Silistra is a city in northeastern Bulgaria. The city is located on the south bank of the lower Danube River and is also part of the Romanian border.
Silistra is a city in northeastern Bulgaria. The city is located on the south bank of the lower Danube River and is also part of the Romanian border where they stop after the Danube.
1. Fortress Medzhittabia
The Turkish fort “Abdul Medzhidi” or the so-called Medzhidi Tabiya fortress is located south of Silistra and is the best preserved of the six defensive points of the Turkish fortification system, which played an important role during the Crimean war (1853 – 1856) and the wars between Russia and Turkey. Medzhidi Tabiya is the only fortress with completely preserved interior and exterior belonging to the Ottoman period in Bulgaria.
2. Regional History Museum
The first museum in Silistra was established in 1998 as a modest collection of the State Pedagogical School. From 1943 the museum goes to the “Dorostol” Community Center. In 1967 permanent expositions of the Archeology and Revival departments were opened at the Medjidi Tabia fortress. During the year the Ethnographic Museum settled its exposition in a building from the middle of the 19th century, a former Ottoman Konak, located on Otets Paisii Str. On May 18, 1990, the new archeological exhibition of the Historical Museum in Silistra was officially opened. It is housed in a building – an architectural monument of culture, built between 1923 and 1924 as a branch of the Romanian National Bank. Since 2006 the museum has the status of a regional one.
3. Kurshumlu Mosque
Kurshumlu mosque in Silistra is located in the central part of the town. It is declared a monument of culture of local importance.
The building was constructed in the first decades of the XVI century and best reflects the mastership of the Osman architects. It got its name after the lead layers covering its dome. Like every mosque built under the Osman dynasty, the Kurshumlu mosque faces Meka.
4. Medjidi Tabia Fortress
The Medjidi Tabia fortress is located at hill south of the town of Silistra. The fort is the best-preserved of total six facilities of the Ottoman fortification system used during the Crimean War (1853 – 1856) and Russo-Turkish War (1877-1878). The fortress has a hexagon form and reaches 8m in high. It was built in period 1841 – 1853 based on plans of the German military engineer Helmuth von Moltke who designed also another fort near the town of Ruse – Levent Tabia. The name of the fortress comes from the name of Sultan Abdul Medzhid who visited the facility in 1847.
5. Durostorum – Drustur Fortress
Fortress Drustar (Roman name Durostorum) is located in the borders of the modern town of Silistra. In its beginning, it probably occurred as a Thracian stronghold which base was used by the Romans to build large and strong fortress-city along the Danube. The town flourished in the first III-II centuries BC under the name Durostorum until 238 when tribes of Karpi destroyed it. Later, in VI century, Slavs settled here and the city revived with new strength and power under the name Drastar.