sugar and sugar products in Bulgaria. Apart from the major sugar factory Zaharni Zavodi Ltd. the town hosts numerous smaller firms producing sweets and pastries. Sugar factory "Zaharni Zavodi — Gorna Oryahovitsa" The company was founded in 1912 as the "Bulgarian-Czech joint stock company for sugar industry". The factory first opened in 1913 and in 1926 it expanded to produce ethanol, utilizing the molasses, which is a byproduct of sugar cane processing. The following year a nearby confectionery factory was purchased and new production units were put in operation to produce pottery, glucose, potassium carbonate and dry fodder. In 1948 the factory was nationalized and renamed "Zaharni Zavodi". During the years of socialism the company continued its development, buying new machines and opening new factories whose products were exported to the Balkans, USSR, Turkey and other countries. Many of its products such as menthol candies, halva, turkish delight and lemon jelly slices could be found in almost any Bulgarian home. In 2002 the company was privatized. Today Zaharni Zavodi is the largest food production complex in Bulgaria consisting of several factories – for sugar production, for confectionery, for ethanol and high-protein fodder, a printing house, a 12 MWe thermal power plant and a mechanical repair plant. Around 800 people work in the factory and the company is listed on the Sofia Stock Exchange. Skladova Tehnika AD is one of the largest Bulgarian manufacturers of wood stoves, fireplaces, hoisting equipment, lifting platforms and cranes. The company was founded in 1916 and in the time of the People's Republic of Bulgaria the company exported its production to the USSR, Romania, other socialist countries and countries from Asia and Africa. The Rahovets compact oven became one of the most common home appliances in Bulgaria since its introduction in 1973 and is still in production today. Bultraf EOOD is one of the biggest manufacturers of transformers in Northern Bulgaria. The company was founded in 2004. Day and Night Ltd is a sweets company that produces the popular brand of wafers "Borovets". Twin towns – sister cities Gorna Oryahovitsa is twinned with: Smalyavichy, Belarus (1998) Cherepovets, Vologda Oblast, Russia (1998) Waren an der Müritz, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany (2001) Roșiorii de Vede, Romania (2003) Szigetszentmiklós, Hungary (2004) Statte, Italy (2007) Narva, Estonia (2012) Büyükçekmece, Turkey (2013) Myrhorod, Poltava Oblast, Ukraine (2013) Culture During the last 15 years, Gorna Oryahovitsa has been developing an intensive festive activity. Some