Buzludzha National park

Buzludzha peak (1441 m) is located in Shipka and Tryavna Mountain – parts of the Central Balkan Mountain, 15 km north of the town of Kazanluk and 12 km east of Shipka Pass.

Since 1942, the official name of the peak has been Hadzhi Dimitar, but in people’s memory the name Buzludzha will remain. Three historical events turned its southern slope into  ‘Buzludzha’ National Park in 1959 by virtue of Decree No. 274 of the Council of Ministers.

Three monuments were built in 1961. On 30 July, 1868 at the foothills of the peak took place the last battle between Hadzhi Dimitar and Stefan Karadzha’s detachment against the Turkish bashi-bazouk and the regular army. Today, on the place where Hadzhi Dimitar died, a statue of the legendary leader rises, and behind it there is a wall made of 28 stone blocks with the names of all rebels and their hometowns. The remains of those who died are laid in the foundations of the wall. The monument is designed by the sculptor Luben Dimitrov and the architect Petko Tsvetkov.

 

A short way up, among the beech forest, there is a bas-relief of white stone, made to memorize the place where the Constituent Congress of BSDP was held on August 2, 1891. The monument was made by the sculptors Dimitar Daskalov, Georgi Georgiev, Ivan Kesyakov and the architects Kalin Boyadzhiev and Boris Nenkov.

A narrow mountain path leads down to the third monument dedicated to the three dead partisans from Gabrovo – Sevlievo squad. The monument was made by the sculptors Stela Raynova, Ivan Ivanov and the architect Ivan Tatarov.

All three monuments are made of white Vratsa stone, extracted from the stone quarries near the town of Mezdra. They were solemnly opened on 2 August 1961.

In 1964  ‘Buzludzha’ National Park was united with ‘Shipka’ National Park into a historical and architectural reserve – ‘Shipka-Buzludzha’ National park-museum.