Ruse (also transliterated as Rousse, Russe; bg, Русе ) is the
fifth largest city in
Bulgaria
Bulgaria (; bg, България, Bǎlgariya), officially the Republic of Bulgaria,, ) is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the eastern flank of the Balkans, and is bordered by Romania to the north, Serbia and North Macedon ...
. Ruse is in the northeastern part of the country, on the right bank of the
Danube
The Danube ( ; ) is a river that was once a long-standing frontier of the Roman Empire and today connects 10 European countries, running through their territories or being a border. Originating in Germany, the Danube flows southeast for , pa ...
, opposite the Romanian city of
Giurgiu
Giurgiu (; bg, Гюргево) is a city in southern Romania. The seat of Giurgiu County, it lies in the historical region of Muntenia. It is situated amongst mud-flats and marshes on the left bank of the Danube facing the Bulgarian city ...
, approximately south of
Bucharest
Bucharest ( , ; ro, București ) is the capital and largest city of Romania, as well as its cultural, industrial, and financial centre. It is located in the southeast of the country, on the banks of the Dâmbovița River, less than north of ...
,
Romania
Romania ( ; ro, România ) is a country located at the crossroads of Central Europe, Central, Eastern Europe, Eastern, and Southeast Europe, Southeastern Europe. It borders Bulgaria to the south, Ukraine to the north, Hungary to the west, S ...
's capital, from the
Bulgarian Black Sea Coast
The Bulgarian Black Sea Coast (), also known as the Bulgarian Riviera, covers the entire eastern bound of Bulgaria stretching from the Romanian Black Sea resorts in the north to European Turkey in the south, along 378 km of coast ...
and from the capital
Sofia
Sofia ( ; bg, София, Sofiya, ) is the capital and largest city of Bulgaria. It is situated in the Sofia Valley at the foot of the Vitosha mountain in the western parts of the country. The city is built west of the Iskar river, and ha ...
. Thanks to its location and its railway and road bridge over the
Danube
The Danube ( ; ) is a river that was once a long-standing frontier of the Roman Empire and today connects 10 European countries, running through their territories or being a border. Originating in Germany, the Danube flows southeast for , pa ...
(
Danube Bridge
The Danube Bridge (also known as the Friendship Bridge; bg, Мост на дружбата, ''Most na druzhbata'' or, more commonly, Дунав Mост, ''Dunav most''; ro, Podul Prieteniei or ''Podul de la Giurgiu'') is a steel truss bridge ...
), it is the most significant Bulgarian river port, serving an important part of the international trade of the country.
Ruse is known for its 19th- and 20th-century
Neo-Baroque and
Neo-Rococo
The Rococo Revival style emerged in Second Empire France and then was adapted in England. Revival of the rococo style was seen all throughout Europe during the 19th century within a variety of artistic modes and expression including decorative ...
architecture, which attracts many tourists. It is often called the
Little Vienna. The
Ruse-Giurgiu Friendship Bridge, until 14 June 2013 the only one in the shared Bulgarian-Romanian section of the Danube, crosses the river here.
Ruse is the birthplace of the
Nobel laureate in Literature
)
, image = Nobel Prize.png
, caption =
, awarded_for = Outstanding contributions in literature
, presenter = Swedish Academy
, holder = Annie Ernaux (2022)
, location = Stockholm, Sweden
, year = 1901
, ...
Elias Canetti
Elias Canetti (; bg, Елиас Канети; 25 July 1905 – 14 August 1994) was a German-language writer, born in Ruse, Bulgaria to a Sephardic family. They moved to Manchester, England, but his father died in 1912, and his mother took her t ...
and the writer
Michael Arlen
Michael Arlen (16 November 1895 – 23 June 1956), born Dikran Kouyoumdjian ( hy, Տիգրան Գոյումճեան), was a British essayist, short story writer, novelist, playwright, and scriptwriter of Armenians, Armenian origin, who had his ...
.
Ruse is on the right bank of the river Danube, which is the high bank, having two underwater terraces and three
river terrace
Fluvial terraces are elongated terraces that flank the sides of floodplains and fluvial valleys all over the world. They consist of a relatively level strip of land, called a "tread", separated from either an adjacent floodplain, other fluvial te ...
s at , , and . The average altitude is
AMSL
Height above mean sea level is a measure of the vertical distance (height, elevation or altitude) of a location in reference to a historic mean sea level taken as a vertical datum. In geodesy, it is formalized as ''orthometric heights''.
The comb ...
. The urban area is an approximately 11-km ellipse running along the river. The city extends from the land-connected Matey () island and the mouth of
Rusenski Lom
The Rusenski Lom ( ) is a river in northeastern Bulgaria, the last major right tributary of the Danube. It is formed by the rivers Beli Lom and Cherni Lom, the former taking its source south of Razgrad and the latter southeast of Popovo.
The so ...
on the west to Srabcheto () hill on the east. During the 20th century, the west end of the city was significantly modified by moving the mouth of
Rusenski Lom
The Rusenski Lom ( ) is a river in northeastern Bulgaria, the last major right tributary of the Danube. It is formed by the rivers Beli Lom and Cherni Lom, the former taking its source south of Razgrad and the latter southeast of Popovo.
The so ...
to the west, as well as by moving the bank itself with its fairway considerably to the north. Sarabair (, from Turkish meaning "Yellow Slope") hill is to the south of the city and is high. The
Rousse TV Tower
The Rousse TV Tower is a 204-metre-high TV tower built of reinforced concrete at Rousse, Bulgaria. Originally, the structure was constructed as a 206-metre-high TV tower with a cafe/restaurant on top and was the tallest one on the Balkan peninsu ...
is built there on the remains of Leventtabia, a former Turkish fortification.
Climate
Ruse has a continental climate (
Köppen climate classification Dfa) with very hot summers and relatively cold winters. Owing to its position on the Danubian Plain, the city's winters can get windy.
Winter temperatures often dip below , sometimes even to . In summer, the average temperature is . Temperatures frequently reach in mid-summer in the city centre and stay as low as during the nights. During spring and autumn, daytime temperatures vary between , and precipitation during this time tends to be higher than in summer, with more frequent yet milder periods of rain. The highest temperature recorded was 44.0 C and the lowest was −22.8 C.
History
Etymology
Scholars suggest that the city on the river bank derived its present name from the Finnish root ''ruskea'' meaning "blonde", or ''*ru-'' ("river", "stream") or from the
Cherven fortress, meaning "red," through the root ''rous'', which is present in many
Slavic languages
The Slavic languages, also known as the Slavonic languages, are Indo-European languages spoken primarily by the Slavic peoples and their descendants. They are thought to descend from a proto-language called Proto-Slavic, spoken during the Ear ...
.
A popular legend claims that the name ''Ruse'' comes from Finnish ruskea, or the name of a female founder of the city, whose name was Rusa, meaning "blonde hair". In the 13th and 14th centuries, during the time of the
Second Bulgarian Empire
The Second Bulgarian Empire (; ) was a medieval Bulgarians, Bulgarian state that existed between 1185 and 1396. A successor to the First Bulgarian Empire, it reached the peak of its power under Tsars Kaloyan of Bulgaria, Kaloyan and Ivan Asen II ...
, a fortified settlement called ''Rusi'', first mentioned in 1380, emerged near the ruins of the earlier Roman town.
Other theories include settlement by people from the
Rus
Rus or RUS may refer to:
People and places
* Rus (surname), a Romanian-language surname
* East Slavic historical territories and peoples (). See Names of Rus', Russia and Ruthenia
** Rus' people, the people of Rus'
** Rus' territories
*** Kievan ...
era; a connection to the village of
Rusokastro in Burgas Province; an unattested tribe of
Getae
The Getae ( ) or Gets ( ; grc, Γέται, singular ) were a Thracian-related tribe that once inhabited the regions to either side of the Lower Danube, in what is today northern Bulgaria and southern Romania. Both the singular form ''Get'' an ...
with a name such as ''Riusi'', or; the pagan festival of
Rosalia
Rosalia or Rosalía (with diacritic) may refer to:
Persons
* Saint Rosalia (1130–1166), the patron saint of Palermo in Italy
* Rosalia (given name)
* Rosalía (born 1992), Spanish singer
Places
* 314 Rosalia, an asteroid
* Rosalia, Pisidia ...
.
Antiquity
The city emerged from a
Neolithic
The Neolithic period, or New Stone Age, is an Old World archaeological period and the final division of the Stone Age. It saw the Neolithic Revolution, a wide-ranging set of developments that appear to have arisen independently in several parts ...
settlement of the
3rd
Third or 3rd may refer to:
Numbers
* 3rd, the ordinal form of the cardinal number 3
* , a fraction of one third
* Second#Sexagesimal divisions of calendar time and day, 1⁄60 of a ''second'', or 1⁄3600 of a ''minute''
Places
* 3rd Street (d ...
to 2nd millennium BCE, when pottery, fishing, agriculture, and hunting developed. Excavations have revealed several layers, suggesting that the place was attacked by neighbouring tribes and suffered from natural disasters. Ancient sanctuaries were found nearby, where idols of a pregnant woman, a fertility goddess, were prevalent.
The later
Thracian
The Thracians (; grc, Θρᾷκες ''Thrāikes''; la, Thraci) were an Indo-European speaking people who inhabited large parts of Eastern and Southeastern Europe in ancient history.. "The Thracians were an Indo-European people who occupied t ...
settlement developed into a
Roman
Roman or Romans most often refers to:
*Rome, the capital city of Italy
*Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD
*Roman people, the people of ancient Rome
*''Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a letter ...
military and naval centre during the reign of
Vespasian
Vespasian (; la, Vespasianus ; 17 November AD 9 – 23/24 June 79) was a Roman emperor who reigned from AD 69 to 79. The fourth and last emperor who reigned in the Year of the Four Emperors, he founded the Flavian dynasty that ruled the Empi ...
(69–70 CE), as part of the fortification system along the northern boundary of
Moesia
Moesia (; Latin: ''Moesia''; el, Μοισία, Moisía) was an ancient region and later Roman province situated in the Balkans south of the Danube River, which included most of the territory of modern eastern Serbia, Kosovo, north-eastern Alban ...
. Its name, ''Sexaginta Prista'', suggests a meaning of "a city of 60 ships" (from la, sexaginta — "60" and el, script=latn, pristis — a special type of guard ship), based on the supposed 60 nearby
berths.
The fortress was on the main road between
Singidunum
Singidunum ( sr, Сингидунум/''Singidunum'') was an ancient city which later evolved into modern Belgrade, the capital of Serbia. The name is of Celts, Celtic origin, going back to the time when Celtic tribe Scordisci settled the area in ...
(modern
Belgrade
Belgrade ( , ;, ; Names of European cities in different languages: B, names in other languages) is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Serbia, largest city in Serbia. It is located at the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers a ...
) and the
Danube Delta
The Danube Delta ( ro, Delta Dunării, ; uk, Дельта Дунаю, Deľta Dunaju, ) is the second largest river delta in Europe, after the Volga Delta, and is the best preserved on the continent. The greater part of the Danube Delta lies in Ro ...
and was destroyed in the 6th century by
Avar and
Slavic raids.
Hungarian historian
Felix Philipp Kanitz
Felix Philipp Kanitz ( he, פליקס פיליפ קאניץ. 2 August 1829 – 8 January 1904) was an Austro-Hungarian naturalist, geographer, ethnographer, archaeologist, painter and author of travel notes, of Jewish heritage.
Biography
Kanit ...
was the first to identify Sexaginta Prista with Ruse, but the Škorpil brothers demonstrated the link later through studying inscriptions, coins, graves, and objects of daily life. An inscription from the reign of
Diocletian
Diocletian (; la, Gaius Aurelius Valerius Diocletianus, grc, Διοκλητιανός, Diokletianós; c. 242/245 – 311/312), nicknamed ''Iovius'', was Roman emperor from 284 until his abdication in 305. He was born Gaius Valerius Diocles ...
proves that the city was rebuilt as a ''praesidium'' (a large fortification) after it was destroyed by the
Goths
The Goths ( got, 𐌲𐌿𐍄𐌸𐌹𐌿𐌳𐌰, translit=''Gutþiuda''; la, Gothi, grc-gre, Γότθοι, Gótthoi) were a Germanic people who played a major role in the fall of the Western Roman Empire and the emergence of medieval Europe ...
in 250 CE.
The settlement was mentioned as ''Golyamo Yorgovo'' in the Middle Ages, whose present successor is
Giurgiu
Giurgiu (; bg, Гюргево) is a city in southern Romania. The seat of Giurgiu County, it lies in the historical region of Muntenia. It is situated amongst mud-flats and marshes on the left bank of the Danube facing the Bulgarian city ...
in
Romania
Romania ( ; ro, România ) is a country located at the crossroads of Central Europe, Central, Eastern Europe, Eastern, and Southeast Europe, Southeastern Europe. It borders Bulgaria to the south, Ukraine to the north, Hungary to the west, S ...
.
Ottoman rule
![Rousse panoramic 1824](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/ae/Rousse_panoramic_1824.jpg)
During
Ottoman rule
Ottoman is the Turkish spelling of the Arabic masculine given name Uthman ( ar, عُثْمان, ‘uthmān). It may refer to:
Governments and dynasties
* Ottoman Caliphate, an Islamic caliphate from 1517 to 1924
* Ottoman Empire, in existence fro ...
, the invaders destroyed the town, reacting to a 1595 unsuccessful liberation attempt by a joint
Vlach
"Vlach" ( or ), also "Wallachian" (and many other variants), is a historical term and exonym used from the Middle Ages until the Modern Era to designate mainly Romanians but also Aromanians, Megleno-Romanians, Istro-Romanians and other Eastern ...
-Bulgarian army, led by
Michael the Brave
Michael the Brave ( ro, Mihai Viteazul or ; 1558 – 9 August 1601), born as Mihai Pătrașcu, was the Prince of Wallachia (as Michael II, 1593 – 1601), Prince of Moldavia (1600) and ''de facto'' ruler of Transylvania (1599 – 1600). ...
. After its rebuilding in the following years, Ruse was dubbed ''Rusçuk'' (
Turkish for "little Ruse") and had again expanded into a large fortress by the 18th century. It later grew into one of the most important Ottoman towns on the Danube and an administrative centre of
Tuna Vilayet, which extended from
Varna
Varna may refer to:
Places Europe
*Varna, Bulgaria, a city in Bulgaria
**Varna Province
**Varna Municipality
** Gulf of Varna
**Lake Varna
**Varna Necropolis
*Vahrn, or Varna, a municipality in Italy
*Varniai, a city in Lithuania
* Varna (Šaba ...
and
Tulcea
Tulcea (; also known by other alternative names) is a city in Northern Dobruja, Romania. It is the administrative center of Tulcea County, and had a population of 73,707 . One village, Tudor Vladimirescu, is administered by the city.
Names
Th ...
to Sofia and
Niš
Niš (; sr-Cyrl, Ниш, ; names in other languages) is the third largest city in Serbia and the administrative center of the Nišava District. It is located in southern part of Serbia. , the city proper has a population of 183,164, while ...
.
The ''Dunav'' newspaper appeared — it was the first printed in Bulgaria and in Bulgarian. Some Bulgarian schools were founded. The streets are renamed and numbered for the first time in Bulgarian lands. A post office, hospital, home for the aged were founded. Three empires met here for trading:
Austro-Hungary
Austria-Hungary, often referred to as the Austro-Hungarian Empire,, the Dual Monarchy, or Austria, was a constitutional monarchy and great power in Central Europe between 1867 and 1918. It was formed with the Austro-Hungarian Compromise of ...
, Russia,
British Empire
The British Empire was composed of the dominions, colonies, protectorates, mandates, and other territories ruled or administered by the United Kingdom and its predecessor states. It began with the overseas possessions and trading posts esta ...
. France and Italy opened consulates in Ruse. The modern city arose from the shades of the settlement. In 1865 the Obraztsov Chiflik was founded on the place where the English Consul's farm was; it was the first modern farm on the territory of the whole
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman Empire, * ; is an archaic version. The definite article forms and were synonymous * and el, Оθωμανική Αυτοκρατορία, Othōmanikē Avtokratoria, label=none * info page on book at Martin Luther University) ...
of that time.
Ruse developed into a centre of the
Bulgarian National Revival
The Bulgarian National Revival ( bg, Българско национално възраждане, ''Balgarsko natsionalno vazrazhdane'' or simply: Възраждане, ''Vazrazhdane'', and tr, Bulgar ulus canlanması) sometimes called the Bu ...
and hosted the headquarters of the
Bulgarian Revolutionary Central Committee
The Bulgarian Revolutionary Central Committee ( bg, Български революционен централен комитет, ''Balgarski revolyutsionen tsentralen komitet'') or BRCC was a Bulgarian revolutionary organisation founded in 186 ...
.
Early Modern Bulgaria
![Girdap Bank Ruse Bulgaria pre-1913](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/01/Girdap_Bank_Ruse_Bulgaria_pre-1913.jpg)
After it became part of modern Bulgaria on 20 February 1878, Ruse was one of the key cultural and economic centres of the country. Intensive building during the period changed the city's architectural appearance to a typical
Central Europe
Central Europe is an area of Europe between Western Europe and Eastern Europe, based on a common historical, social and cultural identity. The Thirty Years' War (1618–1648) between Catholicism and Protestantism significantly shaped the area' ...
an one. Ruse is known for the many first innovations in Bulgaria, including:
* 1864 – the first printing office in Bulgaria;
* 1867 – the first railway line linking Ruse and Varna, was launched into operation;
* 1879 – the first agronomical school "Obraztsov chiflik", today – Agricultural scientific research institute, currently profiled in agriculture and seed science;
* 1881 – the first steel ship in Bulgaria was built;
* 1881 – the first privately owned Bulgarian bank
Girdap
Girdap or Ghirdap ( bg, Гирдап) was the first privately owned Bulgarian bank. Established in Ruse in 1881, until its closure in 1925 it was one of the two large Bulgarian banks which relied on capital that was both private and local, along ...
;
* 1881 – the
Machine School for the Navy, the first technical school in Bulgaria. Later it was moved to Varna;
* 1883 – the first
Weather station
A weather station is a facility, either on land or sea, with instruments and equipment for measuring atmospheric conditions to provide information for weather forecasts and to study the weather and climate. The measurements taken include tempera ...
;
* 1884 – the first Bulgarian pharmacy association;
* 1885 – the first Bulgarian technical association was instituted;
* 1890 – the first Chamber of Commerce and Industry;
* 1891 – the first private insurance company "Bulgaria";
* 1896 – the first manually operated elevator;
* 1897 – the first movie projection. The second was a month later in the capital Sofia;
![Konsulstva-ruse](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/7b/Konsulstva-ruse.png)
Ruse had the first Bulgarian factories for soda water, lemonade, and for neckties. The first aviator Simeon Petrov was born in Ruse.
In the newly liberated Bulgaria of the late 19th century, Ruse was a cosmopolitan city with a multiethnic population. According to the first census conducted in 1883, ethnic Bulgarians made up 43% of the population, Turks 39%, and Jews 7%.
"All façades on main streets of Russe shall have rich decorations with plastic stone", postulate the Regulations for Constructions of Private Buildings of 1893, issued by the Municipality of Russe.
After
knyaz Alexander Battenberg's 1886
abdication
Abdication is the act of formally relinquishing monarchical authority. Abdications have played various roles in the succession procedures of monarchies. While some cultures have viewed abdication as an extreme abandonment of duty, in other societ ...
, and as a reaction to the regentship's course led by prime minister
Stefan Stambolov
Stefan Nikolov Stambolov ( bg, Стефан Николов Стамболов) (31 January 1854 OS– 19 July 1895 OS) was a Bulgarian politician, journalist, revolutionary, and poet who served as Prime Minister and regent. He is consider ...
, a group of Russophile (pro-Russian) military officers revolted in Ruse. The riot was violently crushed, and 13 of the leaders were quickly sentenced to death and executed near the city, which caused much public discontent. Decades later, in 1934, local citizens raised funds and built a monument at the place where the Russophile officers were executed. The monument was blown up in 1940 but rebuilt in 1966 at approximately the same spot.
Early 20th century
* 1908 – The first factory for iron beds in Modern Bulgaria. Today Ruse is a major centre of furniture manufacturing.
* 1911 was marked off with the start of a project for an electrical station by "Siemens-Schukert". On 17 February 1917 Ruse became the third electrified city in the country (after Sofia and Varna).
* In 1913 Belgian entrepreneurs and engineers were granted a concession for a period of 25 years and built the largest sugar factory in Bulgaria.
![Staroto-kazino](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/66/Staroto-kazino.jpg)
* 1927 – the first sock-making factory in Bulgaria opened in Ruse. "Fazan" still exists today;
* 1933 – the first oil refinery was constructed;
Between World War I and
II, after
Southern Dobruja
Southern Dobruja, South Dobruja or Quadrilateral (Bulgarian: Южна Добруджа, ''Yuzhna Dobrudzha'' or simply Добруджа, ''Dobrudzha''; ro, Dobrogea de Sud, or ) is an area of northeastern Bulgaria comprising Dobrich and Silistra ...
was lost to Romania, the economic significance of the city decreased. So did the population: Ruse was no longer the second-largest city in Bulgaria (after former
East Rumelian capital
Plovdiv
Plovdiv ( bg, Пловдив, ), is the second-largest city in Bulgaria, standing on the banks of the Maritsa river in the historical region of Thrace. It has a population of 346,893 and 675,000 in the greater metropolitan area. Plovdiv is the c ...
), being quickly surpassed by
Sofia
Sofia ( ; bg, София, Sofiya, ) is the capital and largest city of Bulgaria. It is situated in the Sofia Valley at the foot of the Vitosha mountain in the western parts of the country. The city is built west of the Iskar river, and ha ...
and
Varna
Varna may refer to:
Places Europe
*Varna, Bulgaria, a city in Bulgaria
**Varna Province
**Varna Municipality
** Gulf of Varna
**Lake Varna
**Varna Necropolis
*Vahrn, or Varna, a municipality in Italy
*Varniai, a city in Lithuania
* Varna (Šaba ...
. Foreign consulates were closed, except for the Russian one, which has remained functional since. Only for the period between 1919 and 1920 the capital loss is estimated at around 40 million leva.
World War II period
The return of Southern Dobrudja to Bulgaria in September 1940 fostered good conditions for the restoration of the city's leading role. It became a provincial centre, and economic activity revived. Typical for the post-war architecture of the city was the wide use of iron, concrete and glass as construction materials. Examples are the River port – 1931, the Freight station – 1935, Market Hall – 1939 and the Court house – 1940.
See also:
*
Ruse blood wedding
Communist period
The construction of the
Ruse-Giurgiu bridge in 1954 and the fast industrialization gave a new push to development. Ruse emerged again as an important economic, transport, cultural, and education hub. Engineering, chemical, and light industries expanded; a large harbor was built, and the city became a university centre. At the 1985 census, a population of more than 186,000 was reported.
In the early 1980s, Ruse entered a dark period. The Verachim factory was built in Giurgiu, which polluted the air between 1980 and 1991, impacting the city's development. The population decreased, and 15,000 people moved out between 1985 and 1992. The first informal organization in Bulgaria under the communist regime was established here - The Public Committee for Environmental Protection of Ruse, which provoked the first nationwide demonstrations and strongly influenced the
change to democracy. In 1991, the Romanian factory ceased the pollution, after the fall of the communist regime in Romania.
Democratic Bulgaria
Like other post-socialist regimes in eastern Europe, Bulgaria found the transition to capitalism rather painful and not as easy as expected. State-owned enterprises lost their former markets and could not adapt to the now free-market competition. This led to massive unemployment in the city and emigration waves in the 90s. Since 2000, Ruse has been continually regaining its former leading status. The urban economics were positively influenced by the
2007's accession of Bulgaria and Romania in the European Union, which allowed deeper cross-border cooperation. The flow of investments through EU funds restarted long suspended projects which were finally completed.
After decades of construction, the new corpus of the
University of Ruse
"Angel Kanchev" University of Ruse ( bg, Русенски университет „Ангел Кънчев“) is a public university in the city of Ruse, Bulgaria. The university was formed on 21 July 1995 by the dissolution of Higher Institute ...
was inaugurated in 2010.
In 2011 the city's centre was renovated through an EU project, worth 10 million leva. Included in the project, a Dry Deck Fountain was introduced in an urban environment for the first time in Bulgaria. The exterior of the
Rousse State Opera was reconditioned.
A water treatment facility, an investment worth 57 million Euro, is now functional.
In 2012 the
Rousse Regional Historical Museum completed a project, which allowed the rehabilitation and display of the remains of the Roman city Sexaginta Prista.
Ignat Kaneff
Ignat Kaneff ( bg, Игнат Христов Кънев; 6 October 1926 – 12 July 2020) was a Bulgarian Canadians, Bulgarian-Canadian business magnate and philanthropist.
Biography
Ignat Hristov Kaneff was born on 6 October 1926 in Gorno A ...
, a Bulgarian-born Canadian business magnate, endowed about half of the amount necessary for the construction of a modern conference complex named after him, the Kaneff Centre, at the
University of Ruse
"Angel Kanchev" University of Ruse ( bg, Русенски университет „Ангел Кънчев“) is a public university in the city of Ruse, Bulgaria. The university was formed on 21 July 1995 by the dissolution of Higher Institute ...
. It was officially opened on 10 October 2013.
A landmark event for the city was the opening of the new Eco Museum & Aquarium in 2014.
A safer and more efficient navigation in the inland waterways was accomplished with a new structure – the river information system BulRIS. A modern oncology centre is now operating.
Ruse was a candidate for a
European Capital of Culture in 2019 with the concept "Free spirit city".
Dohodno zdanie
Dohodno Zdanie ( bg, Доходно здание; literally: "profitable building") is an imposing Neoclassical edifice on Freedom Square in the city centre of Rousse, Bulgaria, built in 1898–1902 to accommodate the local theatre performances. T ...
, an imposing Neoclassical edifice in the city centre convincingly won the National competition "Emblematic building of the year" in 2014. Ruse was a host city of the first of its kind in Bulgaria – an International Ice Figures Festival.
The
Arena Ruse sports hall with more than 5100 seats opened on 23 July 2015 nearly 40 years after initial construction efforts began. The project was suspended on numerous occasions due to a lack of financing. An underground parking inside the sports hall has also been completed.
On-going projects are the re-cultivation of the old landfill, worth 22,5 million leva. The biggest roundabout in the city with underpasses for pedestrians and cyclists, worth some 10 million leva was reconstructed.
Notable residents
File:Elias Canetti 2.jpg, Elias Canetti
Elias Canetti (; bg, Елиас Канети; 25 July 1905 – 14 August 1994) was a German-language writer, born in Ruse, Bulgaria to a Sephardic family. They moved to Manchester, England, but his father died in 1912, and his mother took her t ...
, winner of the 1981 Nobel Prize for Literature
)
, image = Nobel Prize.png
, caption =
, awarded_for = Outstanding contributions in literature
, presenter = Swedish Academy
, holder = Annie Ernaux (2022)
, location = Stockholm, Sweden
, year = 1901
, ...
.
File:Time-magazine-cover-michael-arlen.jpg, Michael Arlen
Michael Arlen (16 November 1895 – 23 June 1956), born Dikran Kouyoumdjian ( hy, Տիգրան Գոյումճեան), was a British essayist, short story writer, novelist, playwright, and scriptwriter of Armenians, Armenian origin, who had his ...
, author. Known for his book ''The Green Hat'', which was the inspiration for the Oscar
Oscar, OSCAR, or The Oscar may refer to:
People
* Oscar (given name), an Irish- and English-language name also used in other languages; the article includes the names Oskar, Oskari, Oszkár, Óscar, and other forms.
* Oscar (Irish mythology), ...
-nominated movie ''A Woman of Affairs
A, or a, is the first letter and the first vowel of the Latin alphabet, used in the modern English alphabet, the alphabets of other western European languages and others worldwide. Its name in English is ''a'' (pronounced ), plural ''aes'' ...
'' (1928).
File:Stefan-Canev-portret-ot-Maia-Liubenov2012.jpg, Stefan Tsanev
Stefan Nedelchev Tsanev ( bg, Стефан Неделчев Цанев; born 7 August 1936) is a contemporary Bulgarian writer, known for his essays, Play (theatre), plays, poems, and historical novels.
His books include ''Ubiytsite sa mezhdu nas ...
, a contemporary writer, known for his essays, plays, poems and historical novels.
File:Ekaterina Karavelova - 1926 (cropped).gif, Ekaterina Karavelova
Ekaterina Karavelova ( bg, Екатерина Каравелова), (21 October 1860 in Rouschuk – 1 April 1947 in Sofia), was a Bulgarian educator, translator, publicist, suffragist and women's rights activist. She was the founder of the cult ...
, female rights activist and founder of the Bulgarian Women's Union
The Bulgarian Women's Union (Bulgarian: ''Български женски съюз,'' 'Balgarski Zhenski Sayuz' \'b&l-gar-ski 'zhen-ski s&-'yuz\), was a women's rights organisation active in Bulgaria from 1901 to 1944.
In 1901, the organisation w ...
.
File:D-Ivanova.jpg, Dimitrana Ivanova, an education reformer, suffragist and women's rights activist. Chairperson of the Bulgarian Women's Union from 1926 to 1944.
File:Baba-Tonka-Obretenova.jpg, Tonka Obretenova
Tonka Obretenova ( bg, Тонка Обретенова), known as Baba Tonka (Баба Тонка), was a female Bulgarian revolutionary, born in 1812 in Rousse.
Her parents, Toncho Postavchiyata (Тончо Поставчията) and Minka Ton ...
, 19th-century revolutionary.
File:BASA 118K-2-87 Venelin Ganev (retouched).jpg, Venelin Ganev
Venelin Yordanov Ganev ( bg, Венелин Йорданов Ганев; 16 February 188025 March 1966) was a Bulgarian lawyer, diplomat, and politician. He was a leading authority on commercial law, and after the Communist coup d'état on 9 Se ...
, a lawyer, diplomat, and politician. One of the regents of underage tsar Simeon II.
File:Zahari-Jandov.jpg, Zahari Zhandov, film director, scriptwriter and cinematographer.
File:Kamen-donev-za-svatbite.png, Kamen Donev
Kamen Ivanchev Donev ( bg, Камен Иванчев Донев; born 15 April 1971) is a Bulgarian actor, film director, dramaturgist, and choreographer.
Donev studied acting at NATFIZ, graduating in 1993. Between 1994 and 2009, he was an actor ...
, actor, film director, dramaturgist and choreographer.
File:Konstantin.jpg, Konstantin Evtimov
Konstantin Evtimov is а Bulgarian cellist. He is a soloist with the Bulgarian National Radio Symphony Orchestra and a member of Ardenza Trio.
Biography
Evtimov was born in Ruse, Bulgaria in 1975. He graduated from the College of Arts in Ruse ...
, a cellist, performed as a soloist in the London Philharmonic Orchestra, the Bern, Graz, Sofia and Lausanne Symphonic Orchestras.
File:Topalov Veselin (30651645392).jpg, Veselin Topalov
Veselin Aleksandrov Topalov (pronounced ; bg, Весели́н Александров Топа́лов; born 15 March 1975) is a Bulgarian chess International Grandmaster, grandmaster and former FIDE World Chess Championship, World Chess Champ ...
, chess grandmaster and FIDE World Chess Champion from 2005 to 2006 and Vice Chess Champion from 2010 to 2012.
File:Neshka robeva.jpg, Neshka Robeva
Neshka Stefanova Robeva ( bg, Нешка Стефанова Робева; born 26 May 1946) is a Bulgarian former Rhythmic Gymnast and coach.
Biography
Born in Rousse, Robeva graduated from the Bulgarian State Choreography School in "Bulgarian ...
, rhythmic gymnast and coach. Notable for the “Golden Girls of Bulgaria The "Golden Girls" of Bulgaria ( bg, Златните момичета на България) refers to the generation of female rhythmic gymnasts who represented Bulgaria from 1976 to 1999 when the team was coached by Neshka Robeva. In this period ...
", having won medals in European, World and Olympic championships.
Main sights
Architectural landmarks
Ruse is one of the
100 Tourist Sites of Bulgaria
100 Tourist Sites of Bulgaria is a Bulgarian national movement established in 1966 to promote tourism among Bulgaria's most significant cultural, historic, and natural landmarks.
As part of this program, sites of cultural and historical signific ...
. The city is known for its preserved buildings from the end of the 19th and the beginning of the 20th century. There are 272 monuments of culture. Most of the sights of the city are located at the center of Ruse (museums, architectural landmarks, the theater, the opera, hotels, restaurants, cafes and souvenir shops). Among the sights the following are outstanding:
Natural landmarks
Culture
Theatres and opera houses
Noted for its rich culture, Ruse hosts
a philharmonic orchestra, the
Rousse State Opera (founded in 1949) and the
"Sava Ognianov" theater.
Museums and exhibitions
Libraries
* The Regional Library "Lyuben Karavelov"
* The Austrian Library, located in the 2nd floor of the theater and home of th
International Elias Canetti Society
Regular events
* The
March Music Days is an international
music festival
A music festival is a community event with performances of singing and instrument playing that is often presented with a theme such as musical genre (e.g., rock, blues, folk, jazz, classical music), nationality, locality of musicians, or h ...
for
classical music
Classical music generally refers to the art music of the Western world, considered to be distinct from Western folk music or popular music traditions. It is sometimes distinguished as Western classical music, as the term "classical music" also ...
.
*
St George's Day
Saint George's Day is the feast day of Saint George, celebrated by Christian churches, countries, and cities of which he is the patron saint, including Bulgaria, England, Georgia, Portugal, Romania, Cáceres, Alcoy, Aragon and Catalonia.
Sa ...
(6 May) is Ruse's holiday. A local
fair
A fair (archaic: faire or fayre) is a gathering of people for a variety of entertainment or commercial activities. Fairs are typically temporary with scheduled times lasting from an afternoon to several weeks.
Types
Variations of fairs incl ...
is organized for a week around this date.
* Ruse Carnival is a
masquerade held around 24 June, ''Enyovden''.
* The Sexaginta Prista Summer Stage is an urban festival. Events are hosted at the Roman castle every Friday from May through October.
* At the end of October are BG MediaMarket and the Bulgarian Europe Media Festival.
* Th
Skate-Festival "Collision Course"is taking place in May since 2007.
* Since 2008 the Literary Spring Parlour is organized by th
International Elias Canetti Societyin April or May.
Religious buildings
![Rousse Catholic Eparchy](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/40/Rousse_Catholic_Eparchy.JPG)
*
Holy Trinity Cathedral
* Church of All Saints
* Church of the Holy Theotokos
* Church of St George
* Church of Holy Archangel Michael
* Church of the Holy Ascension
* Church of St Petka
*
Russian
Russian(s) refers to anything related to Russia, including:
*Russians (, ''russkiye''), an ethnic group of the East Slavic peoples, primarily living in Russia and neighboring countries
*Rossiyane (), Russian language term for all citizens and peo ...
Church of St Nicholas the Miracle Worker
*
Roman Catholic
Roman or Romans most often refers to:
*Rome, the capital city of Italy
*Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD
*Roman people, the people of ancient Rome
*'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a lette ...
St Paul of the Cross Cathedral
The St Paul of the Cross Cathedral ( bg, Катедрален храм „Свети Павел от Кръста“, ''Katedralen hram „Sveti Pavel ot Krasta“'') is a Roman Catholic cathedral in the city of Rousse in northeastern Bulgaria. I ...
, built 1890
*
Armenian
Armenian may refer to:
* Something of, from, or related to Armenia, a country in the South Caucasus region of Eurasia
* Armenians, the national people of Armenia, or people of Armenian descent
** Armenian Diaspora, Armenian communities across the ...
Surp Astvadzadzin Church
*
Evangelical Baptist
Evangelicalism (), also called evangelical Christianity or evangelical Protestantism, is a worldwide interdenominational movement within Protestant Christianity that affirms the centrality of being " born again", in which an individual exper ...
church
*
Evangelical Methodist Church
* Seid Pasha Mosque
In 1978, the "All Saints" Church was destroyed and the
Pantheon of National Revival Heroes was built thereupon.
The Jewish community in Ruse built and consecrated a
synagogue
A synagogue, ', 'house of assembly', or ', "house of prayer"; Yiddish: ''shul'', Ladino: or ' (from synagogue); or ', "community". sometimes referred to as shul, and interchangeably used with the word temple, is a Jewish house of worshi ...
in 1797. It was destroyed in the 1810 fire, but two other synagogues were later built in 1826 and 1852.
Economy and infrastructure
Economic activity
The average number of employees under labour contract in 2016 is 68 603 people, while the average annual salary – 4 683 euro, 60% higher compared to the 2007's statistics. The employment rate for people from the age of 15 to 64 is 57.7%, whereas the unemployment is 12.5%.
The relative share of the population aged between 25 and 64 years with higher education is 23.6%, 3% higher than in 2007. The relative share of the population aged between 25 and 64 years with secondary education is 57.5%, 3.2% higher than in 2007. 147 300 is the number of nights spent by tourists in 2013. The total number of enterprises is 10 830.
Foreign direct investment in non-financial enterprises for 2013 is 197 million euro. The total economic output, manufactured in the city is assessed at about 1.84 billion euro, while the revenue increases with 916 000 euro compared to 2007 – to 3.1 million euro for 2013.
Economic profile
![Iztochna-promishlena-zona-ruse](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/00/Iztochna-promishlena-zona-ruse.jpg)
Ruse is a large industrial centre. It has a duty-free zone and 2 industrial zones: East and West.
Ruse Iztok Power Plant
Ruse Iztok Thermal Power Plant ( bg, ТЕЦ Русе Изток) is a power plant situated near the city of Ruse, Bulgaria. It has an installed capacity of 400 MW. It is owned by Holding Slovenske elektrarne
Holding Slovenske elektrarne (HSE) i ...
has an energy producing capacity of 400 MW and the ''Ruse West Power Plant'' has 41 MW. There are a logistics park and a business park in the city. The city's economy is dominated by
light industry
Light industry are industries that usually are less capital-intensive than heavy industry and are more consumer-oriented than business-oriented, as they typically produce smaller consumer goods. Most light industry products are produced for ...
— tailoring,
textile
Textile is an umbrella term that includes various fiber-based materials, including fibers, yarns, filaments, threads, different fabric types, etc. At first, the word "textiles" only referred to woven fabrics. However, weaving is not the ...
s and
food processing
Food processing is the transformation of agricultural products into food, or of one form of food into other forms. Food processing includes many forms of processing foods, from grinding grain to make raw flour to home cooking to complex industr ...
. Big manufactures are ''Fazan'' (the first factory for socks in Bulgaria), ''Fenix 94'' (socks), ''Ariston S'' (women's fashion), Bordo (women's fashion), ''Danini'' (lady's fashion), ''Top Man'' (men's fashion), ''Karina'' (lady's fashion) and ''Sirma Prista'' (dairy products).
The petroleum industry and the
chemical industry
The chemical industry comprises the companies that produce industrial chemicals. Central to the modern world economy, it converts raw materials (oil, natural gas, air, water, metals, and minerals) into more than 70,000 different products. The ...
are represented by companies, producing paints and motor oils – ''Orgachim'', ''
Prista Oil
Prista Oil ( bg, Приста Ойл) is a Bulgarian company headquartered in the city of Rousse and mainly engaged in the production of 150 kinds of motor oils and industrial lubricants, as well as their distribution, transport and storage, cl ...
'', ''Lubrica'', ''Megachim'', ''EKON 91'', ''Ninachim'' and ''Polysan''. The machinery industry and ships construction are well developed. Also, one of the world's leading companies in yacht design ''Vripack'' has an architecture and engineering studio in Ruse.
There are 65 hotels and 1,769 beds in Ruse. The income from accommodations for the fourth quarter of 2011 г. is 1,661,294 lv.
There are many hypermarkets such as
Metro Cash & Carry
Metro AG is a German multinational company based in Düsseldorf which operates business membership only cash and carry stores primarily under the Metro brand. Until 2020 it was also active in general retail business through Real division, wh ...
,
Kaufland
Kaufland is a German hypermarket chain, part of the Schwarz Gruppe which also owns Lidl. The hypermarket directly translates to English as 'buy-land'. It opened its first store in 1984 in Neckarsulm and quickly expanded to become a major chain ...
,
Mr. Bricolage
Mr. Bricolage is a French retail chain offering home improvement and do-it-yourself goods. The company has around 400 stores across France and 70 stores abroad. Mr. Bricolage is listed on the Euronext Paris since 2000.
History
The company was fo ...
,
Praktiker
Praktiker AG was a German hardware store chain which operated in Europe. It was based in Hamburg and opened its first store in 1978 in Luxembourg under the name bâtiself. Initially owned by ASKO, the chain became a division of Metro AG after ...
, and some supermarket chains such as
Billa Billa may refer to:
Films
*Billa (1980 film), ''Billa'' (1980 film), 1980 Indian Tamil film
*Billa (2002 film), ''Billa'' (2002 film), 2002 Pakistani Punjabi film
*Billa (2007 film), ''Billa'' (2007 film), 2007 Indian Tamil film, remake of ''Bil ...
,
Lidl
Lidl Stiftung & Co. KG (; ) is a German international discount retailer chain that operates over 11,000 stores across Europe and the United States. Headquartered in Neckarsulm, Baden-Württemberg, the company belongs to the Schwarz Group, whi ...
, and
Carrefour
Carrefour () is a French multinational retail and wholesaling corporation headquartered in Massy, France. The eighth-largest retailer in the world by revenue, it operates a chain of hypermarkets, groceries stores and convenience stores, which ...
. The market hall
Gradski Hali, located in the city centre, is now operated by
CBA, a Hungarian supermarket chain.
Transportation
![Rousse_-_trolleybus](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/ee/Rousse_-_trolleybus.jpg)
Ruse is a major road and railway hub in Northern Bulgaria. Railway transportation in the city dates back to 1867 when it became a station of the first railway line in Bulgaria Ruse – Varna. There are railways to Southern Bulgaria,
Sofia
Sofia ( ; bg, София, Sofiya, ) is the capital and largest city of Bulgaria. It is situated in the Sofia Valley at the foot of the Vitosha mountain in the western parts of the country. The city is built west of the Iskar river, and ha ...
, Varna and
Bucharest
Bucharest ( , ; ro, București ) is the capital and largest city of Romania, as well as its cultural, industrial, and financial centre. It is located in the southeast of the country, on the banks of the Dâmbovița River, less than north of ...
. Ruse has two railway stations for passenger services (
Ruse Central and Ruse Razpredelitelna) and two for freight transport services. There are intercity buses that link Ruse with cities and towns all over the country, as well as in other European nations. They are based in two bus stations: South and East.
Ruse has an extensive public transport system with around 30
bus
A bus (contracted from omnibus, with variants multibus, motorbus, autobus, etc.) is a road vehicle that carries significantly more passengers than an average car or van. It is most commonly used in public transport, but is also in use for cha ...
and
trolleybus
A trolleybus (also known as trolley bus, trolley coach, trackless trolley, trackless tramin the 1910s and 1920sJoyce, J.; King, J. S.; and Newman, A. G. (1986). ''British Trolleybus Systems'', pp. 9, 12. London: Ian Allan Publishing. .or troll ...
lines, including the
Ruse trolleybus system. Since the sale of all shares of the private Israeli transport holding Egged Ruse to the local municipality in 2017, trolleybus lines have been operated by the city's own public transport entity. Urban and suburban bus lines remain under concession to various private Bulgarian transport companies. A 14 kilometer bicycle network along the main boulevards of the city has been developed and is currently in the process of expansion.
Approximately southeast of Ruse is the village of
Shtraklevo, near which is the former military and passenger
Ruse Airport. It is owned by the municipality of Ruse, with an active license for small passenger and cargo flights (license issued on 21.12.2016). The runway is long enough for
Boeing 747
The Boeing 747 is a large, long-range wide-body airliner designed and manufactured by Boeing Commercial Airplanes in the United States between 1968 and 2022.
After introducing the 707 in October 1958, Pan Am wanted a jet times its size, t ...
s (Jumbo Jets). The
Henri Coandă International Airport
Bucharest Henri Coandă International Airport ( ro, Aeroportul Internațional Henri Coandă București) is Romania's busiest international airport, located in Otopeni
Otopeni () is a town in Ilfov County, Muntenia, Romania, some north of ...
in
Otopeni
Otopeni () is a town in Ilfov County, Muntenia, Romania, some north of Bucharest along the DN1 road to Ploiești. It has 15,850 inhabitants, of which 99.0% are ethnic Romanians. One village, Odăile, is administered by the city.
Henri Coandă ...
, Romania is north of Ruse.
The
Danube bridge
The Danube Bridge (also known as the Friendship Bridge; bg, Мост на дружбата, ''Most na druzhbata'' or, more commonly, Дунав Mост, ''Dunav most''; ro, Podul Prieteniei or ''Podul de la Giurgiu'') is a steel truss bridge ...
is located east of Ruse. It was the only road and rail bridge between Bulgaria and Romania until the opening of a second bridge crossing to Romania on 14 June 2013 at
Vidin
Vidin ( bg, Видин, ; Old Romanian: Diiu) is a port city on the southern bank of the Danube in north-western Bulgaria. It is close to the borders with Romania and Serbia, and is also the administrative centre of Vidin Province, as well as o ...
.
Ruse is the biggest Bulgarian port towns on the bank of the Danube River. After the opening of the
Rhine–Main–Danube Canal
The Rhine–Main–Danube Canal (German: ''Rhein-Main-Donau-Kanal''; also called Main-Danube Canal, RMD Canal or Europa Canal), is a canal in Bavaria, Germany. Connecting the Main and the Danube rive ...
which covers and connects 13 European countries with Asia via the Black Sea, the river becomes the longest inland waterway on the planet. This key position has determined the 19th century-long co-existence of different cultures and religions in Ruse.
Education
There is one university in Ruse – "Angel Kanchev"
University of Ruse
"Angel Kanchev" University of Ruse ( bg, Русенски университет „Ангел Кънчев“) is a public university in the city of Ruse, Bulgaria. The university was formed on 21 July 1995 by the dissolution of Higher Institute ...
with a capacity of 15 000 students. The university's structure includes a subsidiaries in
Silistra
Silistra ( bg, Силистра ; tr, Silistre; ro, Silistra) is a town in Northeastern Bulgaria. The town lies on the southern bank of the lower Danube river, and is also the part of the Romanian border where it stops following the Danube. Sil ...
,
Vidin
Vidin ( bg, Видин, ; Old Romanian: Diiu) is a port city on the southern bank of the Danube in north-western Bulgaria. It is close to the borders with Romania and Serbia, and is also the administrative centre of Vidin Province, as well as o ...
and
Razgrad
Razgrad ( bg, Разград ) is a city in Northeastern Bulgaria in the valley of the Beli Lom river that falls within the historical and geographical region of Ludogorie (Deliorman). It is an administrative center of Razgrad Province.
Etymolo ...
. There is also a subsidiary of the College of Agriculture – Plovdiv in the city.
The city hosts 26 high schools, among which is the
English Language School "Geo Milev".
Demographics
Ruse is the fifth largest city in Bulgaria by population. It was the most populated city of Bulgaria in 1880 with 26,163 people.
The number of the residents of the city(not the municipality) reached its peak around 1990, numbering almost 200,000. According to the 2011 census, Ruse was inhabited by 149,642 people within the city limits, while the
Ruse Municipality
Ruse Municipality ( bg, Община Русе) is a municipality ('' obshtina'') in Ruse Province, Central-North Bulgaria, located along the right bank of Danube river in the Danubian Plain. It is named after its administrative centre - the city ...
along with the legally affiliated adjacent villages had 167,585 inhabitants.
* "Population" – Permanent and current address at the same place
Migration
Ethnic, linguistic and religious composition
According to the latest 2011 census data, the individuals declared their ethnic identity were distributed as follows:
[Population on 01.02.2011 by provinces, municipalities, settlements and age; National Statistical Institute]
/ref>
*Bulgarians
Bulgarians ( bg, българи, Bǎlgari, ) are a nation and South Slavic ethnic group native to Bulgaria and the rest of Southeast Europe.
Etymology
Bulgarians derive their ethnonym from the Bulgars. Their name is not completely understo ...
: 123 469 (90.4%)
*Turks
Turk or Turks may refer to:
Communities and ethnic groups
* Turkic peoples, a collection of ethnic groups who speak Turkic languages
* Turkish people, or the Turks, a Turkic ethnic group and nation
* Turkish citizen, a citizen of the Republic o ...
: 10 128 (7.5%)
*Romani
Romani may refer to:
Ethnicities
* Romani people, an ethnic group of Northern Indian origin, living dispersed in Europe, the Americas and Asia
** Romani genocide, under Nazi rule
* Romani language, any of several Indo-Aryan languages of the Roma ...
: 1,297 (0.9%)
*Others: 1,132 (0.8%)
*Indefinable: 618 (0.5%)
**Undeclared: 12,998 (8.7%)
According to the first census in 1883, the ethnic composition was as follows:
*Bulgarians: 11,342
*Turks
Turk or Turks may refer to:
Communities and ethnic groups
* Turkic peoples, a collection of ethnic groups who speak Turkic languages
* Turkish people, or the Turks, a Turkic ethnic group and nation
* Turkish citizen, a citizen of the Republic o ...
: 10,252
*Jews
Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""The ...
: 1,943
*Armenians
Armenians ( hy, հայեր, ''hayer'' ) are an ethnic group native to the Armenian highlands of Western Asia. Armenians constitute the main population of Armenia and the ''de facto'' independent Artsakh. There is a wide-ranging diaspora ...
: 841
*Germans
, native_name_lang = de
, region1 =
, pop1 = 72,650,269
, region2 =
, pop2 = 534,000
, region3 =
, pop3 = 157,000
3,322,405
, region4 =
, pop4 = ...
: 476
*Greeks
The Greeks or Hellenes (; el, Έλληνες, ''Éllines'' ) are an ethnic group and nation indigenous to the Eastern Mediterranean and the Black Sea regions, namely Greece, Cyprus, Albania, Italy, Turkey, Egypt, and, to a lesser extent, oth ...
: 291
*Vlachs
"Vlach" ( or ), also "Wallachian" (and many other variants), is a historical term and exonym used from the Middle Ages until the Modern Era to designate mainly Romanians but also Aromanians, Megleno-Romanians, Istro-Romanians and other Easter ...
(Romanians
The Romanians ( ro, români, ; dated exonym ''Vlachs'') are a Romance languages, Romance-speaking ethnic group. Sharing a common Culture of Romania, Romanian culture and Cultural heritage, ancestry, and speaking the Romanian language, they l ...
): 231
*Russians
, native_name_lang = ru
, image =
, caption =
, population =
, popplace =
118 million Russians in the Russian Federation (2002 ''Winkler Prins'' estimate)
, region1 =
, pop1 ...
: 170
*Serbs
The Serbs ( sr-Cyr, Срби, Srbi, ) are the most numerous South Slavic ethnic group native to the Balkans in Southeastern Europe, who share a common Serbian ancestry, culture, history and language.
The majority of Serbs live in their na ...
and Croats
The Croats (; hr, Hrvati ) are a South Slavic ethnic group who share a common Croatian ancestry, culture, history and language. They are also a recognized minority in a number of neighboring countries, namely Austria, the Czech Republic, G ...
: 113
*79 Romani
Romani may refer to:
Ethnicities
* Romani people, an ethnic group of Northern Indian origin, living dispersed in Europe, the Americas and Asia
** Romani genocide, under Nazi rule
* Romani language, any of several Indo-Aryan languages of the Roma ...
, 76 Hungarians
Hungarians, also known as Magyars ( ; hu, magyarok ), are a nation and ethnic group native to Hungary () and historical Hungarian lands who share a common culture, history, ancestry, and language. The Hungarian language belongs to the Urali ...
, 74 Tatars
The Tatars ()[Tatar]
in the Collins English Dictionary is an umbrella term for different , 58 Italians
, flag =
, flag_caption = The national flag of Italy
, population =
, regions = Italy 55,551,000
, region1 = Brazil
, pop1 = 25–33 million
, ref1 =
, region2 ...
, 58 French people
The French people (french: Français) are an ethnic group and nation primarily located in Western Europe that share a common French culture, history, and language, identified with the country of France.
The French people, especially the nati ...
, 32 English people
The English people are an ethnic group and nation native to England, who speak the English language in England, English language, a West Germanic languages, West Germanic language, and share a common history and culture. The English identi ...
, 19 Persians
The Persians are an Iranian ethnic group who comprise over half of the population of Iran. They share a common cultural system and are native speakers of the Persian language as well as of the languages that are closely related to Persian.
...
, 16 Poles
Poles,, ; singular masculine: ''Polak'', singular feminine: ''Polka'' or Polish people, are a West Slavic nation and ethnic group, who share a common history, culture, the Polish language and are identified with the country of Poland in Ce ...
, 16 Czechs
The Czechs ( cs, Češi, ; singular Czech, masculine: ''Čech'' , singular feminine: ''Češka'' ), or the Czech people (), are a West Slavic ethnic group and a nation native to the Czech Republic in Central Europe, who share a common ancestry, c ...
, and 69 others.
Total: 26,156
International relations
Consulates
* – General consulate
* – Honorary Consulate
Twin towns and sister cities
Ruse is twinned with:
* Bijeljina
Bijeljina ( sr-cyrl, Бијељина) is a city and municipality in Bosnia and Herzegovina. It is the provincial center of Semberija, a geographic region in the country's northeast. Administratively, Bijeljina is part of the Republika Srpska e ...
, Bosnia and Herzegovina
* Giurgiu
Giurgiu (; bg, Гюргево) is a city in southern Romania. The seat of Giurgiu County, it lies in the historical region of Muntenia. It is situated amongst mud-flats and marshes on the left bank of the Danube facing the Bulgarian city ...
, Romania
* Huainan
Huainan () is a prefecture-level city with 3,033,528 inhabitants as of the 2020 census in north-central Anhui province, China. It is named for the Han-era Principality of Huainan. It borders the provincial capital of Hefei to the south, Lu'an ...
, China
* Peristeri
Peristeri (Greek language, Greek: Περιστέρι, meaning "pigeon/dove" in Greek) is a suburban municipality in the western part of the Athens agglomeration, Greece. With 139,981 inhabitants (2011 census), it is the seventh-largest municipali ...
, Greece
* Saint-Ouen-sur-Seine
Saint-Ouen-sur-Seine (, literally ''Saint-Ouen on Seine'') is a commune in the Seine-Saint-Denis department in the Île-de-France region of France. It is located in the northern suburbs of Paris, from the centre of Paris. The commune was call ...
, France
* Trogir
Trogir (; historically known as Traù (from Dalmatian, Venetian and Italian: ); la, Tragurium; Ancient Greek: Τραγύριον, ''Tragyrion'' or Τραγούριον, ''Tragourion'') is a historic town and harbour on the Adriatic coast in S ...
, Croatia
* Újbuda (Budapest), Hungary
* Volgograd
Volgograd ( rus, Волгогра́д, a=ru-Volgograd.ogg, p=vəɫɡɐˈɡrat), geographical renaming, formerly Tsaritsyn (russian: Цари́цын, Tsarítsyn, label=none; ) (1589–1925), and Stalingrad (russian: Сталингра́д, Stal ...
, Russia
Honours
Ruse Peak (800 m) on Livingston Island
Livingston Island (Russian name ''Smolensk'', ) is an Antarctic island in the Southern Ocean, part of the South Shetlands Archipelago, a group of Antarctic islands north of the Antarctic Peninsula. It was the first land discovered south of 60 ...
in the South Shetland Islands
The South Shetland Islands are a group of Antarctic islands with a total area of . They lie about north of the Antarctic Peninsula, and between southwest of the nearest point of the South Orkney Islands. By the Antarctic Treaty of 195 ...
, Antarctica
Antarctica () is Earth's southernmost and least-populated continent. Situated almost entirely south of the Antarctic Circle and surrounded by the Southern Ocean, it contains the geographic South Pole. Antarctica is the fifth-largest contine ...
is named after the city.
Gallery
File:Rousse-monument-freedom-nedko.jpg, Statue of Liberty at night
File:Ruse TodorBozhinov 09.08.09 (15).JPG
File:Ruse TodorBozhinov 09.08.09 (31).JPG
File:03-08-2006-Rousse 114.jpg, The Rousse TV Tower
The Rousse TV Tower is a 204-metre-high TV tower built of reinforced concrete at Rousse, Bulgaria. Originally, the structure was constructed as a 206-metre-high TV tower with a cafe/restaurant on top and was the tallest one on the Balkan peninsu ...
as seen from the city
File:20140625 Rousse 082.jpg
File:20140625 Rousse 084.jpg
File:Rusenska-opera.jpg, The opera-house
File:St Paul of the Cross, Rousse.jpg, The Roman Catholic St Paul of the Cross Cathedral
The St Paul of the Cross Cathedral ( bg, Катедрален храм „Свети Павел от Кръста“, ''Katedralen hram „Sveti Pavel ot Krasta“'') is a Roman Catholic cathedral in the city of Rousse in northeastern Bulgaria. I ...
(1890)
File:Ruse TodorBozhinov HDR (3).jpg
File:Ruse TodorBozhinov 09.08.09 (72).JPG
File:20140625 Rousse 016.jpg
File:Rousse-architecture5.jpg
File:Ruse TodorBozhinov HDR (2).jpg, The Court House
File:Ruse TodorBozhinov 09.08.09 (33).JPG
File:Rousse-english-language-school.jpg, The English language school in Ruse
File:Ruse TodorBozhinov 09.08.09 (76).JPG
File:20140625 Rousse 061.jpg
File:Ruse TodorBozhinov 09.08.09 (36).JPG
File:Rousse-architecture4-library.jpg
File:Armenska curkva - Ruse.jpg
File:Rousse St Georgi Church.jpg
File:Rousse High School of Music Nedko 2.jpg
File:Rousse-evangelical-church.jpg
File:Rousse-Hristo-Botev-school.jpg
File:The Assu Church in Rousse.jpg
File:Roman Wall Rousse 078.jpg, Walls of the Roman fortress Sexaginta Prisca
File:Rousse-weather-station.jpg, First meteo station in Bulgaria
File:Съдебната палата Русе.jpg
File:Rousse-church-St-Petka.jpg
File:Monument of 5th Danube Infantry Regiment.jpg
File:Rousse Catholic Eparchy Detail.jpg
File:Паметник на свободата в Русе отблизо.jpg
File:Rousse-mosque-Mincov.jpg
File:Rousse-muslim-school.jpg
File:Паметник на свободата Русе общ поглед.jpg
File:Ruse Bulgaria center.jpg, Русе (Център)
References
External links
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Ruse municipality
Ruse location on Google maps
Detailed map of Ruse on Bgmaps
{{Authority control
Populated places in Ruse Province
Port cities and towns in Bulgaria
Ancient Roman buildings and structures in Bulgaria
Bulgaria–Romania border crossings
Populated places on the Danube
Baroque architecture in Bulgaria
Rococo architecture
Jewish communities