Sliven is the eighth-largest city in Bulgaria and the administrative and industrial centre of Sliven Province and municipality in Northern Thrace.

Sliven is famous for its heroic Haiduts who fought against the Ottoman Turks in the 19th century and is known as the “City of the 100 Voyvodi“, a Voyvoda being a leader of Haiduts.

The famous rocky massif Sinite Kamani (Сините камъни, “The Blue Rocks”) and the associated national park, the fresh air and the mineral springs offer diverse opportunities for leisure and tourism. Investors are exploring the opportunity to use the famous local wind (Bora) for the production of electricity.

Another point of interest and a major symbol of the city as featured on the coat of arms, is the more than thousand-year-old Stariyat Briast (Старият Бряст, “The Old Elm”), a huge Smooth-leaved Elm in the center of the city. During Ottoman rule, Turkish officials used to hang Bulgarian revolutionaries on it. Today the city is helping the tree to live on by frequent evaluations and reinforcing its base. It was elected Bulgarian tree of the year in 2013. On 19 March 2014 the results of an online poll were revealed at a ceremony in the European Parliament. The Old Elm was voted European Tree of the Year 2014. The city also served as an important strategic centre for the Bulgarian Army, with the headquarters of the Bulgarian Third Army located in the centre of the city, being situated relatively near to the sensitive Turkish border.

Sliven Peak on Livingston Island in the South Shetland Islands, Antarctica is named after Sliven.

Culture

Theater traditions in Sliven date back 140 years when the city opens its first theatrical stage. The first professional theatrical ensemble was created in 1918 at the Zora community center. The dramatic theater in Sliven, situated on the city’s main square. This theatre serves as a venue for various performing arts.

There are many buildings in the city built in the National Revival Architecture style, including the House museum “Hadzhi Dimitar”. It is in the south western part of the town and shows visitors a complex of a native memorial home and an old traditional inn. The Museum collection “Dobri Chintulov” is on the North side of Sliven; it was the home of the Bulgarian revival teacher and poet Dobri Chintulov. The city’s main theater is located at the main city square. It is named after the Sliven native Stefan Kirov (Стефан Киров) who was a prominent actor and director.