The town of Silistra is the district centre with a population of 40 000 inhabitants. It lies at a distance of 430 km northeast of Sofia. It is situated on the right bank of the Danube River in the northeastern part of Bulgaria.
Tourist sights
The first written evidence for the existence of the settlement is an order of emperor Trayan from 106 for the dislocation of Claudius legion from Panonia to Durostorum. The Roman legion stayed for almost three centuries in the settlement. During that period many big and nice public buildings, temples, basilicas, baths, marble statues and bas-reliefs were built. The Roman Tomb is the most popular monument of the ancient town of Durostorum both in the country and abroad. It is a well preserved tomb and a Roman early-Christianity necropolis. It is decorated with mural paintings of the Egyptian and Syrian styles. Durostorum is the home place of the Roman leader Flavius Aetius, who defeated Attila, leader of the Huns in 451. The settlement was visited by the emperors Diocletian and Valent. The town was in decline in V c. after the invasions of the Goths, Huns, and Avers. In VI c. during the reign of emperor Justinian the town was restored and became an Episcopal town. The Slavs settled in the town in 590 and gave it a new name - Druster. The town became a fortress in the Bulgaria state and played a key role at the conversion of the Bulgarians to Christianity. In 969 Druster was conquered by the Kiev's prince Svetoslav and later in 972 emperor Cimishius conquered the fortress and gave it the name of Teodorupol. In 976 the town fell into the hand of the Bulgarian king Samuil and was again a Bulgarian dominion. Until the end of the millennium the town remained within the limits of Bulgaria.
For almost two hundred years the rulers of Druster were often changed until 1185 when it entered the limits of the Bulgarian state again. In 1381 the Turks conquered Silistra. The town received its present-day name after some negotiations between the Bulgarian king Shishman and Sultan Murad. Silistra entered the limits of the Ottoman Empire in 1413. At that time it was a thriving port and its fortress - an important part of the defense system. At different periods various battles between the Russian and the Turkish armies were waged in the region of Silistra. Prominent Russian generals took part in some of them such a Kutuzov, Suvorov, Bagration and others. In 1854 the great Russian writer Lev Tolstoy was in the town as an officer in the Krym's War between Russia and Turkey. The town was liberated in 1878.
After a military conflict between Bulgaria and Romania in 1913 the town was conquered by the Romanian army and later in 1940 was returned to the limits of the Bulgarian state after the signing of a peace pact.
The tourist sights of the town are: the history museum, the ethnographic museum, the Roman Tomb, the remains of the ancient town, the art gallery, the church "St. St. Peter and Pavel" (1862).
On the territory of Silistra District are situated the following natural phenomena: the lake Srebarna, included in the UNESCO Cultural Heritage List, the protected sites " Blaten Kiparis", "Malak Preslavetz", "Garvanskite blata".
Important ornithological sites are: Srebarna, Kalimok, Stenata and Pozharevo Island.
Silistra District is also famous for its wine manufacturers. Among the most popular wineries in the region are Silistra and Tutrakan.
Archaeological exhibition at Silistra Regional Museum of History
The History Museum in Silistra houses about 6 000 monuments. It is located in a beautiful building - a monument of culture. The history of Silistra can be seen in the history museum from the monuments of the ancient and medieval times. Among them there are unique exhibits - a Roman stone sun-clock, the biggest ever found on our lands, a headpiece-mask, gold ornaments, a column of khan Omurtag and others.
The archaeological remains of Dorustorum- Druster are situated in the town's park along the Danube River. Today one can see the foundations of the fortified walls, a medieval church complex, the bath and other remains.
The Roman Tomb in Silistra was discovered in 1942 and was proclaimed for one of the most significant monuments from the late ancient period. The tomb is a single chamber vaulted sepulcher built of semi-finished stones of pink mortar. The tomb's vault is filled with bricks. It is west-east oriented of 3,30 x 2,60 m size and a height of 2,30 m. The entrance is from the east formed of three stone blocks, while the floor is covered with rectangular ceramic tiles. The whole internal part is painted in grey-white lime solution mixed with plaster over which, before being completely dry, the colouring substances are used.
The whole tomb is covered with paintings. Along the southern, western and northern walls are formed paintings in green frames with sizes of 1,30 x 0,80 m. One can still see the human figures in the framed paintings.
The "Medzhidi Tabia" fortress in Silistra was built in the period between 1841 and 1853. In 1847 sultan Abdul Medzhid visited the fortress and after that it was named after him "Medzhidi tabia". The fortress has the form of a hexagon and reaches a height of 8 m. The idea for building the system of military fortifications belongs to the German engineer Helmut Fon Moltke. The fortress was finished at the dawn of the Krym's War with Russia. "Medzhidi tabia" fortress is the most well-preserved fortress from the six fortresses built by Moltke.
Museum of Danube Fishing and Boat Building, town of Tutrakan
The town of Tutrakan has a population of 10 000 inhabitants. It is situated on the high Danube bank at an altitude starting from 18 m along the river bank and reaching up to 126 m at the plateau. The town lies at a distance of 58 km east of Rousse and 62 km west of Silistra. Tutrakan is the centre of a municipality of 14 component settlements.
Tutrakan was the defense system built by the Lower Danube settlers. In III c. A.D. emperor Diocletian visited the town. The town's present-day name was mentioned for the first time in XVI c. The names of two Russian generals are related to the history of the town - Suvorov, who conquered the fortress in 1773 and Kutuzov who did it in 1810. In XIX c. the fortress was demolished during the Russian-Turkish war. From 1913 till 1940 Tutrakan was part of Romania.
The tourist sights of the town are: the church "St. Nikolai"- built in 1865, the museum of the Danube fishing, remains of a Roman fortified wall and a defense battle tower.
The town of Dulovo has a population of 7 000 inhabitants. The town lies at a distance of 41 km southwest of Silistra. Dulovo is the centre of a municipality with 26 settlements. The territory of the municipality covers the farther northern part of the Ludogorie. The town was known under the name of Akkandalar until 1934. The first written evidence of the existence of the town dates back to 1573 in a Turkish-Arabic document preserved in the National library. The settlement was proclaimed for a town in 1960 with a decree from the National Assembly. The town is an important transport junction. Through Dulovo passes the railway line to Silistra and the roads to Razgrad, Shumen, Silistra and Rousse.
The village of Sitovo lies at a distance of 26 km southwest of Silistra. Sitovo is a municipal centre of 11 settlements. The village has a population of about 1 000 inhabitants. The region is specialized in agriculture. On the territory of the municipality there are remains of a Thracian, Roman and medieval Bulgarian settlement.
The village was described in the Ottoman documents from XVII c.
The town of Alfatar
The town of Alfatar has a population of 2 000 inhabitants and lies at a distance of 20 km south of Silistra. Alfatar is the centre of a municipality with 6 settlements. The town was mentioned in the Ottoman documents from 1620. The tourist sights of the town are the ethnographic museum and the church "Sveta Troitza" /Holy Trinity/ - 1846.
The village of Kaynardzha lies at a distance of 29 km southeast of the district town of Silistra. Kaynardzha is a municipal centre of 14 settlements in the region. The village has a population of about 1 000 inhabitants. The village was registered in the Ottoman registry books in XVI and XVII c. The municipality is specialized in the production of apricots, gains and vine-growing.
The tourist sight of the village is the fountain in the centre of the village where in 1774 Russia and Turkey signed a peace pact.
The town of Glavinitza has a population of 2 000 inhabitants and lies at a distance of 50 km southwest of the district town. Glavinitza is a municipal administrative centre of 22 settlements. The region is specialized in agriculture.
