Travel Guide Vratsa (Враца)

Formerly a very prosperous industrial city under the communist regime, the city still retains the ghosts of that period: tall chimneys and huge disused buildings. Long gone are the days when Himko, the former agrochemical empire, provided employment for hundreds of inhabitants. With the fall of communism, the city's economy collapsed and the inhabitants deserted the city for Sofia or, later, for other European countries. Vratsa was emptied of its elites, dropping from 75,000 inhabitants to about 54,000, and the infrastructure deteriorated. In recent years, European aid has greatly improved daily life in terms of water, green spaces and support for business creation. Expatriates have returned to the country to create innovative and relevant businesses in the IT sector, for example, which give life and hope to Vratsa. Vratsa is a small, peaceful town in a picturesque location on the banks of the Leva River, a large lake and at the foot of the Vratchanski Balkan Mountains. Not far from the mouth of the beautiful Iskar Gorge. Ignore the unattractive outskirts of the city. The city center with its pedestrian streets and some relics of the national renaissance remains pleasant. Its history museum contains treasures, in the true sense of the word: those of Rogozen and Vratsa, priceless legacies of the Thracian civilization. Vratsa is a good base for exploring the Vratchanski Balkans National Park. There are several buses and trains to Vratsa every day.