The Town
At the southern end of Danail Popov, in a paved plaza stands the sunken Church of Sveti Nikolai . A nineteenth-century portrait of the saint himself presides over the doorway of this simple structure, believed to date from the 1300s. Inside is a collection of icons, including works by the Samokov masters Stanislav Dospevski and Zahari Zograf, although many of the most attractive are by anonymous artists from villages in the Pleven region. An eighteenth-century Council of All the Saints from the village of Koinare is particularly outstanding, with a cluster of golden haloes hovering above the heads of the holy ones. Beyond the church lies ul. Vasil Levski , Pleven's busiest thoroughfare, lined with smart cafes and bars. Follow this south and you'll pass the Museum of Liberation in the park between Vasil Levski and bul. Osvobozhdenie (Tues-Sat 9am-noon & 1-6pm; US$1.50), occupying the small wooden house where the Turkish commander Osman Pasha formally surrendered to Tsar Aleksandar II. Here you'll see weaponry, mementos and plans lovingly detailing each phase of the battle. A little further on is pl. Vuzrazhdane, the city's main square , a fountain-splashed expanse of flagstones, flowers and shrubs dominated by a Russo-Byzantine-style mausoleum (daily 9am-noon & 1-6pm; free), built to commemorate the Russian soldiers who died at Pleven, although the number of Romanian names on the lists of the fallen makes it clear who saw the worst of the fighting. Garishly modernist grey-and-brown frescos swirl around inside, while marble tombs and plaques adorn the crypt. To the west of the square are the old public baths , a curious pseudo-Byzantine structure whose red-and-white striped facade could be easily mistaken for that of a church. It's now home to the Svetlin Rusev gallery (officially Mon-Fri 10.30am-6.30pm; US$1.50), honouring the Pleven-born painter and former Politburo member. His florid figurative works look strangely conservative when compared to the postwar art of the West, and are easily outshone by the other pieces in the collection - notably a striking self-portrait by Vladimir Dimitrov-Maistor.
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