Pleven Panorama

Currently there are 33 panoramas all over the world. And one of them which is the biggest in dimension is constructed in Pleven, situated about 170 km to the north-west of Sofia. Pleven is one of the largest Bulgarian towns with rich history and plenty of historical sights. Pleven is often linked with the five-months battles during the Russian-Turkish war 1877-78 which lead to the liberation of Bulgaria from the 500 years of Ottoman pressure. The Pleven Epopee 1877 Panorama reveals these events by means of painting, plastics and architecture in a whole art work. It was painted by a team of 11 Russian and 2 Bulgarian artists, author N. Ovetchkin, Moscow, Russia!

The Pleven Panorama was officially opened on 10 December 1977. The combination of the canvas (115/15m), the foreground (12m) and the illumination creates a feeling of preserved authenticity making the visitors actually feel the battle fought on 11 September 1877. The illusion effect which this area makes the visitors imagine (perspective up to 12km) manages to tear off the spectators from their daily routine and to transfer them “back in time”.
It is really extraordinary experience to visit this area because of its majestic atmosphere. One may feel they are being in the actual battle field and hear soldiers running, yelling, screaming; nurses running to and fro from one wounded to the other, hear the rattling noise of a rifle, etc.