Sliven Province
Kotel which means "cauldron" is a town with a population of
7,179 and is known for the numerous personalities of the Bulgarian
National Revival that are somehow connected to the town, such as
politicians Alexander Bogoridi and Stefan Bogoridi, enlighteners
Sophronius of Vratsa and Petar Beron, public figure Gavril Krastevich,
revolutionary Georgi Rakovski, as well as World War II prime minister
Dobri Bozhilov. It has a well-known music school and a large talented Romany population who can be found playing in restaurants and
orchestras all over Bulgaria. Because of its situation in the
mountains, Kotel is also a popular healthy resort for the cure of
diseases such as TB. Kotel has been a centre for carpet making and
there is a museum devoted to the craft.
| Villages in Kotel Municipality |
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| Borintsi | Bratan |
Dabova |
Filaretovo |
Gradets |
| Jeravna | Kamena |
Katunishte | Kipilovo | Malko Selo |
| Medven |
Mokren | Neykavo | Niska Polyana |
Orlovo |
| Ostra Mogila |
Paderovo |
Ptichari |
Sedlarovo |
Sokolartsi |
| Streltsi |
Ticha |
Topuzevo |
Varlishte |
Yablanovo |
Tvarditsa is town with 5778 inhabitants
(2006) and located in the southern slopes of Stara Planina. The area around is
known as the Tvarditsa Coal Basin, the only place in the country where soft coal
is mined.
There is a railway line and a highway link to and from Sofia, Karlovo
and Bourgas. This gives good transport links and economic connections
not only with the neighbouring municipalities but with districts all
over Bulgaria. The name of the municipality's administrative
centre - a symbol of pride, strength and bravery - is connected with
the Gradishteto Fortress which lies 1.5 km south of the town. The name
comes from the old Bulgarian word tvardina, which means 'fortress' or
'fortification'. The region is mostly mountainous and hilly with the territory of the
municipality is distributed into three distinct areas - the Balkan, the
Sredna Gora and the plain areas. The Balkan Area is shaped typically of
the medium-height mountain relief - highly risen in their upper part
rounded ridges with a southern exposure, with deeply sunken valleys
passing into steep slopes sinking into other lower parts. The Sredna
Gora Area has a low-mountain hilly relief with a pronounced central
ridge of the Sredna Gora Mountain. The Plain Area, consisting of the
Tvarditsa Hollow (around 250 m above sea level) and the Shivachevo
Hollow (around 200 m above sea level). This is enclosed between the
steep slopes of the Balkan on the north and the slanting slopes of the
Sredna Gora Mountain to the south. The lowest point is situated in the
valley of the Tounja River - 205 metres, and the highest point is the
Choumerna Summit atanding at 1,536 metres. Needless to say this is a beautiful part of Bulgaria and mainly unknown
as far a tourists are concerned. It is waiting to be discovered and
only then can the process of regenerating the town happen. The
beautiful nature of the surrounding countryside may well the the meal
ticket to providing investment in the town.
| Villages in Tvardistsa Municipality |
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| Bliznets | Borov Dol | Byala Palanka | Chervenakovo | Jult Bryag |
| Orizari | Sborishte | |
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Shivachevo is a small town with
population is 3968 (2005,)
the wine is reportedly, 'Just great there.!' It is therefore no
accident that the reknown wine company Vini chose the town for one of
their wineries. This is expected top create new jobs as the winery
where another 500 ha of vines, will be planted. Vini has pledged to
invest 11 million euro in the region over the next 4 years. The
favorable location of the town, beautiful nature, hospitality of the
people determines the growing interest in the development of mountain,
holiday, hunting, cultural and ski tourism. Eco-tourism development is
also a bit player in that field. A project for the development of
Bulgarian eco-tourism has been drafted. Infrastructure has been built
and accommodation is available in different establishments like:
Olympic Hotel in Tvarditsa town, Gerov private hotel, Choumerna Chalet
with 80 beds, Boukovets, Gorski Dom and Haidoushka Pessen chalets. A
ski lift, 667 m long and with 400 people/hour capacity and a 1,000 m
long ski slope were built under Choumerna peak which stands at 1,536 m.
The climatic conditions allow these facilities to be used 4 months in
the year.
| Village in Shivachevo Municipality |
| Surtsev |
Nova Zagora is a town with a population
of approximately 26,000 people in the city, and approximately 48,000 in the
entire municipality which also includes 33 surrounding villages. The first
traces of life in the region date back thousands of years. Many archeological
sites are located in the region, showing settlements dating back to the Stone
Age and the Stone-Copper age. The most prominent archeological site is in the nearby
Karanovo. Nova Zagora is located in the so-called Thracian Plain, named for the
Thracian culture that thrived in the region for centuries. The Nova Zagora
Historical Museum has many historically significant artifacts dating back to
this era. The region is very fertile for agriculture, growing a wide range of
produce including grapes, sunflowers, cereals, and a variety of other plants. Nova Zagora is located on the main Plovdiv-Burgas
railroad, as well as the Trakia Highway that runs from Sofia to Burgas. It is 35
km east of Stara Zagora and 30 km west of Sliven. Nova Zagora has a large population of Roma (Gypsy) people and ethnic Turks.
Official estimates indicate that approximately 12 percent of the population is
from this ethnic minority, but unofficial estimates put this much higher. The town suffers from high levels of unemployment
(estimated at 23 percent), and the population has been declining like many other
small urban areas of Bulgaria. The climate is mild, with the average winter
temperature at 1.2 degrees Celsius and the average August temperature of 23.5
degrees. The town has a variety of sports facilities, including tennis,
athletics, karate and there is also a football team called Zagorets Nova
Zagora.
| Villages in Nova Zagora Municipality | ||||
| Asenovets |
Banya |
Bogdanovo |
Bryastovo |
Byal Kladenet |
| Dyadovo |
Elenovo |
Ezero |
Grafitovo |
Kamenovo |
| Karanovo | Konyovo | Korten |
Kriva Krusha |
Lyubenets |
| Lyubenova Mahala | Mlekarevo |
Nauchene |
Novoselets |
Omarchevo |
| Pet Mogili |
Pitovo | Polsko | Padarevo |
Prohorovo |
| Radetski |
Radevo | Sabrano |
Sokol |
Stoil Voyvoda |
| Sudievo | Sudiysko Pole | Tsenino | Zagortsi | |
Sliven
is the capital and administratvie centre of the province and a
comparatively large town with 110,000 inhabitants (the 8th largest in
Bulgaria). Sliven is famous for its Bulgarian hajduks who fought
against the Ottoman Turks in the 19th century. The current mayor of the
city is former football star Yordan Letchkov. In 1834, Dobri Zhelyazkov
established the first factory in Bulgarian lands, thus starting
industrial development in Bulgaria, so this could be a Bulgarian
Manchester! Sliven was one of the largest industrial centres in
Bulgaria, playing an important role during the Bulgarian National
Revival. It has long-lived traditions in textiles, machine-building,
glass-making, and the technical and food industries. Today Sliven is on
the fringe of discovery in Europe. It has already
been recognised as a town of progess with it's position just off the
main Sofia - Bourgas trunk road. It had a small winter skiing resort
and there is an International Formula One race track planned to be
build on the outskirts of the town to give more worldwide recognition.
It has the tradition of a yearly music festival and a Classical
orchestra among other annual cultural events. It is the centre of many
activities in the area with a big and lively bazaar with much local
produce. The shopping centre is mainly pedestrianised and the bullding
structures combine well the new architecture with the old. The backdrop
of the mountains is always a dominant feature.
Kermen is a small town that has 2 042
inhabitants.
It is is located within a short driving distance from Sliven 23 km in
the Balkan plain. Some of the popular symbols of Sliven include: the
Blue Rocks, the Karandila locality, the Old Elm Tree, the monument to
Hadji Dimitar, the monument to the Seventh Cavalry Regiment - Orleto as
well as the the Little Eagle, the town's clock tower, Dobri
Zhelyazkov's Factory. Cultural heritage and traditions are still alive.
There is a theatre, a puppet theatre and a national museum of the
textile industry. The Koutelka Nature Reserve is located in the Sinite
Kamani /the Blue Rocks/ National Park and has an area of around 7 sq.km
and is of international importance for rare bird species such as the
ossifrage, Egyptian vulture, falcon, Falco peregrinus Tunstall, etc.
The water in the Sliven Mineral Baths has been proved to have a
positive effect in the treatment of gastrointestinal diseases, bilious
and liver diseases, as well as bones and joint diseases and the nervous
system. There are many archaeological finds from Roman and Byzantine
times. There have been regular archaeological excavations in Hissarlaka
since 1982. Examples of the lasting architectural traditions from the
National Revival and the ethnographic wealth of the region can be seen
in the Museum of Sliven Ethnography.The four hotels, the many holiday
homes, huts and villas can accommodate nearly 2000 people altogether.
| Villages in Sliven Municipality | ||||
| Bikovo | Bilo | Binkos | Blatets | Bojevtsi |
| Bozadjii | Byala | Chintulovo | Chokoba | Dragodanovo |
| Gavrailovo | Gergevets | Glufishevo | Glushnik |
Golyamo Chochoveni |
| Gorno Aleksandrovo | Gradsko | Ichera | Izgrev | Jelyu Voyvoda |
| Kaloyanovo | Kamen | Kovachite | Kozin Dol | Krushare |
| Malko Chochoveni | Masarlii | Mechkarevo | Mladovo | Nikolaevo |
| Novachevo | Panaretovtsi | Rakovo | Ruchenitsa | Samuilovo |
| Seliminovo | Skobelevo | Sotirya | Sredorek | Stara Reka |
| Staro Selo | Strupets | Topolchane | Trapoklovo | Vuglen |
| Zaychari | Zlati Voyvoda | |
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