Silistra Province (is one of the 28 regions of Bulgaria. It occupies an area of 2851.1 km² and has a population of 97,770 people according to the 2021 census. The postal codes of the settlements in Silistra Region are from 7500 (for the city of Silistra) to 7699. Its vehicle code is SS.
Alfatar municipality
Alekovo, Alfatar, Bistra, Vasil Levski,
Kutlovitsa, Tsar Asen, Chukovets
Municipality of Glavinitsa
Bachtino, Bogdantsi, Vulkan, Glavinitsa, Dichevo, Dolno Ryahovo,
Zaritsa, Zafirovo, Zvenimir, Zebil, Kalugerene, Kolarovo, Kosara,
Listets, Malak Preslavets, Nozharevo, Osen, Padina, Podles, Sokol,
Stefan Karadzha, Suhodol, Montenegro
Dulovo Municipality
Boil,
Vodno, Vokil, Verbino, Pottery, Dolets, Dulovo, Zlatoklas, Koziak,
Kolober, Mezhden, Aries, Okorsh, Oreshene, Paisievo, Colonel Taslakovo,
Poiroino, Pravda, Cool, Section, Ruyno, Sekulovo, Skala, Church,
Chernolik , Bilberry, Partridge
Kaynardzha municipality
Voynovo, Golesh, Gospodinovo, Davidovo, Dobrudzhanka, Zarnik,
Kaynardzha, Kamentsi, Kranovo, Colonel Cholakovo, Poprusanovo, Posev,
Svetoslav, Sredishte, Strelkovo
Municipality of Silistra
Aydemir, Babuk, Bogorovo, Bradvari, Bulgarka, Vetren, Glavan, Yordanovo,
Kazimir, Kalipetrovo, Colonel Lambrinovo, Popkralevo, Professor
Ishirkovo, Silistra, Smilets, Sratsimir, Srebarna, Sarpovo, Tsenovich
Municipality of Sitovo
Bosna, Garvan, Dobrotitsa, Irnik, Iskra,
Luben, Nova Popina, Polyana, Popina, Sitovo, Slatina, Yastrebna
Tutrakan Municipality
Antimovo, Belitsa, Brenitsa, Varnentsi,
Dunavets, Nova Cherna, Pozharevo, Preslavtsi, Staro selo, Syanovo,
Tutrakan, Tarnovtsi, Tsarev Dol, Tsar Samuil, Shumentsi
The district reaches the border with the Republic of Romania. It
covers the eastern plateau sub-region of the Danube Hilly Plain.
According to the administrative division, it borders Ruse, Razgrad,
Shumen and Dobrichka regions.
To the north and northeast it
borders Romania by land and by the Danube River. For the most part, the
relief of the district is flat, with an altitude of up to 200 m.
Silistra district consists of 7 municipalities: Silistra, Kaynardzha,
Sitovo, Glavinitsa, Dulovo, Alfatar and Tutrakan, with Silistra being
the administrative center.
Ancient History
Silistra Province, situated in the northeast
corner of Bulgaria along the Danube River, has roots tracing back to
prehistoric times, though detailed evidence is sparse. The region was
initially inhabited by Thracian tribes, with archaeological findings
indicating settlements in the area. In the 1st century BCE, during the
expansion of the Roman Empire, the site of what is now the city of
Silistra became a strategic military outpost. In 29 AD, the Romans
constructed a fortress on an existing Thracian settlement, naming it
Durostorum (or Dorostorum). This marked the beginning of the province's
recorded history as a key Roman stronghold in the province of Moesia.
Under Emperor Trajan in 106 AD, Durostorum was elevated to a legionary
base for Legio XI Claudia, which was stationed there from around 114 AD
until approximately 400 AD. The fortress grew into a significant city
and river port, serving as a defensive bulwark against barbarian
invasions along the Moesian Limes, the empire's fortified frontier. By
the reign of Marcus Aurelius (161–180 AD), it had become a
self-governing municipium, complete with thermal baths, residential
areas, and infrastructure that underwent multiple construction phases
from the 2nd to 4th centuries. The city endured invasions, such as by
the Costoboci in 170 AD and Goths in the 3rd century. Durostorum also
emerged as an early center of Christianity; during the Diocletian
Persecution (303–313 AD), Roman soldiers like St. Dasius and St. Julius
the Veteran were martyred here, making it a site of early Christian
saints. By the late 4th century, it was the seat of a bishopric, with
figures like Auxentius of Durostorum playing roles in theological
debates. The Roman general Flavius Aetius, famous for defeating Attila
the Hun, was born in Durostorum around 396 AD.
In the 6th century,
Slavic invasions overwhelmed the region, leading to the decline of Roman
control. The area transitioned under Byzantine influence, but by the end
of the 7th century, it was incorporated into the First Bulgarian Empire.
Medieval Period
With the establishment of the First Bulgarian
Empire, the city—now known as Drastar (or Drustur in Bulgarian)—became a
vital northern stronghold. Under Khan Omurtag (r. 814–831), a grand
residence called "The Glorious House on the Danube" was built nearby.
Drastar served as a residence for Tsar Simeon I the Great during 896–897
AD amid the Bulgarian-Hungarian War, where Bulgarian forces repelled a
Hungarian-Byzantine siege in 895. In 870 AD, a Bulgarian episcopal see
was established, and by 927 AD, following Bulgaria's Christianization,
Drastar's bishop was proclaimed the first patriarch of the Bulgarian
Orthodox Church, underscoring the region's religious importance.
The
city fell to Kievan Rus' forces under Sviatoslav I in 969 AD but was
recaptured by the Byzantines in 971 AD during the Battle of Dorostolon.
Bulgarian rule was restored under Tsar Samuel in 976 AD, only to be lost
again in 1001 AD when it became the Byzantine fortress of Dristra. In
1087, Byzantine Emperor Alexios I Komnenos suffered a defeat here
against the Pechenegs. The Rebellion of Asen and Peter in 1186
reintegrated Drastar into the Second Bulgarian Empire, where it
flourished as one of Bulgaria's largest cities. In 1279, under Emperor
Ivaylo, Bulgarian forces broke a three-month Mongol siege. The region
remained Bulgarian until the late 14th century, briefly serving as the
capital of a feudal principality under the Terter dynasty around 1370.
The Ottoman conquest occurred in phases: first in 1388 during the
Bulgarian–Ottoman wars, with a final capture around 1400–1416, marking
the end of medieval Bulgarian control.
Throughout the Middle Ages,
Drastar was a metropolitan see, governors' residence, and a hub for
trade and defense along the Danube, with the broader province area
featuring mixed Slavic-Bulgarian populations.
Ottoman Period
Under Ottoman rule, the city was renamed Silistra (Silistre in Turkish)
and became the administrative center of the Silistra Sanjak within
Rumelia Province. By 1570, it had a diverse population: 447 Muslim
households across 20 neighborhoods and 633 non-Muslim households in 15,
including Jewish and Christian Romani communities. The sanjak expanded
to encompass much of Dobruja, Bessarabia, and eastern Bulgaria, making
Silistra a key military and administrative hub on the Ottoman frontier.
The 15th–16th centuries saw conflicts with Wallachians and European
powers, with the metropolitan see briefly restored in the early 15th
century. Silistra was a focal point in the Russo-Turkish Wars of the
late 18th and early 19th centuries. Russian forces under generals like
Pyotr Rumyantsev and Mikhail Kutuzov besieged and captured it multiple
times (e.g., in 1773 and 1810). Between 1828–1835, following Russian
occupations, Silistra was temporarily a free city under Bulgarian
captain Georgi Mamarchev. The Crimean War (1853–1856) began with a
Russian siege in 1853; the Ottomans fortified it with structures like
the Medzhidi Tabia fortress, and writer Leo Tolstoy participated in the
defense. The province's boundaries shrank: parts were ceded to Russia
(Bessarabia and districts like Özi), and in 1830, southern regions
formed the Edirne Province. By 1864, Silistra merged with Vidin and Niš
into the Danube Vilayet, reducing it to a kaza (district) center in
Ruse.
The Ottoman era brought demographic shifts, with Turks,
Bulgarians, and minorities coexisting amid agrarian economies and
occasional uprisings.
Modern History and Territorial Disputes
Following the Russo-Turkish War of 1877–1878, Silistra was liberated and
incorporated into the Principality of Bulgaria under the Treaty of
Berlin (1878). It developed industrially, with banks, factories, and
educational institutions like the State Pedagogical School (1890s).
However, Romania briefly established the short-lived Silistra Nouă
County in 1878 before it was abolished.
As part of Southern Dobruja
(a region of mixed Bulgarian-Turkish population in 1910: 47.6%
Bulgarians, 37.8% Turks), the province faced repeated territorial
changes. After Bulgaria's defeat in the Second Balkan War, the 1913
Treaty of Bucharest ceded Southern Dobruja, including Silistra, to
Romania, where it was divided into Durostor and Caliacra counties.
Romania implemented agrarian reforms, redistributing land to Romanian
settlers (including Aromanians from Macedonia), altering demographics—by
1930, Romanians comprised 20.5% of the population amid Bulgarian
emigration.
Bulgaria regained control in 1916 during World War I,
confirmed by the 1918 Treaty of Bucharest, but the 1919 Treaty of
Neuilly returned it to Romania. Under Romanian rule (1913–1940, except
1916–1919), Silistra became the capital of Durostor County (1913–1938)
and later part of Ținutul Mării district, featuring neo-Romanian
architecture. The Axis-sponsored Treaty of Craiova in 1940 restored
Southern Dobruja to Bulgaria, accompanied by a population exchange:
about 110,000 Romanians left, while 77,000 Bulgarians arrived from
Northern Dobruja. This was solidified by the 1947 Paris Peace Treaties.
During World War II, the Bulgarian 31st Regiment from Silistra fought on
the Allied side from 1944–1945. In the communist era (post-1944), as
part of the People's Republic of Bulgaria, the province—formerly
Silistra Okrug—modernized with industries in food processing, textiles,
and electronics, alongside agriculture. Population grew until 1985 due
to industrialization but declined post-1989 from migration and economic
shifts. Today, Silistra Province comprises seven municipalities
(Alfatar, Dulovo, Glavinitsa, Kaynardzha, Silistra, Sitovo, Tutrakan)
and preserves its historical legacy through sites like the National
Architectural and Archaeological Reserve “Durostorum – Drastar –
Silistra,” including Roman tombs, medieval fortifications, and Ottoman
structures. The 2011 census showed a population of about 309,151,
predominantly Bulgarian (68%), with significant Turkish (25.75%) and
Roma (4.29%) minorities, reflecting ongoing ethnic diversity in this
border region.
The climate of the district is characterized by hot summers, early
onset of spring and severe cold in winter. The snow cover in the area
lasts relatively long - about 60 days a year. Due to the proximity of
the Danube River, fogs and strong winds are often observed.
For
the most part, the relief is flat, with an altitude of up to 200 m, but
the inland areas facing the Danube give it a hilly character. A typical
loess hump is found parallel to the coast. Cultivable land on the
territory of the Silistra region is about 1,708,000 decares, and
pastures and pastures - 234,000 decares.
Fertile soils are a
prerequisite for obtaining high yields of cereals, perennial crops and
vegetables.
Water supply in the district is provided by water sources
from the terrace of the Danube river - "Raney" type wells - 10 pcs.
Construction of a wastewater treatment plant is planned - in Silistra
and in the village of Srebarna. The district's electricity supply is
served by the "Silistra" substation and the "Druster" substation.
The good geographical location and availability of excellent transport infrastructure are prospects for the economic renewal of the region. The economic development of the Silistra region is determined by its natural-geographic features and traditions. On its territory there are large industrial enterprises offering a wide range of products: metal and woodworking machines, electronics, metal household utensils, rubber products, textile production, etc. The food industry is particularly well developed - production of meat and meat products, refined sunflower oil, canned fruits and vegetables, milk and milk products, etc.
Biosphere reserve "Srebarna" was included in the world fund of natural monuments of UNESCO in 1983. It is located 16 km from Silistra. This is the only place in Bulgaria where the curly-headed pelican stays.
The well-developed transport infrastructure - railway and road
network, river port and the nearby airport provide excellent
opportunities for connections with other parts of Europe and the world.
The cargo port of Silistra is the only one on the Bulgarian Danube
River, with the ability to handle 5,000 tons of cargo ships.
Through water corridor No. 7 and the Rhine-Main canal, prerequisites are
created for the passage of goods to Western Europe. The Silistra -
Cullarash border crossing, the Silistra - Cullarash ferry complex and
the Silistra - Reni Ro-Ro terminal will provide the most direct road
connections with Turkey and Romania and the CIS countries.