The town of Pleven has a population of 117 000 inhabitants and is a district centre. The town lies at a distance of 160 km northeast of Sofia. It is located at the heart of the Danube Hilly Plain, surrounded by limestone hills along the Tuchenitza River. The earliest traces of life date back to V c. B.C. On the territory of the district has been discovered the biggest gold treasure in Bulgaria - The Valchetrun treasure. It consists of 13 vessels of cult purposes weighing 12,500 kg.

In the beginning of the new era these lands become part of the Roman Empire. A station with the name of Storgozia is established on the road from Ulpia Eskus /present-day village Gigen/ to Philipopolis /present-day Plovdiv/. In the years it grows into a fortress and a settlement with the same name. The archaeological research tells about mass construction of public and religious buildings. One of the most precious monuments of this period is the early Christian basilica from IV c. It is the second of size after the basilica in Pliska. With the arrival of the Bulgarians on these lands at the end of VII c. the settlement is called Kamenetz and to the north of it is established a new settlement with the name of Pleven. Later both settlements merge. During IX -XIV c. on the site of the present-day town there have existed a settlement and a medieval fortress. The town is mentioned for the first time in a deed of honour of the Madzhar king Stephen V in relation to his merits during a military march. The town is conquered by the Turks at the end of XIV c. The main means of living of the inhabitants during the Ottoman yoke is agriculture, trade ad crafts. A lot of churches, schools, bridges and fountains are built during the Revival period. In 1840 the first girls' public school is opened. Among the town's landmarks of this period are the churches "St. Nikolai" from 1834 and "St. Paraskeva" from 1862. In the course of the Russian-Turkish War the town of Pleven has a strategic significance and is the focus of the world's publicity for a period of 5 months. In the region of the town are concentrated large army forces of both the Russian and the Turkish armies. From the outcome of the Pleven battle depends the outcome of the Russian-Turkish War from 1877. On 10 December 1877 Osman Pasha surrenders to the Russian army. The day is celebrated by the inhabitants of Pleven as the Appreciation Day.

The tourist sights of the town are: the charnel-house mausoleum of the defeated Russian and Romanian soldiers during the Pleven battle from 1877, the Panorama, the history museum, the church "St. Nikolai" (1834), the art gallery "Iliya Beshkov" and others.

On the territory of Pleven District are located the following natural landmarks: the reserve "Milka" (Belene Island), the protected sites "Persinski blata", "Kitka", "Kailaka", the Chernelka River Gorge. An important ornithological site is the Island of Belene. Pleven is a vine-growing region and the most famous wineries of the region are: Pleven, Dolni Dubnik, Telish and Nikopol.

Tourist sights

The History Museum in Pleven is founded in 1911. Since 1984 it is located at a two-storey building - monument of culture of national significance. The building is built in 1884-1888 under an Italian project for barracks. The numerous exhibits of the museum are situated in 24 halls. The numismatic collection of the museum consists of 2 500 coins. The collections are divided in five sections - archaeology, ethnography, Revival period, new history and nature. In the yard of the museum there is an open lapidarium with architectural details and tomb monuments.

The charnel-house mausoleum of the defeated Russian and Romanian soldiers is built after an idea of Stoyan Zaimov with donations of the Bulgarian people. It is opened in 1906 in the presence of the Russian general Stoletov. The wood-carved iconostasis is made by professor Ivan Truvnishki and is awarded on the Paris exhibition in 1906. The icons are pained by professor Mrakvichka and professor Mitov.

The Panorama in Pleven is a complex of four halls dedicated to different stages of the development of the Russian-Turkish War of 1877-1878. In the second hall there is a three-dimensional images exhibition.

The art gallery "Iliya Beshkov" in Pleven houses 9 000 works of the artist. The gallery owns the biggest collection of African "shona" stone plastics in Europe.

The art Gallery "Svetlin Russev" in Pleven is located in a restored building - a monument of culture. The paintings and the sculptures in the gallery are donated by the great artist. The collection consists of Revival period icons, wood carvings, works of Bulgarian and European Artists.

The ancient town Eskus at the village of Gigen lies at a distance of 40 km from Pleven. In the northwestern part of the village are situated the remains of the Roman and Byzantine town of Ulpia Eskus. The town is founded near the camp of the 4^th Skith and 5^th Macedonian legions of the Roman army. The town of Eskus is in its boom during the I and II c. A.D. During the reign of Konstantin the Great a bridge over the Danube is built to connect Eskus with Sukidava (present-day Romania). Eskus falls victim to the Huns' invasions during the first half and the middle of V c. Its fortified walls are later restored in 527-565 during the reign of the emperor Justinian the Great. In 585 the town is destroyed by the Avars when many other towns in this part of the Roman Empire have the same fate. The ruins at the village of Gigen are related to the ancient town of Ulpia Eskus for the first time by the Italian military engineer Luidzhi Marsili. In the history museum of Pleven are exhibited monuments from the ancient town of Ulpia Eskus - architectural details, many-coloured floor mosaics, sculptures, bronze plastics of gods, golden jewelry and other objects.