|
| |
Ruse
|
| |
177 538
|
| |
13092005
|
| |
29
|
| |
7000
|
| |
082
|
| |
43° 51' 23″
|
| |
24° 58' 14″
|
| |
Bozhidar Yotov
|
(also transliterated as '''Ruse''' or '''Russe'''; , with a population of 178,000. Rousse is situated in the northern part of the country, on the southern bank of the
Danube , opposite the
Romania n city of
Giurgiu , 320
Km from the capital
Sofia and 200 km from the
Bulgarian Black Sea Coast . It is the most significant Bulgarian river port, serving an important part of the international trade of the country.
Rousse is known for its
19th and
20th Century Baroque and
Rococo architecture, which attracts many tourists. The
Giurgiu-Ruse Friendship Bridge , the only one in the shared Bulgarian-Romanian section of the Danube, crosses the river nearby.
The city emerged as a
Thracian settlement that developed into the
Roman military and naval centre ''Sexaginta Prista'' during the reign of
Vespasian (
69 -
70 ) as part of the fortification system along the northern boundary of
Moesia . The fortress was located on the main road between
Singidunum (modern
Belgrade ) and the
Danube Delta and was destroyed in the
6th Century by
Avar and
Slavic raids.
In the
13th -
14th Century , at the time of the
Second Bulgarian Empire , a fortified settlement called ''Rusi'' (first mentioned in
1380 ) emerged near the ruins of the Roman town that later strenghtened its position as an important trade centre with the lands on the opposite side of the Danube, until it was conquered by the
Ottomans in
1388 .
Central Library building]]
During
Ottoman Rule , the town was renamed ''Rusçuk'' and turned into a large fortress in the
18th Century , which later grew into one of the most important Ottoman towns on the Danube and an administrative centre of a
Vilayet that stretched from
Varna and
Tulcea to
Sofia and
Niš .
Rousse developed into one of the centres of the
Bulgarian National Revival and the
Bulgarian Revolutionary Central Committee .
After it was liberated from the Ottoman Empire on
20 February 1878 , Rousse was one of the key cultural and economic centres of the country and the seat of Bulgarian shipping. Intensive building during the period changed the city's architectural appearance to a typical
Central Europe an one.
A city noted for its rich culture, Rousse hosts the
Rousse Philharmonic Orchestra (established
1948 and the
Rousse State Opera (founded in
1949 ). Rousse is particularly famous for its
Baroque and
Rococo architecture. Other landmarks of the city include the 210-metre-high
Rousse TV Tower , the Holy Trinity Church (
1764 ), the Monument of Liberty (
1908 -
1911 ). The
Rock-hewn Churches Of Ivanovo , a
World Heritage Site , are situated 20 km south.
