Town of Byala
Byala is the second largest settlement in Ruse Province.
Its crossroads location since ancient times and the fertile fields in the Yantra River basin have played a key role in the town’s development. Standing on the bridge built by the Master Builder Kolyu Ficheto, every road leads us to at least one ancient fortress—Nove near today’s Svishtov, Nicopolis ad Istrum, then Tsarevets in Veliko Tarnovo, Kaleto near Popovo, followed by Madara and Pliska, and not least, Sexaginta Prista—Port of Sixty Ships—modern-day Ruse.
There is no data about the earliest history of Byala. The town’s name comes from the light color of the rocks along the river. Some artifacts suggest life existed here in ancient times. The first written records appear only in Ottoman Empire registers from the mid-16th century. Some theories suggest Byala originated as a gathering point for troops defending the northern border of the First Bulgarian Empire. Others link the settlers of this land with Vladimir Rasate and his supporters fleeing the heavy hand of Tsar Boris.
During the Middle Ages, Byala was a village inhabited by vassals. In the 1830s, a plague epidemic claimed many lives in the village. After the plague years ended, an upturn began, and life gradually improved. Crafts and agriculture became the main livelihoods of the local population.
In the 1860s, Midhat Pasha was appointed governor of the Danube Vilayet. His priority was constructing the Ruse–Niš road. Part of this project included building a bridge over the Yantra River near Byala. Even today, the stone bridge built by Kolyu Ficheto rises above the river and is rightly one of the city’s symbols. The construction required 700,000 groschen, two years of work, and the dedicated labor of many local builders. The result is still widely recognized as one of the most significant architectural creations of its time on the Balkan Peninsula.
One of the most glorious periods in Byala’s history was during the Russo-Turkish War. After crossing the Danube near Svishtov (on June 27, 1877), the Russian troops and Emperor Alexander II himself arrived and were welcomed at Kolyu Ficheto’s bridge.
For over twenty days, the former harem house of Mehmed Bey served as the Russian General Headquarters. Many critical decisions for the war effort were made there. Battles against the Ottoman army were fought near the villages of Mechka, Pirgovo, Katselovo, Gorno Ablanovo, Katselovo, and Trastenik.
After the Russian command moved out, the liberated building housed the 48th Field Hospital. It was highly praised by the famous Russian surgeon Dr. Nikolay Pirogov. Baroness Yulia Vrevskaya also served there and passed away; Victor Hugo once wrote of her: “The Rose of Russia, plucked on Bulgarian soil…” Today, the building houses the Russo-Turkish War Museum, with exhibits donated from the archives and military stores of Emperor Alexander II.
Visitors to Byala today can also see the Russian Monument near the Yantra River, the monument to Kolyu Ficheto by the bridge bearing his name, the monuments to revolutionaries Panayot Volov and Georgi Ikonomov—participants in the April Uprising—St. George’s Church, and the Clock Tower built during the time of Mehmed Bey.
