General information and infrastructure
Territory - 1,366.6 sq. km
Number of population centers - 49
Population - 134,323
Administrative center - Sliven city
Sliven Municipality is located in the southeastern part of Bulgaria, in the Balkan plain. It has a transitional-continental climate. Winters are mild, and summers are relatively warm. The local Bora wind is typical of the Sliven Region. Being one of the large cities in Bulgaria, Sliven is growing fast also because it has convenient access to both the Black Sea resorts and the attractive markets in Turkey and Greece. It is 300 km away from Sofia, 108 km away from Bourgas and 126 km away from Varna and their ports and airports respectively. Highway E-773 connecting Sofia and Bourgas runs near the city. Many important roads connecting north and south Bulgaria run across the Balkan Range and through Sliven. The border control points to Turkey and Greece are 130 km away. The road network is complete. The total length of fourth-class roads is 321 km. The total length of first-class roads is 47 km, that of second-class roads is 84 km, and that of third-class roads is 81 km. The road network density is above the average for the country, which is particularly important for the municipality's economic development. There are two railroad lines passing through the municipality: Line No. 3 Sofia-Karlovo-Sliven-Bourgas and Line No. 8 Sofia-Plovdiv-Yambol-Sliven-Bourgas. The current railroad system fully meets the needs of the region. Sliven has a 2.5 km long and 45 m wide airplane runway. There is a small airport with a traffic control room for passenger and cargo flights and agricultural flights. The two gas mains of total length of 12 km provide natural gas for over 20 industrial users and 2 social care institutions. The natural gas distribution network can provide gas to residential areas, which have no central heating. Sliven is water supplied from Assenovets Dam Lake.
Economy and business
Sliven city is one of the most important industrial centers in Bulgaria, with long-standing traditions in the production of textiles, machinery, glass, foodstuffs and wine. The first textile factory on the Balkan Peninsula was set up in Sliven in 1834. Major industrial companies and businesses include: Fantastico - men's, ladies' and children's socks and tights; Inturg - production and trade in cotton knitwear, woolen yarn, woolen knitwear; Kolchida - wool purchasing and production of worsted yarn; ZMM Pobeda - a great variety of all purpose lathes and packaging machines, textile machines and agricultural machinery; IMM Sliven - design and production of packaging machines; DK Motor - manufacturing of electrical motors, generators and transformers; Svetlina - production of all kinds of lighting fittings and bulbs; Sinex TD - art glass articles; Mebellux - office, shop and home furniture, Nachevi 90 - furniture making; Vini - high quality wines and spirits; Melinvest Holding - grain and bread making; Fructo - canned fruit and vegetables; Eco-Assorti - grain production, bread making, meat and milk processing, stock breeding; KF Bemax - canned foods; Berko 90 - industrial and civil engineering and construction, concrete manufacturing; Todor Delchev - construction company; Dan - construction and production of construction materials; Monolith - industrial and civil engineering and construction, construction of engineering infrastructure; Universalen Complect - repairs of industrial facilities, trading in construction materials, hydro-insulation; Hydrostroitel - construction.
There are a number of foreign company branches: Miroglio - Bulgaria - woolen textiles, blankets, curtains, knitwear - it is an Italian investment; Decotex Carpet - carpets, floor coverings - joint American and Bulgarian ownership; Domain Boyar - wine making. International projects involving EBRD, Boyar from Great Britain, Berings Central Europe Investment Fund from Belgium and Barsma Drinken from the Netherlands. There are a large number of unused buildings in the industrial zone of the municipality. The area is suitable for setting up industrial micro-zones, which can be achieved by increasing the density and utilization of the built up areas and setting up business incubators for SMEs. In agriculture the land used for growing traditional crops is going to be expanded, in particular the land planted with vineyards and peach tree orchards. The construction of a vegetable commodity exchange will help vegetable growing and the better selling of the produce. The Municipal Market Place is one of the best in the country. The modern market place for fruit, vegetables and flowers was built under a Bulgarian-German Pilot Project and offers better business opportunities to producers and wholesale merchants. The fruit-tree nursery garden will improve the variety of sorts and will secure the production of certified propagating material. The territorial organization of the agricultural infrastructure needs to be changed. The existing production structure needs to be improved and further developed by establishing agro- and animal stations, as well as a new system of agricultural commodity exchanges with a view to securing better possibilities for realization of the produce. Herb and mushroom picking is becoming increasingly popular since there is a stronger interest into herbs and mushrooms among both domestic and foreign consumers. The favourable natural conditions (climate and relief) guarantee enough raw materials to meet the needs for most of the year.
Monuments of culture
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 /the Little Eagle/, the town's clock tower, Dobri Zhelyazkov's Factory. Cultural heritage and traditions are still alive. There are three state institutions - a theatre, a puppet theatre and a national museum of the textile industry. The Museum of History has over 80,000 exhibits. The Art Gallery has one of the richest collections in the country consisting of over 6,000 paintings and three permanent exhibitions. The District Library keeps over 250,000 books on a wide variety of topics. There are over 460 archaeological, over 200 architectural and 120 historic monuments of culture, of which 9 are of national importance. Some of the most attractive and most frequently visited places of interest include the Museum of the Textile Industry, the Museum of Sliven Ethnography, Hadji Dimitar's House, the Art Gallery, St. Sofia Church and St Dimitar Church. Many festivals are held in Sliven - the International Children's Folk Dance festival, the National Festival of Children's Books, the folklore festivals: Masquerade Game Celebrations, A Fair by the Tundzha River, Kermen, Winter Holidays - Mechkarevo, the Karakachan National Fair. The first International Mountaineering Film Festival was held in Sliven in 2003.
Environmental Protection and Tourism
The Koutelka Nature Reserve is located in the Sinite Kamani /the Blue Rocks/ National Park and has an area or 7 sq.km. It is of international importance for the protection of rare bird species /ossifrage, Egyptian vulture, falcon, Falco peregrinus Tunstall, etc./ and the ecosystem of medium-moist forests. 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 peripheral 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 1899 people altogether.
Associations, memberships, twin-cities
Sliven Municipality has established connections with 10 partner-cities from Europe and Asia and is trying to promote international cooperation through projects involving many institutions and NGOs working in the field of business, improvement of the investment climate, public services, education, culture, social activities, environmental protection, etc. Gera - Germany, Peich and Voronezh - Russia, Svetlogorsk - Ukraine, Chun Tsin - China.
|
