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Sliven is a town in southeastern Bulgaria, located near Yambol and Nova Zagora. It is the eighth largest in the country and is the administrative center of Sliven municipality. Sliven is known as the City of the Hundred Voivodes connected with the haidouk movement. According to the latest NSI data as of December 31, 2019, the population of Sliven is 86,505 people, which makes it the eighth largest Bulgarian city.
Church of St. Nicholas
12 Moskovska Street
1834
"St. Nicholas the Wonderworker" or "St. Nicholas" in Sliven is an
Orthodox church in the neighborhood "Klutsohor", built in 1834, when
it was consecrated. It is located next to the house-museum of Hadji
Dimitar. The building has the status of a cultural monument. The
church is one of the four Orthodox churches in the city, along with
the Cathedral of St. Demetrius and the Churches of the Holy Mother
of God and St. Sophia, within the Diocese of Sliven.
The
building is massive, three-aisled, without a dome, with a central
apse and six columns in a row. It was built by masters from
Bratsigovo on the foundations of an old church and was completed by
Todor Karahristov from Sliven. The middle of the arch next to the
central nave is decorated with rich wood carvings and a preserved
part of the original mural, which depicts the "Almighty" in a
medallion and other religious scenes. Most of the icons have been
restored. Church services are accompanied by a church choir.
Name
Old forms of the name Sliven are Savulen, Tsoida, Tuida,
Islimie, Istlifanos, Selimno, Svilne, Slivno, Slivne.
Named
as Sliwno, it can be seen on an ethnological map of the spread of
Hellenism, compiled by Prof. George Soteriadis of the University of
Athens. It dates from the beginning of the 20th century, probably
around 1916.
In his book "Origin and meaning of the names of
our cities, villages, rivers, mountains and places" Vasil Mikov
brings the name of Sliven as the name of a place where two rivers
merge.
Antiquity
Traces of the oldest settlements on the
territory of Sliven are dated to the Neolithic Age - the sixth
millennium BC. Remains of primitive stone tools have been found in
the Hisarlaka area. Traces of a Thracian settlement from the 5th to
the 3rd century BC have also been found there, including Thracian
pottery and Hellenistic coins. The area around the present-day town
of Sliven was inhabited by the Thracian tribes Asti, Kabileti and
Seleti. Their independence lasted until the time of Philip of
Macedon and Alexander the Great, who conquered them, but not for
long. During the same epoch, the Persians, the Celts and the
Bastards marched through the Sliven region.
In the II century
BC. Roman conquests began in northeastern Thrace. The region of
Sliven became part of the Roman Empire most probably around 72 - 71
BC, when Kabyle and Apollonia were conquered. In 46 BC. the land of
the city is included in the newly created Roman province of Thrace.
A new stage of the inhabitation of Hisarlaka is from the
beginning of the new era - II - IV century. From this period the
first written sources for the name of the then settlement - Tuida
were found. The name is most likely Thracian, with unclear meaning.
It is also mentioned by Hieroclus, who defines it as one of the four
cities in the eastern Roman province of Hemimontus, established as
part of the diocese of Thrace under Diocletian, in addition to its
capital Adrianople, and also by Procopius of Caesarea in On the
Buildings. The Roman road from Anhialo along the upper reaches of
the Tundzha to Serdica in the west was built for the needs of this
city.
In an inscription found from the beginning of the 3rd
century, the settlement was called "marketplace" and most probably
belonged to the territory of the town of Augusta Trayana (now Stara
Zagora). The good economic opportunities of the village are evident
from the sanctuary of Zeus and Apollo, which was discovered on its
territory.
After the relocation of the capital of the Roman
Empire to Constantinople, the settlement was fortified and a
fortress was built on the hill. The technique used is with three-row
brick belts and wall pillars, which ended with brick arches. There
was also a secret passage to the river to the west.
The
fortress escaped the invasion of the Goths in 378, but was destroyed
during the invasions of the Huns in the V century. It was rebuilt
during the reign of Emperor Anastasius I (491 - 518), and the new
fortress retains the plan of the old one, but is much stronger. The
brick belts are now five-row, and stone stairs have been added to
the east and south walls. The construction of an additional
protective wall one meter and eighty centimeters outside the main
one has started.
Inside the ancient fortress, near its
eastern wall, the remains of a basilica with a baptistery, which
functioned in the V-VI century, have been excavated. It was probably
destroyed by the Huns and rebuilt during the reign of Justinian I. A
larger church was discovered south of the fortress, in today's Novo
Selo district - it was built in the 5th century and expanded in the
6th century. This testifies that the settlement was not limited to
the territory of the fortification - about 40 acres, but also
extends to the surrounding area.
It is clear from the
Epiphanes' List that the city of Tuida / Tsoida is the seat of a
bishop subordinate to the Diocese of Adrianople. Related to the
latter is the curious fact that until then the episcopal see was the
larger and richer city of Kabile. In the 4th century, most probably
due to the proximity of the two cities, which are in different
provinces, Kabile was abandoned, and its population - moved to
Diospol - today's Yambol. However, the bishop's seat was moved to
Tuida for unknown reasons, which most likely marked the beginning of
the proverbial rivalry between Sliven and Yambol.
Tuida /
Tsoida ceased to exist around 598 - 599, when it was destroyed
again, most likely by Avars and Slavs. There is a hypothesis that
this happened as part of a great battle between the Avars and the
Byzantine General Comenius.
Middle Ages and Ottoman rule
The region of Sliven entered the borders of the First Bulgarian
State around 705 as part of the Slavic-inhabited region of Zagore,
given to Tervel according to his treaty with the Byzantine Emperor
Justinian II Rinotmet. In place of Tuida arose an old Bulgarian
settlement, whose name is unknown. Its beginning is not dated, but
it is before 870, when a lead seal of Prince Boris-Mikhail was
found. The Bulgarians are repairing the fortress walls, even the
water supply system at the northern gate. New buildings are being
built inside, some of which are lined with marble slabs made in
stone studios in Preslav. From this period were found several bricks
engraved on them the proto-Bulgarian sign "epsilon", flanked by two
hasti.
Bone remains of 14 species of wild and domestic birds
from the 10th to the 12th century were found in the early Bulgarian
settlement in the Hisarlaka locality by the paleoornitologist Prof.
Zlatozar Boev. the country. Poultry farming was based on raising a
domestic hen (Gallus gallus f. Domestica) and a domestic goose
(Anser anser f. Domestica). Finding the remains of 4 copies. of a
large hawk (Accipiter gentilis) suggests that the villagers
practiced hawking - hunting with trained birds of prey. This is
indirect evidence of their high material status.
The city
continues to exist after the destruction of the First Bulgarian
State. In the middle of the tenth century it was briefly in the
possession of the Pechenegs, after which it began to decline. In
1153, Sliven was first mentioned by its current name by the Arab
geographer Al Idrisi, who wrote that it had been "famous since
ancient times". The fortress was abandoned and ceased to be used as
a defensive structure in the XIII century.
During the Second
Bulgarian State it was a center of spiritual life. Twenty-four
monasteries were built in its vicinity, forming a complex called
"Little Holy Mountain".
During the Ottoman invasion the
medieval city and fortresses were destroyed and in 1388 the
monasteries were burned. There is information about Sliven under the
name Islimie in Turkish registers from 1609 and 1668.
In the
notebook of Moshe Alevi Nazir from 1668 it is stated that in the
places where he passed, Sliven stands out as a Jewish center. As of
1859, there were 30 Jewish families living in Sliven, for the needs
of which a synagogue and a Jewish school were built.
In 1848
the town passed from the Silistra to the Edirne vilayet.
Revival
The city was a settlement of a strong bandit movement
against the Ottoman conquerors and became known as the "city of a
hundred voivodes". Among them are Hadji Dimitar, Zlati Voyvoda and
Panayot Hitov. In his capacity as high priest of the Bulgarian
militia, Father Amfilohiy from Sliven consecrated the Samara flag in
Ploiesti. Famous sites in the Sliven Mountains, related to the
haidouk movement, are: Kushbunar locality, Balgarka peak, Gabrova
polyana locality, Djendem dere locality, Ravna polyana locality,
Gunchov izvor locality, Haidushko kladenche locality, Haidushki dol,
m. Haramiyata, Ceremidenata kashla, Matei, Ramadana, Futula (cave),
Kalna usoya, Haidushka path
In the XVII century Sliven
developed as a craft center and became famous for the production of
rifles, pistols, iron tools. One hundred workshops produce five
hundred pipes a day. 984 shops open in the bazaar every day. 35 inns
accommodate guests of the city.
During the Revival Sliven was
formed as an important trade, craft and cultural-educational center.
The city part is divided into residential, commercial and
administrative. With the efforts of Dobri Chintulov and other Sliven
leaders in 1860 the community center "Zora" was founded. The founder
of the Bulgarian theatrical work is the public figure and cultural
figure Sava Dobroplodni, born in Sliven, who wrote the first play in
our history - "Michal Mishkoed". In 1843 in Sliven was established
the first textile industrial enterprise within the Ottoman Empire,
headed by Dobri Zhelyazkov. In 1864 a second one was opened, and in
1872 tobacco and alcohol factories were established.
Since
the beginning of the 16th century Sliven has been the center of a
kaaza, which territorially remained almost unchanged until the
middle of the 19th century.
In 1738 the population of Sliven was predominantly Turkish. The
Sliven Sandzak is mentioned for the first time in a register with
inventories of timars from 1792. Many Sliven residents took part in
the Greek national liberation uprising from 1821 to 1829. For
example, Hadji Hristo was promoted to the rank of general and led
the Christian armies of Bulgarians, Albanians and Greeks, and was
later elected a member of the Greek parliament. The inhabitants of
the town also supported the Braille riots, the Crimean War of
1853-1856, and participated in the Second Bulgarian Legion. Like
many of his fellow citizens, Kondo Bimbashi Voivode of Sliven joined
the Serbian uprising of 1804-1813 and, thanks to his decisive
actions, the rebels captured the Belgrade fortress in 1806. His
exploits were sung by Sima Milutinovic in the epic Serbian. Dr. Ivan
Seliminski, one of the theorists of Bulgarian nationalism, created a
secret patriotic society in Sliven similar to the Greek Filiki
Eteria.
During the Russo-Turkish War of 1828-1829, the troops
of General Ivan Dibich-Zabalkanski entered Sliven. The conquest of
the city was followed by prolonged massacres of the Muslim
population and the desecration of mosques involving both Bulgarian
and Russian soldiers and crowds of locals. In April 1830, after the
end of the war, the first Russian consulate in the Bulgarian lands
was opened here. After the withdrawal of Russian troops, more than
15,000 people from the city and surrounding villages emigrated to
southern Russia, Bessarabia and Wallachia, leaving only 2-3 thousand
Bulgarians in the city. With this, Sliven region suffered a severe
demographic and economic blow, which blunted the momentum of its
previous development and deprived the city of a leading position in
the Bulgarian lands south of the Balkan Mountains.
The
inhabitants of Sliven are actively involved in the church-national
struggle. In 1859, the people of Sliven expelled the Greek bishop,
and the Sliven diocese became part of the Bulgarian Exarchate,
established on February 28, 1870. The first spiritual leader of the
diocese was Metropolitan Seraphim of Sliven, who was greeted
enthusiastically in the city on July 3, 1873.
During the
April Uprising, Sliven was the center of the Second Revolutionary
District with Chief Apostle Ilarion Dragostinov and Assistant
Apostles Stoil Vuchkov, Georgi Obretenov and Georgi Ikonomov. The
chairman of the district is Neno Gospodinov, vice-chairman - Dimitar
Kukumyavkov, cashier - Petar Karakostov, secretary - Georgi
Kiryakov. Stefan Sertkostov was chosen as the flag bearer of the
insurgents, and Petrana Obretenova embroidered the insurgent flag.
Although battles were fought near the city during the Russo-Turkish
War of Liberation of 1877-1878, 800 shops and 100 houses in its
center were set on fire. Metropolitan Seraphim has special merits
for saving Sliven and a number of settlements and farms in the
region from complete pogrom. The historical truth makes it necessary
to mention the intercession of the Sliven mutesarif before the
commander-in-chief of the Turkish troops in Thrace. On January 4
(January 16 in a new style) in 1878, Russian troops liberated Sliven
from five centuries of Ottoman rule.
PR Slaveykov edited the
first issue of the Sliven newspaper "Bulgarian Flag" in 1879. In the
XIX century the city was a district center and was one of the
largest cities in Bulgaria with over 20,000 people, most of whom
were Bulgarians. . There are the neighborhoods Mangarska, Deli
Balta, Kaftandzhiyska, Kokosharska, Slavchova, Koruchanska,
Dragoychova, Ovcharska, Hadji Valkova, Popska, Eskinamazgyah, Hadji
Yahya and others.
Sliven after the Liberation
In 1884 the
population of the city amounted to 20,248 inhabitants, and in 1934
it was already 30,600.
In the municipal elections in
September 1911, the BRSDP won the most seats, but failed to take
over the management of the municipality until August 1912, when Dr.
Yordan Danchev was elected mayor. The party won the elections again
in 1915 and 1919. A social care bureau, a labor bureau, and
municipal housing for the homeless were established. Binding
regulations have been issued for the relations between workers and
employers, for salaries, for weekends and holidays. The
administration was dissolved on January 31, 1923 by a decision of
the Sliven District Court, dominated by the Bulgarian Agrarian
Union.
Sliven during the communist rule from 1944 to 1990.
From the beginning of the Industrial Revolution on Bulgarian lands
to the beginning of the socialist economy, industry was concentrated
in the northern parts of the city - in the gorges of the rivers that
flow through it.
The new government gradually began consolidating existing
factories and building new ones, with industry centered around the
newly built station. At a given time, the number of employees in the
industry was 20,000, and 1/2 of them were in the textile industry -
wool and cotton textiles. Second in importance is the food industry,
and in third place is mechanical engineering (ZMM - Sliven, Dynamo
Plant, etc.).
The population grew, and in 1946 it had 34,291
inhabitants, in 1956 - 46,383, and in 1975 - 90,137.
The town of Sliven is located at the foot of the
southern slopes of the Sliven Mountain, which begins the Eastern
Stara Planina. The boundaries of the Sliven Mountain are determined
by the Vratnik Pass and the Sliven Pass. It is characterized by
steep and rocky slopes and deep notches from the tributaries of
Tundzha and Luda Kamchia. Parvenets is Bulgarka peak with a height
of 1181 m. The Sinite Kamani Nature Park, which covers nearly eleven
and a half thousand hectares of the Sliven Balkans, is located on a
rock massif north of the town.
The Sliven field is the last
of the sub-Balkan ones in the eastern direction, as what we call
Sredna Gora curves orographically to the south near Sliven. Its
morphographic sequels are Bakadzhitsite, the branch St. Iliyski
hills, Manastirski hills and Sakar on the territory of Bulgaria.
Until the first quarter of the 19th century, the Sliven plain was
part of the Rose Valley, but the emigration waves from the city
after the Russo-Turkish wars of 1806-1812 and 1828-1829 led to a
decline in the production of rose oil. East of the city is the
"Valley of Peaches", whose huge fruit massifs underwent renovation
in the first decade of the XXI century.
Sliven is 308 km from
the capital Sofia, 178 km from Plovdiv, 238 km from Varna and 114 km
from Bourgas - the largest commercial port in Bulgaria, 130 km from
the borders with the Hellenic Republic and the Republic of Turkey.
The route of the Pan-European Transport Corridor 8 is planned to
pass through Sliven.
The location of Sliven is favorable
because it is at a crossroads - it is close to the Pass of the
Republic, also to the road junction "Petolachkata" connecting
northern and southern Bulgaria, the connection to the recently built
highway "Trakia" is 15 km south (to Yambol), and the main road
between Bourgas and Sofia connects the port of Bourgas and Bourgas
Airport with the central part of the country.
The city falls in the zone of transitional-continental climate and is geographically located in the sub-Balkan Sliven plain. There is a pronounced four-season - winter is mild, summer is relatively warm, autumn is longer than spring. The falling wind is characterized by pine, which blows at lower temperatures in Northern Bulgaria.