On January 28, 1901, Joseph Vladimirovich Gurko died. The Russian officer and Field Marshal General, born in 1828, played a key role in the Liberation of Bulgaria during the Russo-Turkish War (1877-1878).
On January 4, 1878, his Western Detachment solemnly entered Sofia, saving the city from burning.
Gurko led the legendary and extremely difficult crossing of the Balkan Mountains in harsh winter conditions, which surprised the Ottoman forces and predetermined the outcome of the war.
At the beginning of the war, he commanded the Forward Detachment (including the Bulgarian Volunteers), with which he captured Tarnovo and crossed the Hainboaz.
Iosif Gurko achieved the highest military rank – Field Marshal General (1894) and later served as Governor General of Warsaw.
In gratitude, the town of Gurkovo, villages, and some of the most important streets in Sofia and other Bulgarian cities are named after him.