Pavlikeni ( bg, Павликени ) is a

town A town is a human settlement. Towns are generally larger than villages and smaller than cities, though the criteria to distinguish between them vary considerably in different parts of the world. Origin and use The word "town" shares an ori ...

Veliko Tarnovo Province Veliko Tarnovo ( bg, Област Велико Търново, Oblast Veliko Tǎrnovo) is a province in the middle of the northern part of Bulgaria. Its capital city, Veliko Tarnovo, is of historical significance as it is known as the capital of ...

, Northern

Bulgaria Bulgaria (; bg, България, Bǎlgariya), officially the Republic of Bulgaria,, ) is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the eastern flank of the Balkans, and is bordered by Romania to the north, Serbia and North Macedon ...

, about 41 kilometers from the city of

Veliko Tarnovo Veliko Tarnovo ( bg, Велико Търново, Veliko Tărnovo, ; "Great Tarnovo") is a town in north central Bulgaria and the administrative centre of Veliko Tarnovo Province. Often referred as the "''City of the Tsars''", Veliko Tarnovo ...

. It is the administrative centre of the homonymous Pavlikeni Municipality. As of December 2010, the town has a population of 11,604 inhabitants.Bulgarian National Statistical Institute - towns in 2010
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History

Pavlikeni was a centre of

ceramics A ceramic is any of the various hard, brittle, heat-resistant and corrosion-resistant materials made by shaping and then firing an inorganic, nonmetallic material, such as clay, at a high temperature. Common examples are earthenware, porcelain ...

and

pottery Pottery is the process and the products of forming vessels and other objects with clay and other ceramic materials, which are fired at high temperatures to give them a hard and durable form. Major types include earthenware, stoneware and por ...

in Antiquity as evidenced by the remains from

Roman Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *''Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a letter ...

and

Thracian The Thracians (; grc, Θρᾷκες ''Thrāikes''; la, Thraci) were an Indo-European speaking people who inhabited large parts of Eastern and Southeastern Europe in ancient history.. "The Thracians were an Indo-European people who occupied t ...

times. Its name derives from the

Paulician Paulicianism ( Classical Armenian: Պաւղիկեաններ, ; grc, Παυλικιανοί, "The followers of Paul"; Arab sources: ''Baylakānī'', ''al Bayāliqa'' )Nersessian, Vrej (1998). The Tondrakian Movement: Religious Movements in the ...

s, a Christian sect settled in Thrace by

Leo the Isaurian Leo III the Isaurian ( gr, Λέων ὁ Ἴσαυρος, Leōn ho Isauros; la, Leo Isaurus; 685 – 18 June 741), also known as the Syrian, was Byzantine Emperor from 717 until his death in 741 and founder of the Isaurian dynasty. He put an en ...

. The modern town emerged in the 13th–14th centuries as a village initially called ''Marinopoltsi''. During the

Ottoman rule of Bulgaria The history of Ottoman Bulgaria spans nearly 500 years, from Bulgarian–Ottoman Wars, the conquest by the Ottoman Empire of the smaller kingdoms emerging from the disintegrating Second Bulgarian Empire in the late 14th century, to the Liberatio ...

, the

demographics Demography () is the statistical study of populations, especially human beings. Demographic analysis examines and measures the dimensions and dynamics of populations; it can cover whole societies or groups defined by criteria such as edu ...

of the village changed significantly, as many

Turks Turk or Turks may refer to: Communities and ethnic groups * Turkic peoples, a collection of ethnic groups who speak Turkic languages * Turkish people, or the Turks, a Turkic ethnic group and nation * Turkish citizen, a citizen of the Republic o ...

settled to make it a purely Turkish village. After the

Liberation of Bulgaria The Liberation of Bulgaria is the historical process as a result of the Bulgarian Revival. In Bulgarian historiography, the liberation of Bulgaria refers to those events of the Tenth Russo-Turkish War (1877–1878) that led to the re-establishmen ...

from Ottoman rule in 1877–1878, the Turks left to be replaced by

Bulgarians Bulgarians ( bg, българи, Bǎlgari, ) are a nation and South Slavic ethnic group native to Bulgaria and the rest of Southeast Europe. Etymology Bulgarians derive their ethnonym from the Bulgars. Their name is not completely understo ...

from the

Balkan Mountains The Balkan mountain range (, , known locally also as Stara planina) is a mountain range in the eastern part of the Balkan Peninsula in Southeastern Europe. The range is conventionally taken to begin at the peak of Vrashka Chuka on the border betw ...

and the villages of the plains. After the Liberation Pavlikeni developed as a centre of craftsmanship and trade, with many new buildings being constructed. Pavlikeni acquired town status in 1943 owing much to its position on the

Sofia Sofia ( ; bg, София, Sofiya, ) is the capital and largest city of Bulgaria. It is situated in the Sofia Valley at the foot of the Vitosha mountain in the western parts of the country. The city is built west of the Iskar river, and ha ...

Varna Varna may refer to: Places Europe *Varna, Bulgaria, a city in Bulgaria **Varna Province **Varna Municipality ** Gulf of Varna **Lake Varna **Varna Necropolis *Vahrn, or Varna, a municipality in Italy *Varniai, a city in Lithuania * Varna (Šaba ...

railway line.

Notable natives

Nicola Ghiuselev Nicola Ghiuselev (Bulgarian: Никола Гюзелев) (also ''Gyuzelev''; 17 August 1936 – 16 May 2014) was a Bulgarian operatic bass, particularly associated with the Italian and Russian repertories. Biography Ghiuselev was born on 17 ...

- world-renowned

opera Opera is a form of theatre in which music is a fundamental component and dramatic roles are taken by singers. Such a "work" (the literal translation of the Italian word "opera") is typically a collaboration between a composer and a librett ...

singer *

Kiril Rakarov Kiril Manolov Rakarov ( bg, Кирил Манолов Ракаров, 24 May 1932 - 25 August 2006) was a Bulgarian football player who played as a defender. He represented Bulgaria at the 1956 Summer Olympics and the 1962 FIFA World Cup ...

- former Bulgarian national football player

Honour

Pavlikeni Point Pavlikeni Point (Nos Pavlikeni \'nos pa-vli-'ke-ni\) projects 600 m from the north coast of Greenwich Island in the South Shetland Islands, Antarctica and is snow-free in summer. It is named after the Bulgarian town of Pavlikeni. Location The p ...

Greenwich Island Greenwich Island (variant historical names ''Sartorius Island'', ''Berezina Island'') is an island long and from (average ) wide, lying between Robert Island and Livingston Island in the South Shetland Islands. Surface area . The name Greenwic ...

South Shetland Islands The South Shetland Islands are a group of Antarctic islands with a total area of . They lie about north of the Antarctic Peninsula, and between southwest of the nearest point of the South Orkney Islands. By the Antarctic Treaty of 195 ...

is named after Pavlikeni.

Changes in the city

After

became a part of the

European Union The European Union (EU) is a supranational political and economic union of member states that are located primarily in Europe. The union has a total area of and an estimated total population of about 447million. The EU has often been des ...

Pavlikeni created a project, which was an idea to improve the city as a whole by using the European funds. Pavlikeni took over a half a million to improve its conditions of the city centre "Svoboda". The project was realised starting 10 May 2012, with having 120 days to be completed in.

Economy

The town had a factory for steel disc wheels and rims which exporta around ⅝ of the production to the

European union The European Union (EU) is a supranational political and economic union of member states that are located primarily in Europe. The union has a total area of and an estimated total population of about 447million. The EU has often been des ...

market. The other big factory in the town is Metarem, which makes farming transport machinery. There's also a cardboard factory.

Food economy

The town had one of the biggest companies in North

for seeds, and a smaller factory for sweets and larger company for animal feed.

Education

*Tzanko Tzerkovski `s farming high school * Bacho Kiro High School *OU"Sv.Kliment Ohridski"

Transport

*Pavlikeni railway station - a stop on the

line. *Pavlikeni bus station

International relations

Twin towns — Sister cities

Pavlikeni is twinned with: *

Pruzhany Pruzhany ( be, Пружа́ны, ; russian: Пружаны, pl, Prużana, yi, פרוזשענע, Pruzhene) is a town in Brest Voblast, Belarus. Pruzhany is the center of the district in Brest Region, Belarus. Its population is about 18,500 people. ...

, Belarus (2000)

Gallery

File:Pavlikeni city centre project.jpg, The final design of the project for the city centre that must be completed in 120 days.

References

Towns in Bulgaria Populated places in Veliko Tarnovo Province {{VelikoTarnovo-geo-stub