The defeat of the Turkish army of Osman Pasha and the fall of the plevna. Siege of Plevna Storming of Plevna participants
- the seventh largest city in Bulgaria with a population of 106,000 people and the 3rd largest in Northern Bulgaria.
Map of the city of Pleven
Pleven is located in the central part of the Danube Plain at almost the same distance from the Danube River and Staraya Planina.
The city is located 170 km from Sofia, 150 from and 300 km from Varna.
The port closest to Pleven on the Danube River is 30 km away - Somovit.
To the north of Pleven is the international first-class route E-83 - Ruse-Bucharest. The Hemus (Sofia-) motorway under construction will pass through Pleven.
The international railway line Sofia-Bucharest-Kyiv-Moscow and internal Sofia-Varna also pass through the city.
History of Pleven
Traces of human activity on these lands date back to the end of the 5th millennium BC. Numerous archaeological finds testify to the high material and spiritual culture of the Thracians who inhabited this region for many centuries. Among them is the Valchetryn treasure, consisting of 13 cult vessels weighing 12.5 kg.
At the beginning of our era, these lands become part of the Roman Empire. Near modern Pleven, the village of Storgozia arises, and later a fortress is built there.
In the Middle Ages, the settlement was a fortified fortress, whose inhabitants were engaged in crafts, trade, and cutting of coins.
The name of the city comes from the word "chaff" (weed) because of the lush vegetation in the area.
During the Ottoman slavery, Pleven retains its Bulgarian appearance. During the Renaissance, the population was engaged in agriculture, handicrafts, trade, churches and schools were built.
It is here that the Bulgarian revolutionary Vasil founds the first revolutionary committee in the country.
During the liberation Russian-Turkish war in Pleven, the outcome of the war is being decided. After 5 months of fierce fighting, on December 10, 1877, Russian troops managed to defeat the army of Osman Pasha. Until 2002, this day was celebrated as the Pleven Holiday, and today as the Day of Appreciation.
After the Second World War, in the period 1944-1959, Pleven underwent significant changes in the economy, education and administration of the city. Large enterprises and combines are being created - machine-building, textile, tobacco processing, canning, furniture, etc.
In the southern part of Pleven, in 1965, the Nuclear Instruments Plant was created, which was the largest enterprise in the city.
The city was visited by more than half a million tourists a year, mainly from the former USSR.
Pleven today
Many former enterprises of Pleven after the democratic changes at the moment do not work, some of them have significantly reduced their production.
Today, light industry firms are mainly operating in Pleven, the leading ones are “96” and “Yana”. There are also a dozen medium-sized and more than 100 small firms operating in this industry.
Recently, there has been an increase in the size of investments.
Today Pleven is also developing as a rich agricultural region.
In addition to schools and a large number of professional gymnasiums, higher education is represented in the city - the Medical University and two colleges - Medical and Pedagogical.
Sights of Pleven
Pleven is rich in attractions, many of which are included in the List of 100 National Tourist Sites.
Most of them are connected with the Russian-Turkish war. Nearly 200 monuments are dedicated to the events of this war.
In the center of the city on the square is the Mausoleum of Russian and Romanian soldiers who died for the liberation of Pleven.
In honor of the 100th anniversary of the Pleven Obsada, a Panorama was built on a hill near the city "Pleven epic", created in the likeness of the Borodino panorama in Moscow.
House Museum "Tsar Liberator Alexander II". On December 11, 1877, the Russian emperor was welcomed in this house, which belongs to the family of Dryanovo craftsmen Vatsovi, after the liberation of Pleven.
In one of the most beautiful buildings in Pleven is located Regional Historical Museum, which preserves more than 180,000 museum exhibits and a rich scientific library.
5 km from the city is Wine Museum. The museum is located in a cave formation and consists of 5 galleries.
Interesting sights include the remains Roman fortress of Storgosia in the Kailka park.
12 km from Pleven is located nature reserve "Chernelka" with rich flora and fauna.
Valuable archaeological finds have been found in the valley of the Chernelka River - images of humans and animals dating back to the Bronze Age, prehistoric drawings, etc.
Of interest to visitors are also the prehistoric settlement near the natural rock column "Mechoka", the late antique and medieval fortress "Gradishche", "Tsarevata Cave".
On November 28 (old style), 1877, Plevna (Pleven) was taken by Russian troops. It took four long months of siege and four assaults to capture the Ottoman stronghold, which chained the main forces of the Russian army to itself and slowed down its advance in the Balkans. “Plevna - this name has become the subject of general attention. The fall of Plevna was an event, the onset of which everyone expected with intense attention from day to day ... The fall of Plevna decided the whole issue of the war ", - one of the capital's newspapers of that time wrote about the significance of Plevna. “In almost every war, events often occur that have a decisive influence on all subsequent operations. Such a decisive event was undoubtedly the battle of Plevna on November 28, 1877 ... "- Major General of the General Staff A.I. Manykin-Nevstruev stated in turn.
Plevna was at the crossroads leading to Ruschuk, Sofia and Lovcha. Wanting to stop the advance of the Russian troops, the Turkish mushir (marshal) Osman Pasha, having made a swift throw with his troops, occupied Plevna, ahead of the Russians. When our troops approached the city, the Turks erecting defensive fortifications appeared before their eyes. The first assault on Turkish positions, undertaken on July 8, 1877, did not bring success - having overcome three lines of trenches, Russian soldiers broke into the city, but were driven out by the Turks.
Having received reinforcements that ensured numerical superiority over the Turkish garrison, the Russian army launched a second assault on July 30, which also did not bring the expected result: having captured two trenches and three fortifications with huge losses, our troops were stopped at the redoubt, and then driven out by the Turkish counteroffensive. “This Second Plevna almost turned into a disaster for the entire army, - noted the military historian A.A. Kersnovsky . - The defeat of the IX Corps was complete, the entire rear of the army was seized by panic, under the influence of which they almost destroyed the only bridge crossing near Sistov. We had 32,000 fighters near Plevia with 176 guns. The Turks had 26,000 and 50 guns. (...) Our losses: 1 general, 168 officers, 7167 lower ranks. The only trophies are 2 guns. The Turks were out of action 1200 people. (...) The Grand Duke Commander-in-Chief completely lost his head and turned to the Romanian King Charles for help in terms that did not correspond to either the dignity of Russia or the honor of the Russian army ".
In order to cut off Plevna and prevent the Turks from receiving provisions without hindrance, the Russian command decided to attack Lovcha, occupied by a small Turkish garrison. The detachment of General M.D. Skobelev brilliantly coped with this task, taking Lovcha by August 22.
In the meantime, intensive preparations were underway for the third assault on Plevna, under which all free Russian forces were pulled together. On August 25, a council of war was held, at which most of the military leaders spoke in favor of an immediate assault, so as not to drag out the siege until winter. The Commander-in-Chief of the entire Danube Army, Grand Duke Nikolai Nikolayevich, who agreed with this argument, appointed August 30 as the day of the assault - the day of the Sovereign's namesake. “And the assault on August 30 became the Third Plevna for Russia! It was the bloodiest thing in all the wars that the Russians ever waged with the Turks. The heroism and self-sacrifice of the troops did not help, the desperate energy of Skobelev, who personally led them on the attack, did not help ... The "Keys of Plevna" - the redoubts of Abdul-bey and Reggie Bey - were taken, but General Zotov, who was in charge of all the troops, refused to support Skobelev, preferring to give up victory rather than weaken the "barriers" and "reserves". With his last effort, Osman (who had decided to abandon Plevna) snatched victory from a handful of Gortalov's heroes, who were bleeding in the sight of Zot's "reserves" standing with a gun at their feet "- wrote A.A. Kersnovsky.
The “White General” M.D. Skobelev, who brilliantly showed himself in this battle, was outraged: “ Napoleon rejoiced if any of the marshals won him half an hour of time. I won them the whole day - and they didn’t use it ”.
Having lost up to 16 thousand soldiers and officers (13 thousand Russians and 3 thousand Romanians) during the last most fierce assault, the Russian command decided to proceed with the blockade of the city.
Meanwhile, the army of Osman Pasha received new reinforcements and provisions, and the marshal himself received the title of "Gazi" (invincible) from the Sultan for his successes. However, successful Russian operations near Gorny Dubnyak and Telish led to a complete blockade of Plevna. The Russian-Romanian army besieging Plevna numbered 122 thousand people against almost 50 thousand Turks who had taken refuge in the city. Constant artillery fire, depletion of provisions and the onset of illness led to a significant weakening of the Turkish garrison. Cramped in Plevna by an iron ring of Russian troops four times superior to it, the army of Osman Pasha began to suffocate in this vice. However, the Turkish commander answered all proposals to surrender with a decisive refusal. Knowing the iron character of the "invincible" Osman Pasha, it was clear that under the circumstances he would make a last attempt to break through the besieging army.
In the early morning of November 28, taking advantage of the fog, the beleaguered Turkish army attacked the Russian troops. Having taken the advanced fortifications thanks to an unexpected and furious blow, the army of Osman Pasha was stopped by artillery fire from the second line of fortifications. And after the attack of the Russian-Romanian troops in all directions and the capture by Skobelev of Plevna itself, abandoned by the Turks, the position of Osman Pasha became hopeless. Seriously wounded in the leg, the Turkish commander realized the hopelessness of his situation and suspended the battle, ordering the white flag to be thrown out. The Turkish army surrendered unconditionally. During the last battle, Russian-Romanian losses amounted to about 1700 people, and Turkish - about 6000. The remaining 43.5 thousand Turkish soldiers and officers, including the army commander, were taken prisoner. However, highly appreciating the courage shown by Osman Pasha, Emperor Alexander II ordered that the marshal's honors be returned to the wounded and captured Turkish commander and that his saber be returned to him.
In just four months of the siege and fighting near Plevna, about 31 thousand Russian soldiers died. But the capture of Plevna was a turning point in the war, allowing the Russian command to release over 100 thousand people for the offensive, after which the Russian army occupied Andrianopol without a fight and approached Constantinople.
In 1887, on the tenth anniversary of the capture of Plevna, a monument to Russian grenadiers who distinguished themselves in this battle was unveiled in Moscow. The monument was designed by the architect V.O. Sherwood, inside the monument there was a chapel, the walls of which were lined with tiles and decorated with seven bronze plaques with the names of the dead soldiers and two with a description of the battle and the construction of the monument. A chapel-monument was built on the initiative and on the voluntary donations of the surviving grenadiers - participants in the Plevna battle. At the opening of the monument, as a warning to posterity, the senior adjutant of the headquarters of the grenadier corps, Lieutenant Colonel I.Ya. Sokol, said the following important words: “Let this monument, erected by grateful grenadiers to their fallen comrades, remind future generations from year to year, from century to century, how her faithful sons are able to stand up for the honor and glory of the Motherland, when they are inspired by the holy Orthodox faith, boundless love for the Tsar and Fatherland!”.
During the years of Soviet power, the Plevna Chapel miraculously survived, but at the same time it fell into a dilapidated state. Only in December 1993, the Government of Moscow handed over the chapel-monument to the Russian Orthodox Church, which, by decree of Patriarch Alexy II of Moscow and All Rus', in 1999 acquired the status of the Patriarchal Metochion. And from now on, every year at the chapel-monument, traditional events are held in memory of the Russian heroes - the liberators of Bulgaria.
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Fall of Plevna
Dmitriev-Orenburgsky N.D.
Capture of the Grivitsky redoubt near Plevna
The capture of Plevna by Russian troops was a key event in the Russian-Turkish war of 1877-1878, which predetermined the successful completion of the campaign on the Balkan Peninsula. The fighting near Plevna lasted five months and is considered one of the most tragic pages in Russian military history.
After forcing the Danube at Zimnitsa, the Russian Danube Army (Grand Duke Nikolai Nikolayevich (Senior)) advanced its Western Detachment (9th Corps, Lieutenant General) to the Turkish fortress Nikopol to capture it and secure the right flank of the main forces. After capturing the fortress on July 4 (16), Russian troops did not take active actions for two days to capture Plevna, located 40 km from it, the garrison of which consisted of 3 Turkish infantry battalions and 4 guns. But on July 1 (13), the Turkish corps began to advance from Vidin to strengthen the garrison. It consisted of 19 battalions, 5 squadrons and 9 batteries - 17 thousand bayonets, 500 sabers and 58 guns. Having passed a forced march of 200 km in 6 days, at dawn on July 7 (19), Osman Pasha went to Plevna and took up defense on the outskirts of the city. On July 6 (18), the Russian command sent a detachment of up to 9 thousand people with 46 guns (lieutenant general) to the fortress. On the evening of the next day, parts of the detachment reached the distant approaches to Plevna and were stopped by Turkish artillery fire. On the morning of July 8 (20), Russian troops launched an offensive, which at first developed successfully, but was soon stopped by enemy reserves. Schilder-Schuldner stopped fruitless attacks, and the Russian troops, having suffered heavy losses (up to 2.8 thousand people), returned to their original position. On July 18 (30), the second assault on Plevna took place, which also failed and cost the Russian troops about 7 thousand people. This failure forced the command to suspend offensive operations in the direction of Constantinople.
The Turks quickly restored the destroyed defenses, erected new ones and turned the nearest approaches to Plevna into a heavily fortified area with over 32 thousand troops defending it with 70 guns. This grouping posed a threat to the Russian crossing of the Danube, located 660 km from Plevna. Therefore, the Russian command decided to make a third attempt to capture Plevna. The western detachment was more than tripled (84,000 men, 424 guns, including 32,000 Romanian troops, 108 guns). The detachment was accompanied by Emperor Alexander II, Grand Duke Nikolai Nikolaevich and the Minister of War, which made it difficult to unify command and control of the troops. The planning and preparation of the allied forces for the offensive were stereotyped, it was planned to deliver strikes on the previous directions, the interaction between the troops advancing on each of them was not organized. Before the start of the offensive on August 22 (September 3), Lovcha was captured, and on the right flank and in the center of the battle formation of the Western Detachment, a 4-day artillery preparation was carried out, in which 130 guns participated, but the fire was ineffective - it was not possible to destroy the Turkish redoubts, trenches and disrupt the enemy's defense system.
Dmitriev-Orenburgsky N.D.
Artillery battle near Plevna. Battery of siege guns on Velikoknyazheskaya Hill
In the middle of the day on August 30 (September 11), a general offensive began. Romanian troops and the Russian infantry brigade of the 5th Infantry Division struck from the northeast, the Russian 4th Corps from the southeast, a detachment (up to 2 infantry brigades) from the south. The regiments went over to the attack at different times, entered the battle in parts, acted frontally and were easily repulsed by the enemy. On the right flank, the Russian-Romanian troops captured the Grivitsky redoubt No. 1 at the cost of heavy losses, but did not advance further. The Russian 4th Corps was not successful and suffered heavy losses.
Heinrich Dembitsky.
The battle on the Romanian part of the redoubt at c. Grivitsa
Only Skobelev's detachment managed to capture the Kouvanlyk and Isa-Aga redoubts in the second half of the day and open the way to Plevna. But the Russian high command refused to regroup forces to the south and did not support Skobelev's detachment with reserves, which the next day, having repelled 4 strong counterattacks by the Turks, was forced to retreat under the onslaught of superior enemy forces to their original position. The third attack on Plevna, despite the high military prowess, dedication and steadfastness of Russian and Romanian soldiers and officers, ended in failure.
Diorama "Battle of Plevna" from the Military Museum in Bucharest, Romania
The failure of all attempts to capture Plevna was due to a number of reasons: poor intelligence of the Turkish troops and their defense system; underestimation of the forces and means of the enemy; a template offensive in the same directions on the most fortified sections of the Turkish positions; the lack of maneuver by troops to attack Plevna from the west, where the Turks had almost no fortifications, as well as to transfer the main efforts to a more promising direction; the lack of interaction between the groupings of troops advancing in different directions, and the lack of clear control of all allied forces.
The unsuccessful outcome of the offensive forced the Russian high command to change the way it fought the enemy. On September 1 (13), Alexander II arrived near Plevna and convened a military council, at which he raised the question of whether the army should remain near Plevna or whether it was necessary to retreat across the Osma River. The chief of staff of the Western Detachment, Lieutenant General, and the Chief of Army Artillery, Lieutenant General Prince, spoke out for the retreat. For the continuation of the struggle for the fortress, the assistant chief of staff of the Danube Army, Major General and the Minister of War, Infantry General D.A. Milyutin. Their point of view was supported by Alexander II. The members of the council decided not to retreat from Plevna, to strengthen their positions and wait for reinforcements from Russia, after which it was supposed to start a blockade or a regular siege of the fortress and force it to surrender. To direct the siege work, an engineer-general was appointed assistant commander of the detachment of the Romanian prince Charles. Arriving at the theater of operations, Totleben came to the conclusion that the Plevna garrison was provided with food for only two months, and therefore could not withstand a long blockade. The newly arrived Guards Corps (1st, 2nd, 3rd Guards Infantry and 2nd Guards Cavalry Divisions, Guards Rifle Brigade) joined the Western Detachment.
In order to carry out the plan developed by the Russian command, it was recognized as necessary to cut the communications of Osman Pasha's army with a base in Orkhaniye. The Turks firmly held three fortified points on the Sofia Highway, through which the supply of the Plevna garrison was carried out - Gorny and Dolny Dubnyaki and Telish. The Russian command decided to use the troops of the Guard entrusted to the lieutenant general to capture them. On 12 (24) and 16 (28) October, after bloody battles, the guardsmen occupy Gorny Dubnyak and Telish. On October 20 (November 1), Russian troops entered Dolny Dubnyak, abandoned by the Turks without a fight. On the same day, the advanced units of the 3rd Grenadier Division, which arrived in Bulgaria, approached the settlement northwest of Plevna - Gorny Metropol, interrupting communications with Vidin. As a result, the garrison of the fortress was completely isolated.
On October 31 (November 12), the Turkish commander was asked to surrender, but he refused. By the end of November, the besieged garrison of Plevna found itself in a critical situation. Of the 50 thousand people who ended up in Plevna after the annexation of the Dolny Dubnyak garrison, less than 44 thousand remained. Taking into account the deplorable state of the garrison troops, Osman Pasha convened a military council on November 19 (December 1). Its participants made a unanimous decision to break through from Plevna. The Turkish commander expected to cross to the left bank of the Vid River, strike at the Russian troops in a northwestern direction on Magaletta, and then move, depending on the situation, to Vidin or Sofia.
By the end of November, the Plevna tax detachment consisted of 130 thousand combatant lower ranks, 502 field and 58 siege weapons. The troops were divided into six sections: the 1st - the Romanian General A. Chernat (consisted of Romanian troops), the 2nd - Lieutenant General N.P. Kridener, 3rd - Lieutenant General P.D. Zotov, 4th - Lieutenant General M.D. Skobelev, 5th - lieutenant general and 6th - lieutenant general. A detour of the Plevna fortifications convinced Totleben that an attempt by the Turks to break through would most likely follow in the 6th sector.
On the night of November 27-28 (December 9-10), taking advantage of the darkness and bad weather, the Turkish army left its positions near Plevna and secretly approached the crossings across the Vid. By 5 o'clock in the morning, three brigades of Tahir Pasha's division crossed to the left bank of the river. Wagon trains followed the troops. Osman Pasha was also forced to take with him about 200 families from among the Turkish inhabitants of Plevna and most of the wounded. Despite all the precautions taken, the crossing of the Turkish army was a complete surprise for the Russian command. At 7:30 the enemy rapidly attacked the center of the position
6th section, occupied by 7 companies of the 9th Siberian Grenadier Regiment of the 3rd Grenadier Division. 16 Turkish battalions drove the Russian grenadiers out of the trenches, capturing 8 guns. By 08:30 the first line of Russian fortifications between the Dolny Metropol and the Kopana grave was broken. The retreating Siberians tried to fortify themselves in the buildings scattered between the first and second lines of defense, but to no avail. At that moment, the 10th Little Russian Grenadier Regiment approached from the side of the Gorny Metropol, counterattacking the enemy. However, the heroic counterattack of the Little Russians failed - the regiment withdrew with heavy losses. At about 9 o'clock the Turks managed to break through the second line of Russian fortifications.
The plan of the battle near Plevna November 28 (December 10), 1877
The critical moment of the last battle of Plevna had come. The whole area north of Kopanaya Grave was littered with the bodies of dead and wounded grenadiers of the Siberian and Little Russian regiments. Corps commander Ganetsky arrived on the battlefield to personally lead the troops. At the beginning of 11 o'clock, the long-awaited 2nd brigade of the 3rd Grenadier Division (11th Fanagoria and 12th Astrakhan regiments) appeared from the side of the Gorny Metropol. As a result of the ensuing counterattack, the Russian grenadiers recaptured the second line of fortifications occupied by the enemy. The 3rd brigade was supported by the approaching 7th Grenadier Samogitsky and 8th Grenadier Moscow Regiments of the 2nd Division.
Chapel-monument in honor of the grenadiers,
who died in the battle of Plevna on November 28 (December 10), 1877
Pressed from the front and flanks, Turkish troops began to retreat to the first line of fortifications. Osman Pasha intended to wait for the arrival of the second division from the right bank of the Vid, but it was delayed due to the crossing of numerous convoys. By 12 noon, the enemy had also been driven out of the first line of fortifications. As a result of the counterattack, the Russian troops not only repulsed 8 guns captured by the Turks, but also captured 10 enemy ones.
Dmitriev-Orenburgsky N.D.
Last battle near Plevna November 28, 1877 (1889)
Lieutenant General Ganetsky, seriously fearing a new attack by the Turks, did not plan to pursue them. He ordered to occupy advanced fortifications, bring artillery here and wait for the enemy's advance. However, the intention of the commander of the Grenadier Corps - to stop the advancing troops - did not materialize. The 1st brigade of the 2nd grenadier division, which occupied the fortified position of the Dolne-Dubnyaksky detachment, seeing the retreat of the Turks, moved forward and began to cover them from the left flank. Following her, the rest of the troops of the 6th sector went on the offensive. Under the pressure of the Russians, the Turks at first slowly and in relative order retreated to Vid, but soon the retreating ran into their carts. Panic broke out among the civilians following the convoys. At that moment Osman Pasha was wounded. Lieutenant Colonel Pertev Bey, commander of one of the two regiments covering the baggage train, tried to stop the Russians, but to no avail. His regiment was overturned, and the retreat of the Turkish army turned into a disorderly flight. At the bridges, soldiers and officers, residents of Plevna, artillery pieces, wagons, pack animals crowded in a dense mass. The grenadiers approached the enemy at 800 paces, firing aimed rifle fire at him.
In the rest of the areas of encroachment, the blocking troops also went on the offensive and, having captured the fortifications of the northern, eastern and southern fronts, they occupied Plevna and reached the heights to the west of it. The 1st and 3rd brigades of the Turkish division of Adil Pasha, covering the retreat of the main forces of Osman Pasha's army, laid down their arms. Surrounded on all sides by superior forces, Osman Pasha decided to surrender.
Osman Pasha presents a saber to Lieutenant General I.S. Ganetsky
Dmitriev-Orenburgsky N.D.
Captured Osman Pasha, who commanded the Turkish troops in Plevna, is presented to His Imperial Majesty Sovereign Emperor Alexander II
on the day of the capture of Plevna by Russian troops on November 29, 1877
10 generals, 2128 officers, 41,200 soldiers surrendered; 77 guns delivered. The fall of Plevna made it possible for the Russian command to release more than 100,000 people for an offensive in the Balkans.
The capture of Plevna from 28 to 29 November 1877
Lubok publishing house I.D. Sytin
In the fighting near Plevna, methods of encirclement and blockade of the enemy group were developed. The Russian army applied new methods of infantry action, the infantry chains of which combined fire and movement, used self-digging when approaching the enemy. The importance of field fortifications, the interaction of infantry with artillery, the high efficiency of heavy artillery in the fire preparation of an attack on fortified positions was revealed, and the possibility of controlling artillery fire when firing from closed positions was determined. As part of the Russian troops near Plevna, the squads of the Bulgarian militia fought bravely.
In memory of the battles near Plevna, a mausoleum of fallen Russian and Romanian soldiers, the Skobelevsky park-museum, the historical museum "Liberation of Plevna in 1877" were built in the city, near Grivitsa - the mausoleum of Romanian soldiers and about 100 monuments in the vicinity of the fortress.
Skobelev Park in Plevna
In Moscow, at the Ilyinsky Gate, there is a monument-chapel to the Russian grenadiers who fell near Plevna. The chapel was built on the initiative of the Russian Archaeological Society and the military personnel of the Grenadier Corps stationed in Moscow, who collected about 50 thousand rubles for its construction. The authors of the monument were the famous architect and sculptor V.I. Sherwood and engineer-colonel A.I. Lyashkin.
Monument to the heroes of Plevna in Moscow
The material was prepared by the Research Institute
(military history) of the Military Academy of the General Staff
Armed Forces of the Russian Federation
- 85,000,000 m²
Pleven(Bulgarian, until the beginning of the 20th century in Russian the city was called Plevna) - in the northern part, a junction of railways and roads, the administrative center of the Pleven region and the Pleven community.
It is a major economic center of the North-Central region of Bulgaria.
Geographical position
The city is located on the Danube Plain, 35 kilometers from the Danube.
Story
In the I-II centuries. n. e. here, on the site of a previously existing Thracian settlement, the ancient Roman outpost of Storgosia was founded, later turned into a fortress.
In 441-448 years. the fortress was destroyed by the Huns, but then rebuilt.
At the beginning of the 4th century, the fortress and the settlement were surrounded by a stone fortress wall.
At the end of the 6th - beginning of the 7th century, the fortress was destroyed by the Slavs and Avars.
In the 9th century, a Slavic settlement arose on the site of the destroyed fortress.
In 1270, the city was first mentioned in a written source (under the name castrum Pleun).
At the beginning of the 15th century, the city was besieged and captured by the Turks, included in the Danube vilayet, for some time remained one of the centers of Bulgarian resistance, but later became the administrative center of the Nikopol Sanjak.
During the Russian-Turkish war of 1806-1812. in 1810, the city was occupied by a detachment of Major General M. S. Vorontsov, who destroyed the walls and the citadel of the Turkish fortress located here.
In 1868 the city became the administrative center of the Kaymakans.
Drawing from "VES"
After the start of the Russian-Turkish liberation war of 1877-1878. the garrison of the city was reinforced by the troops of Osman Pasha, on July 7, 1877, the siege of Plevna began (which lasted until the capitulation of the Turkish garrison on November 28, 1877 and became one of the largest battles of the war).
In 1890, the first educational institution in Bulgaria for training specialists in the field of winemaking and viticulture was opened in Pleven (later transformed into the Pleven Agricultural College).
In 1899, a railway line passed through the city.
After the end of the Second World War, the city was a commercial and industrial center, the basis of the economy of which were food enterprises (mills, oil refineries, distilleries) and light industry (cotton and linen) industries, agricultural machinery, cement and ceramics were also produced here.
In 1947, a large cannery was established here ( dzharzhaven canning plant "Georgi Kirkov").
In 1949 the city became the county seat.
In 1952, the Pleven stadium was built here.
In the 1970s - 1980s Pleven was a major center engineering, cement, glass, textile and food industry.
In 1999 the city became the center of the region.
Population
Pleven is the seventh most populous city in Bulgaria and the third largest city in northern Bulgaria (after and).
Political situation
Kmet (mayor) of the community of Pleven - Georg Spartanski according to the results of the 2015 elections
Science and education
In 1944, the Institute of Viticulture and Oenology was opened in the city, in 1954 - the Institute of Forage Crops, in 1974 - the Medical Institute.
Attractions
Art complex-panorama "Pleven epic 1877" - a museum dedicated to the liberation of Bulgaria from the Ottoman yoke. It was opened on December 10, 1977, the day when Pleven celebrated the 100th anniversary of its liberation. The monument is located on the territory of the park-museum. Skobelev, on the battlefield, near the Turkish fortification "Kovanlyk", taken by a detachment of Lieutenant General M.D. Skobelev on September 11, 1877.
Mausoleum of St. George the Victorious in Pleven, built in neo-Byzantine style in 1903 - 1907. in memory of the Russian and Romanian soldiers who died during the siege of Plevna during the Russian-Turkish war of 1877-1878. on donations from the people of Bulgaria.
The Regional Historical Museum officially founded in 1953, the museum moved in 1984 to its current building, which was built in 1884-1888 by the Italians as a barracks. The museum became regional on July 1, 2000, covering the Pleven and Lovech regions.
Wine Museum. The museum's wine collection is owned by Plamen Petkov, a major local vineyard owner who has invested more than $300,000 in temperature control systems, floors, and lighting in the cave that houses the museum.
Also in the city you can visit the monument to Totleben and the Historical Museum "Liberation of Plevna in 1877".
twin cities
The city of Pleven maintains cooperation with the following cities and administrative units:
Notable natives
- Emil Dimitrov, performer and composer. In 1970 he recorded a song dedicated to the city: Songs for Pleven.
- Katya Assenova Popova (1924-1966) - opera singer. People's Artist of the People's Republic of Bulgaria. Laureate of the Dimitrov Prize, I degree.
Notes
- Table per population is constant and current address Pleven region Pleven municipality (Bulgarian)
- Pleven // Great Russian Encyclopedia / editorial board, ch. ed. Yu. S. Osipov. volume 26. M., scientific publishing house "Big Russian Encyclopedia", 2014. pp. 395-396
- Pleven // Great Soviet Encyclopedia. / ed. A. M. Prokhorova. 3rd ed. volume 20. M., "Soviet Encyclopedia", 1975. pp. 21-22
- Plevna // Encyclopedic Dictionary of Brockhaus and Efron: in 86 volumes (82 volumes and 4 additional). - St. Petersburg. , 1890-1907.
- Rustem Pomak. Viticulture College // magazine "Bulgaria", No. 2, 1956. pp. 16-17
- Pleven // Big Encyclopedic Dictionary (in 2 vols.). / editorial board, ch. ed. A. M. Prokhorov. Volume 2. M., "Soviet Encyclopedia", 1991. p.155
- E. I. Vostokov. Greeks. 2nd ed., add. M., Military Publishing House, 1983. pp. 86-89
- Pleven // Great Soviet Encyclopedia. / editorial board, ch. ed. B. A. Vvedensky. 2nd ed. Volume 33. M., State Scientific Publishing House "Great Soviet Encyclopedia", 1955. p.232
- Pleven // Big Encyclopedic Dictionary (in 2 vols.). / editorial board, ch. ed. A. M. Prokhorov. Volume 2. M., "Soviet Encyclopedia", 1991. p.155
- Regional Historical Museum
- Petkova, Velichka. In Pleven, open the cave museum on wine (Bulgarian), Diary (September 17, 2008). Retrieved February 1, 2019.
- sister city (indefinite) . Pleven Municipality. Retrieved June 28, 2019.
Literature
- Todorova G., Vasilyeva M. Monuments of gratitude in the Pleven district / Gena Todorova, Maria Vasilyeva; Per. from Bulgarian Valentine of Christ; Ed. Nedyalka Khrischev-Mikhailov; Photo by Velcho Borisov. Military history museums - Pleven. - Sofia: Partizdat, 1976. - 160 p. - 8 110 copies.(in trans.)
- Anikin V.V. Monument to the grenadiers who fell near Plevna. (Sculptor V. O. Sherwood). - M.: Moskovsky worker, 1986. - (Biography of the Moscow monument).(reg.)
Links
- Site of the community of Pleven (Bulgarian)
- Website of the Pleven region (Bulgarian)
November 28 (December 11 according to the "new style"), 1877. The capture of Plevna by Russian troops. Surrender of the Turkish army by Osman Pasha
Monument to the Heroes of Plevna in Moscow (1887)
During the Russian-Turkish war of 1877-1878. for the liberation of the Balkan Slavs, the Turkish fortress of Plevna in Bulgaria was a serious threat to the right flank and rear of the Russian army, it chained its main forces to itself and slowed down the advance into the Balkans.
After a bloody four-month siege and three unsuccessful attacks, food supplies ran out in the besieged army of Osman Pasha, and on November 28 at 7 o'clock in the morning he made the last attempt to break through to the west of Plevna, where he threw all his forces. The first furious pressure forced our troops to retreat from the advanced fortifications. But the artillery fire of the second line of fortifications did not allow the Turks to break out of the encirclement. The grenadiers went on the attack and drove the Turks back. From the north, the Romanians attacked the Turkish line, and from the south, General Skobelev broke into the city.
Osman Pasha was wounded in the leg. Realizing the hopelessness of his situation, he threw out a white flag in several places. When Grand Duke Nikolai Nikolaevich appeared on the battlefield, the Turks had already surrendered. The last assault on Plevna cost the Russians 192 killed and 1252 wounded, the Turks lost up to 4000 people. 44 thousand surrendered, including Osman Pasha. Nevertheless, on the personal order of Emperor Alexander II, for the bravery of the saber shown by the Turks, his saber was returned to the wounded and captured Turkish general.
In just four months of the siege and fighting near Plevna, about 31 thousand Russian soldiers died. However, this was a turning point in the war: the capture of this fortress allowed the Russian command to release over 100 thousand people for the offensive, and a month later the Turks requested a truce. The Russian army occupied Andrianopol without a fight and approached Constantinople, but the Western powers did not allow Russia to occupy it, threatening to break off diplomatic relations (and England - and mobilization). Emperor Alexander II did not risk a new war, since the main goal was achieved: the defeat of Turkey and the liberation of the Balkan Slavs. So it seemed. Negotiations began on this. On February 19, 1878, peace was signed with Turkey at San Stefano. And although the Western powers did not allow then to achieve the complete unification of the Bulgarian lands, this war became the basis for the future independence of a united Bulgaria.
On the day of the tenth anniversary of the heroic battle, in the center of Moscow at the beginning of Ilyinsky Square, a chapel-monument to the grenadiers who fell in the battle near Plevna was consecrated. The chapel was built on the initiative and voluntary donations of the surviving grenadiers - participants in the Battle of Plevna. The author of the project was academician of architecture V.O. Sherwood. The cast-iron octagonal chapel ends with a tent with an Orthodox cross trampling the Muslim crescent. Its side faces are decorated with 4 high reliefs: a Russian peasant blessing his grenadier son before a campaign; a Janissary tearing a child out of the hands of a Bulgarian mother; a grenadier capturing a Turkish soldier; a Russian warrior breaking the chains from a woman personifying Bulgaria. On the edges of the tent there are inscriptions: "Grenadiers to their comrades who fell in the glorious battle near Plevna on November 28, 1877", "In memory of the war with Turkey in 1877-78" and a list of the main battles - "Plevna, Kars, Aladzha, Hadji Vali" . In front of the monument there are cast-iron pedestals with the inscriptions "For the benefit of the crippled grenadiers and their families" (there were mugs for donations on them). In the interior of the chapel, decorated with polychrome tiles, there were picturesque images of Saints Alexander Nevsky, John the Warrior, Nicholas the Wonderworker, Cyril and Methodius, bronze plates with the names of the dead grenadiers - 18 officers and 542 soldiers.