Shipka Pass (, ) (el. 1150 m./3820 ft.) is a scenic mountain pass through 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 ...

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 ...

. It marks the border between Stara Zagora province and Gabrovo province. The pass connects the towns of Gabrovo and Kazanlak. The pass is part of the Bulgarka Nature Park. The pass is 13 km by road north of the small town of Shipka. It is crossed by a national road I-5, which runs between the

Danube The Danube ( ; see also #Names and etymology, other names) is the List of rivers of Europe#Longest rivers, second-longest river in Europe, after the Volga in Russia. It flows through Central and Southeastern Europe, from the Black Forest sou ...

on the Ruse border crossing with

Romania Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central Europe, Central, Eastern Europe, Eastern and Southeast Europe. It borders Ukraine to the north and east, Hungary to the west, Serbia to the southwest, Bulgaria to the south, Moldova to ...

in north and the Makaza border crossing with

Greece Greece, officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. Located on the southern tip of the Balkan peninsula, it shares land borders with Albania to the northwest, North Macedonia and Bulgaria to the north, and Turkey to th ...

. A road also leads from the pass to the summit of Buzludzha, 12 km to the east.

Battle of Shipka Pass

During the Russo-Turkish War in 1877 and 1878, Shipka Pass was the scene of a series of conflicts collectively named the Battle of Shipka Pass, fought between the Russians, aided by Bulgarian volunteers, and the

Ottoman Empire The Ottoman Empire (), also called the Turkish Empire, was an empire, imperial realm that controlled much of Southeast Europe, West Asia, and North Africa from the 14th to early 20th centuries; it also controlled parts of southeastern Centr ...

Shipka Monument

It was opened with a ceremony in 1934 and designed by architect Atanas Donkov and sculptor Aleksandar Andreev. An important influence was the Monument to the Battle of the Nations in Germany. The monument is a 31.5-metre (98-foot) high stone tower in the form of a truncated pyramid. A giant bronze lion, 8 m (26 feet) long and 4 m (13 feet) high, stands above the entrance to the tower, and a figure of a woman represents the victory over the Ottoman forces. A marble

sarcophagus A sarcophagus (: sarcophagi or sarcophaguses) is a coffin, most commonly carved in stone, and usually displayed above ground, though it may also be buried. The word ''sarcophagus'' comes from the Greek language, Greek wikt:σάρξ, σάρξ ...

housing some of the remains of the

Russia Russia, or the Russian Federation, is a country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia. It is the list of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the world, and extends across Time in Russia, eleven time zones, sharing Borders ...

n and Bulgarian casualties is on the first floor. There are four other floors where one can find replicas of Bulgarian military flags and other relics. The top of the tower reveals a panorama of Shipka Peak and the surrounding area.

Gallery

File:Shipka-01.JPG File:Shipka-02.JPG File:Shipka-03.JPG File:Shipka-04.JPG File:Shipka pass (Шипка) - central Monument.JPG File:Shipka2.jpg File:Bulgaria Shipka-03.JPG File:Kazanlak, Bulgaria - panoramio.jpg File:Bulgaria Shipka-04.JPG File:Bulgaria Shipka-05.JPG File:Bulgaria Shipka-06.JPG File:Shipka.JPG File:Shipka Memorial - interior.JPG, Sarcophagus File:Паметникът на свободата на връх Шипка 12.jpg

References

External links

Shipka museum official web site - Bulgarian Ministry of Culture.
{{Coord, 42, 46, N, 25, 19, E, region:BG_type:pass, display=title Mountain passes of Bulgaria Balkan mountains Landforms of Stara Zagora Province Landforms of Gabrovo Province Tourist attractions in Stara Zagora Province Tourist attractions in Gabrovo Province

Battle of Shipka Pass

Shipka Monument

Gallery

See also

References

External links