Vidin

Vidin stands on a bend of the Danube, its fortress guarding a frontier between the Bulgarian lands and the river's northern bank. In the 14th century it became the seat of Ivan Sratsimir, a Bulgarian ruler whose domain was centered on the city. King Louis I of Hungary seized Vidin in 1365 and held it for four years before Sratsimir was restored. After the crusaders' defeat at Nikopol in 1396, the Ottomans took the fortress and incorporated the town into their Danubian frontier.

Under Ottoman rule Vidin remained a fortified center of trade and administration. At the end of the 18th century its most formidable master was Osman Pazvantoğlu, a local notable whose growing power led him into open rebellion against the sultan. An Ottoman army besieged Vidin in 1798 but failed to overcome its defenses. Pazvantoğlu also endowed buildings for the town, including a mosque and a public library, leaving a lasting mark on the city he ruled until his death in 1807.