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Milin Kamak Ceremony Marks 150 Years since Botev’s Battle

BTA correspondent Liliyana Rashkova, Kaloyan Kirilov
Milin Kamak Ceremony Marks 150 Years since Botev’s Battle
Milin Kamak Ceremony Marks 150 Years since Botev’s Battle
Attendees at a commemorative ceremony in front of the monument at Milin Kamak Peak, May 31, 2026 (BTA Photo/Lyubomira Filipova)
Vratsa, Northwestern Bulgaria,  
31.05.2026 20:17
 (BTA)
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The 150th anniversary of Hristo Botev’s battle at Milin Kamak Peak near Vratsa was marked on Sunday. Father Georgi Todorov officiated at a memorial service for the fallen members of Botev’s detachment, after which participants in the 78th National Tourist March Kozloduy to Okolchitsa and officials laid wreaths and flowers.

As part of the commemoration, historian Neli Stoyanova, curator at the History of Bulgaria, 15th-19th c. Department of the Regional History Museum in Vratsa, spoke about the events of 150 years ago. “From Kozloduy, the insurgents headed for the Vratsa Balkan Mountains, and their advance was not peaceful but a constant fight for survival. In the first hours after they set foot on Bulgarian soil, clashes broke out with Ottoman forces, Circassians, bashi-bazouks and regular troops. Merciless cut-throats were sent against Hristo Botev’s detachment, which, as you know, numbered about 200 people. Their rapid march from Kozloduy was meant precisely to avoid an encounter with the Ottoman army, and they counted on detachment members from nearby villages joining them. That did not happen. Moreover, during the battle at Milin Kamak, which lasted 12 hours, Botev saw dust rising from the direction of Vratsa and thought help was coming from fellow Bulgarians. He was deeply disheartened when he realized it was the Ottoman army, not insurgents coming to their aid. I will be frank with you: there were moments when Botev lost heart, and one of them was here, at Milin Kamak,” Stoyanova said.

Stoyanova told the marchers that the youngest member of Botev’s detachment was 16, the age of many of the march participants. “That 16-year-old boy can be an example to you of what they aspired to and what goals your peers had at that time,” she said. “Build, protect, and if Botev is watching us from above somewhere, may he not regret his self-sacrifice but be at least a little proud of us, modern Bulgarians,” Vratsa Mayor Kalin Kamenov told those present. “A hundred and fifty years ago, Bulgaria’s young strength chose the road to freedom. Keep walking this road, young people, and Bulgaria will endure,” Education and Science Minister Georgi Valchev said.

The commemorative ceremony was organized by Chiren Mayoralty and the local community centre, with support from Vratsa Municipality. In recent days, three flagpoles with flags were installed at the site. Chiren Mayor Silviya Hristova told BTA that the work was carried out by volunteers and the funds were raised by village residents. “This year we mark the 150th anniversary of the heroic deed of Hristo Botev and his detachment, and our village has another occasion to celebrate, 120 years since the establishment of our community centre. That is why we decided, through the joint efforts of the mayoralty, the community centre and local residents, to make this gesture,” Hristova said.

The event was part of the official programme of the Botev Days 2026 national commemorations in Vratsa. Also attending were MPs Mihail Mihaylov, Tihomir Krastev, Stela Ilieva and Georgi Mitov, Vratsa Regional Governor Rosen Mihaylov, Bulgarian News Agency Director General Kiril Valchev, Banitsa Mayor Vladimir Valov, Mramoren Mayor Gergana Markova, the chair of the Probuzhdane 1906 Community Centre in Chiren, and many citizens.

/КТ/

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By 12:46 on 04.06.2026 Today`s news

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