April Uprising’s 150th Anniversary Should Be Felt as National Celebration across Bulgaria

Martin Penev

Ruse Mayor Pencho Milkov speaking at a BTA-organized conference in Ruse that commemorates a December 1875 decision by the Giurgiu Revolutionary Committee to launch the 1876 April Uprising in Bulgaria, Ruse, December 17, 2025 (BTA Photo/Bisser Todorov)

Ruse, on the Danube,

17.12.2025 14:12

(BTA)

Next year, the 150th anniversary of the April Uprising should be felt as a national celebration across Bulgarian towns, Ruse Mayor Pencho Milkov said here Wednesday. He was speaking at a BTA-organized conference in Ruse that commemorates a December 1875 decision by the Giurgiu Revolutionary Committee to launch the 1876 April Uprising in Bulgaria.

The event brought together academics, public officials, diplomats, journalists, and students from Bulgaria and Romania. It is part of a joint initiative of BTA, the Bulgarian National Television (BNT), and Bulgarian National Radio (BNR), called “14 Centuries of Bulgaria in Europe” for commemorating anniversaries in Bulgarian history that are significant for European history through to 2032, when 1,400 years will be marked since the establishment in 632 of the first Bulgarian state in Europe - Old Great Bulgaria.

The Mayor emphasized the role of national media, saying, “You are not only news organizations: you are spiritual organizations,” noting the importance of BTA, BNT, and BNR in commemorating the event.

Milkov highlighted Ruse’s historical significance as a bridge for European culture and the idea of freedom even before Bulgaria’s liberation, recalling the city’s connection to the Giurgiu Revolutionary Committee in the 19th century. He promised to mobilize energy not only from Ruse but also from other municipalities to ensure the anniversary celebration has wide national impact.

The mayor stressed that the success of the Bulgarian community comes from setting high goals: “In moments of difficulty, unity comes when we have high national goals.”

/NF/