Rousse district – Cities

The town of Rousse is the centre of the district and has a population of 159 000 inhabitants. The town lies at a distance of 305 km from Sofia. It is situated at the lower current of the Danube River at the mouth of the Russenski Lom River at an altitude of 100 m. Rousse is the municipal administrative centre of 11 settlements. The town is the biggest river port in Bulgaria.

On the site of the present-day town there existed a 5 000 year-old settlement. It had well-structured housing and public buildings, streets and quarters. There are remains of this period which are kept in the history museum in Rousse. During 69-79 at the time of the Roman emperor Vespasian was built the fortress Seksaginta Prista. It was located on the main Danube road connecting Bulgaria to present-day Belgrade. The name of the fortress is met in three different variants: Seksaginta Prista, Seksanta Prista or only Prista. In translation the ancient name of the town means - the port of the 60 ships. In the town were dislocated the Roman military forces. The fortress Prista was demolished during the invasions of Avars and Slavs at the end of VI c. and the beginning of VII c. A.D. Later in IX-X c. over its ruins was founded a Bulgarian settlement which turned into a fortress on the bank of the river. The name of the settlement came from the cult to the holiday of Russalii - Russi - Rousse. After the mass conversion to Christianity of the Bulgarian population in IX c. Saint Georgi was chosen as the town's patron and it was named after him Gyurgevgrad. At the end of XIII c. a fore-bridge was built on the left bank of the river (in present-day Romania, which was part of the Bulgarian state at that time) and new two names of the town appeared - Golyamo and Malko Gyurgevo and sometimes Rousse and Gyurgevo.

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After the fall of Bulgaria under the Ottoman yoke the town was known with the name of Ruschuk. In Ruschuk were the headquarters of Kapudan pasha - the commander of the Danube navy. After the Krim's War a new country appeared on the map of Europe after the merging of the principalities of Vlashko and Moldova - Romania. The town of Bucharest is the capital of Romania and lies at a distance of 70 km from Russe. At the time of Midhat pasha - the governor of the Rousse vilayet/Ottoman province/- the town was modernized and were built modern streets with sidewalks and street lamps, numbers are placed on the houses etc. The embassies of Prussia, Spain, Belgium, the Netherlands and other countries were opened in the town. The town changed its outlook significantly and in 1878 after the Liberation it turned into a modern town with European outlook. More than 200 buildings are architectural monuments. The town of Rousse is the birth place of the Nobel price bearer Elias Kaneti.

The tourist sights of the town are: the history museum, the museum of the town's lifestyle from the end of XIX c., the museum of transport, the house-museum of Zahari Stoyanov, the museum of Baba Tonka, the temple "Sveta Troitza" /Holy Trinity/(1632) and others.

Other landmarks on the territory of Rousse District are: the Ivanovo rocky monastery included in the UNESCO Cultural Heritage List, the rocky monastery "St. Dimiter Besarbovski", the medieval fortress Cherven, the old theatre etc.

In the region are also located the "Russenski Lom" natural park, the "Beli Lom" reserve, the rocky phenomena - "Mamulya", "Stalpishte" and the cave "Orlova Chuka".

Tourist sights

Regional Historical Museum, town of Ruse

Regional Historical Museum, town of Ruse

The History Museum in Rousse keeps the Borovo Thracian treasure, the silver treasure of Cherven, collections of coins, porcelain, traditional costumes from the region. The building of the history museum was proclaimed for a monument of culture.

The Museum of the town's lifestyle is located in a Revival period house with rich decorations. The exhibition represents the lifestyle of the urban population from the end of XIX c. The visitors can see typical interiors of a living room, a parlour, a bedroom and a music hall.

The church "Sveta Troitza" /Holy Trinity/ was built in 1632 and was reconstructed several times after that. The murals were painted in 1797 and the iconostasis is from the beginning of the XIX c. The icons in the church were made in Moskva from representatives of the Troitzko-Sergeev's monastery.

The old theatre was built under a project of the architect Paul Blank. The building is in the "neoclassical" style with opportunities to house theatrical performances, concerts, a library and other cultural performances.

Monument of Liberty, town of Ruse

Monument of Liberty, town of Ruse

The monument of liberty in Rousse was built in 1906 from the Italian architect Arnaldo Dzoki. The statue is 3,75 m high with a sward in the left hand and raised right arm. On the platform of the statue there are also two bronze lions.

The Pantheon of the Revival-period prominent figures is a mausoleum in which are preserved the bones of great Bulgarians such as Angel Kunchev, Lyuben Karavelov, Zaharii Stoyanov, Stefan Karadzha, Panayot Hitov, Tonka Obretenova and her children, Panayot Volov.

The Ivanovo rocky monastery at the village of Ivanovo lies at a distance of 12 km south of the district centre. It was built with the funding and support of King Ivan Asen II in 1218-1241. The Ivanovo Rocky Monastery is a network of small rocky churches, chapels and cells dug into the rocks. They are at a height of 32 m above the level of the water. The cells are grouped around seven rocky churches. The oldest part of the monastery consists of the monks' cells around the "Buried church" and the "Baptizing church". They have characteristic smooth, carefully hewn walls and are interconnected through a system of paths and stairs. The second group of cells is by the church "Gospodev Dol" and to the east of them is the complex around the "Demolished Church". To the southwest of the "Pismata" site is "The Church". It is the most well-preserved in the monastery complex. In both parts of the rocky church there are depicted dozens of evangelical scenes- predominantly scenes from Christ's suffering. The rocky churches in the complex were 40 and the other buildings about 300.

The Ivanovo rocky monastery was included in the UNESCO Cultural Heritage List. The murals in the complex with rich colours and compositions date back to XIII - XIV c. and have a high artistic value.

The rocky monastery "St. Dimiter Besarbovski" at the village of Besarbovo was dug into the protruding rocks in XV c. It is the only one active rocky monastery.

The medieval fortress Cherven at the village of Cherven is the most well-preserved medieval fortress in Bulgaria. The remains of the fortress are located on a rocky hill. The medieval town was a significant military-administrative, economic and religious centre of the Second Bulgarian State. Cherven is the successor of an early-Byzantine fortress from VI c. which was established by a Thracian settlement. The significance of the town grew after 1235 when it became the centre of the medieval Cerven bishopric. The medieval town had an "internal town" over a huge rocky ridge in the meanders of the Cherni Lom River and an "external town" at the foot of the rocky ridge. The town had a complex fortification system and was densely built up. In XIV c. it was a big craftsman's centre with well-developed iron-production, iron-processing, goldsmith's trade, construction works, artistic and other crafts.


Rock-hewn Churches of Ivanovo

Rock-hewn Churches of Ivanovo

The village of Ivanovo lies at a distance of 18 km southwest of Rousse. Ivanovo is the administrative municipal centre of 10 settlements in the region. It has a population of 1 000 inhabitants. The municipality is specialized in the production of grains, fodder and technical cultures. According to historical facts the settlement is founded during the reign of King Ivan Asen II (1218-1241). The tourist sight of the village is the Ivanovo Rocky Monastery.


The town of Byala - the Belene bridge - built by the master-builder Kolyo Ficheto

The town of Byala - the Belene bridge - built by the master-builder Kolyo Ficheto

The town of Byala has a population of 10 000 inhabitants and lies at a distance of 53 km from the district town. Byala is the municipal centre of 10 settlements. It is situated at a big bend of the Yantra River at an altitude of 60 m. In the vicinities of the town there are Thracian mounds and a Roman fortress. At the beginning of XVII c. the settlement had only about 20-30 inhabitants. Due to migration processes the settlement grew and became the most populated settlement in the region between Rousse and Tarnovo. In 1867 the Revival-period master-builder Kolyo Ficheto finished the bridge over the Yantra River. With this unique for its time facility Midhat pasha connected Ruschuk (Russe) to the farthest town of his vilayet- the town of Nish. Byala became an important road station. In July 1877 the Russian Liberation troops entered the town of Byala. For about a month the Turkish governor's house became the headquarters of the Russian emperor Alexander II. Two military hospitals were also founded where Russian doctors and nurses worked. Among them are Julia Petrova Vrevska and Maria Neelova. The town's population built monuments to commemorate their great self-sacrifice.

The tourist sights of the town are: the clock tower from 1872, the church "St. Georgi" (XX c.), the history museum, the monument of baroness Julia Vrevska and the Belene Bridge.

Tourist sights

The Belene Bridge in the town of Byala was built by the master-builder Kolyo Ficheto in 1865-1867. The bridge is 276 m long and 9,5 m wide. It has 14 vaulted apertures carried by thick stone foundations. The Belene Bridge was decorated with stone plastic relieves under the cornice-swans, lions, nymphs, gryphons. Apart from artistic they have a functional significance. The master-builder received a medal and a financial reward for building the bridge by the Ottoman government.

The History Museum in Byala is situated in a Revival-period building where the Russian headquarters during the Russian-Turkish War from 1877-1878 were. The building was restored at the beginning of XX c. A large part of the exhibits in the museum were donated by the Russian government. The history museum houses also the tombstone of baroness Julia Vrevska who has worked as a nurse during the war.

The clock tower in Byala was built in 1872.


The town of Vetovo has a population of 5 000 inhabitants and lies at a distance of 32 km southeast of Rousse. Vetovo is the municipal centre of 6 settlements. In the vicinities of the town there are remains of prehistoric settlements. There are kaolin deposits near the town. The region is specialized in the production of grains and technical cultures, vine-growing and stock breeding.


The town of Senovo has a population of about 2 000 inhabitants and lies at a distance of 46 km southeast of Rousse. There are kaolin deposits on the territory of the town. The region is specialized in the production of grains, sunflower and tobacco.

In the town of Senovo there is a prehistoric settlement mound and about 20 Thracian mounds, ancient and medieval settlements.


Medieval fortress of Cherven

Medieval fortress of Cherven

The town of Dve Mogili has a population of about 4 600 inhabitants and lies at a distance of 32 km southwest of Rousse. Dve Mogili is the municipal centre of 11 component settlements. In the vicinities of the town there are remains of a late-ancient-times fortress. The first written evidence of the present-day town was found in the Turkish tax documents from 1694. There are mentioned the size of the town, the main means of living and the typical characteristics of the town. During the Russian-Turkish War of 1877-1878 the region was the centre of important military action. Near the town of Dve Mogili is located the village of Cherven. The archaeological reserve "The Ancient town of Cherven" is a complex of a medieval fortress' ruins. One of the towers of the fortress is preserved with a height of 12 m, an underground tunnel connecting the town to the water reservoir as well as the remains of 12 churches and the boyar's castle.


Thracian treasure, Borovo

Thracian treasure, Borovo

The town of Borovo has a population of about 3 000 inhabitants and lies at a distance of 42 km southwest of the district town. Borovo is the municipal administrative centre of 6 settlements. Near Borovo are situated the remains of settlements dating from the eneolith, the Iron and Middle Ages. In the vicinities of Borovo was discovered a treasure dating back to the first half of IV c. It consists of 5 vessels made of silver with golden coating and rich relief decoration. The municipality is specialized in agriculture.


The village of Tzenovo lies at a distance of 69 km southwest of the district town of Rousse. Tzenovo is the municipal centre of 8 component settlements. The village is situated in the eastern part of the Danube Plain by the Yantra River. Tzenovo has a population of about 2 000 inhabitants. The village was known under the name of Chaushevo until 1934. The municipality is specialized in the dairy industry, wine making, the production of grains and technical cultures. On the territory of the municipality there are Thracian mounds and remains of an ancient and a medieval settlement.


The village of Slivo Pole lies at a distance of 24 km northeast of Rousse. Slivo Pole is the municipal centre of 9 settlements. It has a population of about 3 400 inhabitants. The region of the municipality is specialized in the food-processing industry and agriculture. On the territory of the municipality there are archaeological remains of a Thracian settlement.

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