Sliven is located at the foot of the southern slopes of the Sliven Mountains and is known as the "City under the Blue Stones" because of the picturesque rock massif Karandila. Its ancient name was Tuida, and the current is semantically connected with the confluence of 3 rivers - Asenovska River, Selishka River and Novoselska River.
Sliven is 280 km east of Sofia, 100 km west from Bourgas, 130 km from the border with Greece and 130 km from the border with Turkey. It is located on the railway line № 3 and next to it passes the highway "Trakia", connecting the capital with the Black Sea coast.
The place of today's city has been inhabited for centuries. Proof of this are the traces left by the Paleo-Balkan population, from the Thracian and Thracian-Roman period, from the early Middle Ages, in which the Bulgarian state was formed.
Sliven rises as a craft and trade town, actively using the driving force of the rivers and the favorable mineral composition of their waters for wool processing. The most developed is the abadjiystvo, and the second most important - tufekchiystvo or the production of weapons. In 1834 Dobri Zhelyazkov established the first wool textile factory in Bulgaria.
Economic prosperity and openness to the world create preconditions for the development of a vigilant spirit in the local population. This favorable climate makes Sliven one of the centers of the Bulgarian Revival, which gave birth to many important personalities in our recent history. Hadji Dimitar, Panayot Hitov, Georgi Ikonomov, Dobri Chintulov and a number of other fighters for the liberation of Bulgaria were born in this city, which today is known as the "City of the 100 voivodes".
Sliven is an industrial city with traditions in textiles, mechanical engineering and electrical equipment, but due to the well-developed agriculture in the region is also strongly represented food industry: dairy, canning and wine production. The name "Peach Valley" is connected with the excellent quality of peaches in the Sliven region.
In the field of tourism, Sliven attracts visitors mostly with the area "Karandila", access to which is either 30 kilometers of mountain road, or by chairlift, offering a picturesque climb for 18 minutes among the rocks. The Karandila area is located in the Blue Stones National Park. There are excellent opportunities for recreation, sports, tourism and attractions. Karandila is a starting point for mountain tourism on well-marked mountain eco trails.
Another interesting site is the late antique and medieval fortress Tuida, the ancient fortified settlement from which the city originates. On an area of 4000 m2, there you can see the remains of the fortress, built in the II - IV century AD, as well as to see exhibits from ancient life, demonstrations of customs and military and hunting techniques.
Sliven has a Regional Historical Museum with a rich collection of valuable artifacts and a National Museum of the textile industry.
Sliven Municipality occupies the central and southeastern part of Sliven Region. With an area of 1366.63 km2 it is the largest among the 4 municipalities of the region, which accounts for 38.56% of the region and at the same time the largest municipality in Bulgaria.
Population of Sliven Municipality with 45 settlements: 125 thousand.
Population of Sliven: 92 thousand.
The municipality of Sliven is characterized by a diverse relief - there are two regions in terms of relief: in the north - semi-mountainous and mountainous, and in the south - flat.
The average altitude of the Sliven field is 150 m. The highest peak of the Sliven mountain is Bulgarka (1181 m).
