site.btaMonument to Carol I of Romania Opens in Pordim

A monument to Carol I of Romania was opened in the house-museum of Carol I in Pordim on Thursday.

The monument was inaugurated by National Assembly Chair Nataliya Kiselova, Romanian MP Gabriel Florya, and Pordim Mayor Detelin Vassilev. A delegation of MPs from the Romanian Parliament also arrived in Pordim for the occasion. The bust-monument is donated by Florya, who initiated the construction of the monument together with Pordim Municipality.

Bulgarian and Romanian priests held a prayer service in memory of Carol I of Romania and for the Bulgarian and Romanian soldiers who died for the freedom of Pleven and Bulgaria in 1878. "We have a common present and future with our closest neighbours. Almost 150 years ago, Russians, Romanians and Bulgarian volunteers fought side by side for our freedom. Pleven is a symbol of the thirst for freedom, and Pordim is a small part of this great symbol", Kiselova emphasized, adding that through the monument Bulgarians will understand much more about the role of the Romanian king and the Romanian warriors for Bulgarian liberation.

"After the end of the Russo-Turkish Liberation War, Bulgaria and Romania took their rightful place in the family of European nations, and for 148 years, Pordim and its residents have been lovingly preserving the memory of those glorious times through their two house-museums," Mayor Vassilev recalled. He thanked the guests from Romania and especially Gabriel Florya, who enriched the collection of the house-museum dedicated to the Romanian king through his donation of the bust-monument.

"Pordim is a place of mutual history, where thousands of soldiers gave their lives for freedom and independence. The courage of the soldiers and Carol I of Romania gave our peoples freedom and independence. We must keep the memory of these heroes alive and let new generations know about them," Florya stressed.

The House Museum of Carol I of Romania was established in 1907. The museum presents Romania's participation in the Russo-Turkish War (1877-1878) and the activities of the Romanian Army Headquarters during the stay of the Romanian Prince Carol I in Pordim in 1877.