The Liberty Memorial, also known as the Shipka Monument (Паметник на Шипка), is а symbol of modern

Bulgaria Bulgaria, officially the Republic of Bulgaria, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the eastern portion of the Balkans directly south of the Danube river and west of the Black Sea. Bulgaria is bordered by Greece and Turkey t ...

and the

liberation of Bulgaria The Liberation of Bulgaria is the historical process as a result of the Bulgarian Revival. In Bulgarian historiography, the liberation of Bulgaria refers to those events of the Tenth Russo-Turkish War (1877–1878) that led to the re-establishme ...

. The monument is the heart of the Shipka National Park-Museum and is located on Shipka Peak in the

Balkan Mountains The Balkan mountain range is located in the eastern part of the Balkan peninsula in Southeast Europe, Southeastern Europe. It is conventionally taken to begin at the peak of Vrashka Chuka on the border between Bulgaria and Serbia. It then runs f ...

. Its outline resembles a medieval Bulgarian fortress and can be seen from dozens of kilometres. It was built with donations from the people from all over Bulgaria and was inaugurated on 26 August 1934. It is 31.5 m tall and 890 steps lead up to it. The powerful bronze lion, symbolizing the

coat of arms of Bulgaria The coat of arms of Bulgaria consists of a crowned golden Lion (heraldry), lion rampant over a dark red Escutcheon (heraldry), shield; above the shield is the Bulgarian historical Crown (headgear), crown. The shield is supporters, supported by two ...

– the symbol of the Bulgarian state – guards the entrance to the

Memorial A memorial is an object or place which serves as a focus for the memory or the commemoration of something, usually an influential, deceased person or a historical, tragic event. Popular forms of memorials include landmark objects such as home ...

. The other three walls of the monument bear the names

Shipka Shipka may refer to: * Shipka Monument, in Bulgaria * Shipka (town), in Bulgaria * Shipka Pass, in Bulgaria * Shipka (stadium), in Asenovgrad, Bulgaria * Shipka Saddle, in the Tangra Mountains, Livingston Island, Antarctica * Shipka Valley, in the T ...

, and

Stara Zagora Stara Zagora (, ) is a city in Bulgaria, and the administrative capital of Stara Zagora Province. It is located in the Upper Thracian Plain, near the cities of Kazanlak, Plovdiv, and Sliven. Its population is 121,582 making it the sixth largest c ...

– the battlefields in defense of the Pass. On the ground floor under a marble sarcophagus, rest the remains of Shipka's defenders. The sarcophagus stands on four prone stone lions and above it as honour guards stand the statues of a Bulgarian ''opalchenets'' (a member of the

Bulgarian Volunteer Corps Opalchentsi () were Bulgarian voluntary army units, who took part in the Russo-Turkish War of 1877–1878. The people in these units were called ''opalchenets-pobornik'' (опълченец-поборник) roughly meaning "folk-" or "regiment- ...

) and a Russian soldier. The other seven floors of the museum display personal effects of the soldiers and volunteers, medals, photos, weapons and documents related to the battles fought over Shipka. One of the exhibits is a copy of the

Samara Flag The Samara Flag (, ''Samarsko zname'', , ''Samarskoye znamya'') is a historical military symbol of the Bulgarian Army. History The flag was woven by local nuns and given to the Bulgarian volunteers during the Russo-Turkish War of 1877–78 b ...

– the first battle flag of the Bulgarian Opalchentsi. The highest platform of the Liberty Memorial offers a beautiful panoramic view of the surroundings. The monument signifies the heroic defense of the pass. The Ottoman unblocking army of

Süleyman Hüsnü Pasha Süleyman Hüsnü Pasha (; 1838–1892) was an Ottoman Turkish field marshal, who participated in the Russo-Turkish War of 1877–78. Biography Born in Istanbul, his father was a candy merchant. He was graduated from the military school in ...

failed to come to the rescue and the

Siege of Pleven The siege of Plevna or Pleven, was a major battle of the Russo-Turkish War of 1877–1878, fought by the joint army of the Russian Empire and the Kingdom of Romania against the Ottoman Empire. After the Russian army crossed the Danube at ...

ended in victory. The latter also predetermined the outcome of the

Russo-Turkish War (1877–1878) The Russo-Turkish War (1877–1878) was a conflict between the Ottoman Empire and a coalition led by the Russian Empire which included United Principalities of Moldavia and Wallachia, Romania, Principality of Serbia, Serbia, and Principality of ...

. The cornerstone of the monument was laid on 24 August 1922, the construction was completed in 1930, and the monument was unveiled on 26 August 1934 by

Boris III of Bulgaria Boris III (; 28 August 1943), originally Boris Klemens Robert Maria Pius Ludwig Stanislaus Xaver (Boris Clement Robert Mary Pius Louis Stanislaus Xavier), was the Tsar of the Kingdom of Bulgaria from 1918 until his death in 1943. The eldest son ...

.Tsar Boris III unveils the Monument of Freedom on Shipka Peak (in Bulgarian)
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Gallery

File:Shipka-monument-bg.jpg, File:Паметника на Свободата на връх Свети Никола.jpg, File:Shipka monument during summer time.jpg, File:Bulgaria Shipka-01.JPG,

Gallery

See also

References

See also