Svishtov is famous for its rich history of events, personalities and enterprising ventures. The town is highly recognisable on the map of Bulgaria's education because of D. A. Tsenov Academy of Economics.
Just like the other towns by the Danube, Svishtov's historical biography is intertwined with the large European river. It is commonly assumed that the town's name comes from "svesht" (candle) and svetlina (light), because before its foundation there were fishing huts on its location, near which fires were lit during the night to guide boats. Evidence has been found of prehistoric settlements and Thracian cities. The best preserved ruins to this day are those of the fortified ancient town of Nove, which existed from the 1st to 6th century AD. In the 1st century, it emerged as a military camp of the First Italian Legion and there was a civilian settlement attached to it as well. After its destruction, the settlement of the Kaleto Fortress continued to exist during the First Bulgarian Empire, the Byzantine rule, the Second Bulgarian Empire, and the Ottoman rule. In the 19th century, Svishtov paved the way for some of the most significant firsts on Bulgarian land: the first secular school, the first kindergarten, the first community centre, the first professional school, the first printing house, the first plyphonic choir, etc.
Apart from the must-see Nove exposition, visitors of Svishtov should head to the Ethnographic and Archaelogical Exposition, related to the passing of Russian troops in 1877, as well as the house museum of one of the most famous citizens of Svishtov — the writer and founder of the tourist movement in Bulgaria Aleko Konstantinov.