A city of northeast Bulgaria west of Varna. Founded in 927, the city was strategically important during the Russo-Turkish Wars of the 18th and 19th centuries. Population: 86,700.
Shumen
Dictionary:
Shu·men (shū'mĕn')  |
A city of northeast Bulgaria west of Varna. Founded in 927, the city was strategically important during the Russo-Turkish Wars of the 18th and 19th centuries. Population: 86,700.
| 5min Related Video: Shumen |
| Columbia Encyclopedia: Shumen |
Shumen (shʊ'mĕn), city (1993 pop. 96,099), NE Bulgaria. It is a railway junction and a market for grains and other agricultural products. Brewing, tobacco processing, canning, flour milling, furniture building, and the manufacture of parts for tractors are the chief industries. Founded in 927, the city was fortified under Turkish rule (15th-19th cent.) and was strategically important in the Russo-Turkish Wars of the 18th and 19th cent. It is also the site of the largest mosque (built 1649) in Bulgaria. Originally called Shumen or Shumla, the city was renamed (1950) Kolarovgrad in honor of Bulgarian Communist leader Kolarov, who was born there. The name was changed back to Shumen in 1965.
| Wikipedia: Shumen |
| Shumen Шумен |
|||
|---|---|---|---|
 |
|||
|
|||
  Shumen
|
|||
| Coordinates: 43°17′N 26°56′E / 43.283°N 26.933°E | |||
| Country |  Bulgaria |
||
| Province (Oblast) |
Shumen | ||
| Government | |||
| - Mayor | Krasimir Kostov (BSP) | ||
| Elevation | 184 m (604 ft) | ||
| Population (12.06.2006) | |||
| - Total | 103,016 | ||
| Time zone | EET (UTC+2) | ||
| - Summer (DST) | EEST (UTC+3) | ||
| Postal Code | 9700 | ||
| Area code(s) | 054 | ||
| License plate | H | ||
Shumen (Bulgarian: Шумен) is a city in the northeastern part of Bulgaria, capital of Shumen Province. From 1950–1965 it was called Kolarovgrad, after Vasil Kolarov. Other English variants include Shoumen and Šumen. The city has a population of 103,016 by permanent address (2006).
Contents |
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 Władysław Warneńczyk's unsuccessful crusade in 1444, the city was destroyed by the Ottomans and moved to its present location. It was known by the Ottomans as Şumnu. 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.
Notable natives
- Pancho Vladigerov (1899-1978), composer, pedagogue and pianist.
- Dobri Voynikov (1833–1878), writer and enlightener
- Stoyan Danev (1858–1949), politician, twice Prime Minister of Bulgaria
- Ahmet Fikri Tüzer (1878-1942), Turkish politician and Prime Minister of Turkey
- Vasil Drumev (Clement of Tarnovo) (1841–1901), clergyman and politician, twice Prime Minister of Bulgaria
- Vasil Kolarov (1877–1950), politician, Communist leader
- Hacho Boyadzhiev (b. 1932), film director
- Todor Kolev (b.26.8 1939), actor
- Maxim Behar (b. 1955), Leading public relations expert, Chief Executive of M3 Communications Group, Inc., a Public Relations Company in Bulgaria, exclusive associate of Hill & Knowlton Group.
- Ivan Dochev (1906-2005), anti-communist politician
- Yusuf İsmail (1857-1898) was a Turkish professional wrestler
Gallery
 The Shumen Fortress |
 Shumen Military Club (built 1901–1903) |
 Central Shumen |
 Monument to 1300 Years of Bulgaria |
Twinned Towns
Honour
Shumen Peak on Livingston Island in the South Shetland Islands, Antarctica is named after Shumen.
References
- This article incorporates text from the Encyclopædia Britannica, Eleventh Edition, a publication now in the public domain.
External links
 |
Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Shumen |
- Official Shumen municipality site
- Portal of Shumen
- High definition video of the Shumen 1300 Years monument
- High definition video of the city of Shumen
Coordinates: 43°17′N 26°56′E / 43.283°N 26.933°E
|
||||||||||||||||||||
This entry is from Wikipedia, the leading user-contributed encyclopedia. It may not have been reviewed by professional editors (see full disclaimer)
Learn More
 | Vesselin Stoyanov (music) |
| Bulgaria (wine-related term) |
| Nikola Mihailov (art) |
Post a question - any question - to the WikiAnswers community:
Copyrights:
 |
 | Dictionary. The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2007, 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2007. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved. Read more |
 |
| Columbia Encyclopedia. The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition Copyright © 2003, Columbia University Press. Licensed from Columbia University Press. All rights reserved. www.cc.columbia.edu/cu/cup/. Read more |
 |
| Wikipedia. This article is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Shumen". Read more |
ADVERTISEMENT
Mentioned in
- Vesselin Stoyanov (music)
- Bulgaria (wine-related term)
- Nikola Mihailov (art)
- Panayot Volov Stadium
