Sliven Hosts BTA Conference on 150th Anniversary of April Uprising

Filip Pavlov

A conference dedicated to the 150th anniversary of the 1876 April Uprising at the BTA National Press Club in Sliven, February 19, 2026 (BTA Photo/Hristo Stefanov)

Sliven, Southeastern Bulgaria,

19.02.2026 16:45

(BTA)

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A conference dedicated to the 150th anniversary of the 1876 April Uprising was held at the BTA National Press Club in Sliven on Thursday.

The conference was opened by Boyko Vassilev, host of the Panorama weekly programme on the Bulgarian National Television. He emphasized that the April Uprising raises the question of when Bulgarians say enough is enough and how they can organize their common cause in a successful way. Vassilev noted that the April Uprising was successful because it led to the freedom of Bulgaria, adding that the conversation about the April Uprising is a long one, but important, as it needs to reach young people. “It is extremely important for them to hear from us something that is very rarely heard when we talk about the April Uprising,” he pointed out.

The role of young people in the revolutionary processes of the April Uprising was also stressed by Sofia University Rector Prof. Georgi Valchev. "The revolutionaries of the April Uprising were young people, just like you. Youth gives birth to dreams, and a dream, transformed into an idea and a flag, cannot be stopped," he said, addressing the students at the conference. Behind every face of heroes such as Zahari Stoyanov, Georgi Rakovski and Vasil Levski stands a story of efforts, dreams and hopes, the university rector noted. "You must discover these stories, so that the paintings are not just decoration, but a window to the past and an inspiration for the future," Valchev said.

BTA Director General Kiril Valchev pointed out that the April Uprising is a lesson in patience, moderation and memory. He noted that from the events surrounding the April Uprising in Sliven, Bulgarians can learn at least three important lessons, useful for their present. The first lesson is that every event is the result of a long accumulation with perseverance and patience; the second is that Bulgarians must find the right moment for each deed, neither to delay nor to rush; and the third is that the memory of the event is no less important than the deed itself.

Sliven Mayor Stefan Radev commented that Sliven has always been at the forefront of national struggles, adding that Sliven has a historical role as the centre of the Second Revolutionary District out of the four revolutionary districts in Bulgaria during the uprising. Radev specifically addressed the attending students at the conference, emphasizing that Sliven has always been at the forefront of all struggles that Bulgarians have waged, including for church independence, for independent education, and for national liberation.

If the revolutionary committees can be defined as the brains of the April Uprising, then the Bulgarian Orthodox Church was its heart and the spiritual support of the people in their quest for freedom, Archimandrite Stefan from the Office of the Metropolitan of Sliven pointed out. He emphasized that many of the great revivalists were closely connected with the Bulgarian Orthodox Church, which preserved the people’s spirit and self-awareness during the years of slavery. The free Bulgarian Exarchate is a harbinger of the free Bulgarian state, Archimandrite Stefan noted.

Bulgarians should be proud of Hadzhi Dimitar and Stefan Karadzha, noted Sliven Regional History Museum Director Dr. Nikolay Sirakov. He 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.

As part of the programme of the conference, BTA Director General Kiril Valchev, Sofia University Rector Georgi Valchev and journalist Boyko Vassilev laid flowers at the monument to Stoil Voyvoda in his native village, which bears his name. Stoil Voyvoda was among the active participants in the preparation and outbreak of the April Uprising and played an important role in the organization of the insurgent forces in the Sliven region.

The conference in Sliven was the third in BTA's series of events aimed at sparking discussions to mark the anniversary of the uprising. The inaugural forum was held in Ruse (on the Danube), followed by a conference in Vratsa (Northwestern Bulgaria). Similar forums will be organized at the BTA national press clubs in Veliko Tarnovo and Panagyurishte, which together with Vratsa and Sliven used to be centres of the four revolutionary districts during the 1876 uprising.

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.

/KK/