Sevlievo

Sister cities

• Gevgelija

History

The earliest traces of occupation in the region date back to the late Neolithic period (around the 8th century BC). Some Thracian tombs still survive. Hotalich Fortress is the last medieval town. It had been inhabited for more than 1,000 years and functioned as an important defensive center. Hotalich existed for centuries together with the settlement on the site of the contemporary town, known as Servi and Selvi. In the middle of the 19th century, the development of crafts led to the concentration of large sums of money in the crafts' societies. Commercial trips across the Ottoman Empire, Europe and Russia enriched general knowledge. In 1834 St Prophet Eliah Church was restored and in 1836 the medieval Batoshevo Monastery was rebuilt. In the mid-1850s, Kolyu Ficheto, a prominent master of the Bulgarian National Revival period, built the stone bridge over the Rositsa River. In 1844 the famous wealthy craftsman and merchant, Hadzhi Stoyan Nikolov, invested his own money in the building of a huge school. In 1870, under the direct guidance of Vasil Levski, known as the "Apostle of Freedom", a revolutionary committee was created. It prepared the population of Sevlievo for the April Uprising of 1876 against Ottoman rule. The Bulgarians from this region took an active part in the uprising. Ottoman occupation of the town ended 2 July 1877. As a major cultural institute, the local community center has existed for 127 years. The Mara Belcheva House of Culture became the new center of cultural events.

Geography

Sevlievo has a temperate climate with cold winters and hot summers.

Most-observed species

• Red-backed Shrike

  Lanius collurio Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  99
• Great Tit

  Parus major Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  98
• Eurasian Golden Oriole

  Oriolus oriolus (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  92
• Eurasian Blackbird

  Turdus merula Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  92
• White Stork

  Ciconia ciconia (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  88
• corn bunting

  Emberiza calandra Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  87
• White-point

  Mythimna albipuncta Gaede, 1916 · Insecta
  81
• Common Chaffinch

  Fringilla coelebs Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  80

Most recent

• M 3.6 — 2023-10-23
  7 km NNE of Sadovo, Bulgaria
• M 4.5 — 2020-05-01
  6 km SW of Rakovski, Bulgaria
• M 4.5 — 2017-11-26
  2 km S of Anton, Bulgaria
• M 4.2 — 2017-01-03
  8 km ENE of Lyaskovets, Bulgaria
• M 4.3 — 2016-04-18
  10 km SSW of Nova Zagora, Bulgaria
• M 4.2 — 2015-02-05
  12 km ENE of Tvarditsa, Bulgaria