Tutrakan ( , , ) is a town in northeastern

Bulgaria Bulgaria, officially the Republic of Bulgaria, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the eastern portion of the Balkans directly south of the Danube river and west of the Black Sea. Bulgaria is bordered by Greece and Turkey t ...

, an administrative centre of the homonymous municipality, part of Silistra Province. It is situated on the right bank of the

Danube The Danube ( ; see also #Names and etymology, other names) is the List of rivers of Europe#Longest rivers, second-longest river in Europe, after the Volga in Russia. It flows through Central and Southeastern Europe, from the Black Forest sou ...

opposite the

Romania Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central Europe, Central, Eastern Europe, Eastern and Southeast Europe. It borders Ukraine to the north and east, Hungary to the west, Serbia to the southwest, Bulgaria to the south, Moldova to ...

n town of Oltenița (to which it was linked through a

ferry A ferry is a boat or ship that transports passengers, and occasionally vehicles and cargo, across a body of water. A small passenger ferry with multiple stops, like those in Venice, Italy, is sometimes referred to as a water taxi or water bus ...

but the ferry does not work anymore), in the very west of

Southern Dobruja Southern Dobruja or South Dobruja ( or simply , ; or , ), also the Quadrilateral (), is an area of north-eastern Bulgaria comprising Dobrich and Silistra provinces, part of the historical region of Dobruja. It has an area of 7,412 square km an ...

, 58 km east of

Rousse Ruse (also transliterated as Rousse, Russe; ) is the List of cities and towns in Bulgaria, fifth-largest city in Bulgaria. Ruse is in the northeastern part of the country, on the right bank of the Danube, opposite the Romanian city of Giurgiu, ...

and 62 km west of Silistra.

History

The town was founded by the

Ancient Romans The Roman people was the ethnicity and the body of Roman citizenship, Roman citizens (; ) during the Roman Kingdom, the Roman Republic, and the Roman Empire. This concept underwent considerable changes throughout the long history of the Roman ...

in the end of the first half of the 1st century under the name ''Transmarisca''. The settlement was part of the Roman military boundary in the 1st and 3rd century and reached its apogee in the 4th century, when, under the personal management of

Diocletian Diocletian ( ; ; ; 242/245 – 311/312), nicknamed Jovius, was Roman emperor from 284 until his abdication in 305. He was born Diocles to a family of low status in the Roman province of Dalmatia (Roman province), Dalmatia. As with other Illyri ...

, it was made one of the largest strongholds of the Danubian limes. The ancient town and fortress were destroyed in the beginning of the 7th century and the modern town carrying its present name emerged in the end of the century, remaining a military centre through the

Middle Ages In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the 5th to the late 15th centuries, similarly to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire and ...

as part of the

Bulgarian Empire Bulgarian Empire may refer to: * First Bulgarian Empire The First Bulgarian Empire (; was a medieval state that existed in Southeastern Europe between the 7th and 11th centuries AD. It was founded in 680–681 after part of the Bulgars, led b ...

, which was conquered by the

Ottomans Ottoman may refer to: * Osman I, historically known in English as "Ottoman I", founder of the Ottoman Empire * Osman II, historically known in English as "Ottoman II" * Ottoman Empire The Ottoman Empire (), also called the Turkish Empir ...

in the late 14th century. Tutrakan was stormed twice during the Russo-Turkish War in 1773. Tutrakan was liberated from Ottoman rule during the Russo-Turkish War of 1877-78 by Russians to become part of the

Kingdom of Bulgaria The Tsardom of Bulgaria (), also known as the Third Bulgarian Tsardom (), usually known in English as the Kingdom of Bulgaria, or simply Bulgaria, was a constitutional monarchy in Southeastern Europe, which was established on , when the Bulgaria ...

. After the Second Balkan War, it was incorporated, along with all of

, in Romania until 1940, when the pre-

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

Treaty of Craiova returned the territory to Bulgaria. During

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

, the town, then part of Romania, was the site of the important Battle of Tutrakan during which Bulgarian and German

Central Powers The Central Powers, also known as the Central Empires,; ; , ; were one of the two main coalitions that fought in World War I (1914–1918). It consisted of the German Empire, Austria-Hungary, the Ottoman Empire, and the Kingdom of Bulga ...

forces defeated the Romanian forces. Today it remains a vibrant fishing village, and the historic Fisherman's Quarter continues to attract tourists, bicyclists, boaters and artists.

Geography

The town is 58 km east of Ruse, 62 km west of Silistra, and 74 km north of Razgrad. Its port facilitates communications and determines the significant place that Tutrakan has occupied and occupies in its historical development. The city is located at 26°36' east longitude and 44°03' north latitude. The altitude is 13 m from the river bank, and the plateau (the flat part of the city), located 500 m from the river, reaches 126 m.

Religion

* Orthodox community * Muslim community (Islam) * Adventist community *

Protestant Protestantism is a branch of Christianity that emphasizes Justification (theology), justification of sinners Sola fide, through faith alone, the teaching that Salvation in Christianity, salvation comes by unmerited Grace in Christianity, divin ...

community

Notable people

* Angel Cheshmedzhiev * Dobri Nemirov * Nikola Mavrodinov (1904 – 1958), book publisher from XIX – XX c. * Petar Mavrodinov (1873 – 1948), teacher, book publisher and public figure * BASA-1271K-1-161-39-Dobri Nemirov

Tita, singer

Honours

Tutrakan Peak in

Antarctica Antarctica () is Earth's southernmost and least-populated continent. Situated almost entirely south of the Antarctic Circle and surrounded by the Southern Ocean (also known as the Antarctic Ocean), it contains the geographic South Pole. ...

is named after the town.

Gallery

Image:Tutrakan-military-cemetery.jpg, 1764 Bulgarian soldiers rest in the military cemetery in Tutrakan Image:Monument_of_Panteley_Kiselov_in_Tutrakan,_Bulgaria.jpg, Monument of Bulgarian general Panteley Kiselov, who liberated a part of South Dobrudja during the First World War.

References

External links

Photo gallery of Tutrakan

Tutrakan municipal council website

Tutrakan museums website

Tutrakan Historical Museum website

Website of the Muslim board in Tutrakan

Kalimok-Brashlen Protected Site website
{{Authority control Towns in Bulgaria Populated places on the Danube Populated places in Silistra Province Bulgaria–Romania border crossings