History
History museum
Along the mall, the History Museum (622 495; ul Tsar Osvoboditel 18; admission 2 lv; 9am-noon & 2-5pm Mon-Sat) occupies a grand old building of three floors that house archaeological and ethnological items such as coins, weapons and books. The best exhibits concern the revolutionary struggle against the Turks.
Galeriya Dimitâr Dobrovich (622 083; ul Tsar Osvoboditel 13; admission free; 9am-12.45pm & 2-4.45pm Mon-Sat) is signposted from the centre as ‘Sirak Skirnik’. This art gallery in the park displays the works of 19th- and 20th-century Bulgarian artists, including many by its namesake, Sliven-born painter Dimitâr Dobrovich. Among the works, which display strong French and Italian influences, are portraits of local luminaries and ordinary people, as well as numerous impressionistic landscape paintings (including an evocative portrayal of Veliko Târnovo). The gallery’s most intriguing section, however, belongs to the Museum of Christian Art on the lower floor, which has a large collection of 18th- and 19th-century icons, some from the Tryavna school of icon painting. Works range from monumental wall icons to unique small pieces, the most unusual being an almost Oriental icon of the Virgin Mary surrounded by roses (1836).
Sliven
Things to do
- Restaurants (4)
- Sights (1)
