location

Vidin Municipality is located in the north-west part of the Danube plain. The whole territory is occupied by the Vidin lowlands, spreading between the curve of the Danube river near the city of Vidin and the mountains to the west. The municipality includes vast fields, hills and small forests and covers 3022 square kilometers, which is about 2.7% of the whole territory of the Republic of Bulgaria.

The municipality is the door of Bulgaria to Europe and the whole world. To the north it borders Romania, to the west Serbia and Montenegro. The Danume river which runs along its north border provides access to all European countries along its river valley.

Climate

The climate in the municipality of Vidin is moderate continental. The winters are very cold, with minimum precipitation, while summers are extremely hot, with maximum precipitation. The flat landscape allows for humid and warm air flows from the northwest in the spring, summer an fall, and for cold continental air flows from the east in the winter.

history

The city of Vidin was established in the 3rd century BC and has been developing for centuries. Although no archaeological evidence was found to firmly support this, it is presumed that the area was first settled by a Thracian tribe, the tribali. The Roman conquest of today’s northwestern Bulgarian lands began during the third decade BC and continued until 46 AD. The city was a part of the Roman provinces of Misia, Upper Misia and Coastal Dacia.

During the Roman period, the city was called Bononia. At the time of the mediaeval Bulgarian nation-state, it was known as Budin (until the beginning of the 11th century) and as Bdin (after that) and was a seat of a military and administrative region. In the second half of the 13th century, it became the main city of the Vidin Principality, and later, of the Vidin Kingdom. The Turks called the city Vidin. Written evidence shows that, as one of the most important ports, the city was a prospering commercial and economic center. The crafts were extremely well-developed, initially only to meet the needs of the Roman, and later, of the Turkish army, but sufficient to also meet the needs of the citizens.

Today Vidin is a mixture of all these stages of development - there are buildings from each of them, creating a unique atmosphere.

landmarks

There are over 56 monuments of historical significance on the territory of the municipality. The most famous are:

The 10th century Baba Vida Fortress - the only defences that are completely preserved on the territory of Bulgaria. The fortress covers 9.5 decares together with the defensive foss. It is with two surrounding walls, where 11 defensive towers were built.

The other Vidin fortress, Kaleto, was first built by the Romans. In the Middle Ages, it was reconstructed and has been partially preserved. The two fortresses are national monuments of culture and history. The Koluka Turkish konak became a museum in 1956. Other architectural, cultural and historic monuments include: the Cross-Shaped Barracks; the Turkish post office; the art gallery; the Mathematics High School building; the synagogue; the Drama Theater; the St. Dimitar, cathedral; the St. Panteleymon, St. Nikolai and St. Petka churches, as well as many other monuments of world, national and local importance.