site.btaAt Shipka Peak, We Honour Heroes Who Died for Freedom, Says Parliament Chair Kiselova

Addressing the ceremony marking the 148th anniversary of the Battle of Shipka Pass at Shipka Peak in the Balkan Mountains on Saturday, National Assembly Chair Nataliya Kiselova emphasized the enduring significance of the site. She noted that climbing Shipka Peak was not merely about looking out across Bulgaria to the north and south, but above all about bowing before the heroism, sacrifice, and spirit of those who had given their lives for freedom and of the nation that had risen from the ashes.

Kiselova underlined that tribute was being paid to the defenders whose heroic stand at the pass had altered the course of history, stressing that the outcome of the Russo-Turkish War of Liberation was decided on Shipka Peak itself. She recalled that the dramatic resistance of the Bulgarian volunteers and the soldiers of the Russian Emperor had withstood repeated Ottoman attacks, and that the battles fought in those August days would forever remain part of history. Quoting Bulgarian writer Ivan Vazov, she reminded the audience that at Shipka everything had been heroic – the people, the cannons, even the stones.

According to Kiselova, those words were not accidental, for on that peak, where the sky meets the earth, one of the most glorious chapters in Bulgarian history was written. She recalled how, when freedom had seemed no more than a dream, a handful of Bulgarian volunteers – teachers, peasants, craftsmen – together with Russian soldiers had stood against an empire. Their strength, spirit, will, and love of freedom and homeland, rather than their numbers or weapons, had determined the outcome of the battle.

The commemoration was attended by Gabrovo Regional Governor Maria Basheva-Venkova, Stara Zagora Regional Governor Nedelcho Marinov, Gabrovo Mayor Tanya Hristova, Brigadier General Margarit Mihaylov - Commander of the 61st Stryama Mechanized Brigade, as well as members of Parliament, local government officials, and municipal councillors. A memorial prayer for the fallen heroes was conducted by Metropolitan Cyprian of Stara Zagora and Metropolitan Grigory of Veliko Tarnovo.