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[ 0 => '{{about|the Bulgarian city|the Ottoman eyalet|Silistra Eyalet|the province in Bulgaria|Silistra Province|the municipality within the Silistra province|Silistra Municipality}}', 1 => '{{Infobox settlement <!--more fields are available for this Infobox--See Template:Infobox Settlement-->', 2 => '| official_name = Silistra', 3 => '| native_name = {{lang|bg|Силистра}}', 4 => '| other_name = {{lang|ro|Dârstor}}', 5 => '| subdivision_type = [[List of sovereign states|Country]]', 6 => '| subdivision_name = {{BUL}}', 7 => '| subdivision_type1 = [[Provinces of Bulgaria|Province]]<br/><small>(Oblast)</small>', 8 => '| timezone = [[Eastern European Time|EET]]', 9 => '| utc_offset = +2', 10 => '| timezone_DST = [[Eastern European Summer Time|EEST]]', 11 => '| utc_offset_DST = +3', 12 => '| map_caption = Location of Silistra', 13 => '| pushpin_map = Bulgaria <!-- the name of a location map as per http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Template:Location_map -->', 14 => '| pushpin_label_position = bottom <!-- the position of the pushpin label: left, right, top, bottom, none -->', 15 => '| pushpin_map_caption = Location of Silistra', 16 => '| pushpin_mapsize = ', 17 => '| image_shield = Silistra_Coat_of_Arms.gif', 18 => '| leader_title = Mayor', 19 => '| postal_code_type = [[List of postal codes in Bulgaria|Postal Code]]|', 20 => '| area_total_km2 = 27.159', 21 => '| population_density_km2 = auto', 22 => '| website = [http://www.silistra.bg/news.php Official website]', 23 => '| subdivision_name1 = [[Silistra Province|Silistra]]|', 24 => '| image_skyline = Silistra River Danube.jpg', 25 => '| image_caption = View of the river Danube', 26 => '| population_total = 35230', 27 => '| population_urban = 50780', 28 => '| population_footnotes = <ref name="cities 2012"/>', 29 => '| population_as_of = 2012', 30 => '| elevation_m = 6', 31 => '| postal_code = 7500', 32 => '| area_code = 086', 33 => '| coordinates = {{coord|44|7|N|27|16|E|region:BG|display=inline,title}}', 34 => '| leader_name = Yulian Naydenov', 35 => '| blank_name = [[Köppen climate classification|Climate]]', 36 => '| blank_info = [[Humid subtropical climate|Cfa]]|', 37 => '| name = ', 38 => '| settlement_type = Town', 39 => '}}', 40 => '', 41 => ''''Silistra''' ({{lang-bg|Силистра}}; {{lang-ro|Dârstor}}) is a town in [[List of cities and towns in Bulgaria|Northeastern]] [[Bulgaria]]. The town lies on the southern bank of the lower [[Danube]] river, and is also the part of the [[Romania|Romanian]] [[Bulgaria–Romania border|border]] where it stops following the Danube. Silistra is the administrative center of the [[Silistra Province]] and one of the important towns of the historical region of [[Southern Dobruja|Southern Dobrudzha]].', 42 => '', 43 => 'Silistra is a major cultural, industrial, transportation, and educational center of Northeastern Bulgaria. There are many historical landmarks including a [[Roman Tomb (Silistra)|richly-decorated Late Roman tomb]], remains of the Medieval fortress, an Ottoman fort, and an art gallery.', 44 => '', 45 => '== Etymology ==', 46 => '{{unreferenced section|date=April 2014}}', 47 => '', 48 => 'The name Silistra is possibly derived from the root of the old [[Thracian language|Thracian]] name of the lower part of the [[Danube]] "Istrum". By another theory, the city's name comes from the [[Latin]] words "silo" and "stra", meaning "awl" and "strategy".', 49 => '', 50 => '== Geography ==', 51 => '', 52 => 'Silistra is in the northeastern part of Bulgaria on the southern bank of the [[Danube]] River. It is located in the Bulgarian part of [[Dobruja|Dobrudzha]].', 53 => '', 54 => 'The [[Silistra Municipality|municipality of Silistra]] covers an area of 516&nbsp;km²<ref name="sl">{{Cite web |url= http://bg.guide-bulgaria.com/NE/Silistra/Silistra|title= Bulgaria Guide, Silistra Municipality |accessdate=30 July 2009 |work= |publisher= |date=}}</ref> and includes the town and 18 villages. The area of the city-proper is 27.159&nbsp;km².<ref>{{Cite web |url= http://bg.guide-bulgaria.com/NE/Silistra/Silistra/Silistra|title= Bulgaria Guide, Silistra |accessdate=30 July 2009 |work= |publisher= |date=}}</ref>', 55 => '', 56 => 'Silistra is 431&nbsp;km from Sofia, the capital of Bulgaria; 141&nbsp;km from Varna; and 119&nbsp;km from Ruse.', 57 => '', 58 => '== History ==', 59 => '[[File:Durostorum-walls.jpg|left|thumb|Durostorum]]', 60 => 'The [[Roman Empire|Romans]] built a fortress in AD&nbsp;29 on the site of an earlier [[Thracian]] settlement and kept its name, ''Durostorum'' (or ''Dorostorum''). The earliest saints of Bulgaria are Roman soldiers executed at Durostorum during the [[Diocletian Persecution]] (303&ndash;313), including [[Dasius of Durostorum|St. Dasius]] and [[Julius the Veteran|St. Julius the Veteran]]. ', 61 => 'Durostorum became an important military center of the Roman province of [[Moesia]], and grew into a city at the time of [[Marcus Aurelius]]. Durostorum became the seat of a Christian bishopric and a center of Christianity in the region. [[Auxentius of Durostorum|Auxentius]] was expelled from Durostorum by an edict of Theodosius depriving Arian bishops in 383, and took refuge at Milan where he became embroiled in controversy with St [[Ambrose of Milan|Ambrose]]<ref>Mark O'Sullivan, ''The Social and Political Influence of Saint Ambrose as Reflected in his Letters'', B.Phil thesis, Liverpool University, 1976.</ref>. The Roman general [[Flavius Aëtius]] was born in the town in 396. When the Roman Empire split into the [[Byzantine Empire|Eastern]] and [[Western Roman Empire|Western empire]]s, the town (known as {{lang|grc|Δουρόστολον}}, {{transl|grc|Durostolon}}{{citation needed|reason=Durostolon is far from transliteration of Δουρόστολον |date=June 2015}} in Byzantine Greek) became part of the Eastern (Byzantine) Empire. As part of the [[Bulgarian Empire]] Durostolon was known as ''Drastar'' in Medieval times.', 62 => '', 63 => '[[File:Silistra fort 3.jpg|left|thumb|The fort of Silistra]]', 64 => '[[File:Silistra Museum.JPG|right|thumb|Silistra Historical Museum]]', 65 => '[[File:Sylvan Scene in Dunavska Gradina Park - Along the Danube - Silistra - Bulgaria (41318171520).jpg|right|thumb|Dunavska Gradina Park]]', 66 => '', 67 => 'Around the end of the 7th century, the town was incorporated into the [[First Bulgarian Empire]] and the bishop of {{transl|bg|Drastar}} ({{lang|bg|Дръстър}} in Bulgarian) was proclaimed the first [[patriarch of Bulgaria]]. In 895 (during the [[Bulgarian-Hungarian Wars|Bulgarian-Hungarian War]] of 894-896), the Hungarians, allies of the Byzantines, besieged the Bulgarian army under the personal command of [[Simeon I of Bulgaria|Simeon I the Great]] in the fortress of the town but were repulsed.<ref>Andreev, J. ''The Bulgarian Khans and Tsars'' (''Balgarskite hanove i tsare'', ''Българските ханове и царе''), Veliko Tarnovo, 1996, p. 95, {{ISBN|954-427-216-X}}</ref> The next year the Hungarians were decisively defeated in the [[battle of Southern Buh]].', 68 => '', 69 => 'The town was captured by the forces of [[Sviatoslav I of Kiev]] in 969, but two years later it was taken by the Byzantines during the [[Battle of Dorostolon]]. It was renamed Theodoropolis, after military saint [[Theodore Stratelates]], who is said to have come to the aid of Emperor [[John I Tzimiskes]] during the battle. In 976, Tsar [[Samuel of Bulgaria|Samuel]] restored Bulgarian rule in the region until 1001, when it once again became part of the Byzantine Empire.', 70 => '', 71 => 'In 1186, after the [[Vlach-Bulgarian Rebellion|Rebellion of Asen and Peter]], the town became part of the Second [[Second Bulgarian Empire|Bulgarian Empire]] and renamed Drastar.', 72 => '', 73 => 'In 1279, under Emperor [[Ivailo of Bulgaria|Ivailo]], Drastar was attacked by the [[Mongols]]; but after a three-month-long siege the Bulgarians managed to break through.<ref>Andreev, J. ''The Bulgarian Khans and Tsars'' (''Balgarskite hanove i tsare'', ''Българските ханове и царе''), Veliko Tarnovo, 1996, p. 226, {{ISBN|954-427-216-X}}</ref> The town remained part of the Bulgarian Empire until the [[Ottoman conquest of the Balkans]] around 1400. Throughout the Middle Ages, Drastar (possibly known by the name Silistra too) was among Bulgaria's largest and most important cities.', 74 => '', 75 => 'During [[History of Ottoman Bulgaria|Ottoman rule]], Silistra ([[Ottoman Turkish language|Ottoman Turkish]]: {{transl|ota|Silistre}}) was part of [[Rumelia Province, Ottoman Empire|Rumelia Province]] and was the administrative centre of the Silistra district (''[[sanjak]]''). This district was later upgraded to become the [[Silistra Province, Ottoman Empire|Silistra Province]] and stretched over most of the western [[Black Sea]] [[littoral]].', 76 => '', 77 => 'The town was captured and recaptured by [[Imperial Russia|Russian]] forces numerous times during several [[Russo-Turkish Wars]] and was besieged between 14 April and 23 June 1854 during the [[Crimean War]]. [[Namık Kemal]] wrote his most famous play, ''Vatan Yahut Silistre'' ("Homeland or Silistre"), a drama about the [[siege of Silistra]], in which he expounded on the ideas of patriotism and liberalism. The play was first staged on 1 April 1873 and led to his exile to [[Famagusta]].', 78 => '', 79 => 'The Ottoman Silistra Province was reduced in size, as the districts of [[Ochakov|Özi]] and [[Odessa|Hocabey]] and the region of [[Bessarabia]] were ceded to the Russian Empire at the end of the 18th century and the beginning of the 19th century. Edirne Province was created from its southern regions in 1830. Finally, Silistra Province merged with the provinces of [[Vidin]] and [[Niš]] in 1864 to form [[Danube Province, Ottoman Empire|Danube Province.]] Silistra was downgraded to a ''kaza'' centre in [[Ruse, Bulgaria|Ruse]] district in this province in the same year.', 80 => '', 81 => 'Between 1819 and 1826, [[Eliezer Papo]]&nbsp;— a renowned [[Jew]]ish scholar&nbsp;— was the [[rabbi]] of the community of Silistra, making this town famous among observant Jews. Up to the present, his grave is a focus of [[pilgrimage]], some pilgrims flying from [[Israel]] and even from [[Latin America]] to Bulgaria for that purpose.<ref>[[Maariv]], September 12, 2009, [http://www.nrg.co.il/online/16/ART1/941/075.html]</ref>', 82 => '', 83 => 'In 1878, following the [[Russo-Turkish War, 1877–1878|Russo-Turkish War of 1877–1878]], Silistra was included in Bulgaria.', 84 => '', 85 => 'In May 1913, following the [[Second Balkan War]] and after unsuccessful Bulgarian-Romanian negotiations in [[London]], the two countries accepted the mediation of the [[Great Powers]], who awarded Silistra and the area in a 3&nbsp;km radius around it to the [[Kingdom of Romania]] at the [[Saint Petersburg]] Conference. The 1913 [[Treaty of Bucharest, 1913|Treaty of Bucharest]] ceded Silistra and the whole of [[Southern Dobruja]] to [[Romania]]. Silistra was renamed ''Dârstor'' by the Romanians. Bulgaria regained the town between 1916 and 1918 during [[World War I]] with the [[Treaty of Bucharest, 1918|Treaty of Bucharest]] (1918), in which Romania surrendered to the [[Central Powers]] (including Bulgaria). The [[Treaty of Neuilly]] (1919) following [[World War I]] returned it to Romania. Silistra remained a part of Romania until the [[Axis Powers|Axis]]-sponsored [[Treaty of Craiova]] in 1940, when the town once again became part of Bulgaria, a transfer confirmed by the [[Paris Peace Treaties, 1947|Paris Peace Treaties]] in 1947. Between 1913 and 1938, Silistra was the capital of [[Durostor County]], (except during Bulgarian rule). It became part of [[Ţinutul Mării]] (Sea District) between 1938-1940 during Romanian rule. Following the establishment of the People's Republic of Bulgaria, Silistra developed as a center of industry and agriculture in the region, comparable to Ruse (because of the strategic position on the Danube) and Dobrich (due to the abundant fertile lands). This led to a major population increase which continued until 1985. After that, the population slowly started to decrease. Following the collapse of the People's Republic in 1989, many of its inhabitants migrated to other parts of the country or emigrated outside Bulgaria.', 86 => '', 87 => '{{Wide image|SilistraPanorama1.jpg|1000px|A panorama of Silistra and the Danube}}', 88 => '', 89 => '== Climate ==', 90 => 'Silistra has a [[temperate climate]], with cold snowy winters and hot summers.', 91 => '', 92 => '== Population ==', 93 => 'In January 2012, Silistra was inhabited by 35 230 people within the city limits, while the [[Silistra Municipality]] along with the legally affiliated adjacent villages had 50 780 inhabitants.<ref name="cities 2012">{{bg icon}} [http://www.nsi.bg/otrasal.php?otr=19&a1=376&a2=377&a3=378 National Statistical Institute - 2012] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110411180456/http://www.nsi.bg/otrasal.php?otr=19&a1=376&a2=377&a3=378 |date=2011-04-11 }}</ref> The number of the residents of the city (not the municipality) reached its peak in the period 1986-1991, when it exceeded 70,000.<ref name="pop1992"/> The following table presents the change of the population after 1887.', 94 => '', 95 => '<!--THIS TABLE IS STANDARD TO ALL BULGARIAN CITIES ARTICLES. PLEASE LEAVE -->', 96 => '{{Table BG town population', 97 => '| city = Silistra', 98 => '| 1887 = 11,415', 99 => '| 1910 = 11,046', 100 => '| 1934 = > 17,415{{Ref label|tribox|a|}}', 101 => '| 1946 = 15,951', 102 => '| 1956 = 20,350', 103 => '| 1965 = 33,041', 104 => '| 1975 = 59,296', 105 => '| 1985 = 70,537', 106 => '| 1990 = 61,907', 107 => '| 1992 = 49,304', 108 => '| 2001 = 41,952', 109 => '| 2005 = 39,358', 110 => '| 2009 = 37,837', 111 => '| 2011 = 35,607', 112 => '| highest number = 70,537', 113 => '| highest year = 1985', 114 => '| ref 1 = <ref name="pop1992">{{bg icon}} [http://statlib.nsi.bg:8181/isisbgstat/ssp/lister.asp?content=/Fullt/extpages/DN_21_2_1992_1994/DN_21_2_1992_1994_P*.pdf&from=1&to=282&index=&cont=/Fullt/extpages/DN_21_2_1992_1994/DN_21_2_1992_1994_content.pdf&type=%F1%F2%F0%E0%ED%E8%F6%E8 National Statistical Institute - Towns population 1956-1992]{{dead link|date=November 2017 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref>', 115 => '| ref 2 = <ref name="population">{{en icon}} [http://www.citypopulation.de/Bulgaria-Cities.html WorldCityPopulation]</ref>', 116 => '| ref 3 = <ref name="pop-stat">[http://pop-stat.mashke.org/bulgaria-cities.htm pop-stat.mashke.org]</ref>', 117 => '| ref 4 = <ref name="BAN">{{bg icon}} [http://www.geography.iit.bas.bg/2009/1-09/13-17.pdf Bulgarian Academy of Sciences] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110706142758/http://www.geography.iit.bas.bg/2009/1-09/13-17.pdf |date=2011-07-06 }}</ref><br />{{note|tribox}}a. Population in 1930: 17,415<ref>[http://romaniainterbelica.memoria.ro/judete/durostor/index.html Durostor County, as per 1930 Romanian census] {{Ro icon}}</ref>', 118 => '}}', 119 => '', 120 => '===Ethnic, linguistic and religious composition===', 121 => 'According to the latest 2011 census data, the individuals declared their ethnic identity were distributed as follows:<ref>{{bg icon}} [http://www.nsi.bg/ORPDOCS/Census2011_1.pop_by_age.xls Population on 01.02.2011 by provinces, municipalities, settlements and age; National Statistical Institute]</ref><ref>[http://www.nsi.bg/ORPDOCS/Census2011_4.pop_by_ethnos.xls Population by province, municipality, settlement and ethnic identification, by 01.02.2011; Bulgarian National Statistical Institute] {{bg icon}}</ref>', 122 => '*[[Bulgarians]]: 29,677 (88.3%)', 123 => '*[[Turks in Bulgaria|Turks]]: 3,458 (10.3%)', 124 => '*[[Roma in Bulgaria|Romani]]: 123 (0.4%)', 125 => '*Others: 190 (0.6%)', 126 => '*Indefinable: 180 (0.5%)', 127 => '**Undeclared: 1,979 (5.6%)', 128 => 'Total: 35,607', 129 => '', 130 => 'The ethnic composition of [[Silistra Municipality]] is 40707 Bulgarians, 6258 as Turks and 899 Roma among others.', 131 => '', 132 => '==Notable natives==', 133 => '*[[Flavius Aetius]] (396-454), a [[Roman Empire|Roman]] general, defeated [[Attila the Hun]]', 134 => '*Saint Dimitra of [[Kiev]] (b. 1810), a Bulgarian saint', 135 => '*[[Parteniy Pavlovich]] - cleric, author of the first autobiography in South Slavic literature', 136 => '*[[Yıldız İbrahimova]] - jazz singer', 137 => '*[[Veselin Metodiev]] - former minister of culture', 138 => '', 139 => '==Honour==', 140 => '[[Silistra Knoll]] on [[Livingston Island]] in the [[South Shetland Islands]], [[Antarctica]] is named after Silistra.', 141 => '', 142 => '"Silistra" is also the name of a [[fictional planet]] in [[Janet Morris]]' book ''[[High Couch of Silistra]]'' (1977).', 143 => '', 144 => '==References==', 145 => '{{Reflist}}', 146 => '', 147 => '==External links==', 148 => '{{Commons category|Silistra}}', 149 => '*[http://silistra.bg/ Official municipality website] (in Bulgarian and English)', 150 => '*[http://www.srebarnabirding.blogspot.com/ News from UNESCO nature reserve in Silistra]', 151 => '*[https://web.archive.org/web/20121103132827/http://ec.europa.eu/enterprise/sectors/tourism/eden/themes-destinations/countries/bulgaria/silistra-region/ Awarded "EDEN - European Destinations of Excellence" non traditional tourist destination 2010]', 152 => '', 153 => '{{Cities in Bulgaria}}', 154 => '{{Silistra Province}}', 155 => '{{Silistra}}', 156 => '', 157 => '{{Authority control}}', 158 => '[[Category:Silistra| ]]', 159 => '[[Category:Populated places in Silistra Province]]', 160 => '[[Category:Port cities and towns in Bulgaria]]', 161 => '[[Category:Populated places on the Danube]]', 162 => '[[Category:Bulgaria–Romania border crossings]]', 163 => '[[Category:Jewish pilgrimage sites]]', 164 => '[[Category:Capitals of former Romanian counties]]' ]