The town of Sliven is situated in the skirts of the Sliven part of the Balkan mountain, 279km east of Sofia and 114 west of the coast. It is known as the Town of 100 Voivodas (‘voivoda’ meaning leader of Bulgarian rebels during Ottoman rule) for its active part in revolutionary activities against the Turks.
Even if the fertile land around Sliven had been populated much earlier, an Arab geographer named Idrissi was the first to mention the town in a written document in 1153. There, Sliven appeared under the name of Istilifunos. Later, it became known as Silimno and Slivno, which was gradually transformed into the present-day name. The name of Sliven is believed to come from the Bulgarian verb for merge, ‘slivam’, used to illustrate the merger of the Upper Thracian valley, the mountain and three rivers in the location of the town.
During the early years of Ottoman rule, Sliven enjoyed preferential treatment for its role of breeding falcons for the army and guarding key passes in the Balkan mountain. Crafts were also on the uprise and the town became famous for its produce of ‘kebe’ and ‘aba’ (types of woolen cloths). In 1836, the first woolen factory in Bulgaria was built there by Dobri Zhelyazkov. After the town’s liberation from Ottoman rule crafts decayed, but the textile industry continued to grow.
While in town, one can visit the numerous museums and galleries Sliven hosts – the Town Museum of History, the Museum of Renaissance Arts, the Hadzhi Dimitar House-Museum, the Dimitar Dobrevich Art Gallery, etc. A walk up in the mountains to the Karandila area may be even more enjoyable.
