Revolutionary Leaders Hadzhi Dimitar, Stefan Karadzha Are Inspirations, Says Sliven Regional History Museum Director

BTA Correspondent Sabina Stefanova, Filip Pavlov

Sliven Regional History Museum Director Dr. Nikolay Sirakov at a conference dedicated to the 150th anniversary of the 1876 April Uprising in the BTA National Press Club in Sliven, February 19, 2026 (BTA Photo/Hristo Stefanov)

Sliven, Southeastern Bulgaria,

19.02.2026 16:10

(BTA)

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Bulgarians should be proud of Hadzhi Dimitar and Stefan Karadzha, said Sliven Regional History Museum Director Dr. Nikolay Sirakov during a conference dedicated to the 150th anniversary of the 1876 April Uprising in the BTA National Press Club in Sliven on Thursday.

Sirakov recalled the importance of the Bulgarian Legion of Georgi Rakovski, which he defined as the first political and military school of future revolutionary leaders. "It was there that personalities such as Vasil Levski, Hadzhi Dimitar and Stefan Karadzha were prepared and built," he emphasized. The museum director pointed out that the revolutionary leaders were well aware that with a small detachment they could not militarily defeat an empire, but they knew why they were taking this path and believed in the meaning of self-sacrifice.

“They knew what they were dying for, namely for the freedom of Bulgaria. They were dreamers and today we expect young people to be like that, to dream of a better Bulgaria and to make it a better place to live,” Sirakov addressed the students at the conference.

BTA's series of conferences are part of a joint initiative with Bulgarian National Television (BNT) and Bulgarian National Radio (BNR), called “14 Centuries of Bulgaria in Europe”, aiming to commemorate anniversaries in Bulgarian history that are significant for European history through to 2032, when 1,400 years will be marked since the establishment of the first Bulgarian state in Europe - Old Great Bulgaria.

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