Sliven

Sliven is the eighth-largest city in Bulgaria and the administrative and industrial centre of Sliven Province and municipality in Northern Thrace. It is situated in the Sliven Valley at the foothills of the Balkan Mountains. Sliven is famous for its heroic haiduti who fought against the Ottoman Turks in the 19th century and is known as the "City of the 100 Voyvodi", a voyvoda being a leader of haiduti. The famous rocky massif Sinite Kamani (Сините камъни, "The Blue Rocks") and the associated Sinite Kamani Nature Park, the fresh air and the mineral springs at Slivenski Mineralni Bani offer diverse opportunities for leisure and tourism. Investors are exploring the opportunity to use the local wind (Bora) for the production of electricity. Another point of interest and a major symbol of the city as featured on the coat of arms, is the more than 1,000-year-old Stariyat Briast (Старият Бряст, "The Old Elm"), a huge Smooth-leaved Elm in the center of the city. During Ottoman rule, Turkish officials used it to hang Bulgarian revolutionaries. Today the city is helping the tree to live on by frequent evaluations and reinforcing its base.