On the eve of one of the brightest holidays, the Christmas Town of the Ruse Municipality turned out to be cramped to accommodate the members of the National Community Center "Prosveta - 1915", who kept the tradition and called for health, prosperity and well-being. The Christmas carolers were welcomed by the "owner" of the town - the mayor Pencho Milkov.

"This ritual is performed to remain in the heart and soul of every person. Only by preserving traditions will we preserve ourselves as a people and move forward, succeeding," said the mayor. He wished the people of Ruse and the guests of the city to welcome the approaching Christmas and New Year holidays with their loved ones in peace and warmth.

The participants presented carols, including those dedicated to Saint George - the patron saint of the city. In the spirit of the ritual, they also "sang" the maiden from the reenactment of the customs "Christmas Eve" and "Caroling", recreating scenes filled with the magic of Bulgarian tradition. The most attractive participant was two-year-old Simeon, who is participating in the ritual for the first time.

The festive table was the center of attention. Blessings for health and fertility were pronounced at it, predictions were made for the new year, and the ritual bread "Bogovitsa" was solemnly broken. The mayor also contributed to the ritual by tying a strong knot on a traditional woven cloth - a symbol of health and prosperity.

Those present and participants enjoyed the traditional Christmas banitsa and the ritual pita, which complemented the festive atmosphere.

The event is part of the Christmas and New Year Festival of the Municipality of Ruse and is organized by the folklore ensemble for authentic customs and rituals at the National Community Center "Prosveta - 1915"  in the district "Dolapite" under the artistic direction of the chairman Snezhana Atanasova.

"We have commissioned a large-scale renovation of the swimming pool of the sports school in Ruse, which has not been done since the building was built. The conditions in which the children train are one of the reasons for them to achieve high sports results." This was stated by Mayor Pencho Milkov during his visit today to the Sports School "Major At. Uzunov" to inspect the swimming pool in the educational institution and its adjacent premises. He was accompanied by his deputy Borislav Rachev and the director of the ME "Sports Properties" Lachezar Ivanov.

The activities include a complete renovation of the cladding of the facility, as well as the room in which it is located. The sanitary facilities and changing rooms are currently being renovated. Preparations are also being made for a complete renovation of the moisture removal system, which has not been done for decades. In this way, the conditions of the users of the swimming pool from both the school and sports clubs, as well as from citizens, will be significantly improved. The activities are part of the overall policy of the Municipality of Ruse to provide a better environment for the development of swimming sports.

The renovation of the boxing hall, located in the school where the Lokomotiv Sports Club trains, was recently completed. Activities were carried out on the energy efficiency of the room, as well as a complete renovation of the sanitary facilities and changing rooms. A wall in the hall was also painted with the colors of the Bulgarian tricolor.

We recall that in 2021, the swimming pool in the sports school and the boxing hall were transferred to the management of the ME "Sports Properties", following a decision of the Municipal Council. Since then, they have been managed by the Municipality of Ruse, in order to give more people the opportunity to develop their favorite sports and to meet the expectations of the sports clubs. The decision came after a letter from the Ministry of Youth and Sports, which indicated that the school's budget was not sufficient to ensure the educational and training process.

The traditional Christmas concert of the Children's and Girls' Choir "Danube Waves" at the Municipal Children's Center for Culture and Art was held in the "Europe" hall of the Dokhodno zdanie. Under the leadership of conductor Vesela Todorova and accompanied by pianist Gergana Vicheva, the concert presented a diverse musical program, including works by Bulgarian and international composers.

The event was honored by the Deputy Mayor of Ruse Municipality Nikola Lazarov, who welcomed the participants and attendees on behalf of Mayor Pencho Milkov. In his address, Lazarov drew attention to the significant successes of the Children's Choir "Danube Waves" achieved in 2024, including two awards won in September at the International Choir Festival "Music and the Sea" in Greece. Then the choir won first place in the "Children's Choirs" category, and Vesela Todorova was awarded the special award for best conductor. We remind you that the Women's Chamber Choir "Danube Waves" at the "Angel Kanchev 1901" National Community Center also participated in the same competition, which also impressed the audience and the jury.

The program of the Christmas concert included performances of works by Boris Karadimchev, Petar Leondev, Lyubomir Denev, Hristo Nedyalkov, Petar Petrov, as well as a number of popular Christmas songs.

The Women's Chamber Choir "Danube Waves" at the "Angel Kanchev 1901" National Community Center also participated in the concert with performances of works by Dobri Hristov, Robert Schumann, John Davis, Debbie Wood and Mikhail Leontovich, as well as traditional Spanish, French and Polish Christmas songs.

In the courtyard of the Sports School "Major At. Uzunov" an official ceremony was held today to award the best 10 athletes for the 2023/2024 academic year. The director of the educational institution Evgeni Nedev honored the weightlifting competitor of the Weightlifting Sports Club "Ruse" Dzhan Zarkov as the first in the contested ranking. He was awarded for his seventh place in the men's category at the World Championships in Bahrain, as well as for his third place at the European Championships and the gold medal he won at the State Individual Championship this year. The event was honored by the Mayor of Ruse Municipality Pencho Milkov, who presented some of the awards, his deputy Borislav Rachev and the director of ME "Sports Properties" Lachezar Ivanov.

"The very fact that you are graduates of the sports school makes you different. You stand out with discipline and a resilient character that many people can envy,” Mayor Pencho Milkov addressed the students. He also shared that he feels great pleasure when he awards the Athlete of the Month, because he always learns something new from the distinguished athletes and their path to victory. The mayor sent his best wishes to the management, team and graduates of “Major At. Uzunov” for the upcoming Christmas and New Year holidays.

Second in the ranking was the European boxing champion Viktorio Iliev, who won gold medals at the World Youth Cup in Budva and at the State Individual Championship.

Third is Stefan Stefanov from the Wrestling Club “Yunak – Lokomotiv”, who is also a European champion and has won first places at state championships.

Fourth place in the ranking deservedly went to Deniz Danev, who is tenth at the World Weightlifting Championship in Bahrain. The young man from Ruse competes for Weightlifting Sports Club"Ruse".

Nicholas Nikolov, who won a bronze medal in 2024 at the European Boxing Championship for Students in Bosnia and Herzegovina, became fifth in the sports school's ranking.

Nikola Dimov, who has a republican championship title in canoeing and is the winner of two silver medals from the State Individual Championship for Senior Juniors, was ranked sixth.

Seventh in the ranking of "Major At. Uzunov" is the weightlifter from Weightlifting Sports Club "Ruse" Alexander Benunov. The man from Ruse became seventh in 2024 at the European Weightlifting Championship for Cadets.

The highest-rated lady in the prestigious ranking was Sara Ahmedova, who placed eighth for her recent silver medal at the State Individual Championship in Freestyle Wrestling for Girls.

The ninth position was taken by Bozhidar Trankov, who is the winner of the State Individual Championship in Canoeing. He was closely followed by Ruslana Atanasova from Weightlifting Sports Club“Ruse”, who placed tenth for her ninth place at the 2024 European Weightlifting Championship. All the distinguished athletes received plaques from the school’s director Evgeni Nedev, as well as gifts from Mayor Pencho Milkov.

The ceremony also honored the work of the three coaches of the Top 3 in the sports school’s ranking. Plaques were awarded to Radoslav Atanasov, Alexey Ribchev and Sava Savov, and a special award for the development of sports was given to the teacher at “Major At. Uzunov” and senior coach of the men’s national freestyle wrestling team since 2017 Valentin Angelov.

The event was also attended by the regional governor Dragomir Draganov, the director of the Regional Directorate of the Ministry of Internal Affairs – Ruse, senior commissioner Nikolay Kozhuharov, the regional coordinator at the Ministry of Youth and Sports Eleonora Gurbanova, senior asst. dr. Valeri Yordanov at the Department of Physical Education and Sports of the University of Ruse.

An opening press conference was held in the St. George Hall in the Ruse Municipality building on the project “ReNature, Green Modeling of Urban Areas, Creation of New Systems for Outdoor Recreation and Entertainment” ROBG00178 under the INTERREG VI-A Romania-Bulgaria Program 2021-2027. It envisages the construction of a modern park in the northeastern part of the city.

The event was opened by Ivaylo Kadyshev, project manager from the Bulgarian side and director of the municipal directorate “International Policies, Economic Activities and Analyses”. He recalled that this is another project that the Municipality of Ruse and the Municipality of Giurgiu will jointly implement and expressed his gratitude to the Romanian partners. Kadyshev emphasized the important importance of the cross-border program, within the framework of which the current project is being implemented, for the development of the regions in the field of infrastructure and tourism.

The project manager made a detailed presentation of the main activities and expected results of the project implementation. The park will be located in an urbanized area near the Ruse Mall on 121 Lipnik Blvd. and will provide a green space for recreation for residents of the Zdravets Iztok neighborhood and visitors from other parts of the city. The terrain has minimal elevation and is already free of buildings, which creates an opportunity for large-scale development and implementation of modern ecological solutions. The main activities include the construction of an alley network, a water effect with water circulation, playgrounds, a picnic area, an event area and areas related to biodiversity, such as a herb garden and areas to attract insects and birds. Local plant species will be planted, and the infrastructure will be adapted for minimal maintenance and resilience to climatic conditions. 

Particular attention has been paid to creating a comfortable and ecological environment through the installation of solar lighting, video surveillance and an automated irrigation system. It is planned to install park furniture and a drinking water fountain to improve the convenience of visitors.

The project aims to improve the quality of the environment, the quality of life and the comfort of living by creating a favorable and environmentally friendly environment that will shape new spatial solutions and physical renewal of the territory.

In its Romanian part, the project envisages the landscaping of a recreation area in the Municipality of Giurgiu. The project activities of the Romanian partners will be aimed at improving the green infrastructure and developing new green areas, which will improve the quality of the environment. The space will be improved, it is planned to plant tree and plant species that are non-invasive for the region, supply park furniture, improve park alleys and improve the main elements of the park area.

The project is implemented under the INTERREG VI-A Romania-Bulgaria Programme 2021-2027, Priority 2: Green Region, Specific Objectives (SO), 2.7 "Improving the protection and conservation of nature, biodiversity and environmentally friendly infrastructure, including in urban areas, and reducing all forms of pollution" and has a duration of 36 months. The total cost of the project for the two partners is 2,816,081.13 euros. The funds allocated to the Municipality of Ruse are 1,746,373.24 euros.