Pleven ( ) is the seventh most populous city in

Bulgaria Bulgaria, officially the Republic of Bulgaria, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the eastern portion of the Balkans directly south of the Danube river and west of the Black Sea. Bulgaria is bordered by Greece and Turkey t ...

. Located in the northern part of the country, it is the administrative centre of

Pleven Province Pleven Province ( or Плевенска Област) is a province located in central northern Bulgaria, bordering the Danube river, Romania and the Bulgarian provinces of Vratsa, Veliko Tarnovo and Lovech. It is divided into 11 subdivisions ...

, as well as of the subordinate

Pleven municipality Pleven Municipality () is a municipality ('' obshtina'') in Pleven Province, Northern Bulgaria. It is named after its administrative centre - the city of Pleven which is also the capital of the Province. The municipality embraces a territory of ...

. It is the biggest economic center in Northwestern Bulgaria. At the 2021 census its population was 89,823. Internationally known for the

siege of Plevna The siege of Plevna or Pleven, was a major battle of the Russo-Turkish War of 1877–1878, fought by the joint army of the Russian Empire and the Kingdom of Romania against the Ottoman Empire. After the Russian army crossed the Danube at ...

of 1877, today it is a major economic centre of the Bulgarian Northwest and Central North and the third largest city of

Northern Bulgaria Northern Bulgaria (), also called Moesia (, ''Mizija'') is the northern half of Bulgaria, located to the north of the main ridge of the Balkan Mountains which conventionally separates the country into a northern and a southern part. Besides the B ...

after

Varna Varna may refer to: Places Europe *Varna, Bulgaria, a city ** Varna Province ** Varna Municipality ** Gulf of Varna ** Lake Varna **Varna Necropolis * Vahrn, or Varna, a municipality in Italy * Varna (Šabac), a village in Serbia Asia * Var ...

and Ruse.

Name

The name comes from the

Slavic Slavic, Slav or Slavonic may refer to: Peoples * Slavic peoples, an ethno-linguistic group living in Europe and Asia ** East Slavic peoples, eastern group of Slavic peoples ** South Slavic peoples, southern group of Slavic peoples ** West Slav ...

word ''plevnya'' ("barn") or from ''plevel'', meaning "weed", sharing the same root, and the Slavic

suffix In linguistics, a suffix is an affix which is placed after the stem of a word. Common examples are case endings, which indicate the grammatical case of nouns and adjectives, and verb endings, which form the conjugation of verbs. Suffixes can ca ...

''-en''.

Geography

Pleven is in an agricultural region in the middle of the Danubian Plain, the historical region of

Moesia Moesia (; Latin: ''Moesia''; ) was an ancient region and later Roman province situated in the Balkans south of the Danube River. As a Roman domain Moesia was administered at first by the governor of Noricum as 'Civitates of Moesia and Triballi ...

, surrounded by low limestone hills, the Pleven Heights. The city's central location in Northern Bulgaria defines its importance as a big administrative, economic, political, cultural and transport centre. Pleven is away from the capital city of

Sofia Sofia is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Bulgaria, largest city of Bulgaria. It is situated in the Sofia Valley at the foot of the Vitosha mountain, in the western part of the country. The city is built west of the Is ...

, west of the

Bulgarian Black Sea Coast The Bulgarian Black Sea Coast (), also known as the Bulgarian Riviera, covers the entire eastern bound of Bulgaria stretching from the Romanian Black Sea resorts in the north to European Turkey in the south, along 378 km of ...

and south of the

Danube The Danube ( ; see also #Names and etymology, other names) is the List of rivers of Europe#Longest rivers, second-longest river in Europe, after the Volga in Russia. It flows through Central and Southeastern Europe, from the Black Forest sou ...

. The river Vit flows near the city and the tiny Tuchenitsa river (commonly known in Pleven as ''Barata'', literally ''"The Streamlet"'') crosses it.

Neighborhoods & Districts

* Център (City Centre) The heart of Pleven, known for its administrative and commercial significance. * жк. Сторгозия (zhk. Storgozia) A residential area with a mix of modern and older housing. *кв. Скрибътна (kv. Skributna) Known for its local community and residential buildings. * жк. Лазар Драганов (zhk. Lazar Draganov) A district with a variety of housing options and local amenities. * жк. Воден (zhk. Voden) Features green spaces and is a quieter residential area. * жк. Кайлъка (zhk. Kailuka) Known for its proximity to natural parks and recreational areas. * жк. Дружба 1, 2, 3 & 4 (zhk. Druzba) Divided into four parts, this district is a large residential area. * Панорама (Panorama) Offers scenic views and is a desirable residential area * Цигански лозя (Tsiganski lozya - Gypsy Residence) A district with a diverse community and cultural influences. * Мара Денчева (Mara Dencheva) Known for its residential areas and local facilities. * Калето (Kaleto) Features historical sites and residential areas. * Мъртвата Долина (Murtvata Dolina) Known for its natural landscapes and residential zones. * Хаджи Гиди (Hadzhi Gidi) A district with a mix of residential and commercial areas. * Стражата (Strazata) Offers a blend of residential living and local businesses. * Двата Паметника (Dvata Pametnika) Known for its monuments and residential communities. * Момин Геран (Momin Geran) A smaller district with a close-knit community. * Индустриални Зони (Industrial Zones)

Climate

Pleven has a

humid continental climate A humid continental climate is a climatic region defined by Russo-German climatologist Wladimir Köppen in 1900, typified by four distinct seasons and large seasonal temperature differences, with warm to hot (and often humid) summers, and cold ...

(Köppen Climate Classification ''Dfa''). Winters are cold with snow: temperatures can fall below overnight. Springs are mild, with temperatures around . Summers are warm, and temperatures have exceeded on occasion. The average annual temperature is around .

History

Prehistory and antiquity

The earliest traces of human settlement in the area date from the

5th millennium BC The 5th millennium BC spanned the years (5000 BC – 4001 BC) (c. 7 ka to c. 6 ka), that is, inclusive of 5000 BC but exclusive of 4000 BC. It is impossible to precisely date events that happened around the time of this millennium ...

, the

Neolithic The Neolithic or New Stone Age (from Ancient Greek, Greek 'new' and 'stone') is an archaeological period, the final division of the Stone Age in Mesopotamia, Asia, Europe and Africa (c. 10,000 BCE to c. 2,000 BCE). It saw the Neolithic Revo ...

Numerous archaeological findings, among them the Nikolaevo treasure found in

, evidence for the rich culture of the

Thracians The Thracians (; ; ) were an Indo-European languages, Indo-European speaking people who inhabited large parts of Southeast Europe in ancient history.. "The Thracians were an Indo-European people who occupied the area that today is shared betwee ...

, who inhabited the area for thousands of years. In the beginning of the new era, the region became part of the

Roman province The Roman provinces (, pl. ) were the administrative regions of Ancient Rome outside Roman Italy that were controlled by the Romans under the Roman Republic and later the Roman Empire. Each province was ruled by a Roman appointed as Roman g ...

, and a road station called

Storgosia Storgosia was a Roman road station and later a fortress, located in the modern Kaylaka Park in the vicinity of modern Pleven (North-central Bulgaria). It accommodated detachments of Legio I ''Italicas Novae (modern Svishtov) garrison. The st ...

arose near present-day Pleven on the road from

Oescus Oescus, Palatiolon or Palatiolum (, ) was an important ancient city on the Danube river in Roman Moesia. It later became known as ''Ulpia Oescus''. It lay northwest of the modern Bulgarian city of Pleven, near the village of Gigen. For a ...

(near modern

Gigen Gigen (, ) is a village in northern Bulgaria, part of Gulyantsi Municipality, Pleven Province. It is located near the Danube River, opposite the Romanian town of Corabia. , Gigen has a population of 1,641 inhabitants. Gigen Peak on Graham La ...

) to Philippopolis (now

Plovdiv Plovdiv (, ) is the List of cities and towns in Bulgaria, second-largest city in Bulgaria, 144 km (93 miles) southeast of the capital Sofia. It had a population of 490,983 and 675,000 in the greater metropolitan area. Plovdiv is a cultural hub ...

). It later evolved into a

fortress A fortification (also called a fort, fortress, fastness, or stronghold) is a military construction designed for the defense of territories in warfare, and is used to establish rule in a region during peacetime. The term is derived from L ...

. One of the most valued archaeological monuments in Bulgaria from the period is the

Early Christian Early Christianity, otherwise called the Early Church or Paleo-Christianity, describes the historical era of the Christian religion up to the First Council of Nicaea in 325. Christianity spread from the Levant, across the Roman Empire, and be ...

basilica from the fourth century discovered near the modern city.

Middle Ages

During the

Middle Ages In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the 5th to the late 15th centuries, similarly to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire and ...

, Pleven was a well-developed stronghold of the

First First most commonly refers to: * First, the ordinal form of the number 1 First or 1st may also refer to: Acronyms * Faint Images of the Radio Sky at Twenty-Centimeters, an astronomical survey carried out by the Very Large Array * Far Infrared a ...

and the

Second Bulgarian Empire The Second Bulgarian Empire (; ) was a medieval Bulgarians, Bulgarian state that existed between 1185 and 1422. A successor to the First Bulgarian Empire, it reached the peak of its power under Tsars Kaloyan of Bulgaria, Kaloyan and Ivan Asen II ...

. When

Slavs The Slavs or Slavic people are groups of people who speak Slavic languages. Slavs are geographically distributed throughout the northern parts of Eurasia; they predominantly inhabit Central Europe, Eastern Europe, Southeastern Europe, and ...

populated the region, they gave the settlement its contemporary name ''Pleven'', it was first mentioned in a charter by

Hungarian king This is a list of Hungarian monarchs; it includes the Grand Prince of the Hungarians, grand princes (895–1000) and the King of Hungary, kings and ruling queens of Hungary (1000–1918). The Principality of Hungary, Hungarian Grand Principality ...

Stephen V Stephen V may refer to: *Pope Stephen IV, aka Stephen V, Pope from 816 to 817 *Pope Stephen V (885–891) *Stephen V of Hungary (born before 1239 – 1272), King of Hungary and Croatia, Duke of Styria *Stephen V Báthory (1430–1493), Hungarian co ...

in 1270 in connection to a military campaign in the Bulgarian lands.

Ottoman rule

During the Ottoman rule, Pleven, known as ''Plevne'' in

Ottoman Turkish Ottoman Turkish (, ; ) was the standardized register of the Turkish language in the Ottoman Empire (14th to 20th centuries CE). It borrowed extensively, in all aspects, from Arabic and Persian. It was written in the Ottoman Turkish alphabet. ...

, preserved its Bulgarian appearance and culture. Many churches, schools and bridges were built at the time of the

Bulgarian National Revival The Bulgarian Revival (, ''Balgarsko vazrazhdane'' or simply: Възраждане, ''Vazrazhdane'', and ), sometimes called the Bulgarian National Revival, was a period of socio-economic development and national integration among Bulgarian pe ...

. In 1825, the first secular school in the town was opened, followed by the first girls' school in Bulgaria in 1840, as well as the first boys' school a year later. Pleven was the place where the Bulgarian national hero

Vasil Levski Vasil Levski (, spelled in Reforms of Bulgarian orthography, old Bulgarian orthography as , ), born Vasil Ivanov Kunchev (; 18 July 1837 – 18 February 1873), was a Bulgarians, Bulgarian revolutionary who is, today, a Folk hero, national ...

established the first revolutionary committee in 1869, part of his national revolutionary network.

Siege of Plevna

The city (then mostly known as Plevna outside Bulgaria) was a major battle scene during the

Russo-Turkish War The Russo-Turkish wars ( ), or the Russo-Ottoman wars (), began in 1568 and continued intermittently until 1918. They consisted of twelve conflicts in total, making them one of the longest series of wars in the history of Europe. All but four of ...

of 1877–1878 that Russian

Tsar Tsar (; also spelled ''czar'', ''tzar'', or ''csar''; ; ; sr-Cyrl-Latn, цар, car) is a title historically used by Slavic monarchs. The term is derived from the Latin word '' caesar'', which was intended to mean ''emperor'' in the Euro ...

Alexander II held for the purpose of the liberation of Bulgaria. The joint

Russia Russia, or the Russian Federation, is a country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia. It is the list of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the world, and extends across Time in Russia, eleven time zones, sharing Borders ...

n and

Romania Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central Europe, Central, Eastern Europe, Eastern and Southeast Europe. It borders Ukraine to the north and east, Hungary to the west, Serbia to the southwest, Bulgaria to the south, Moldova to ...

n army paid dearly for the victory, but it paved the path to the defeat of the

Ottoman Empire The Ottoman Empire (), also called the Turkish Empire, was an empire, imperial realm that controlled much of Southeast Europe, West Asia, and North Africa from the 14th to early 20th centuries; it also controlled parts of southeastern Centr ...

in this war, the restoration of Bulgaria as a state and the independence of Romania from the Ottoman Empire. It cost the Russians and Romanians 5 months and 38,000 casualties to take the town after four assaults, in what was one of the decisive battles of the war. The siege is remembered as a landmark victory of the

Romanian War of Independence The Romanian War of Independence () is the name used in Romanian historiography to refer to the phase of the Russo-Turkish War (1877–78), in which Romania, fighting on the Russian side of the war, gained independence from the Ottoman Empire. On ...

, as on 28 November 1877 the Plevna citadel capitulated, and Osman Pasha surrendered the city, the garrison and his sword to the Romanian Colonel Mihail Cerchez. Pleven-Panorama-outside

In the ''Encyclopædia Britannica'' Eleventh Edition of 1911 J.H.V. Crowe concluded his lengthy entry on Pleven (transcribed as Plevna) with the memorable dictum: On the other hand, the siege of Plevna stands out among other countless sieges and military actions in the region because of its significance.

Modern history

The events of the Russo-Turkish War proved crucial for the development of Pleven as a key town of central northern Bulgaria. The town experienced significant demographic and economic growth in the following years, gradually establishing itself as a cultural centre of the region. The

Bulgarian Agrarian National Union The Bulgarian Agrarian National Union Bulgarian Agrarian National U ...

, a leading

interwar In the history of the 20th century, the interwar period, also known as the interbellum (), lasted from 11 November 1918 to 1 September 1939 (20 years, 9 months, 21 days) – from the end of World War I (WWI) to the beginning of World War II ( ...

party representing the Bulgarian peasantry, was founded in the town in December 1899. Prior to the Bulgarian

orthographic reform A spelling reform is a deliberate, often authoritatively sanctioned or mandated change to spelling rules. Proposals for such reform are fairly common, and over the years, many languages have undergone such reforms. Recent high-profile examples a ...

of 1945, the name of the town was spelled Плѣвенъ (with

yat Yat or jat (Ѣ ѣ; italics: ''Ѣ ѣ'') is the thirty-second letter of the Early Cyrillic alphabet, old Cyrillic alphabet. It is usually Romanization, romanized as E with a haček: ''Ě ě''. There is also another version of y ...

) in

Cyrillic The Cyrillic script ( ) is a writing system used for various languages across Eurasia. It is the designated national script in various Slavic, Turkic, Mongolic, Uralic, Caucasian and Iranic-speaking countries in Southeastern Europe, Ea ...

Population

According to census 2021, Pleven has a population of 89,823 inhabitants as of December 2021.
/ref> The ethnic breakdown is 97%

Bulgarians Bulgarians (, ) are a nation and South Slavs, South Slavic ethnic group native to Bulgaria and its neighbouring region, who share a common Bulgarian ancestry, culture, history and language. They form the majority of the population in Bulgaria, ...

among others. The number of the residents of the city reached its peak in the period 1988-1991 when exceeded 135,000.National Statistical Institute - Towns population 1956-1992
/ref>

Ethnic, linguistic and religious composition

According to the 2011 census data, the individuals declared their ethnic identity were distributed as follows: *

: 95,386 (96.5%) *

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

: 1,510 (1.5%) *

Gypsies {{Infobox ethnic group , group = Romani people , image = , image_caption = , flag = Roma flag.svg , flag_caption = Romani flag created in 1933 and accepted at the 1971 World Romani Congress , ...

: 1,017 (1.0%) *Others: 489 (0.5%) *Indefinable: 422 (0.4%) **Undeclared: 8,130 (7.6%) Total: 106,954 In

Pleven Municipality Pleven Municipality () is a municipality ('' obshtina'') in Pleven Province, Northern Bulgaria. It is named after its administrative centre - the city of Pleven which is also the capital of the Province. The municipality embraces a territory of ...

112,414 declared as Bulgarians, 4626 as Gypsies, 3204 as Turks and 10,384 did not declare their ethnic group. Most Roma people in Pleven Municipality live in the village of Bukovlak ( :bg:Буковлък). An overwhelming majority of 90% of Pleven's residents are

Eastern Orthodox Eastern Orthodoxy, otherwise known as Eastern Orthodox Christianity or Byzantine Christianity, is one of the three main Branches of Christianity, branches of Chalcedonian Christianity, alongside Catholic Church, Catholicism and Protestantism ...

Christian. The Diocese of Nikopol, of which Pleven is part, is one of the two Roman Catholic dioceses in Bulgaria, and another 5% of the residents are Roman Catholic by faith, a significant number compared to other Bulgarian cities. Pleven has three Eastern Orthodox churches, the

St Nicholas Church (1834) that was constructed at the place of a chapel from the

, the St Paraskeva Church (1934) and the Holy Trinity Church, built in 1870 at the place of a church mentioned as early as 1523 and inaugurated by Exarch Antim I. , a new Eastern Orthodox church is being built in the Strogoziya quarter. The construction of a large Roman Catholic church of

Our Lady of Fatima Our or OUR may refer to: * The possessive form of " we" Places * Our (river), in Belgium, Luxembourg, and Germany * Our, Belgium, a village in Belgium * Our, Jura, a commune in France Other uses * Office of Utilities Regulation (OUR), a governm ...

began in 2001. A mosque also exists in the town to serve the needs of the Muslim population, as well as a

Methodist Methodism, also called the Methodist movement, is a Protestant Christianity, Christian Christian tradition, tradition whose origins, doctrine and practice derive from the life and teachings of John Wesley. George Whitefield and John's brother ...

church that is situated on the site of the former local puppet theatre.

Economy

A major centre of oil processing, metalworking, machinery construction, of light and food industries in Socialist times. However, the late 1990s and early 2000s saw a revival of light industry and the development of branches such as knitwear and store clothes production. Tourism, which had attracted many people from the

Soviet Union The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...

prior to 1989, and had experienced a slump in the following years, is on the rise again. In 2015, the unemployment rate in Pleven district was 9.2%. The most important economic sectors in Pleven are chemical, textiles and foodstuffs industries, the manufacturing of cement and glass, machine building, tailoring, agriculture, retail and services. The city has seen a number of major foreign investments in the late 1990s and early 2000s. Particularly noticeable is the mass construction of hypermarkets, with two Billa, two

Kaufland Kaufland () is a German hypermarket chain, part of the Schwarz Gruppe which also owns Lidl. The hypermarket directly translates to English as "buy-land." It opened its first store in 1984 in Neckarsulm and quickly expanded to become a major ch ...

, two

Carrefour Carrefour Group, S.A. (, ), is a French multinational retail and wholesaling corporation headquartered in Massy, Essonne, Massy, France. It operates a chain of hypermarkets, grocery stores and convenience stores. By 2024, the group had 14,000 ...

, DM,

Plus Plus or PLUS may refer to: Mathematics * Addition * +, the mathematical sign Music * Plus (band), a Japanese pop boy band Albums and EPs * ''+'' (Ed Sheeran album), (pronounced "plus"), 2011 * ''Plus'' (Astrud Gilberto and James Last album), ...

, ELEMAG,

METRO Metro may refer to: Geography * Metro City (Indonesia), a city in Indonesia * A metropolitan area, the populated region including and surrounding an urban center Public transport * Rapid transit, a passenger railway in an urban area with high ...

, two LIDL stores, a

Praktiker Praktiker AG was a German hardware store chain which operated in Europe. It was based in Hamburg and opened its first store in 1978 in Luxembourg under the name bâtiself. Initially owned by ASKO, the chain became a division of Metro AG afte ...

, HomeMax and a number of other hypermarkets being opened . The Pleven City Center and Central Mall Pleven were opened in 2008. A new mall called ''Panorama mall'' was opened in 2014.

Transport

The international railway Sofia — Bucharest — Moscow runs through Pleven. The international road E 83 passes just north of the city. The national A2 Hemus highway Sofia — Varna is projected to pass south of Pleven. Over 90% of the inner city transportation in Pleven is maintained by trolleybuses. There are 14 trolleybus lines, and trolleybus network. The trolleybus fleet consist of ZIU-682 (1985–1988) and Skoda 26-TR Solaris trolleybuses, produced in 2014. A project for trolleybus routes extension is underway. When the extension is completed Pleven will become 100% covered by trolleybus transport.

Transmitter

Near Pleven, there is a large facility for medium wave and short wave broadcasting. Pleven medium wave transmitter, working on 594 kHz, uses as antenna two tall guyed mast radiators insulated against ground. These masts belong to the tallest structures of Bulgaria.

Main sights

Most of the sights of the town are related to the

. The monuments related to the war alone are about 200. Some of the more popular include the

St George the Conqueror Chapel Mausoleum The St George the Conqueror Chapel Mausoleum (, ''Paraklis-mavzoley „Sv. Georgi Pobedonosets“'') is a mausoleum (ossuary) and memorial Bulgarian Orthodox chapel, as well as a major landmark of Pleven, Bulgaria. Built between 1903 and 1907 in ...

in honour of the many Russian and Romanian soldiers who lost their lives during the

and the

ossuary An ossuary is a chest, box, building, well, or site made to serve as the final resting place of human skeletal remains. They are frequently used where burial space is scarce. A body is first buried in a temporary grave, then after some years th ...

in Skobelev Park. Another popular attraction is Pleven Panorama, created after (and reputedly larger than) the

Borodino Panorama Franz Roubaud (; ; 15 June 1856 – 13 March 1928) was a Russian painter of French origin who created some of the largest and best known panoramic paintings. He created circular paintings, exposed on a cylindrical surface and viewed from the insi ...

on the occasion of the anniversary of the siege of Plevna.

Culture

The Pleven Regional Historical Museum is another popular tourist attraction, while the Svetlin Rusev Donative Exhibition, situated in the former public baths, exhibits works by Bulgarian artists, as well as noted Western European art figures. The Ivan Radoev Dramatic Theatre is the centre of theatrical life in Pleven. A number of community centres ('' chitalishta'') are also active in the city. Medical University - Pleven, one of the five medical universities in Bulgaria, was established in 1974, aiming to expand the horizons, size and reputation of the City Hospital, founded in 1865.

Sport and recreation

Pleven is often regarded as an important centre of sports in Bulgaria, with many noted Bulgarian sportspeople having been born and/or trained in the town, including Tereza Marinova and Galabin Boevski. The city hosts two

football club In association football, a football club (or association football club, alternatively soccer club) is a sports club that acts as an entity through which association football teams organise their sporting activities. The club can exist either as ...

s, Spartak Pleven and Belite orli, which have separate stadiums. Both teams play in the second Bulgarian league and haven't had any major successes in the past, although Spartak Pleven has been the first team for a couple of former Bulgarian internationals such as Plamen Getov. Spartak Pleven is also a basketball team, a national championship winner in 1995 and national cup winner in 1996 (then named Plama Pleven). Other than that, the team is a regular first league participant. Pleven is famous for its

Kaylaka Kaylaka ( ) is a large park and protected area south of Pleven, Bulgaria, situated in a Karst valley. The park is spread over 10 km2 and is surrounded by sheer cliffs that suggest favourable conditions for rock climbing. The ruins of the Anc ...

(where the ruins of the Storgosia fortification can be found) and Skobelev parks. The latter is home to the Pleven Panorama and is situated on the original location of the battle during the Russo-Turkish War.

Notable people

Ilia Beshkov Ilia Beshkov Dunov (; 24 July 1901 – 23 January 1958) was a Bulgarian painter, graphic artist, comics artist, caricaturist, cartoonist, illustrator, writer and pedagogue. Life Beshkov was born in 1901 in Dolni Dabnik, nowadays a small town near ...

, artist *

Detelin Dalakliev Detelin Dalakliev () (born 19 February 1983) is a boxer from Bulgaria. He competed in the Bantamweight (– 54 kg) division, and won the gold medal at the World Amateur Boxing Championships in Milano 2009. Dalakliev won bronze medals at the ...

, boxer * Dora Deliyska, classical pianist *

Lucy Diakovska Lyudmila Lyubomirova Dyakovska (; born 2 April 1976), better known as Lucy Diakovska (), is a Bulgarian singer and television personality. She rose to prominence as one of the founding members of the all-female pop band No Angels, the " biggest ...

, singer *

Emil Dimitrov Emil Dimitrov Dimitrov (; 23 December 1940 – 30 March 2005) was a Bulgarian singer, musician and composer. He is considered to be a legend of Bulgarian pop music, and one of the greatest Bulgarian singers of all time. He was popular for his son ...

, singer and composer *

Ghena Dimitrova Ghena Dimitrova (, 6 May 1941 – 11 June 2005) was a Bulgarian operatic soprano. Her voice was known for its power and upper extension, which she used to great effect in operatic roles such as Turandot in a career spanning four decades. Early ...

, operatic soprano *

Silvia Dimitrova Silvia Dimitrova () is a Bulgarian icon painter. She won a place at the School of Applied Arts at Troyan at the age of 13. She graduated in 1989. She then studied icon painting in Sofia under the tuition of Georgi Tchouchev, a master iconographer ...

, artist *

Sabetay Djaen Sabetay Josef Djaen (; 1883 – November 10, 1947) was a Bulgarian-born Sephardic Jews, Sephardic rabbi active in Macedonia, Kingdom of Romania, Romania, Argentina, Uruguay, and Chile. He was an author, playwright, educator, and columnist in both ...

, rabbi * Dionisii Donchev, artist * Tereza Marinova,

triple jump The triple jump, sometimes referred to as the hop, step and jump or the hop, skip and jump, is a track and field event, similar to long jump. As a group, the two events are referred to as the "horizontal jumps". The competitor runs down the tr ...

athlete,

2000 Summer Olympics The 2000 Summer Olympics, officially the Games of the XXVII Olympiad, officially branded as Sydney 2000, and also known as the Games of the New Millennium, were an international multi-sport event held from 15 September to 1 October ...

gold medal A gold medal is a medal awarded for highest achievement in a non-military field. Its name derives from the use of at least a fraction of gold in form of plating or alloying in its manufacture. Since the eighteenth century, gold medals have b ...

list *

Svetlin Rusev Svetlin Rusev (; 14 June 1933 – 26 May 2018) was a Bulgarian artist and a collector of art. He is known for the Svetlin Rusev Donative Exhibition, a permanent art exhibition in Pleven, including over 400 works of Bulgarian and foreign artist don ...

, artist *

Slavi Trifonov Stanislav Todorov Trifonov (; born 18 October 1966), known as Slavi Trifonov (), is a Bulgarian TV host, tambourine and viola player, singer and politician. Trifonov is mainly active in the traditional Bulgarian folklore music genres, but he h ...

, popular

showman Showman can have a variety of meanings, usually by context and depending on the country. Australia Travelling Funfair, showmen ("showies") are people who run amusement and side show equipment at regional shows, state capital shows, events ...

politician A politician is a person who participates in Public policy, policy-making processes, usually holding an elective position in government. Politicians represent the people, make decisions, and influence the formulation of public policy. The roles ...

* Svetla Vassileva, publicist and blogger * Neviana Vladinova, rhythmic gymnast * Alexander Litschev, academic

International relations

Twin towns – sister cities

Pleven is twinned with: *

Agadir Agadir (, ; ) is a major List of cities in Morocco, city in Morocco, on the shore of the Atlantic Ocean near the foot of the Atlas Mountains, just north of the point where the Sous River, Souss River flows into the ocean, and south of Casabla ...

, Morocco *

Brăila Brăila (, also , ) is a city in Muntenia, eastern Romania, a port on the Danube and the capital of Brăila County. The Sud-Est (development region), ''Sud-Est'' Regional Development Agency is located in Brăila. According to the 2021 Romanian ...

, Romania *

Bitola Bitola (; ) is a city in the southwestern part of North Macedonia. It is located in the southern part of the Pelagonia valley, surrounded by the Baba, Nidže, and Kajmakčalan mountain ranges, north of the Medžitlija-Níki border crossing ...

, North Macedonia *

Bursa Bursa () is a city in northwestern Turkey and the administrative center of Bursa Province. The fourth-most populous city in Turkey and second-most populous in the Marmara Region, Bursa is one of the industrial centers of the country. Most of ...

, Turkey * Central Administrative Okrug (Moscow), Russia *

Charlottesville Charlottesville, colloquially known as C'ville, is an independent city in Virginia, United States. It is the seat of government of Albemarle County, which surrounds the city, though the two are separate legal entities. It is named after Quee ...

, United States *

Chernivtsi Chernivtsi (, ; , ;, , see also #Names, other names) is a city in southwestern Ukraine on the upper course of the Prut River. Formerly the capital of the historic region of Bukovina, which is now divided between Romania and Ukraine, Chernivt ...

, Ukraine *

Edessa Edessa (; ) was an ancient city (''polis'') in Upper Mesopotamia, in what is now Urfa or Şanlıurfa, Turkey. It was founded during the Hellenistic period by Macedonian general and self proclaimed king Seleucus I Nicator (), founder of the Sel ...

, Greece *

Gornji Milanovac Gornji Milanovac ( sr-Cyrl, Гoрњи Милановац, ) is a town and municipality located in the Moravica District of central Serbia. The population of the town is 23,109, while the population of the municipality is 38,985 (2022 census data). ...

, Serbia *

Jinzhou Jinzhou (, zh, s= , t=錦州 , p=Jǐnzhōu), formerly Chinchow, is a coastal prefecture-level city in central-west Liaoning province, China. It is a geographically strategic city located in the Liaoxi Corridor, which connects most of the la ...

, China *

Kaiserslautern Kaiserslautern (; ) is a town in southwest Germany, located in the state of Rhineland-Palatinate at the edge of the Palatinate Forest. The historic centre dates to the 9th century. It is from Paris, from Frankfurt am Main, 666 kilometers (414 m ...

, Germany *

Kavadarci Kavadarci ( ) is a town in the Tikveš region of North Macedonia. In the heart of North Macedonia's wine country, it is home to the largest winery in Southeast Europe, named after the Tikveš plain. The town of Kavadarci is the seat of Kavadarc ...

, North Macedonia *

Ponta Delgada Ponta Delgada (; ) is the largest municipality (''concelho'') and executive capital of the Autonomous Region of the Azores in Portugal. It is located on São Miguel Island, the largest and most populous in the archipelago. As of 2021, it has 67,2 ...

, Portugal *

Płock Płock (pronounced ), officially the Ducal Capital City of Płock, is a city in central Poland, on the Vistula river, in the Masovian Voivodeship. According to the data provided by Central Statistical Office (Poland), GUS on 31 December 2021, the ...

, Poland *

Rostov-on-Don Rostov-on-Don is a port city and the administrative centre of Rostov Oblast and the Southern Federal District of Russia. It lies in the southeastern part of the East European Plain on the Don River, from the Sea of Azov, directly north of t ...

, Russia *

Segovia Segovia ( , , ) is a city in the autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Castile and León, Spain. It is the capital and most populated municipality of the Province of Segovia. Segovia is located in the Meseta central, Inner Pl ...

, Spain *

Volos Volos (; ) is a coastal port city in Thessaly situated midway on the Greek mainland, about north of Athens and south of Thessaloniki. It is the capital of the Magnesia (regional unit), Magnesia regional unit of the Thessaly Region. Volos ...

, Greece *

Yangquan Yangquan ( zh, s=阳泉 , t=陽泉 , p=Yángquán ) is a prefecture-level city in the east of Shanxi province, People's Republic of China, bordering Hebei province to the east. Known as "Rippling Spring" in ancient times, it lies on the eastern e ...

, China

Honours

* A city in Kansas and a town in Montana in the United States, as well as a village in Ontario,

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...

were named after Pleven, or more precisely its historical name in English ''Plevna'', the reason for which is the battle in 1877. * A road in Hampton, Middlesex, London is named Plevna, adjoining another called Varna Road both made up of Victorian terraced housing built in the 1870s and named after the battles in Bulgaria of the period. * Pleven Saddle on

Livingston Island Livingston Island (Russian name ''Smolensk'', ) is an Antarctic island in the Southern Ocean, part of the South Shetland Islands, South Shetlands Archipelago, a group of List of Antarctic and subantarctic islands, Antarctic islands north of the ...

in the

South Shetland Islands The South Shetland Islands are a group of List of Antarctic and subantarctic islands, Antarctic islands located in the Drake Passage with a total area of . They lie about north of the Antarctic Peninsula, and between southwest of the n ...

Antarctica Antarctica () is Earth's southernmost and least-populated continent. Situated almost entirely south of the Antarctic Circle and surrounded by the Southern Ocean (also known as the Antarctic Ocean), it contains the geographic South Pole. ...

is named after Pleven. * In other countries there are five cities and towns named after Plevna, and eighteen Plevna streets in Britain alonewww.davidkidd.net/20Plevna.html
. * In

, more than 10 large cities have a Plevna (Romanian for "Pleven") street, as Pleven was the location for an important battle between the

on one side, and the

Russian Empire The Russian Empire was an empire that spanned most of northern Eurasia from its establishment in November 1721 until the proclamation of the Russian Republic in September 1917. At its height in the late 19th century, it covered about , roughl ...

and Romania on the other, after which Romania gained independence.

Gallery

File:Pleven TodorBozhinov (63).jpg, Holy Trinity Church File:Medical University Pleven TB.jpg, Medical University Pleven File:Pleven TodorBozhinov (61).jpg, Pleven monument File:S6301245 6 4.jpg,

File:Pleven TodorBozhinov (8).jpg File:Pleven TodorBozhinov (7).jpg File:Pleven TodorBozhinov (20).jpg File:Pleven TodorBozhinov (50).jpg File:Pleven TodorBozhinov (52).jpg File:Pleven TodorBozhinov (67).jpg File:Pleven Antistene 1.jpg File:Pleven TodorBozhinov (55).jpg File:Pleven TodorBozhinov (32).jpg File:Pleven TodorBozhinov (53).jpg

References

Sources

External links

Municipality of Pleven
{{Authority control Populated places in Pleven Province

Name

Geography

Neighborhoods & Districts

Climate

History

Prehistory and antiquity

Middle Ages

Ottoman rule

Siege of Plevna

Modern history

Population

Ethnic, linguistic and religious composition

Economy

Transport

Transmitter

Main sights

Culture

Sport and recreation

Notable people

International relations

Twin towns – sister cities

Honours

Gallery

See also

References

Sources

External links