The town of Teteven (400 meters above sea level) is situated on the northwest slopes of the Balkan range, on the two banks of the Beli Vit River. The population is about 12 000 people. It’s situated 115 km away from Sofia and 60 km away from Troyan.
A Thracian tribe with a rich culture inhabited the area as far back as the 7th-6th century BC. The discovered tombs and artifacts prove the existance of a Roman village in the same location. The first name of the village was Tetevian. During the Bulgarian national revival, the village flourished and was called Altin (Golden) Teteven. In 1801, the city was totally destroyed and burnt down by the Ottoman invaders.
Only 3 more than 180 year- old houses have been preserved up to the present day. These are the Bobevska, Yorgova and Hadji Ivanova houses.
Among the attractions in the town is the City Historical Museum with a big exposition of transcripts, books, crafts, etc. There is a church called St. Svetih. Very close to the city are also the “St. Prophet Elijah” Monastery of Teteven, built in the 14th century and “St. George” Monastery of Glojen from the 13th century.
The city is a starting point for many tourist routes in the Balkan range. The Ribaritsa resort with its houses, family hotels and relaxation spots, is situated 12 km to the southeast. From there, tourists can reach the summit of Vejen very quickly, the “Eho”, “George Benkovski” and “Vejen” chalets.
The city and its outskirts are included in the Central Balkan National Park. The “Buatin”, “Kosiastena” and “Carichina’ natural reserves are a part of the tourist routes.
Very close to the city is the secluded area called the Chernia (the Black) route, this is a favorite place of ornithologists. The rocks near Teteven offer excellent conditions for the fans of rock climbing and albinism.
The Saeva dupka cave is located 25 km northwest of Teteven.
Places of interest: Glozhene Monastery, Saeva dupka Cave, Troyan Monastery

Source: visitbg.net

Shumen (Bulgarian: Шумен) is a city in the northeastern part of Bulgaria, capital of Shumen Province. The Turkish form of the name ?umnu dates back to the Ottoman Empire. From 1950–1965 it was called Kolarovgrad, after Vasil Kolarov. Other English variants include Shoumen and ?umen. The city has a population of 103,016 by permanent address (2006).

Geography

The city lies 80 km west of Varna and is built within a cluster of hills, northern outliers of the eastern Balkans, which curve round it on the west and north in the shape of a horse-shoe. A rugged ravine intersects the ground longitudinally within the horse-shoe ridge. From Shumen roads radiate northwards to the Danubian cities of Rousse and Silistra and to Dobruja, southwards to the passes of the Balkans, and eastwards to Varna and Balchik. Shumen has, therefore, been one of the most important military positions in the Balkan Peninsula.

History

In 811 Shumen was burned by the emperor Nicephorus, and in 1087 it was besieged by Alexius I. During the golden age of Bulgarian culture under Simeon the Great (866-927), Shumen was a centre of cultural and religious activity, and may have born the name Simeonis. Until the 15th century, the city was located around the Shumen Fortress, a sophisticated complex of defensive installations, religious and civil buildings.

In 1388 the sultan Murad I forced it to surrender to the Ottoman Turks. After W?adys?aw Warne?czyk’s unsuccessful crusade in 1444, the city was destroyed by the Ottomans and moved to its present location. In the 18th century it was enlarged and fortified. Three times, in 1774, 1810 and 1828, it was unsuccessfully attacked by Russian armies. The Turks consequently gave it the name of Gazi (”Victorious”). In 1854 it was the headquarters of Omar Pasha and the point at which the Turkish army concentrated (See Crimean War).

During the 19th century Shumen was an important centre of the Bulgarian National Revival, with the first celebration of Cyril and Methodius in the Bulgarian lands taking place on 11 May 1813 and the first theatre performance. A girls’ religious school was established in 1828, a class school for girls and a chitalishte (community centre) followed in 1856. The first Bulgarian symphony orchestra was founded in the city in 1850. In the same year, influential Hungarian politician and revolutionary leader Lajos Kossuth spent a part of his exile in the then-Ottoman town of Shumen. The house he lived in is still preserved as a museum.

On the 22nd June 1878 Shumen finally capitulated to the Russians and became part of the newly-independent Principality of Bulgaria. In 1882 the Shumen Brewery, one of the first breweries in Bulgaria, was founded.

Landmarks

Shumen boasts the Monument to 1300 Years of Bulgaria, regarded as the only monument in the world to depict the history of a whole country from its creation to the present day.

The Shumen Fortress, partially restored after being destroyed by the Ottomans in the past, is an important historical monument of the medieval Bulgarian Empire. It is located not far from the city on the Shumen Plateau.

The Madara Horseman, a World Heritage Site, is an ancient (710 AD) monument usually attributed to the Bulgar culture, and lies some 20 km from Shumen.

The religious buildings in the city include the Eastern Orthodox Holy Three Saints Cathedral and Holy Ascension Basilica, as well as the Tombul Mosque, the largest mosque in Bulgaria and one of the largest in the Balkans, serving Shumen and the region’s Muslim minority.

Chirpan is a town and municipality in south-central Bulgaria on the Tekirska River, in Stara Zagora Province. The town is a centre for wineries and viticulture.Chirpan is located north of the Maritsa River on the Chirpan highlands, south of the Sredna Gora mountains.

The modern town is the successor of the Ancient Roman settlement of Sherampol and re-emerged in the beginning of the 15th century, its current name likely being derived from the Roman one. There has been extensive archaeological excavation at the Karasura (Carasura) site. During the Ottoman rule of Bulgaria, Chirpan was known for its craftsmen and agriculture. The town suffered badly from an earthquake on 18 April 1928.

Chirpan was the birthplace of Ottoman Turkish soldier Abd?lkerim Nadir Pasha, and the Bulgarian poet Peyo Yavorov, whose native house is now a museum. Chirpan was the home of painter George Danchov. His house in the centre of the town is an excellent example of Bulgarian National Revival architecture.

There are over 30,000 people in the municipality, two thirds of whom live in the town. 53% of the land is in cultivation, with major crops from wheat, sunflowers, cotton, grapes, and fruit trees. There is a 136 hectare Natura 2000 Special Protection Area for preservation of avian habitat along the Tekirska River.

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Karnobat is a town in the Burgas Province, Bulgaria.

Geography
Karnobat municipality is situated in the south-eastern part of the Bulgaria and it falls within the administrative boundaries of Burgas region. Rishki Passage links the municipality to north Bulgaria. The Karnobat-Aitos range of the Balkan mountain is located in the northern part of the municipality. Hisar hills raise to the south of the town of Karnobat. The territory of Karnobat municipality is 806 km?, 87.37% of which is agricultural land, 9.81% forest land and 2.82% residential areas.

History
The Karnobat region, located in front of the south approaches of the Rishki and Varbishki passes, features an ancient history, dating back to the Neolithic era. Villages and tumuli reveal traces of life from the Neolithic and the Iron Age, rich settlement life during the antiquity and Middle Ages.The first information for Karnobat was written in 1153 and included in The Geography by Muhammad al-Idrisi- Arabic traveller and scientist. The historical sources show that since the 19th century up to present days the town has always been an administrative, economic and commercial centre with a traditional yearly fair.

The town of Karnobat was mentioned under different names in the documents from the Turkish registers and travel notes: Karinovassa. Karinabad, Karnovo…

After the foundation of the Bulgarian state in 681, because of its exceptional role, the lands of the Karnobat region were field of many battles between Bulgaria and Byzantium. Markeli fortress, a south Episcopal and military center, located 7.5 km west of Karnobat, has been the most significant place of interest since the times of the First Bulgarian Kingdom. During the Ottoman rules, the town was an important administrative and trade center included in the Silistra district. The fact that the Bulgarian priest Stoiko Vladislavov (known as Sofronii Vrachanski, one of the prominent men of the Bulgarian national revival) performed the service in Karnobat parish is indicative of the revival processes that took place in the region from 1791 to 1792.

During the Renaissance Karnobat became the rallying point for cultural and educational development of the region. St. Yoan Theologian Church was built in 1838. Razvitie Reading Club (now St. Kiril i Metodii Reading Club) one of the first reading clubs in South-Eastern Bulgaria was established in 1862 and a non-clerical school was opened in 1864.

The town had a significant contribution to the religious struggles during the Renaissance-in the 19th century the active and public-spirited citizens of Karnobat expelled the bishop of Anhialo and in this way they completely eliminated the Greek influence.

During the Russian-Turkish War (1877-1878) the region became a victim of outrageous bashi-bazouks and Circassians.

The Liberation of Karnobat on 24 January 1878 gave grounds for huge social and economic reforms. The town strengthened its positions as a cultural and educational center. About 22 periodicals reflect its new appearance.

Population
According to the data of the carried out census of the population on 04.12.1992 (4 December 1992 or April 4, 1992) the constant population in Karnobat municipality has been 32 868 and in the end of 1999 it has been 31,444. From the period since 1965 up to now the population has constantly decreased. Basically this is due to the migrations and the worsen age structure in some of the villages in the municipality-Devetnitsi, Kozare, Dobrinovo, San Stefano. In the process of the mechanical movement major part of the migrating population has been oriented to the municipal centre and a small part of the municipality.

Residential areas
Karnobat municipality includes in its administrative territory totally 30 residential places – 1 town and 29 villages, with population of 31,444 persons in 1999, 21,557 of which live in the municipal centre the town of Karnobat. Among the villages only Ekzarh Antimovo is with a population over 1000 people. With a population of 500 to 1000 people are the villages of Iskra, Krumovo, Gradishte, Klikach and Nevestino. The rest villages are with a population under 500 persons. With population under 100 people is only the village of Kozare. The residential areas are 22.74 km?, which represents 2.8% of the municipal territory (806 km?). Housing areas of 9.445 km? cover 41.5% of the fund. The lands in the residential areas under cultivation and used for private industry are 8.377 km? (36.8%).

The average population density of is 1400 people per square kilometer, or average 710 m? of residential territory per a resident. Only two of the villages are with indexes which are near to the average for the municipality. The typical density of residence is up to 10 people/ha gross density of residence.

Museums
The museum house “Dimitar Polyanov” is the only preserved and reconstructed renaissance house, built in the 70s of ХІХ century. The museum exhibition has been established on 23.11.1973 and possesses a fund, which contains belongings, documents, works and letters of the writer D. Polyanov, born in the town of Karnobat, as well as property of his family, necessities of life. In the museum and in the nearby located and recently constructed similar house exhibition of the ethnographic way of living in the region and of the famous authors from the town is in a process of establishment.

The historical museum in the town has been established in 1921 as an archeological collection. Its creator is the explorer with many years of service, a principal of the local high school Atanas Ignatiev Karaivanov. Since 1953 it has become a state museum with three departments – “Archeology”, “Ethnography” and “New History”. In 1992 “Nature” department has been established as well. It is located in a separate building in the southern park in the town, next to the zoo.

Culture
Cultural club “Dimitar Polyanov” has a city library, a picture gallery named after the world famous Bulgarian painter Bencho Obreshkov, born in Karnobat. The cultural club hall is with 310 seats and the movie hall beside it – with 460 places. To the cultural club, there is an amateur mixed choir with about 50 singers, which in 1992 celebrated 90 years since its establishment. In 1993 a cultural club ensemble for folk songs and dances has been established as well. Recently the variety and satiric ensemble to the cultural club celebrated 75 years of its establishment. Within the days of the traditional annual May festivals of culture the municipal folk festival is held as well.