• City: Vratza
• Source: Tova e Bulgaria
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General information and infrastructure
Territory - 679 sq. km
Number of population centers - 22
Population - 81,000
Administrative center - Vratsa city

The Municipality of Vratsa is located in the north-west of Bulgaria at the foot of Vratsa Mountain. It is the 16th largest municipality in Bulgaria in terms of territory and is 110 km away from Sofia. The city of Vratsa has a developed infrastructure and communications system. Important railway and road routes of national and international importance cross the territory of the municipality. The city of Vratsa is the junction where two of the largest European transport corridors meet - corridor No. 4 and corridor No. 7. The geographical location of the municipality will become even more important when the second Bulgarian bridge over the Danube is built at Vidin.

Economy and business
Vratsa Municipality has the largest number of industrial enterprises in North-West Bulgaria. They specialize mainly in textiles, chemical industry, furniture, wood-processing, construction and renovation, semi-finished products and assembly, foodstuffs, cotton and silk, building materials (cement), lathes, cutting machines, etc. There is a modern developed commercial network. The number of companies, which the municipality has a stake in, is 22. They are directly influenced by the process of restructuring and privatization. Three of the companies were privatized, with the municipality retaining a stake in them. The companies owned completely by the municipality are: Trolleybus Transport EOOD; Public Works and Utilities - Vratsa EOOD; Sports Facilities EOOD; Municipal Markets and Trading Places EOOD; Information Center EAD. The Municipality creates a favorable environment for foreign investments aimed at industry, tourism, agriculture, etc. and also at building appropriate infrastructure and fostering business. Stable and growing at a fast rate, the private sector is expanding into trade, public services, food processing, construction and some other industries. The companies, which substantial investments have been made in, are: Messer Chimco Gas OOD; Bulned OOD; CTI OOD; Holsim Bulgaria; пнV, Lukoil; Galaxy Plaza; Dub AD; Opal - 94; Zorov; Nivego; Lalov & Vachev, etc.

Strategic projects and opportunities for foreign investments
Investment projects for water supply and sewerage companies; Restoration of the Tower of Meshchii; The е-79 bypass; Equipment for the cancer clinic; Renovation of buildings; Conversion of the city to natural gas; Old people's home. The Municipality of Vratsa has available land intended for manufacturing enterprises and also available municipal buildings, which may be provided to foreign investors. As far as agriculture is concerned, the Municipality is an important grain producing center. North of Vratsa there is an environmentally clean area where good quality foods may be produced.

Natural sights and monuments of culture
The city of Vratsa is located at the foot of the Balkan Range and covers a substantial part of the Vratsa Mountain Natural Park - one of the largest nature parks in Bulgaria. The park and Ledenika Cave (16 km west of Vratsa) attract climbers and tourists from Bulgaria and abroad and offer excellent conditions for ecotourism, climbing, winter sports, spelunking. The steep cliffs flanking the bed of the Leva River and the Borov Kamuk Waterfall are connected by a natural trail. There are three more nature trails, which allow one to commune with nature and history and also promote rural tourism at the villages of Chelopek, Pavolche and Zgorigrad. The Regional Museum of History in Vratsa displays the famous Rogozen Thracian silver treasure. The ethnographic Bulgarian Renaissance complex, the Tower of Meshchii dating back to the early Middle Ages, the central city square called Hristo Botev, the monument to Hristo Botev in the square and the modern House of Culture are the main landmarks in the central part of the city.