The upcoming renovation of the Freedom Monument on Mount Shipka and the planned changes to its interior and museum exhibition raise questions that the state must answer before the start of construction activities.
This is what Dimitar Pashev, chairman of the Kazanlak organization of „Renaissance“, insists on.
The renovation is expected to begin after the celebrations of the 149th anniversary of the Shipka battles on August 22, 2026, after which the Monument will be closed to visitors.
The deadline for implementation is practically three years. Thus, in 2027, when Bulgaria will celebrate 150 years of the Shipka epic, the Monument may still be under repair.
For 2026, the Council of Ministers provided 3,151,475 euros for the activities, and the total value of the contract is 6,902,951.61 euros.
„The Monument of Freedom must be restored and preserved for generations.
The question is not whether there should be a repair, but what will be changed behind the restored facade“, says Pashev.
The project envisages changes not only in the external appearance, but also in the interior and the permanent museum exhibition. Already in 2024, after a parliamentary question by the chairman of „Vazrazhdane“ Kostadin Kostadinov, it became clear that a completely new thematic and exhibition plan would be developed.
On March 12 2026. The Ministry of Culture has already agreed on the project for the artistic and spatial design of the future exhibition.
„The project is ready and agreed. Since the state knows what the future exhibition will look like, the public also has the right to know. It should be shown before the irreversible changes, not after them“, emphasizes Pashev.
Among the main questions is what will happen to the original historical values in the Monument - the weapons, orders and medals, personal belongings and documents, portraits and battle paintings, the copy of the Samara flag, the family seal of Count Ignatiev and the large battle cannon.
The National Park-Museum „Shipka-Buzludzha“ has announced that some of the movable cultural values presented so far will be replaced with oil reproductions or digital images, but which originals will be presented in this way is not public clarified.
“Modern technologies should complement authentic historical evidence, not replace it. There is a difference between an artifact being stored in a repository and a visitor being able to see it in the Monument itself“, points out Pashev. He also wants clarity about the future reception center at the foot of the peak, which is not part of the current renovation and for which there is currently no publicly announced specific deadline, separate project and secured funding.
“If part of the museum content will be removed with the prospect of someday being presented in a future reception center, the public should know this now. This center can complement the Monument, but not be a reason to reduce its content“, says Pashev.
The question of how the new exhibition will present the Bulgarian Volunteer Army, the Russian Imperial Army and their joint actions in the defense of Shipka Pass.
“Shipka is not a place where history should be adapted to the political situation. The new exhibition must guarantee a historically accurate presentation of the Bulgarian Volunteers and the Russian Imperial Army in the battles for Shipka and the Liberation of Bulgaria“, Pashev is categorical.
As chairman of the Committee on Culture, Tourism and Religions at the Kazanlak Municipal Council, Pashev has already challenged the construction permit in court.
The Supreme Administrative Court did not consider his objections on the merits, but accepted that he did not have the necessary legal interest to challenge it.
Before the irreversible interventions begin, Pashev insists on publishing the thematic exhibition plan, making it clear which original exhibits will remain and which will be replaced with reproductions or digital images, clarifying the role of the future reception center, and a public discussion will be held with historians, museum specialists and the public.
“If the concerns are unfounded, the publication of the finished plan will dispel them. If there are decisions that need to be reviewed, this should be done now, not after the fact. Shipka must be restored and preserved, but together with the stone construction we must preserve the historical narrative and authentic testimonies. The Freedom Monument belongs to Bulgaria.
Which Freedom Monument are we closing today and which one will we open after the renovation?“, states Dimitar Pashev.
This and many other questions are raised by the chairman of the Kazanlak organization of “Vazrazhdane” in an open letter that has already been sent to the Prime Minister.