Bulgaria marks 143 years since Liberation war’s Shipka battle

On August 21, Bulgaria marks 143 years since the battle for the defence of the Shipka pass during the Russo-Turkish War of 1877-1878, also known as the Shipka epopee.

As part of the tradition, the celebrations on Shipka Peak are held under the auspices of Bulgaria’s head of state.

Bulgaria’s President Rumen Radev participated in the celebrations and paid tribute to the Bulgarian volunteers and Russian soldiers who sacrificed their lives for Bulgaria’s liberation from the Ottoman rule.

"For 143 years, the whole of Bulgaria has looked at Shipka with admiration. And today, thousands of you have climbed this peak to prove that dignity stands above fear and prohibitions," Radev said in his speech.

Our volunteers proved that our people deserve their freedom. These fighters for freedom did not ask if it made sense to fight, they did not convince each other that every effort is doomed, as we often do today. They were not tempted by the convenience of being spectators of the national history, to wait for the events, to read newspapers and to argue in pubs and cafes. Five centuries did not erase their self-confidence of dignified Bulgarians and they did not wait to hear what the great powers think about Bulgarian freedom, nor relied on them. They hoped for no privileges and benefits, and some lived their days in misery. The centuries of yoke did not extinguish their belief that a free and just Bulgaria is possible, the President added.

They fought and died to prove that our people are worthy of freedom and paid with their lives for this freedom. With this indomitable spirit, with this faith in their own strength, with this unity in the cause, volunteers and revivalists resurrected the Homeland. With this spirit, faith and unity, we will succeed and all of us, their descendants, who today are fighting for a free and just Bulgaria. A tribute to the heroes! Long live Bulgaria, President Radev said.

Thousands of Bulgarians gathered early in the morning at Shipka to mark this historic date, although the official celebrations were cancelled due to the situation with the coronavirus.

The battle for the defence of the Shipka Pass is one of the most heroic and decisive battles during the Russo-Turkish Liberation War of 1877-1878. The most dramatic of those took place from the 21st to the 26th of August (or from the 9th to the 14th of August old style calendar) 143 years ago.

The battles that took place from 09/21 to 13/26 August 1877 between the defenders of the pass and the Turkish army entered Bulgarian history under the name Shipka Epopee, BGNES wrote.

The task of the small Russian-Bulgarian detachment under the command of Gen. N.G. Stoletov, numbering about 7,500 men, was to stop Suleiman Pasha's superior army (about 27,000 men and a reserve of 10,000), to prevent it from crossing the Balkans and to unite with the Turkish forces in northeastern Bulgaria in aid of the besieged army of Osman Pasha in Pleven. The battles for Shipka began on August 9/21, 1877.

For six days, Bulgarians and Russians repulsed the constant attacks of the Turkish camps with fire and bayonets. The most difficult and decisive for the defence is the third day - August 11/23, when the Turks are increasingly tightening the noose around the defenders, and the ammunition is running out. In the afternoon, Suleiman Pasha threw all his reserves into battle against the centre of the defence.

At this most critical moment, when the battle was nearly lost and it seemed that Shipka would fall, the first reinforcement sent by Gen. Radetski arrived from Gabrovo. In the evening all the companies of the 16th Rifle Battalion arrived and after a fierce battle the Turks retreated. Shipka was secured!

The fighting continued for the next three days, but the pass was now firmly in the hands of the Russian army. Shipka's defence continued in the autumn and winter of 1877. This period went down in history as the "Winter Shipka Standing". Despite the cold and fog, despite the snowstorms and blizzards, the defenders of Shipka heroically defended the pass. For these days filled with courage and self-sacrifice, the telegraph announced with the short phrase: "Everything is calm on Shipka".

Russian soldiers and Bulgarian volunteers turned the pass into an impregnable fortress, "a closed door for the Turkish offensive in northern Bulgaria and an open door for the victorious march of the Russian army to Constantinople," according to Gen. Radetski.

After the fall of Pleven (November 29 / December 10, 1977), Russian troops crossed the Balkans in extremely severe winter conditions and captured the Turkish army of Veysel Pasha in the Sheynovo fortified camp on December 28, 1877 / January 9, 1878. Sheynovo is a worthy end to the Shipka epopee.

The victims that the Russian regiments and the Bulgarian companies gave to Shipka and in the field of Sheynovo are about 11,000 - killed, wounded and missing without a trace, and over 9,000 people were frozen and sick during the Winter Shipka camp.

The foundation stone of the Monument of Freedom was laid on August 26, 1922. The monument was completed in 1930. On August 26, 1934, the monument on Mount St. Nicholas was inaugurated by Tsar Boris III. The monument is 31.5 meters high and 890 steps lead to it. A bronze lion, a symbol of Bulgarian statehood, proudly stands above the central entrance. On the other three sides are written the names of Shipka, Sheynovo and Stara Zagora - the battlefields, reminiscent of the feat of the Bulgarian volunteers.

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