The Railway Transport Museum in Ruse

After the Liberation, industry in Bulgaria began to develop rapidly and new railways were built. The very first railway line, connecting Ruse and Varna, was built back in the days of Ottoman rule. That was also when the country’s first railway station was erected in the city of Ruse. Today it houses the national transport museum – the only one in the country.

The museum was founded in 1966, on the hundredth anniversary of the arrival of railway transport in Bulgaria. The exhibition is housed in the building of the old station, which today has been declared a historical monument (the modern station was built in socialist Bulgaria and in the open air).

In three museum halls located in the building of the former station, the exhibition presents the history of railway transport in Bulgaria. Here you can also learn about the history of water transport in the country.

Among the museum’s most interesting exhibits are old locomotives and the carriages of Tsar Ferdinand, who ruled Bulgaria from 1887 to 1918, as well as those of his successor Boris III, who was Bulgarian tsar until 1943.

The tsars were no ascetics – the interiors of the carriages are luxurious: velvet, crystal and precious woods were used in the finishing.

You can also see here the carriage of Sultan Abdul Aziz, made in Brussels. Painted blue and decorated with oriental ornaments, this carriage with its distinctive open “terrace” looks very attractive.

Useful information

• The address of the old station in Ruse (and now of the museum) is 5 Bratya Obretenovi Street.
• The museum is open in winter and summer daily from 9 a.m. to five p.m. On weekends the museum is closed.
• Viewing the indoor exhibition costs 4 leva, the open-air exhibition – 2 leva (viewing the carriages and locomotives from the outside only) or 6 leva (with entry into the carriages).
• The museum’s exhibits were filmed in the Bulgarian films «Капитан Петко войвода» and «Записки по българските въстания», as well as in the Russian-Bulgarian film «The Turkish Gambit».
• Visitors have the opportunity to ride along the rails on a handcar themselves.
• When planning a trip to the transport museum in Ruse, it is worth setting aside plenty of time for walks around the city as well: it is worth it. After the Liberation of Bulgaria, Ruse became the largest and most elegant city in the country, and although its heyday has now passed, a walk through Ruse promises to be unforgettable.

The «Chervenata Stena» reserve in the Rhodopes

Cape Kaliakra

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