The city of Russe is situated on the right bank of Danube River, which is our natural north border, and is a regional center. The city is 320 kilometers to the north-east of our capital Sofia. Russe has an ancient history with traditions in culture, art, and education. It is also a big industrial and trade center. Russe has an interesting history and is connected with the establishment of the first sea school in our country in 1881, as well as with the construction of the first railway line Russe-Varna (1866) and with the opening of the first meteorological station in our country in 1883. It is considered that the town was founded during the reign of the Roman Emperor Vespasian in 1st century A. D. Initially it has been a military fortress and a port of the Roman navy with the name Sexaginta Prista (Port of the sixty ships). Today in Russe is located the biggest Danube port. In the town you will find an Historical museum, Art Gallery, many house-museums, theatres, cinemas, and an opera.

Quick facts about City of Russe
In Bulgarian Alphabets: Русе
Location: North-Central Bulgaria
Distance to capital city: 251 km from Sofia
Latitude: 43.856 N
Longitude: 25.971 E
Altitude: 0 - 49 m above the sea level
Province: Russe District
Municipality: Russe Municipality
Area size of City of Russe: 127.124 sq km
Population: 157 526 inhabitants (to 01/01/2007)
Post code (ZIP): 7000
Phone code: 082 from Bulgaria; 003582 from outside.

Landmarks
About 200 buildings in Russe are considered part of architectural historical heritage of Bulgaria, 12 of which are especially valuable. In the first place this is the Dohodnoto Zdanie (The Profitable Building) with the winged Mercury on its roof (the Old Theatre), built in 1902 by the architects Raul Brank, Georg Lang and Frank Scholts, which together with the Monument of Freedom (1908), a remarkable work of the architect and sculptor from Florence Arnoldo Zocci, are the symbols of Russe. The following are also among the most outstanding cultural and historical monuments: The High School of Music; the Catholic Church with coloured stained-glas; the buildings of the Savings Bank, the Chamber of Commerce and Industry (Lyuben Karavelov Regional Library - 1911), the boy's high school Knyaz Boris (now a secondary vocational school Hristo Botev); The house of the sailor; the Regional Administration (granted for a museum); The Club of the Culture Functionaries; The Duty-Free Zone Administration; the Simeonov Brothers' House. The native home of Elias Kaneti is located at 13 Gurko street.
The first fountain of Russe is also in the central garden. It was made by the sculptor Vladimir Vladimirov in 1926. The imposing building of Russe Court is in the square, and close to it across the street is the House with the Clock (The first private bank in the country, 1879).
Russe is a city of the museums: The Regional Museum of History; the Baba Tonka Museum; the Zakhari Stoyanov House-Museum; Toma Kurdzhiev House-Museum; The Museum of the Town Lifestyle arranged in Kaliopa's House; The Town Art Gallery; Roman castle Sexaginta Prista.
The Tomb of Revivalists (the Pantheon) is a national memorial where the bones of 453 heroes from the revival period are buried, including the bones of Lyuben Karavelov, Stefan Karadzha, Zahari Stoyanov, Angel Kanchev and Baba Tonka Obretenova (The legendary mother of the Bulgarian freedom was born in the village of Cherven, Russe Region. She was involved in the struggle against the Greek clergy in Russe. Her house was hiding place for Bulgarian revolutionaries). It was inaugurated in 1978. The architects were Nikola Nikolov and Daniel Kanev. An eternal fire burns under the gilded dome and there is a chapel inside. The bones of many activists of the April Riot are also laid in the Pantheon. Panayot Volov - leader of the Fourth Revolutionary District, Georgi Ikonomov, Ilarion Dragostinov, Georgi Obretenov - apostle of the Sliven Revolutionary District, Dimitar Ruschukliycheto - the standard bearer or Pop Hariton's fighting group engaged in the battle at the Dryanovo Monastery, Nikola Obretenov and Yanko Boyanov - members of Hristo Botev's fighting group.
The national Museum of Transport is the only one of its kind in Bulgaria. It was opened in 1966, in the building where the first railway station in Bulgaria was. Old locomotives and wagons stay on the platform in front of the station. The wagons of Sultan Abdul Azis, of the Bulgarian kings Ferdinand and Boris III, of Marshall Tolbuhin, and a sundial are among the most attractive exhibits. The museum is in the Park of Youth.

Surrounding areas
22 km south-west Ruse close to the village of Ivanovo is the Ivanovo Rock Hewn Churches Archaeological Reserve. High in the rocks, 40-50 m above the ground, are the scenic caves thet were inhabited by medieval monks who believed in the doctrine of Hesychasm. They lived there 700 years ago, in a period marked by active spiritual life in the last decades of the Second Bulgarian Kingdom. There was a monastic centre there in the 12-14th century. The monks enlarged the natural caves and turned them into chapels, churches and cells. The murals of Holy Virgin's Church are still preserved. They are considered to be a supreme achievement of the medieval Bulgarian fine arts. The churches are on UNESCO's list of world cultural heritage.
Rock Monastery "St. Dimitar Basarbovski" - It is 12 km from Russe, in the rocks close to the village of Basarbovo. The functions of the monastery were resumed in 1937 by a monk called Hrisant, after it had been desolate for many years. The church high in the rocks has a wooden icon stand. It can give an idea of what the ancient rock monasteries and churches looked like. Steps up to the church are hewn in the rock, and a path leads to a grave cut in the cliff. According to the historians, St. Dimitar Basarbovski's relics rested there. It is the only active rock monastery in Bulgaria.
One of the most significant military, economic and cultural centres of Bulgaria during the 13th and 14th centuries was located there, the Medieval Town of Cherven (on the right bank of the Cherni Lom River, by the name of the same village, at the distance of 31 km south of Russe). The town had a bishop and a boyar who ruled it. It was a centre of crafts and trade. Out of the preserved  ruins most interesting are the parts of the fortified walls, the defensive tower (used as a model for the restoration of the Baldwin Tower on Tsarevets Hill in Veliko Tarnovo), the two gates, the castle, the foundations of the boyar palaces, the two unique in their kind water pumping facilities with vaulted staircases, etc. There is a regularly functioning bus transport to the village.
The Russenski Lom River Valley, along with its tributaries Beli (White), Malki (Little) and Cherni (Black) Lom represents a unique world in itself in which the amazing nature is entwined into our remote past history. Part of the valley with the territory of 3260 hectares was proclaimed a Nature Park (at the distance of 20 km south of Russe). The rivers have created incredibly beautiful gorges into the limestone rock foundation. It is genuine joy for the eyes and real paradise for rock climbers.
The Danube River provides great opportunities for recreation, water sports, water tourism, fishing and lots of entertainment. There are wonderful little places, like the islands of Lyulyaka and Mateya, the riverside at Stulpishte, Marten and so on.
Prista Western Park is located at the distance of 6 km from Russe along the road to the town of Byala. There are beautiful deciduous forests, well shaped lanes, tourist can visit the Danubian island of Lyulyaka, PRista Chalet, Lyulyaka Camping, the Danube Motel, Ribarska Koliba (Fisherman's hut) - interesting restaurant. There are town bus lines - No. 6 and No. 16 running to the park. Another big site for recreation, sports, tourism, sunbathing and all other kinds of entertainment is situated at the distance of 12 km east of Russe - the Lipnik Forest Park. There are country houses, restaurants, artificial lakes, a hotel, a zoo corner, a sports base and a camping site. There is a town bus line functioning in this direction.