Welcome!

Welcome to the ROUSSE CITY GUIDE website—a lovingly created virtual space dedicated to the Bulgarian city of Rousse!

The Danube Bridge at Rousse connecting Bulgaria and Romania.
Photo by Yavor Michev.

Rousse is a city of around 150,000 inhabitants located in North-East Bulgaria on the South bank of the Danube River. It is the biggest Bulgarian city bordering Romania to the North and is connected with the Romanian town of Giurgiu by the Danube Bridge.

The city center with the Palace of Justice on the left.
Photo by Mariana Staikova.

Rousse boasts a long history and rich culture. It raised to national prominence during the second half of the 19th century when it became a leading economic centre even though Bulgaria was under the Ottoman rule at the time. Towards the end of the century the city became one of the strategic points of contact for the National Resistance Movement which led to gaining national freedom in 1878.

The Clock, a favourite meeting place in the city centre.
Photo by Yavor Michev.

After the Liberation and during the first decades of the 20th century Rousse flourished as the most significant cultural, architectural, and economic city in Bulgaria attracting foreign artists, entrepreneurs, and architects who left their unique footprint on the general cityline which can be seen even today.

The Statue of Liberty, an emblematic city monument and a symbol of the National Revival Movement.
Photo by Georgy Georgiev.

It was then when the city became known by the names The Small Vienna and The City of the First Things in Bulgaria because again during that time, many things happened in Rousse for the first time country-wise—for example, the first insurance company was established in 1891, the first manually-operated elevator was built in 1896, and the first movie was presented in 1897. One of the most emblematic buildings from that time is the so called Profit-Yielding Building.

The Profit-Yielding Building.
Photo by Milcho Yovchev.

Later on Rousse played a crucial part in establishing the dissident movement in Bulgaria which, ultimately, brought about the fall of Communism in the country by starting the first civil protests under totalitarian rule and setting up the first dissident organization Ecoglasnost.

The TV tower used to be the highest TV tower on the Balkans until 2001.
Photo by Milcho Yovchev.

But let us not spoil your adventure. On this website we keep publishing articles about famous people that were born in Rousse (such as the Nobel laureate Elias Canetti), buildings that speak about the history of the city (like the Holy Trinity Cathedral), and all the things which according to us have added to the unique atmosphere of Rousse.

So, dive in, enjoy yourself, and follow us on Facebook!