Location: Ruse is located in the eastern part of the Danube Plain on the border with Romania, just 70 km away from Bucharest. It is located 194 km nord-west from Varna and 311 km nord-east from Sofia. The city is the largest Bulgarian port on the Danube River and connects with the Romanian city of Giurgiu through a bridge, which is also the shortest route to the Romanian capital.
Population: 167 000 inhabitants.
History: The city is also known as “Little Vienna”. Rouse is the only Bulgarian city that is distinguished by its very elegant architecture, reminding the architecture of most of the large European cities from the end of the 19th and the beginning of the 20th century. The central part of the city has impressive, baroque, Rococo and Gothic style buildings; cafes and restaurants, where lively intellectual conversations used to take place, music concerts were organized and large commercial transactions were concluded.
Ruse is a city with an ancient history, evidence of which can be found in the Historical Museum – it holds clay idols from the Ruse settlement hill, which date back to 5000 B.C. During the 1st century, the Romans build fortress here as a military outpost and gave the name of the city – “Sexaginta Prista”, meaning “Port of sixty ships”. All findings from the period of the First and the Second Bulgarian Empire prove the presence of a Bulgarian fortress and a settlement. After the fall of the Bulgarian state under the Ottoman rule, the fortress of Cherven, located close to today’s Ruse, was destroyed, which led to the the development of Ruse as a centre of the region. During the era of Bulgarian National Revival, thanks to its strategic geographic location, Ruse became a “gateway” through which European culture reached Bulgarian lands. This is where important events, which were significant for the economic and public development of Bulgaria after the liberation, took place for the first time. Ruse is the place, where the first railway track was built, as well as the first private bank, the first chamber of commerce, the first insurance company, the first manually moved elevator and the place where the first movie-theatre performance took place.
Landmarks:
- The Monument of Liberty was built in 1909 by the Italian sculptor Arnaldo Zocchi. The monument represents a bronze female body, symbolizing the liberated Bulgaria. It is found in the heart of Ruse and is a symbol of the city.
- Dohodno Zdanie (“the profitable building”) is one of the main architecture landmarks of Ruse. The building was designed and built by architects from Vienna in 1902. The magnificent main façade gives the feeling of the European image in the central part of the city. It was initially planned as a source of income to support the educational activities in the city. Today it hosts a theatre hall, and a picture gallery.
- Kaliopa House is located in a house, which is often associated with a romantic story about the love between the governor of the Danube vilaet Midhat Pasha and Kaliopa Klapish. It was a present for the beautiful Kaliopa from the Ottoman governor as a sign of his love. The house exhibits sample interiors, as well as collections of urban clothing, jewellery and other accessories, silver utensils and porcelain. The museum also exhibits the first grand piano brought from Vienna.
- The National Transport Museum is the only one in Bulgaria. Its building is located at the place, where the first railway track in the country passed by – Ruse – Varna (opened in 1866) and it was specially built for the needs of the famous Orient Express. The exposition contains authentic steam locomotives and different models of railway-cars including the personal coach of King Ferdinand I and the coach of the Ottoman sultan Abdul Azis.
Surroundings:
- The rock-hewn churches of Ivanovo are located 18 km south from the city of Ruse. They are distinguished by the other preserved rock monastery complexes in Bulgaria by their well-preserved mural paintings. The The Rock-hewn Churches of Ivanovo are included in the list of world cultural and natural heritage under the auspices of UNESCO.
- The Medieval fortress of Cherven is located 35 km south from the city of Ruse. Cherven is a medieval Bulgarian town and an archaeological site with significant contribution to the study of medieval Bulgarian culture. It is consisted of well-preserved fortress walls, 2 underground well-preserved water supply passes, 13 churches, a large feudal palace, houses, workshops and streets.
- Rusenski Lom Park is one the ten natural parks of Bulgaria. It is situated along the canyon-like valley of Rusenski Lom River – the last right tributary of the Danube River. It was declared protected territory in 1970 and spans on an area of 3408 ha. The park is famous as an interesting and valuable site with high aesthetic value – the presence of beautiful riverside terraces, meanders, high sheer cliffs, areas with rich variety of species, caves, rocky formations and historical monuments of national and international significance.
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