The town of Sliven is situated in the eastern part of the Gornotrakiiska valley at the immediate foot of Sliven Balkan (Eastern Balkan Mountains). Sliven is located 270 km east of Sofia, 28 km northwest of Yambol and 114 km west of Bourgas.
Most probably the name of Sliven derives from the location of the town, i.e. fusion of the field and the mountain as well as the three rivers Asenovska, Selishka and Novoselska. The town sprang up in the period VII – X century on an old military road from the Danube River to the mountain pass Vratnik (Jelezni vrata) in the Balkan Mountain to Tzarigrad.
During the Revival period Sliven became famous as “the town of the hundred chieftains” – Inge, Zlati, Kara Subi, Radoi, Hristo, Konda, Hadji Dimitar, Panaiot Hitov, Taniu Voevoda and many other. Georgi Ikonomov, one of the apostles of the April Rebellion, was born in the town, so were Sava Dobroplodni, Dr. Ivan Seliminski and Dobri Chintulov.

Landmarks
When visiting the town of Sliven one should call on the town Museum of history as well as the Museum for Renaissance art where a permanent exposition of Renaissance works and masterpieces is arranged. The ‘Hadji Dimitar Museum house’ is situated in the southwestern part of the town and comprises a complex of several buildings restored during different periods of time. It includes the native home with its interior, the inn and the rest of the farmhouses. The 19 century Sliven life style house museum is lodged in a building from 1813 with very interesting architecture. Modern Bulgarian art is on display in the ‘Sirak Skitnik Art gallery’.
The monument of Hadji Dimitar was built in 1935 in the center of the town. The figure of the legendary leader stands on a rectangular column. At the foot of the monument in special niches one can see the busts of other outstanding renaissance people from Sliven.
The historical elm tree approximately 600 years old is located in the center of Sliven and has probably witnessed many of the events in the history of the town. There are a lot of Christian temples in Sliven, most outstanding of all is the “St. Dimitar” church, situated in the center of the town.

Surrounding areas
The mountain place Karandila is located northeast of Sliven, among century-old forests. Here one will discover National Park “Sinite Kamani” (‘The Blue Stones’), where there are many interesting rock formations such as ‘Halkata’ (‘The Ring’). The area offers excellent opportunities for rest, sports and tourism. There are ski-tracks with two ski tag lines, a football field and a lake. Karandila is a point of departure for a number of well-marked tourist and eco-trails.
The mineral baths of Sliven are situated only 12 km southwest of Sliven, in the village of Zlati Voivoda, near the road to Nova Zagora.
Aglikina Polyana – the meadow of Aglika is 38 km northwest of Sliven, in Elena Balkan. It is a historical area that entered the Bulgarian national history as the most popular gathering place of chieftains. It is a wide meadow surrounded by venerable oak and beech trees.