Russe

The city of Russe is located on the high right bank of the Danube River,496 km from the outflow of the big river in the Black Sea, 320 km northeast of Sofia. The largest Bulgarian city on the Danube has a long history – from the 5000-year-old prehistoric settlement, the Roman town of Sexaginta Prista, or the Port of the Sixty Ships, and the important Ottoman harbour and fortress, to the present economic and cultural centre where Art Nouveau-inspired ornamentation drips from delicate turn-of the-century houses. About 200 buildings in Russe are listed in the architectural and historical heritage of Bulgaria, the most outstanding of which are: the 1908 Liberation Monument, the Drama Theatre and High School of Music, the Chamber of Commerce and Industry and Dohodnoto Zdanie, the Kaliopa house and many others. The ancient places of interest include Leventabia Fortress, the Kyuntukapu Gate, the 1632 Holy Trinity Church, the Mahmoud Column. Russe makes a good base for exploring the nearby Rusenski Lom National Park, home to the dramatic Rock Monastery of Ivanovo and the ruined town of Cherven.