For 147 years, the feat of the Bulgarian militiamen has been a pillar of our national memory. This is what Bulgarian President Rumen Radev wrote on Facebook on the occasion of the 147th anniversary of the Shipchen epic. Here was the message of the Bulgarian president:
Dear compatriots,
There are many places on the Bulgarian lands that preserve the memory of the struggles for national liberation, but the glory of the Shipchen epic remains unsurpassed. For 147 years now, the feat of the Bulgarian militiamen has been a pillar of our national memory, of love for the Fatherland, a symbol of the revived Bulgarian spirit and of self-sacrifice in the name of freedom.
Shipka is the crossroads of our historical destiny. A symbol that the fight for justice and a better life is never doomed and that every battle in the name of Bulgaria can and must be won. Today, we once again bow before the fallen sons of Russia and many other brotherly nations from the army of the Russian Emperor Alexander II, before our militiamen and volunteers, without sharing the blood shed for Bulgaria. Once it watered our land, it forever remains the blood of Bulgarian freedom.
Stone by stone and forever our ancestors erected the Monument of Freedom on this famous peak. For 90 years, Bulgarians from near and far have laid wreaths and flowers at its foundations as a sign of respect for the memory of the dead and our faith in the future of Bulgaria. It is our duty to preserve the covenant of our forefathers and carry it intact through time for the sake of future generations.
Homage to the memory of the heroes!
Long live Bulgaria!