Shumen

The city of Shumen, the tenth largest Bulgarian municipality, is situated in the central part of Northeastern Bulgaria. It serves as an administrative center of the region and is located on the main roadways Sofia - Varna (380 km from Sofia , of which 80 km are divided highway) and Ruse - Bourgas -Istanbul. With a car the trip takes four hours.

Shumen is situated on a major railway junction. The Sofia - Varna and the Ruse -Karnobat lines pass through the city. Between 100 km and 130 km from Shumen are two seaports, Varna (90 km) and Bourgas (140 km), and the Danube River port of Ruse (130 km).

The population of the municipality of Shumen is 120 076 people. In the city of Shumen live 105 052 people and in the 25 villages of the municipality live an additional 15 024 people. According to the latest data of the Territorial Statistic Bureau, the municipality of Shumen’s population density is 0.18 per decare.

The territory of the municipality is comparatively various – with hills, plateaus and plains, characterized by a typical continental climate. The average annual temperatures are about 10.7°C, the warmest month being July and the coldest one being January. In the Shumen plateau and the southeastern parts of the municipality the soil is very fertile. Through the territory of the municipality pass the rivers Goliama Kamchia, Pakosha, Mutnishka, Poroina, Kamenitza, Stara reka.

The cultural places of interest include the Drama and Muppet Theatre “Vassil Drumev”, the Public Philharmonic Orchestra, the Historical Museum, the Public Library “Stilian Chilingirov”, the Complex “Founders of Bulgaria”, the House of Young People. Near to the town are situated the first two Bulgarian capitals – Pliska and Veliki Preslav, and the religious center Madara, whose monument of Madara Horseman is listed by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site.

History

The city of Shumen was founded 3200 years ago. During the ancient times it was a cradle on rich spirit and significant culture of Thracians, Romans, Byzantines, Bulgarians. There are two different stories regarding the name of the city Shumen. The first is that the name descends from the name of Tsar Simeon Veliki: Simeon – Shimeonis – Shumen. The second is that it descends from shuma, or foliage – a greatly timbered place with many forests. From its finding until the 15th century, the city was situated in the region of the Shumen fortress which explains the well-made complex of public and culture buildings.

Culture

In the city there are several professional cultural institutions – a dramatic theatre, philharmonics, a large library, several cultural centers, art galleries and a rich historical museum with contemporary exhibitions. The museum are complementary ranging from four memorial house-museums and an archeological museum to the Shumen fortress. In honour of 1300 years of the Bulgaria state, the impressive memorial complex, “Founders of the Bulgarian State” was discovered which has become a symbol of the city. Now it has cultural institutes of national and regional importance, two universities – The Shumen University “Episcop Konstantin Preslavski” and the Higher Military School of artillery and air defence “Panaiot Volov”, 17 primary and 12 secondary schools. In Shumen 3 regional television stations and 4 radio stations broadcast their independent programs. There’s one regional daily newspaper - “Shumenska Zaria”.

Preserves

In close proximity to Shumen are the first two capitals of the Bulgaria – the towns of Pliska and Veliki Preslav and the religious center Madara. During the golden epoch of Bulgaria, when the city was bearing the name Simeonis, the culture and education developed significantly.

National historical-archaeological preserve “Pliska”
Capital of the first Bulgarian state established by Chan Asparouh. Relics from monumental architectural objects are situated on an area of 23 km?. In the archaeological museum, conditions of life of the villages, the materials and the spiritual culture from the period VII – X centuries are shown.

National historical-archaeological preserve “Veliki Preslav”
Capital of the Bulgarian state from 893 to 972. In the archaelogical museum are masterpieces of the Bulgarian Golden age: Preslavian golden treasure, the ceramic icon “St. Teodor”, a golden stamp collection, authentic written monuments from IX – XI centuries. National historical archeological preserve “Madara”

The wealth of open-air archeological monuments dating from 4000 B.C. to the 15th century give reasons for researchers to call Madara the “Bulgarian Troyan ”. The most remarkable monument in the preserve is the unique rock relief Madara Horseman. The only in Europe, it is a model of old Bulgarian art and symbolizes the power and greatness of the Bulgarian state. The inscriptions around the horseman are written in the Greek language, revealing the entrance of three Bulgarian Khans –Tervel, Krum, Omurtag. The Madara Horseman is recognized by UNESCO as a World Heritage. In the historical sciences Madara is well-known as a religious center. Found here are sanctuaries, Christian churches, chapels. During the 14th century, in the rocks of the plateau, the biggest Bulgarian rock monastery was created with over 150 chambers. Today Madara is one of the most visited tourist sites in the country.

Historical – archaeological preserve “Shumen Fortress”
Rising three kilometers west of the city of Shumen is the Shumen Fortress which has existed more than 3200 years. During early and late middle ages the Shumen Fortress was Bulgarian maintained and played an important role in the history. During 1444, about the time of the crusade march of Vladislav III Yagelo, the fortress was destroyed and burned down. It is one of the most explored archaeological sites in the country. The fortress and the cultural architecture, homes and thousands of movable monuments bear record of the diverse functions during the different periods, predominantly during the time of the second Bulgarian kingdom.

Today the Shumen fortress is exhibited as an open-air museum.