, and others. Three small
rivers (Asenovska, Novoselska, and Manastirska) converge within the city
of Sliven itself before joining the Tundzha south of the city.
Mineral springs are notable resources, especially near Sliven (Slivenski
Mineralni Bani, site of a national spa resort) and in the Nova Zagora
area (village of Banya, local significance). These support tourism and
health-related activities.
Climate
Sliven Province experiences
a transitional continental climate with Mediterranean influences,
typical of the sub-Balkan plain and Sliven Valley. Winters are mild and
short, summers relatively warm (or cool at higher elevations), and
autumn is notably long. Springs tend to be wet. The region is influenced
by northern and northwesterly winds (including the strong “bora” or
Sliven wind, for which the city is known as one of Bulgaria’s windiest).
Orographic effects from the Balkan Mountains create microclimatic
variations: cooler, wetter conditions in the north and slightly warmer,
drier ones in the southern plains.
Annual precipitation is moderate
(~580–600 mm), with higher amounts and snow cover (3–4 months) at higher
altitudes in the Balkan Mountains. Temperature extremes can range from
around –20°C to +41°C in the park areas. The climate supports diverse
vegetation and agriculture (e.g., peaches, grapes, and other fruits in
the valley).
Soils, Vegetation, and Biodiversity
Soils reflect
the topographic diversity: alluvial and cinnamon soils dominate the
valley and plains (fertile for agriculture), while brown forest soils
(from sandstones, limestones, and dolomites) prevail in the higher
mountainous areas (800–1,200 m), with cinnamon forest soils below 800 m.
Vegetation transitions from extensive beech forests on the steep
northern slopes of the Balkan Mountains (especially in Sinite Kamani) to
mixed oak and other deciduous forests lower down, with sparser cover and
individual trees in ravines. The province’s protected areas support high
biodiversity: Sinite Kamani alone hosts over 1,000 plant species
(including the northernmost population of kermes oak in Bulgaria) and
235 vertebrate species (fish, amphibians, reptiles, 165 birds, 34
mammals, including species like wolves, eagles, and bears in the broader
mountain context). Many are rare or protected.
Notable Natural
Areas and Significance
The Sinite Kamani Nature Park is the
province’s premier natural landmark and a major tourist draw for hiking,
caving, paragliding, and skiing (via Karandila resort area). It is part
of Bulgaria’s Natura 2000 network and protects unique habitats,
geological formations, and cultural sites (e.g., ancient fortress
ruins).
Other protected zones exist in the northern mountains,
contributing to the province’s scenic appeal and ecological value. The
combination of mountains, valley, rivers, and mineral springs creates
opportunities for tourism, agriculture, and spa resorts while posing
minor geohazards like landslides on steep slopes.