The city of Pleven

Pleven lies to the north of Bulgaria, two hours away from the capital Sofia. With 110,000 inhabitants, it is the seventh biggest city in the country. Thanks to its geographical location, Pleven is an important economic, political, and logistic centre.

The tradition in the field of Medicine has made Pleven an important spot for Public Health services. The different hospitals, laboratories, and social and health care centres offer high-level health care. The most important medical facilities in Pleven include the University Clinic, the Hospital for Active Treatment of the Military Medical Academy, the local blood transfusion centre and the University Telecommunication Endoscopic Centre for Robotic Surgery.

Its rich history, its traditions and its fascinating, natural landscape make Pleven unique. The city offers many possibilities for tourism in the fields of environment, culture and wellness, as well as a wide offer in sports, cultural and leisure time activities. Pleven’s nightlife is very lively thanks to its many coffee shops, pubs and clubs. You can spend your leisure time in Pleven in the most different places: Theatres, art galleries, cinemas, concert halls, clubs… The city has everything you might need in order to make the best of your university experience.

Although Pleven is growing steadily, efforts are made to maintain the beauty, the charm and the relaxed atmosphere in the city. The inhabitants of Pleven are very friendly and contribute to make this city a wonderful place to live in.

Pleven is located approx. 150 m above sea level in the heart of the Danube lowlands, 174 km north-east of Sofia, 35 km north of Lovech and 146 km south-west of Rousse. Pleven is one of the regional administrative centres in the north of Bulgaria. This beautiful historical and cultural city is famous for its architecture and monuments.

History Pleven’s eventful history started centuries ago. The city dates back to Thracian times. Originally, it was located in the region of the modern Kailuka Park. Today, Pleven is the seventh biggest city in Bulgaria.  The first traces of life and human activity in this region date back to the end of the fifth millennium BC. Numerous archaeological findings incorporate the spiritual culture of the Thracians, who lived here for thousands of years. One of these findings is the biggest treasure of Bulgaria – Valchi Trun, which contains 13 relics that were used for religious purposes. Valchi Trun was found in 1924 and it represents the late Bronze Age in Bulgaria. It is kept in the National Museum of History in Sofia.

Apart from that, the early Christian basilica from the 4^th century is also interesting. It is the second biggest basilica in Bulgaria after the Basilica of the Tsar in Pliska.

The city has also a variety of archaeological monuments and more than 200 monuments which commemorate national heroes who fought in many bloody battles.  The Bratskata Mogila (The Brothers’ Hill), one of the green areas in town, preserves the bones of thousands of Russian soldiers and it is the main attraction in Pleven. On the top of the hill there is also the famous Pleven Epic 1877 Panorama Hall. An original combination of paintings, sculptures and old scripts represent here the monumental struggle of the last Russian-Turkish war.

A special symbol of the city of Pleven is, without a doubt, the Regional History Museum. The museum has 24 rooms which exhibit more than 5,000 precious objects from five fields – archaeology, Ottoman occupation, Bulgarian revival, ethnography, recent and contemporary history, and nature. Other places of interest are, among others, the Museum of the Liberation of Pleven, the Skobelev Park, the Museum of the Hunting and Fishing Society, the art gallery and the Monument to Victory, on the hill after the river Vit. Important churches are the Church of Saint Nicholas and the Church of the Holy Trinity.

Pleven is surrounded by wonderful nature. In close proximity to the town, in the valley of the river Tuchenitsa, there is the Kailuka-Park.

Only 12 km away from the city, you will find the nature reserve Chernelka. The reserve is located in the heart of the Danube lowlands and stretches for 7 km. The vertical rocks, higher than 20 m, the lush vegetation and the eccentric Peshtera (cave) restaurant make this nature reserve to one of the favourite places of the inhabitants and visitors of Pleven.  Visitors will also be fascinated by the natural rock column “Mechoka”, the late Antique and medieval castle “Gradishte”, the “Tzarevata” cave, and the Roman road.

Transportation Pleven is an important logistic centre. There are regular bus connections to Sofia, Veliko Tarnovo, Lovech, Troyan and many other bigger and smaller places. Pleven is located on the main railway stretch Sofia – Gorna Oryahovitsa – Varna (Rousse). In Pleven there are urban buses and trolley buses.

Pleven offers many different possibilities for eating and entertainment. There are diverse traditional restaurants, and also bar and grill diner clubs. Every visitor should absolutely try the traditional wine “Telish” and the famous Plevener beer.