Shipka - Monument of Liberation

     The monument of Liberty rises on the peak Shipka, this is the place where during the time of the Russian - Turkish War (1877 - 1878) one of the most important battles was lead. This battle has predetermined the victorious end of the war and has brought Liberty of Bulgaria after five centuries of Turkish slavery. Together with the Russian soliders there were over six thousand volunteers who took part in the battles. The majestic monument was made in honor of the heroes who died for the Bulgarian independence. In historical aspect this is the boundary, which marks the beginning of the New Bulgarian History.

      National Park Museum Shipka is located on top of Shipka peak (1326 m) in the Balkan Mountains, 28 km from Kazanlak and 22 km from Gabrovo. Its outline resembles a medieval Bulgarian fortress and can be seen from dozens of kilometers. Donations from the people from all over Bulgaria helped for the building of the monument. It was inaugurated on 26th of Aufust 1934. The powerful bronze lion - symbol of Bulgaria - guards the entrance to the Memorial.

      The defence of the Shipka Pass was one of the cruical points in the Russo - Turkish war, the conflict which eventually led to Bulgarian Independence. Between July and December 1877, the outnumbered Russian soliders and Bulgarian volunteers faced up to the Ottoman forces. This conflict is little known outside Bulgaria, but it is at the very pith of what contemporary Bulgarians consider a sourse of both love for Russia and national pride. The Russians crossed the Danube at the end of June 1877 at Svishtov, outsmarking the Ottomans, who were expecting a landing farther east. The Russians then marched south, besieging Pleven and pushing through Stara Zagora with the aim of reaching the Thracian Plain. From there the advance towards Constantinopole should have been easy, but the Ottomans didn't allow this to happen, and blocked the mountain passes.

       A small detachment of five thousand Russians and Bulgarian volunteers, led by General Iosif Gurko, captured the peak and the pass. They faced 30 000 Ottomans, led by General Suleyman Pasha, trying to cross to north. Ultimately the war was winned. The two sides held their positions and stalled, even when there was a harsh winter, claiming the health and the lives of hundreds. At the end of December, the defenders of Shipka attacked the Ottomans, and won. Two months later, on 3rd March 1878, an armistice was signed between the two empires. The War was over. During the battles for the Shipka Pass, about 13 500 defenders (who included Russians, Bulgarians, Ukrainians, Poles, Finns) were killed or wounded. The victims on the Ottoman side included 24 000 killed and 36 000 captured. 

     The defence of the Shipka pass quickly became ne of the most important, and for a reason. The Opalchentsi, or Bulgarian volunteers, were a force of ten thousand men attached to the Russian army during the war, serving under Russian officers. Bulgarian bravery proved crucial for the succesful defence of the Shipka Pass and demonstrated that the Bulgarians were more than passive victims of Ottoman cruelty waiting for the Russians to liberate them. Soon after the battles for the Shipka Pass the Opalchentsi at Shipka entered national role. Dimitar  Gyudzhenov, an artist who specialised in historical paintings, created A Battle for Shipka. The paintings are focused on the monument when defenders, in desperate aim to push back the attackers, used as weapons whatever was around.

     The Shipka monument is still there, a 31,5 - metre stone pyramid with a massive bronze lion: it's definitely one of the most recognisable sights in Bulgaria. A marble sarcophagus in the monument preserves the remains of some Bulgarian and Russian soliders. The floors above are used as an exhibition area. The memorials on and around the main peak cover several locations and 120 hectares, and number twenty six monuments, as well as restored artillery batteries and positions, and huts used by the defenders.

     Another monument to those who died in the defence of the pass is a monastery by Shipka village, south of the pass. It was built on 20th century, with Russian and Bulgarian donations, and is the final resting place for about 9000 men who died inthe Russo - Turkish war. Beautiful Russian - style church was consecrated in 1902. Until 1934, the monastery was a Russian property. Stalin gave it to the Bulgarians on condition that no Russian emigre would be allowed to sit on its board.