site.btaBTA, Academy of Sciences Launch Publications Dedicated to 150 Years Since April Uprising
The new issue of BTA's LIK magazine and a special edition of the Journal of the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, both of them dedicated to 150 years since the outbreak of the April 1876 Uprising, were launched in Koprivshtitsa on Monday. Most of BTA’s press clubs participated in the presentation of the LIK issue.
The struggle for freedom begins with a people's knowledge of themselves, not with armed conflict, said BTA Director General Kiril Valchev in Koprivshtitsa. The issue is dedicated to the 150th anniversary of the outbreak of the April Uprising in 1876 and was presented alongside a journal of the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, which Valchev noted is the oldest Bulgarian institution, founded in 1869 as the Bulgarian Literary Society. Quoting historic writer Zahari Stoyanov, Valchev emphasized the vital role of journalism before the uprising, describing it as courageous, honest, and a true expression of the people’s will. He argued that this serves as a reminder that modern media should uphold the same principles, representing public sentiment even in difficult conditions.
"We are glad to host this event and we are honored that you chose to be here today, on this date," Koprivshtitsa Mayor Maria Tomanova said as she welcomed the representatives of the BAS and BTA and wished them successful work.
The April Uprising is vividly present in Bulgaria's historical memory, but it is also an inspiration for artists from various fields, said Yanitsa Hristova, Managing Director of BTA's LIK magazine. She pointed out that the uprising's legacy is documented in BTA archives and featured in the new issue of LIK magazine.
The April Uprising is one of the few events that never truly ends, said Editor-in-Chief of LIK Magazine Georgi Lozanov. He said that while the uprising ended in physical terms, it endures symbolically, steadily acquiring new meaning through interpretation. Each generation brings its own reading, he said, underscoring the continued importance of such publications. He stressed that the uprising is a cornerstone of Bulgarian national identity, placing freedom at the pinnacle of its value system.
Koprivshtitsa will forever remain the Town of the First Gunshot, of the first sound of freedom in Bulgarian history, said Bulgarian Academy of Sciences (BAS) President Evelina Slavcheva. She emphasized that hope is what inspires people today to remember and move forward. "The April Uprising is a desperate, yet magnificent attempt by our people after long years of kinship to overcome fear and show that freedom is more important than life. This deserves our respect and admiration," she pointed out, adding that the tragedy of the suppression of the uprising goes beyond the borders of Bulgaria. "It reaches international public opinion through journalism and is actually the first serious decisive step towards the Liberation of Bulgaria, towards the Russo-Turkish War, which lead to Bulgaria appearing on the European map again," she recalled.
Bulgarian Academy of Sciences (BAS) Corresponding Member Ivan Granitski presented a special edition of the BAS Journal dedicated to the 150th anniversary of the April Uprising of the Bulgarians against Ottoman rule. "This is not just an ordinary anniversary but an extremely important date, perhaps a dividing line for Europe, for Bulgaria and for the world, which should make us recall the imperatives of historical memory. The BAS Journal has prepared a special issue containing new research or renewed reflections on this important event – the April Uprising – and on its heroes, and above all on Levski", Granitski pointed out.
Prof. Atanas Semov of Sofia University, Corresponding Member of BAS, described the two publications as a combination of an academic and fictional text "tasked with conveying the memory of that heroic age and a clear idea of duty to the memory of history, to national awareness, and to Bulgaria's future for which our ancestors laid their lives 150 years ago". He acknowledged the activity of BTA Director General Kiril Valchev in recent years in asserting Bulgarianess, history, memory, and the value texture of public discourse.
The discussion about the 1876 April Uprising is not just a remembrance, it is a discussion about today's Bulgaria, according to National Television (BNT) journalist Boyko Vasilev. Vasilev, who joined online, noted that on Monday evening, BNT will broadcast a special live programme entitled "Dream Bulgaria", which will tell three stories from the 1876 uprising. He highlighted several questions that the BTA-initiated discussions had raised for him. "What were the moments in Bulgarian history when young people could teach their mothers and fathers about freedom? Were these moments frequent?" Vasilev asked. He recounted that during the April Uprising young men aged between 21 and 26 stood before their fathers and confronted them with the question of freedom or death. These youths were wealthy and educated and had the opportunity to build careers in the Ottoman Empire. "They had everything except full political freedom," the journalist said.
Bulgarians in Bessarabia supported the April Uprising by raising funds and forming women’s groups in Bolhrad and Comrat, historian Ivo Hristov said at the National Press Club in Taraclia on Monday. He stressed that the revolutionaries were educated people seeking European rights and freedoms, inspired by the ideas of the French Revolution and reflected in leaders like Vasil Levski and Georgi Rakovski. Hristov also noted that the uprising’s tragedy was its early outbreak - if it had started simultaneously everywhere, it might have been more successful and strengthened Bulgaria’s position internationally. According to him, the weakening Ottoman Empire created an opportunity that Bulgarian revolutionary leaders clearly recognized.
Representatives of BTA and BAS paid floral tribute at the site where the first shot during the April 1876 Uprising was fired.
/VE/
Additional
news.modal.image.header
news.modal.image.text
news.modal.download.header
news.modal.download.text
news.modal.header
news.modal.text