The town of Silistra is the district centre with a population of 40 000 inhabitants. It lies at a distance of 430 km southeast of Sofia. It is situated on the right bank of the Danube River in the southeastern part of Bulgaria.

The first written evidence for the existence of the settlement is an order of emperor Trayan from 106 for the dislocation of Claudius legion from Panonia to Durostorum. The Roman legion stays for almost three centuries in the settlement. During that period many big and nice public buildings, temples, basilicas, baths, marble statues and bas-reliefs have been built. The Roman Tomb is the most popular monument of the ancient town of Durostorum both in the country and abroad. It is a well preserved tomb and a Roman early-Christianity necropolis. It is decorated with mural paintings of the Egyptian and Syrian styles. Durostorum is the home place of the Roman leader Flavius Aetius, who defeated Attila, leader of the Huns, in 451. The settlement has been visited by the emperors Diocletian and Valent. The town is in decline in V c. after the invasions of the Goths, Huns, and Avers. In VI c. during the reign of emperor Justinian the town is restored and becomes an Episcopal town. The Slavs settle in the town in 590 and give it a new name - Druster. The town becomes a fortress in the Bulgaria state and plays a key role at the conversion of the Bulgarians to Christianity. In 969 Druster is conquered by the Kiev's prince Svetoslav and later in 972 emperor Cimishius conquers the fortress and gives it the name of Teodorupol. In 976 the town falls into the hand of the Bulgarian king Samuil and is again a Bulgarian dominion. Until the end of the millennium the town remains within the limits of Bulgaria.

For almost two hundred years the rulers of Druster are often changed until 1185 when it enters the limits of the Bulgarian state again. In 1381 the Turks conquer Silistra. The town has received its present-day name after some negotiations between the Bulgarian king Shishman and Sultan Murad. Silistra enters the limits of the Ottoman Empire in 1413. At that time it has been a thriving port and its fortress - an important part of the defense system. At different periods various battles between the Russian and the Turkish armies have been waged in the region of Silistra. Prominent Russian generals have taken part in some of them such a Kutuzov, Suvorov, Bagration and others. In 1854 the great Russian writer Lev Tolstoy has been in the town as an officer in the Krym's War between Russia and Turkey. The town is liberated in 1878.

After a military conflict between Bulgaria and Romania the town is conquered by the Romanian army and later in 1940 is returned to the limits of the Bulgarian state after the signing of a peace pact.

The tourist sights of the town are: the history museum, the ethnographic museum, the Roman Tomb, the remains of the ancient town, the art gallery, the church "St. St. Peter and Pavel" (1862).

On the territory of Silistra District are situated the following natural phenomena: the lake Srebarna, included in the UNESCO Cultural Heritage List, the protected sites " Blaten Kiparis", "Malak Preslavetz", "Garvanskite blata".

Important ornithological sites are: Srebarna, Kalimok, Stenata and Pozharevo Island.

Silistra District is also famous for its wine manufacturers. Among the most popular wineries in the region are Silistra and Tutrakan.

Tourist sights

The History Museum in Silistra houses about 6 000 monuments. It is located in a beautiful building - a monument of culture. The history of Silistra can be seen in the history museum from the monuments of the ancient and medieval times. Among them there are unique exhibits - a Roman stone sun-clock, the biggest ever found on our lands, a headpiece-mask, gold ornaments, a column of khan Omurtag and others.

The archaeological remains of Dorustorum- Druster are situated in the town's park along the Danube River. Today one can see the foundations of the fortified walls, a medieval church complex, the bath and other remains.

The Roman Tomb in Silistra is discovered in 1942 and is proclaimed for one of the most significant monuments from the late ancient period. The tomb is a single chamber vaulted sepulcher built of semi-finished stones of pink mortar. The tomb's vault is filled with bricks. It is west-east oriented of 3,30 x 2,60 m size and a height of 2,30 m. The entrance is from the east formed of three stone blocks, while the floor is covered with rectangular ceramic tiles. The whole internal part is painted in grey-white lime solution mixed with plaster over which, before being completely dry, the colouring substances are used.

The whole tomb is covered with paintings. Along the southern, western and northern walls are formed paintings in green frames with sizes of 1,30 x 0,80 m. One can still see the human figures in the framed paintings.

The "Medzhidi Tabia" fortress in Silistra is built in the period between 1841 and 1853. In 1847 sultan Abdul Medzhidzh visits the fortress and after that it is named after him "Medzhidi tabia". The fortress has the form of a hexagon and reaches a height of 8 m. The idea for building the system of military fortifications belongs to the German engineer Helmut Fon Moltke. The fortress is finished at the dawn of the Krym's War with Russia. "Medzhidi tabia" fortress is the most well-preserved fortress from the six fortresses built by Moltke.