Pleven

Because we are stranded at this point on the Danube, J.J. has had to improvise activities. This morning, continuing our streak of sunny clear days, we all headed to Pleven, the seventh largest city in Bulgaria with a population of about 100,000. Our guide was Milo who did an excellent job of describing education and employment and some of the turbulent history of the country during the ~45-minute drive on fairly decent roads – quite unlike much of yesterday’s marathon drives.

Our first stop was the centre of the city where we had free time to explore. There was a shopping centre, but all we needed there were the washrooms. Doug and I walked down the pedestrian shopping street. There has been a push to insulate buildings with Styrofoam attached to the outside. All daycares and schools have now been insulated, using funds specially designated for that purpose given out by the European Union. It was fairly easy to pick out which places have done the insulating and restoration – they stand very handsomely among the other, mostly raggedy-looking buildings.

One of the major industries of Pleven is its 70 fabric/material manufacturing businesses. Much of the fabric from here goes to the couture houses of France like Chanel. There were so many shops selling fancy dresses and men’s tuxedos along the main street. It’s hard to imagine that there is enough demand to support that much supply. Milo confirmed for us that little shops spring up, stay open for a few months, and then close, not just dress stores but cafés, bookstores, repair shops and so on. The Bulgarian economy is shaky because its population is in a freefall – it has lost almost 1/3 of its residents in the past 30 years, many to emigration. Fun fact – the second largest population of Bulgarians in the world is in Chicago.

We popped back on the bus for a short ride to the Pleven Panorama. This is a huge monument and museum built in 1977 to remember the 100th anniversary of the Battle of Pleven. This battle was a pivotal victory in the ousting of the Turks of the Ottoman Empire. In 1878, Bulgaria emerged, for the third, and hopefully last, time as an independent nation. It was odd to hear that the Panorama was built while Bulgaria was under Communist rule, and that it was built in less than a year. That perhaps explains why there is no functioning elevator. Some travellers had to bypass the second and third floors because of the climbing involved. The top floor is round, and the walls show in a panorama the Battle of Pleven, along with diorama elements which gave it a wonderful 3-D effect.Read more