Teteven

Teteven ( _bg. Тетевен) is a town on the banks of the Vit, at the foot of Stara Planina in north central Bulgaria, part of Lovech Province.

The town was first mentioned in a written document in 1421. It is thought that the town's name comes from the family of a certain Tetyo ("Tetyov rod"), who settled in the area and founded the town. Older variants of the town's name found in documents are "Tetyuven" and "Tetyuvene".

A thriving city in the 16th and 17th century, Teteven was raided by organized Turkish brigand groups in 1801, burnt down and almost completely destroyed, with only 4 houses surviving out of a total of 3,000. The town later revived and was active in the armed struggle for Bulgarian independence in the 19th century, sheltering a revolutionary committee from Vasil Levski's organized rebel network.

Each summer in Teteven is held a big chess tournament, one of the biggest events in Bulgaria's chess calendar. Its 21st edition held in 2006 attracted 130 players from all over the country and ended up with victory of International Master Sasho Nikolov. The next tournament is scheduled for August 2007.

Honour

Teteven Glacier on Livingston Island in the South Shetland Islands, Antarctica is named after Teteven.

ee Also

*Lovech
*Lukovit
*Petrevene

External links

* [http://www.teteven.bg/ Teteven municipality portal (Bulgarian version)]
* [http://www.teteven.bg/curot_site_en/index.htm Teteven municipality portal (English version)]