Teteven ( bg, Тетевен, ) is a town on the banks of the

Vit river The Vit also Vid ( bg, Вит; la, Utus) is a river in central northern Bulgaria with a length of 188 km. It is a tributary of Danube. The source of the Vit is in Stara Planina, below Vezhen Peak at an altitude of 2,030 m, and it empties into ...

, at the foot of

Stara Planina The Balkan mountain range (, , known locally also as Stara planina) is a mountain range in the eastern part of the Balkan Peninsula in Southeastern Europe. The range is conventionally taken to begin at the peak of Vrashka Chuka on the border b ...

mountain in north central

Bulgaria Bulgaria (; bg, България, Bǎlgariya), officially the Republic of Bulgaria,, ) is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the eastern flank of the Balkans, and is bordered by Romania to the north, Serbia and North Mac ...

. It is the administrative centre of the

Teteven Municipality Teteven Municipality ( bg, Община Тетевен) is a municipality ('' obshtina'') in Lovech Province, Central-North Bulgaria, located from the northern slopes of the central Stara planina mountain to the area of the Fore-Balkan. It is nam ...

which is a part of

Lovech Province Lovech Province ( bg, Област Ловеч, translit=Oblast Lovech, former name Lovech okrug) is one of the 28 provinces of Bulgaria, lying at the northern centre of the country. It is named after its main city - Lovech. As of December 2 ...

. As of December 2010, the town had a population of 10,733 inhabitants.Bulgarian National Statistical Institute - Bulgarian towns in 2009
/ref>

Geography

Teteven is located in a mountainous area, in the foothills of the Balkan mountains between the peaks Ostrich, Petrahilya, Cherven, Treskavets and Vezhen. The river Vit meanders through the town. The altitude of Teteven district varies from 340 to 2100 m, and in the town center it is 415 m. The climate is temperate continental with cold winters and cool summers. The territory of Teteven is about 697 km², which is 16.86% of the territory of Lovech district.

History

The town was first mentioned in a written document in 1421. It is thought that the town's name comes from the family of a certain Tetyo (''Tetyov rod''), who settled in the area and founded the town. Older variants of the town's name found in documents are ''Tetyuven'' and ''Tetyuvene''. A thriving city in the 16th and 17th centuries, Teteven was raided by organised Turkish brigand groups in 1801, burnt down and almost completely destroyed, with only four houses surviving out of a total of 3,000. The town later revived and was active in the armed struggle for Bulgarian independence in the 19th century, sheltering a revolutionary committee part of

Vasil Levski Vasil Levski ( bg, Васил Левски, spelled in old Bulgarian orthography as , ), born Vasil Ivanov Kunchev (; 18 July 1837 – 18 February 1873), was a Bulgarian revolutionary who is, today, a national hero of Bulgaria. Dubbed ...

's organised rebel network. Each summer a large chess tournament, one of the biggest events in Bulgaria's chess calendar, is held in Teteven.

Honour

Teteven Glacier Teteven Glacier ( bg, ледник Тетевен, lednik Teteven, ) is a glacier on Greenwich Island in the South Shetland Islands, Antarctica situated east of Yakoruda Glacier, west of Quito Glacier, northwest of Traub Glacier and north of ...

Livingston Island Livingston Island (Russian name ''Smolensk'', ) is an Antarctic island in the Southern Ocean, part of the South Shetlands Archipelago, a group of Antarctic islands north of the Antarctic Peninsula. It was the first land discovered south of 60� ...

in the

South Shetland Islands The South Shetland Islands are a group of Antarctic islands with a total area of . They lie about north of the Antarctic Peninsula, and between southwest of the nearest point of the South Orkney Islands. By the Antarctic Treaty of 195 ...

Antarctica Antarctica () is Earth's southernmost and least-populated continent. Situated almost entirely south of the Antarctic Circle and surrounded by the Southern Ocean, it contains the geographic South Pole. Antarctica is the fifth-largest co ...

is named after Teteven.

Sights

Teteven combines the beauty of the surrounding scenery with the towering hills and peaks Petrahilya, Ostrich, Cherven and Ravni Kamak (they have witnessed many historical events), the cool breeze of the Vit river, and the spirit of centuries past, hovering in the multitude of monuments, ancient Bulgarian architecture, and customs and manners that have remained intact in time. Astounded by the sights revealed before him in his visit to the town, Ivan Vazov has exclaimed: "Had I not come to Teteven, I would have remained a foreigner to mother Bulgaria ... I have been wandering, I have been rambling, but I have not seen a more wondrous paradise." There is a historical museum in Teteven, which is among the Hundred National Tourist Sites of the Bulgarian Tourist Union.

Sights of Teteven and the Teteven district

* Glozhen Monastery * Saint Elijah Monastery (14th century) * All Saints Church * Kosnitza waterfall * Mother of God Shroud Chapel on Ostrich peak * Boev hill

Caves

* Saeva Dupka * Morovitza * Baiovitza * Draganchovitza * Rushova cave (near Gradezhnitza village)

Museums

* Teteven Historical Museum * Bobevska house museum * Hadzhiivanova house museum * Yorgova house museum

Regular events

* Autumn fair * Northern Song Feast (May) * The Feast of Teteven on November 1, the day the town was liberated from Ottoman domination in 1877 * Days of Mountain Water and Healing Tourism, Scientific Research Center of Medical Biophysics, Teteven municipality, June 11

Gallery

Teteven Town Hall.JPG, Teteven Municipality Hall File:Teteven Chitalishte.JPG, Teteven Chitalishte (Culture club) File:Saint All Saints Church in Teteven.JPG, All Saints Church in Teteven File:Teteven old house 01.JPG, A 19th-century house File:Teteven old house 02.JPG, A 19th-century house

Persons

Notable persons born in Teteven

Lyubomir Bobevski Lyubomir is a Bulgarian masculine given name, a variant of the Slavonic Lubomir. Notable people with this name include: *Lyubomir Andreychin (born 1910), Bulgarian linguist *Lyubomir Bogdanov (born 1982), Bulgarian football midfielder *Lyubomir Bo ...

— writer *

Nikola Bobevski Nikola () is a given name which, like Nicholas, is a version of the Greek '' Nikolaos'' (Νικόλαος). It is common as a masculine given name in the South Slavic countries (Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, North Macedonia, Montene ...

— artisan, elected Teteven delegate on the occasion of the signing of the San Stefano Peace Treaty *

Valentin Bobevski Valentin is a male given name meaning "strong, healthy, power, rule, terco". It comes from the Latin name ''Valentinus'', as in Saint Valentin. Commonly found in Spain, Romania, Bulgaria, France, Italy, Russia, Ukraine, Scandinavia, Latin America ...

— conductor *

Sabo Dimitrov Sabo may refer to: People *Sabo (street artist) *Sabo Bobaljević *Sabo Romo, musician *Albert F. Sabo (1920–2002), judge *Chris Sabo (born 1962), baseball player *Dave Sabo (born 1964), musician *Jean-Philippe Sabo (born 1987), French footballe ...

— artist * Mihail Ekimdzhiev — lawyer *

Valentin Grozev Valentin is a male given name meaning "strong, healthy, power, rule, terco". It comes from the Latin name ''Valentinus'', as in Saint Valentin. Commonly found in Spain, Romania, Bulgaria, France, Italy, Russia, Ukraine, Scandinavia, Latin America ...

(1950-2010) — artist *

Ignat Ignatov Ignat (russian: Игнат) is a Slavic given name that corresponds to the given name Ignatius. Notable persons with that name include: *Ignat Bednarik (1882–1963), Romanian painter * Ignat Dameika (1802–1889), Belarusian geologist, mineralog ...

— professor, biophysicist *

Usin Kerim Usin Kerim is a Bulgarian Romani poet. Kerim has come to prominence in the genre of Romani Romani may refer to: Ethnicities * Romani people, an ethnic group of Northern Indian origin, living dispersed in Europe, the Americas and Asia ** Romani ...

— poet *

Dimitar Krachidzhov Dimitar ( bg, Димитър; Macedonian: Димитар) is a South Slavic masculine given name. It is widely found in Bulgaria and North Macedonia. Dimitar is derived from Saint Demetrius (280–306), alternate form of Demetrius. Containing the ...

— poet and publicist *

Iva Krasteva Iva or IVA may refer to: Organizations * Independent Voters Association, a North Dakota U.S. political organization * Informationsvidenskabelige Akademi, a Danish university * Royal Swedish Academy of Engineering Sciences, (Swedish: ''Kungliga In ...

— sports journalist, lives and works in London *

Banyo Marinov Banyo may refer to: * Banyo, Cameroon, a town and commune in Mbéré Department, Adamawa Province, Cameroon * Banyo, Queensland, a suburb of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia **Banyo railway station Banyo railway station is located on the Shor ...

(1853-1879) — revolutionary *

Nikola Merekiov Nikola () is a given name which, like Nicholas, is a version of the Greek ''Nikolaos'' (Νικόλαος). It is common as a masculine given name in the South Slavic countries (Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, North Macedonia, Montene ...

— actor and agriculturalist *

Sava Mladenov The Sava (; , ; sr-cyr, Сава, hu, Száva) is a river in Central and Southeast Europe, a right-bank and the longest tributary of the Danube. It flows through Slovenia, Croatia and along its border with Bosnia and Herzegovina, and finally t ...

— adherent of Vasil Levski and a revolutionary from Hristo Botev's armed group *

Preslava Mravkova Preslava Koleva Ivanova ( bg, Преслава Колева Иванова; born Petya Koleva Ivanova, bg, Петя Колева Иванова, on 26 June 1984), better known mononymously as Preslava, is a Bulgarian singer. She was born in D ...

— singer (''Music Idol'') *

Vera Naidenova Vera may refer to: Names * Vera (surname), a surname (including a list of people with the name) *Vera (given name), a given name (including a list of people and fictional characters with the name) **Vera (), archbishop of the archdiocese of Tarr ...

— Bulgarian professor, film critic *

Svilen Rusinov Svilen Aldinov Rusinov ( bg, Свилен Алдинов Русинов; born February 29, 1964 in Teteven) is a Bulgarian boxer, who twice competed at the Summer Olympics for his native country. He won a bronze medal in the super heavyweight ...

— sportsman, honorary citizen of Teteven *

Hristo Spasunin Hristo ( bg, Христо, also spelled Khristo) is a Bulgarian masculine given name, ultimately derived from " Christ". Notable people with the name include: * Hristo Arangelov (born 1978), Bulgarian footballer * Hristo Batandzhiev (died 1913), ...

(1923-2010) — poet and publicist *

Ivailo Stanev Ivaylo (died 1281), also spelled Ivailo ( bg, Ивайло), was a rebel leader who ruled briefly as tsar of Bulgaria. In 1277, he spearheaded a peasant uprising and forced the Bulgarian nobility to accept him as emperor. He reigned as emperor fr ...

— photographer *

Nikola Tiholov Nikola () is a given name which, like Nicholas, is a version of the Greek '' Nikolaos'' (Νικόλαος). It is common as a masculine given name in the South Slavic countries ( Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, North Macedonia, Mo ...

— scriptwriter * Margarit Tzanev — artist *

Ivan Undzhiev Ivan () is a Slavic male given name, connected with the variant of the Greek name (English: John) from Hebrew meaning 'God is gracious'. It is associated worldwide with Slavic countries. The earliest person known to bear the name was Bulga ...

(1902-1979) — Bulgarian professor-historian *

Nikolai Vitanov Nikolai or Nikolay is an East Slavic variant of the masculine name Nicholas. It may refer to: People Royalty * Nicholas I of Russia (1796–1855), or Nikolay I, Emperor of Russia from 1825 until 1855 * Nicholas II of Russia (1868–1918), or Ni ...

— professor, nuclear physicist *

Hadji Stanyo Vrabevski Hadji (also spelled ''Hajji'', ''Haji'' or ''Hatzi'') is a title and prefix that is awarded to a person who has successfully completed the Hajj ("pilgrimage") to Mecca. It may refer to: People * El Hadji Diouf (born 1981), Senegalese footballer * ...

— chairman of the local revolutionary committee, sent into exile in Diyarbakır

Notable persons who have died in Teteven

Georgi Benkovski Georgi Benkovski ( bg, Георги Бенковски) (1843 – 12 May 1876) was the pseudonym of Gavril Gruev Hlatev (Гаврил Груев Хлътев), a Bulgarian revolutionary and leading figure in the organization and direction of the Bu ...

(1843-1876) — Bulgarian revolutionary *

Atanas Murdzhev Atanas is a name. Its most common use is a masculine given name in Bulgarian and Macedonian, derived from Greek Athanasios, "immortal". It can also be a surname. List People with the name Atanas include: Given name * Atanas Andonov (born 195 ...

(1875-1944) — Bulgarian revolutionary

References

External links

Teteven municipality portal (Bulgarian version)

Teteven Municipality, Scientific Research Center of Medical Biophysics {{Authority control Towns in Bulgaria Populated places in Lovech Province