Svishtov, Bulgaria
Some of the old houses of Svishtov
Positioned by the river Danube, Svishtov has immerged from the Roman city Nove (the remains of which are in the vicinity of the present day city). This then became the Byzantine city and port of Nove. Sometime in the middle ages, it is known to have been called Stuklen (made of glass), but later its name became Svishtov – from the word Svesht (candle). May be it came from the fact that there always was a candle lit in the houses, to guide the boatmen on the river Danube in the night.
We had never been to Svishtov and recently visited the city. It had the fame of one of the richest
An exciting sculpture in Svishtov
cities in Bulgaria, with many affluent merchants and traders, who used the Danube port for exports and who set up the first Commerce School , and later the first Finance-Economic University in Bulgaria 1936.
Despite the fact that it was almost completely destroyed in the Russian-Turkish War in 1810, the city revived quickly and was later described by travelers as a European city with European markets. Many Bulgarian Renaissance cultural, artistic and political personalities originate from here and after the liberation of Bulgaria, participate in the first Governments.
The front of Aleko’s house
Svishtov is also the birthplace of Aleko Konstantinov – one of the colossi of Bulgarian Literature. The Konstantinov family house is situated in a part of town, just above the port, where other Renaissance houses around remind you of the affluence of the Svishtov traders. Aleko’s father was a grain merchant, whose work supported the whole family. The house is now a museum which has a beautiful garden and allows the visitor to learn about the background of both his father and mother. Aleko worked as a 14-year old in the office of the Governor of the city during the Russian-Turkish war, which was in his father’s house. Later he went to Russia and graduated a secondary school in Nikolayev and University in Odessa. On his return to Bulgaria, he settled in Sofia and became a judge, a journailt and a writer. In his free time, he wrote and travelled, visiting Paris, America – Chicago, Prague and also became the father of the mass tourism in the country. He was killed at the age of 36, presumably by politcal rivals, but possibly by mistake. By then all his family had
The back of Aleko Konstantinov’s house
died from tuberculosis.
By the time we looked around Aleko’s birthplace, it was time for lunch. We asked people and were told that the best restaurant in Svishtov is also called Svishtov and was housed on the ground floor and the garden of the Historical Museum (the latter is open on request only). It is situated not far from Aleko’s house. We really enjoyed eating in the shade of the umbrellas and the trees there!
On the way to the cathedral, we passed the grand and beautiful building of the Commerce school, still impressing. One of the gems of the city is the St Trinity Cathedral, – the last work of the greatest Bulgarian Architect Kolyo Ficheto. Most of the icons are the work of the famed Svishtov painter and teacher Nikoloy Pavlovich. The architecture of the building is unique – interesting solutions for windows make the interior very bright, the turning columns warn for earthquakes.
The St Trinity Cathedral
We also visited the oldest Church – St Dememtrius, dating from 1640, recently renovated by a donor. We climbed the hill towards the Kale, where some remains of the castle exist and then found our way precariously down the hill.
We never managed to go down to the river, as the possible paths down were not marked and we had no time to
The Commerce School and University
experiment. It seemed sad, that the the visitors of the city and the tourists have no proper access to the river in the same way as in Vidin, so that they can walk by its side in a lovely riverside park! The port now takes most of the riverside, to the left of it, one notices a forest – a missed opportunity of access in my book. I gathered that local people know which streets to take to get there, but it was not clear to us.
Before we departed we decided to visit the specialist shop of the Svishtov Vinery and purchased some of their best wines – Oreo, Gorchivka and Legion. Again, if we were not taken there, we would have never found it! In this way, we will continue to think of our visit to Svishtov later, at home.
The historic houses of Svishtov
What you see from the river Danube
The hills on which Svishtov is postioned
More of Svishtov