Danube impressions

published on 11/15/13 1:27 PM

The Bulgarian and Romanian banks of the Danube are still not subject to mass tourism

Photo: Veneta Nikolova

A journey along the Bulgarian – Romanian segment of the Danube River may turn into a real adventure. The lower part of the river, with its slow waters penetrating both countries’ territories, thus forming a natural border between them is still a tourist terra incognita. The riverbanks are wild, covered with reed and lush greenery. Ornithologists and common tourists are happy to know that the wetlands of the river are secure shelters of rare, globally endangered bird species. The Bulgarian bank is also covered with ruins of ancient fortresses and settlements from different periods.

Unlike the hilly Bulgarian bank, that on the Romania side is low and flat

The spot is among the least urbanized ones on the Continent, as well as one of the poorest regions of the EU. The Romanian bank is not that high, compared to the Bulgarian and being flat it allows the river’s penetration deep into the main land, sometimes as far as 20 km. Thus abandoned swamp areas are formed at many places. At the same time a series of small towns can be found inside Romania, with broad boulevards and old, a bit worn out buildings in Viennese style and a grey sea of post-socialist panel blocks of flats.

The Zhelezni Vrata water electric plant

The Iron Gates gorge ( Zhelezni Vrata)is one of the major landmarks along that segment of the river. The Carpathians meet the waters of the Danube here, forming one of the most glorious and beautiful natural sights, which is the biggest gorge in Europe. The city of Craiova is the next stop, with its university /where Bulgarian philology is taught/, airport and wonderful, over-century-old buildings downtown. The brand new Danube Bridge 2 takes the tourist straight from the town of Kalafat to the one of Vidin. Our bank is higher, has more hills and is covered with vegetation. Each bigger settlement here has preserved the ruins of an ancient fortress or some other kind of defense facility, traced back to Roman times. The Baba Vida medieval fortress in Vidin is the largest one preserved. Young Frenchman Valerie says that he and his girlfriend have visited several natural reserves in neighboring Romania.

“We figured it out from what we saw and from the guide’s words that Northwest Bulgaria and the Danube banks were even wilder and offered beautiful natural landscapes. For people, practicing our kind of tourism and looking for the touch of nature, this here is a paradise!”

Mountain biking in the region of Belogradchik Rocks

The Belogradchik Rocks can be found not so far from here – one of the wonders of Bulgarian nature. They look like a movie décor and a series of tourist and bicycle routes among them can take the tourist into a magnificent world, so different from dull reality. The towns of Nikopol and Svishtov can be found down the river, but the path, leading to those is a sad one, since not a single soul can be found in many of the settlements along the riverbank, once full of life… The Kaleto area with the remains of the so-called Shishman Fortress can be seen in Nikopol, recalling one of the most tragic periods of Bulgarian history – the fall under Ottoman rule back in the 14th century. The fortress is taken in 1395, after heavy battles.

The St. Trinity Cathedral in Svishtov is one of the deeds of Revival period Master Kolyo Ficheto

The university town of Svishtov is the next stop of our journey, atypically bustling and having nice architecture. However, the canyon of the Rusenski Lom River is perhaps the most spectacular spot along the Danube. Bird songs sound among the magnificent rock formations and the villages, scattered at their foot with their wonderful guest houses. Dozens of rock monasteries, chapels and cells have remained as a testament of monks from the past. The town of Tutrakan is another pleasant surprise, with the old spirit of a fishing settlement, the only of its kind Museum of Danube Fishing and Boating and of course… fish soup. The Srebarna natural reserve, situated at Via Pontica – one of the main migration routes of birds, is another magnificent spot.

The Besarbovski rock monastery is one of the points of attraction

“90 bird species nest constantly in this reserve, 90 raise their offspring here and a total of 220 species are registered here", Mrs. Radka Terzieva from the information Center of the reserve says. "Most of them use the place as a temporary stop on their way to South. We have welcomed about 11,000 tourists this year, from this country and abroad. We even had an African, saying he felt like home here!”

Different measures are being taken under a series of EU projects right now, with the idea tourist routes to be outlined and popularized in this magnificent part of Europe, still not touched by globalization.

English version: Zhivko Stanchev

По публикацията работи: Veneta Nikolova

Последвайте ни и в Google News Showcase, за да научите най-важното от деня!

Share

Danube impressions

More from category

Prestigious tourist website dubs Perperikon the “Machu Picchu of Europe”

Pamporovo is expected to have a successful winter season

Mountain resort of Borovets officially kicks off winter season

Prohodna Cave – a favorite place for filming movies in Bulgaria

About 5% more foreign tourists will visit Bulgaria this winter