Russe - the Little Vienna

According to many, Russe is the most European city in Bulgaria and it is often called "The little Vienna". I was in Russe at the end of September, but I was so busy with all kinds of other stuff, that I kept postponing my post about the unique architecture of Russe. After visiting and posting about the actual Vienna, it seemed only appropriate to finally publish my thoughts and photos about its more modest Bulgarian counterpart - Russe.

Like the capital of Austria, Russe is situated on the river Danube. It became an important economic and cultural center at the end of the ottoman rule of Bulgaria, when the town was declared the vilayet center of one of the largest provinces of the Ottoman empire - the Danube vilayet. Due to its favourable geographic location Russe was a pioneer city in the empire.

It soon became the seat of the diplomatic missions of many European countries and thus the city quickly established plentiful economic and cultural international connections and opened for the penetration of European culture.

The diplomatic missions remained in Russe long after the liberation of the country, when Russe was one of the largest cities in the newly independent Bulgaria. Its residents began to travel by steamboats to Vienna and other European cities and to send their children to study there. Russe became a cosmopolitan city, trade flourished and wealth was accumulated. Modern shops for clothes, furniture, musical instruments opened their doors.

During this period a lot of renowned architects and civil engineers arrived in Russe and left their mark on the architecture of the city. Hundreds of residential and public buildings were built in the neoclassical style, that was dominant in Europe at the time, combining elements of Baroque, Gothic, Renaissance, etc. The most impressive of these is the Profit Building, a work by a Viennese architect, completed in 1902, with a magnificent facade and seven figures on its roof, symbols of art, science, trade, agriculture, crafts, defense and the free flight of the spirit.

Another architectural landmark of Russe - the bank of Simeonov brothers, built in 1895.

The History Museum is the oldest of the neoclassical buildings in Russe and the first administrative building in Bulgaria after the Liberation. It was completed in 1882 by design of another Viennese architect.

Although it was the end of September, the sun was very strong on the first day of my visit and the temperatures soared to 35-36C. On the next days the temperatures plummeted, unfortunately, and the days were cold, cloudy and rainy.

The Monument of Freedom, the work of the renowned Italian sculptor Arnoldo Dzoki, is the symbol of Russe and part of its coat of arms.

With its grand and beautiful river, green gardens and parks and unique buildings, Russe is truly a jewel of a city.