Bulgaria marks 119 years since the Ilinden-Preobrazhenie uprising

On August 2, 2022, Bulgaria marks 119 years since the outbreak of the Ilinden-Preobrazhenie uprising. A solemn ceremony in Plovdiv honoured the memory of the Bulgarians from Eastern and Western Thrace and from Aegean Macedonia who died for Bulgaria in national liberation struggles and wars.

The celebration was attended by an honorary company from the Plovdiv garrison and representatives of the "Patriotism" committee.

In his speech, MEP Angel Dzhambazki stressed that on August 2, Bulgaria celebrates the beginning of the most massive and the most well-organised Bulgarian uprising in the recent history.

"We should lean on the memory, on the dignity, on the bravery of our ancestors who, without military training, who, without organisation, made their own, organised themselves, bought the weapons, prepared themselves, took volunteers from the Bulgarian military school, who led them and fought for the unity of the Bulgarian nation, and went into battles for it, and died for it," Dzhambazki said.

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Ilinden-Preobrazhenie uprising of August 1903 was an organized revolt against the Ottoman Empire, which was prepared and carried out by the Internal Macedonian-Adrianople Revolutionary Organisation. The name of the uprising refers to Ilinden, a name for Elijah's day, and to Preobrazhenie which means Transfiguration. The revolt lasted from the beginning of August to the middle of October and covered a vast territory from the eastern Black Sea coast to the shores of Lake Ohrid.

The uprising is celebrated today in both Bulgaria and North Macedonia as the peak of their nations’ struggle against the Ottoman rule.

During the uprising in Macedonia and Thrace, more than 26,000 rebels fought 289 battles against 350,000 Turkish troops. 994 revolutionaries were killed. 201 villages were set on fire. 4,694 civilians were killed. 25,000, residents of Macedonia and Edirne, fled to the Principality of Bulgaria.