Sliwen: Holiday Apartments and Holiday Homes

North of Sliwen lies the Blue Stones Nature Park within the Balkan mountain range. The city combines natural landscapes, marked trails and a diverse cultural history.

Nature

An open-air cable car connects Sliwen with Karandila and offers a scenic ride. The nature park is home to 176 recorded bird species, including 149 protected species.

Hiking trails connected with Sliwen lead through Karandila, Pesenik, Haidushki Izvor, Buchvata, Enyova Bulka, Ravna Reka, Dolapite and Futula, as well as to the Halkata rock formation. Halka is a rock phenomenon in Blue Stones Nature Park and is located near Sliwen.

The Kutelka Reserve protects Moesian beech stands and rocky habitats used by birds of prey. The nature park contains marked routes for hiking, alternative tourism and birdwatching. Blue Stones Nature Park is also associated with skiing, hang gliding, orienteering competitions and mountaineering.

Culture

Sliwen's urban heritage is connected with the Blue Stones, the Old Elm, the monument to Hadzhi Dimitar, the town clock, Dobri Zhelyazkov's factory and Chintulov's songs. These references link the city's history with its present-day urban life.

The House Museum of Folk Customs in Sliwen displays rites, rituals and customs typical of Sliwen and the surrounding region. The Dobri Chintulov House Museum presents photographs, documents, the poet's personal belongings and a reconstructed atmosphere of the period. The “Traditional Culture of the Sliven Region” exhibition is dedicated to ritual foods, ritual objects and verbal magic spells.

The site of the First State Textile Factory is accessible by bicycle; there are bicycle racks next to the entrance. The main building of the First State Textile Factory in the Balkans was completed in 1843.

History

The Tuida archaeological site is associated with a Roman-era marketplace and a sanctuary where Zeus and Apollo were worshipped.

Tuida Fortress offers archery, the opportunity to put on medieval costumes, and reenactments of traditions and customs. Concerts, festivals, exhibitions, literary readings, performances, workshops and seminars are also held there.

A fourth-century basilica with a central nave and two side aisles was built within Tuida Fortress.

Further destinations: Ichera, Kotel, Twardiza, Nowa Sagora. Those wishing to rent a holiday apartment in Sliwen can continue their accommodation search afterwards.

To the higher-level travel overview: Sliwen Province.