The First Railway Station on Ruschuk-Varna

Following the Sultan's Farman of September, 1st, 1861 the Divan commenced the construction of Ruschuk-Varna railway.

Under the pressure of England, the bids of the Bulgarian entrepreneurs S. Bogoridi and D. Geshov for the railway construction were rejected.

The construction started on May, 21st 1864 following the signing of contact (October, 1st 1863) with the English company of Henry and Trevor Berkley Brothers and William Gladstone, who received concession for 99 years to build the railway. The first railway was built on the English model.

The construction started from both ends.

On October, 26th 1866 Midhat Pasha travelled without transfer between the two end stations, Ruschuk and Varna, and announced the railway open.

Later, it was included in the international railway Paris - Strasburg – Munich – Vienna – Budapest – Bucharest – Giurgiu – Ruse – Varna - Tzarigrad.

After the Liberation, the railway was bought by the Bulgarian state. Between 1893 and 1885 the famous Orient Express passed there.

It was closed in 1954 and in 1966 the National Museum of Transport and Communication was opened in it.

A plate on the building identifies it as a cultural monument of national importance.