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The county of Rousse (sometimes spelt Ruse or Rouse) has much to offer. A large, busting town (until recently Bulgaria’s 5th largest town) with many amenities, situated on the banks of the Danube River, and beautiful surrounding countryside interlaced with rivers and gorges.
Rousse is the home town of two of Balkan Dreams’s original three directors, and is home to our Bulgarian headquarters. You can find the Bulgarian office just a short walk from the spacious tree lined centre at 84 Aleksandrovska Ulista (street).
The port town centre of Rousse is located on the northern border of Bulgaria, with the Danube River forming the border with Romania. It is around 2-3 hours drive from Varna aiport, and 3-4 hours from the capital, Sofia.
The river Danube is of huge historical importance to the town and provided the first settlers almost 4 thousand years ago with a living. The river links Bulgaria with nine other countries: Germany, Austria, Slovakia, Hungary, Croatia, Serbia, Romania, Moldova and the Ukraine.
The town shares the same Latitude as Monte Carlo and Florence, although it’s climate is somewhat different. Summers can reach a scorching 40 degrees and winters a freezing minus 20. |
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| Above: Svobodna (Freedom) Square and the monument | ||||||||||||||
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Left & below: Rousse's grand architecture | |||||||||||||
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| Rousse has some beautiful architecture and is often referred to as the little Vienna. The variety of coloured buildings have a very European feel and borrow features seen in Bucharest and Vienna. There are gothic and baroque styles. The town centre, Svoboda (Freedom) Square, is a green leafy space with monuments and fountains. The elegant pedestrian walks are broad and lined with trees, and there are plenty of street side cafes where you can stop and enjoy the surroundings. Rousse is an ancient city but offers all the modern facilities – mulitudes of shops, restaurants, bars and night clubs, gyms and internet cafes. | ||||||||||||||
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Prices in Rousse are some of the lowest in Bulgaria. You can buy a ‘cheap’ mans suit for less than £30 / 45 EUR, or a good quality one for around £45 / 60 EUR. A quick lunch time snack will cost you a few pounds / euros, whilst a five course meal at one of Rousse’s best Mehana’s (traditional restaurant) will cost around £15 / 20 EUR each at the most. Don’t forget to try Rousse’s excellent local wine - we recommend the standard Rousse Cabinet Sauvignon (rather than the Special Reserve).
The surrounding countryside offers relaxation, hiking, fishing and hunting. Fields of crops give way to plains and gently rolling hills, as Rousse extends towards the foot of the Balkan range. As you move closer to the county of Veliko Tarnovo the altitude increases and more gorges and rivers can be found. There are some excellent hiking and sightseeing opportunities. The forests are thick with wildlife. Left: An icy winter Rousse road |
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| Like in most parts of Bulgaria, many people moved from the villages to the large towns to find work over the last few decades. As a result there are many empty rural properties – Rousse is no different. There are multitudes of pretty rural villages with empty homes. Most of these properties have been neglected for a long time and are in need of attention, but with prices in the Rousse area so cheap purchasing a property there and renovating is a great opportunity to purchase a rural Bulgarian property. |
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| Right: A Mehana's bill delivered in a traditional box | ||||||||||||||
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| Rousse's winters can be cold | A village nests in a Rousse gorge | A busy road in Rousse's countryside | ||||||||||||
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Click here to find out more about Bulgaria, including maps of Bulgaria and information about the Bulgarian towns. |
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