Ruse is the largest Bulgarian city along the Danube River and the fifth largest city in the country, located on the northeastern border of Bulgaria with Romania. The city is the administrative center of Ruse municipality and Ruse region, as well as an economic, transport, cultural and educational center of regional and national importance.

Ruse is one of the cities in Bulgaria that attracts both with its magnificent architecture and with its rich historical past. Already thousands of years ago (from the 2nd century BC), the ancient Roman fortress of Sexaginta Prista existed on the site of today’s city, which served as a fortification and port along the border of the Roman state. There are archaeological finds testifying to the existence of a Thracian settlement before the origin of Sexaginta Prista.

Ruse is often called “Little Vienna” in Bulgaria because of the numerous buildings-monuments of culture, in whose architecture the neo-baroque, modern, neoclassicism and secession styles are represented. Symbols of the city are the Revenue Building and the Freedom Monument. Residents and guests of Ruse have the opportunity to enjoy architecture unique to Bulgaria.

Ruse is extremely popular for its iconic opera house as well as its philharmonic. Some of the most capable and prominent musicians in Bulgaria work in these buildings, who make annual performances as guests on some of the most prestigious international stages.

Ruse is known as the “city of first things”. Here are just some of the things that happened for the first time in Ruse:

• the first printing house in Bulgaria (1864)
• streets were named for the first time in Bulgaria (1865)
• the first farm in the Ottoman Empire (1865)
• the first meteorological service (1866) and meteorological station in our country (1883)
• the first railway line in Bulgaria, route Ruse-Varna (1866)
• the first factory for alcoholic beverages in Bulgaria (1870)
• the first brewery in our country (1876)
• the first city with a town planning plan in Bulgaria (1878)
• first naval brass band (1881)
• the first leather factory (1881)
• the first Bulgarian soap factory (1883)
• the first knitting factory (1887)
• first chamber of commerce (1889)
• the first furniture factory (1890)
• the first Bulgarian joint-stock insurance company “Bulgaria” with headquarters in Ruse and with its branches in Sofia and other cities of the country, as well as representative offices in Constantinople, Thessaloniki, Veles, Bitola, Ohrid, Athens, Piraeus, Alexandria, Chicago, London, Amsterdam, Paris , Madrid and Berlin. (1891)
• the first Bulgarian chemical factory (1895)
• the first public cinema projection in Bulgaria (1897)
• the first elevator in Bulgaria, functioning according to the American model (1897)
• the first Bulgarian factory for iron blinds (1898)
• the first Bulgarian factory for milling machines (1898)
• the first “Express” factory in the country for bicycles, gramophones, etc. metalwork (1906)
• the first church organ in Bulgaria (1907)
• the first Bulgarian factory for iron beds and furniture (1908)
• the first cinema in Bulgaria, called “Modern Theater” (1911)
• the first Bulgarian passenger line in shipping Ruse – Vidin (1935)