Pleven

BNB Exchange Rates

1€ = 1.955830 LV
1£ = 2.811110 LV
1$ = 1.372130 LV

Pleven (Plevna) - the seventh most populated town in Bulgaria, is located in the northern part of the country and is the capital of Pleven Province. The region is agricultural, located in the very heart of Danubian Plain - the historical region of Moesia, surrounded by low limestone hills. It is a big administrative, economic, political, cultural and transport centre. The river Vit flows near the town and the tiny Tuchenitsa river (Barata, “The Streamlet”) crosses it. The climat is continental – cold winters and hot dry summers. The earliest traces of human settlement in the area date from the 5^th century BC (the Neolithic). There are a big number of archeological findings, among them the largest golden treasure found in Bulgaria evidence for the rich culture of the Thracians, who have inhabited the area for thousands of years. There could be seen one of the most valued archeological monuments in Bulgaria - the Early Christian basilica from the 4th century, found near the modern town. During the Middle Ages, Pleven was a well-developed stronghold of the First and Second Bulgarian Empire. The Slavs gave the settlement its contemporary name (/Pleven/ comes either from the Slavic word /"plevnya"/ (/"barn"/) or from /"plevel"/, meaning /"weed"/, that share the same root in the Slavonic language). Pleven preserved its Bulgarian appearance and culture even during Ottoman rule - many churches, schools and bridges were built at the time of the Bulgarian National Revival. Pleven is the place where Bulgarian national hero Vasil Levski grounded the first revolutionary committee in 1869 as a part of his national rebel network. The city was a major battle scene during the Russo-Turkish War (1877-1878) that Russian Tsar Alexander II held for the purpose of Bulgarian liberation (38,000 casualties to liberate the town after four assaults in what was one of the decisive battles of the war). Most of the sights in Pleven are connected to the Russo-Turkish War - the monuments related to the war are about 200 Pleven experienced significant demographic and economic growth in the following years, gradually establishing itself as a cultural centre of the region. The town is famous for its Kaylaka (where the ruins of the Storgosia fortification can be found) and Skobelev parks.