Shipka memorial

About

The Liberty Memorial, also known as the Shipka Monument (Паметник на Шипка), is а symbol of modern Bulgaria and the liberation of Bulgaria. The monument is the centerpiece of the Shipka National Park-Museum and is located on Shipka Peak in the Balkan Mountains. 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 symbol of the Bulgarian state – guards the entrance to the Memorial.

The other three walls of the monument bear the names Shipka, Sheynovo and Stara Zagora – 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) 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...