The town of Biala is located at a crossroads, and the lands along the Yantra River are fertile, which plays a key role in the development of the place ...

Biala is the second-largest town in the Ruse region.

Standing on the bridge, built by artificer Kolio Ficheto, each road will lead us to at least one ancient fortress - Nove, near present-day Svishtov, Nikopolis ad Istrum and then Tsarevets in Veliko Tarnovo, Kaleto near Popovo and then Madara and Pliska and last but not least Sexaginta Prista - Port of 60 ships - present-day Ruse.

There is no information about the earliest history. The name of the village comes from the light color of the rocks along the river. Some artifacts testify to life in these lands in ancient times. The first written sources appeared only in the registers of the Ottoman Empire from the mid-16th century. Some hypotheses point to the formation of Biala, a meeting point for the troops defending the northern border of the Bulgarian Kingdom. Others connect the settlers of these lands with Vladimir Rasate and his followers in their escape from the heavy hand of Tsar Boris.

In the Middle Ages, Biala was a village with a vassal population. In the thirties of the 19th century, a plague epidemic killed many of the village's inhabitants. After the end of the plague years, there was an upswing and life gradually began to develop positively. Crafts and agriculture were a major source of livelihood for the local population.

In the 1960s, Midhat Pasha was appointed as Chief of the Danube Region. His priority is the construction of the Ruse - Nis road. Part of this project is the construction of a bridge over the Yantra River near Biala. Even today, the stone bridge built by Kolio Ficheto rises above the river and is one of the symbols of the city. The construction cost 700,000 gold coins, two years and the dedicated work of many builders from the region. The result is still recognized - one of the most significant architectural creations of its era on the Balkan Peninsula.

Part of Biala's most glorious times was during the Russian-Turkish War. After crossing the Danube (27.06.1877) near Svishtov, the troops and the Russian Emperor Alexander II himself arrived and were greeted at the Kolio Ficheto Bridge.

The headquarters of the Russian army was established for more than twenty days in the former Harem of Mehmed Bey. There have been made a number of important decisions for the development of the war.

After the transfer of the Russian command, the 48th hospital was settled in the vacated building. It is highly regarded personally by the renowned Russian surgeon Dr. Nikolai Pirogov. Baroness Yulia Vrevskaya worked and died there, for her Viktor Yugo wrote: "A Rose of Russia Torn to Bulgarian Land ...". Today, there is the Russian-Turkish War Museum, whose exhibits are donated by the archives and military warehouses of Emperor Alexander II.

Today, in Byala, one can also visit the Russian monument near the Yantra River, the monument of Kolyo Ficheto to the eponymous bridge, the monument of Panayot Volov and Georgi Ikonomov - revolutionaries who participated in the April Uprising, St. George's Church and the Clock Tower, built during the Mehedad bey.