Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
History
Named Sexaginta Prista
,
or the Port of Sixty Ships, by the Romans, the fortress here stood
guard over the Danube. The town declined under the Byzantines and Bulgarians, but its
fortunes revived under the Turks, who called it Roustchouk. It developed great economic
and cultural importance and, in 1866, became the first station on the first railway line in
the entire Ottoman Empire, which linked the Danube with the Black Sea at Varna.
Ruse also became a centre for anti-Turkish agitation during the 19th-century uprisings
when Bucharest, just a few hours to the north, was the headquarters of the Bulgarian Cent-
ral Revolutionary Committee. By the end of the Russo-Turkish War (1877-78), Ruse was
the largest, most prosperous city in Bulgaria; the legacy of those days lingers in the city's
lovely turn-of-the-century architecture.
Sights
Ruse Regional Museum of History
(
www.museumruse.com
;
pl Aleksandar Battenberg 3; adult/student 4/1 lv; 9am-6pm)
The 5th-century BC
Borovo Treasure
, consisting of sliver cups and jugs adorned with
Greek gods, is one of the highlights of Ruse's interesting museum. Other artefacts on dis-
play include Thracian helmets, Roman statues and 19th-century costumes.
MUSEUM
CHURCH
Sveta Troitsa Church
(ul Zlatarov; 7am-6pm)
Built in 1632 below ground level - according to the Turkish
stipulation that churches should be as unobtrusive as possible - Sveta Troitsa has a fine
gilt wood iconostasis and wooden pillars painted to look like marble, as well as some
well-preserved icons.
Roman Fortress of Sexaginta Prista
(ul Tsar Kaloyan 2; adult/student 2/1 lv; 9am-noon & 12.30-5.30pm Tue-Sat)
Closed
for renovation at the time of research, little remains today of what was once a mighty Ro-
man fort (AD 70), housing some 600 soldiers at its peak. You can still see some barrack
ARCHEOLOGICAL SITE
