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Bulgaria Remembers National Hero Levski on 188th Birth Anniversary

Bulgaria Remembers National Hero Levski on 188th Birth Anniversary
Bulgaria Remembers National Hero Levski on 188th Birth Anniversary
A new Levski monument is being unveiled in Etropole, July 18, 2025 (BTA Photo/Yuzlem Tefikova)
Sofia,  
18.07.2025 23:16
 (BTA)

Bulgaria remembered its national hero Vasil Levski Friday on the occasion of the 188th anniversary of his birth. Commemorative events were held in Sofia, Levski's home town of Karlovo in the south of the country, in a northern town bearing Levski's name and the western town of Etropole, where a new Levski monument was unveiled in the presence of National Assembly Chair Nataliya Kiselova and Vice President Iliana Iotova.

Levski's legacy

Revered as "the Apostle of Freedom", Levski is arguably the most  influential Bulgarian revolutionary leader in the struggle for liberation from Ottoman rule in the late 19th century and one of the few truly undisputed national heroes, whom Bulgarians hold dear to their hearts.

He is credited as a farsighted and brilliant ideologist of the Bulgarian revolution and its peerless organizer. He advanced a new tactics of self-reliant revolutionary struggle, advocating the establishment of a political structure and military organization with massive grass roots support rather than relying on scattered and sporadic action dictated by the international situation and manipulated by foreign powers.

Levski laid the foundations of Bulgarian ethnic tolerance, insisting that concord, brotherhood and equality of all ethnic groups must prevail in post-Liberation Bulgaria. He argued that, once free, his country's form of government should be a "pure and sacred republic". He wanted Bulgarians to advance on a par with the rest of Europe's nations, maintaining good relations with all their neighbours.

As a new Levski monument was unveiled in Etropole, Parliament Chair Nataliya Kiselova said that Levski "reminds us of something we sometimes forget — that Bulgarians, through their own efforts, can achieve anything". She also said, "Levski believed in his people like no one else did — that with their own strength, they could achieve not only political liberation and church independence, but become a people equal to others." 

President Rumen Radev, speaking in the town of Levski, reminded citizens of the national hero's enduring legacy. "The Apostle of our freedom bequeathed us the belief that no force, no fate can be more powerful than ourselves. We can be the smiths of our own fate," Radev declared. He highlighted the daily relevance of Levski’s ideals. “Levski’s cause walks with us every day, but also provokes our conscience… I am convinced that each 18 July, this square will continue to fill with the steps of grateful descendants seeking connection with his ideals and virtues.”

Addressing a commemorative event in Karlovo, Prime Minister Rosen Zhelyazkov called for unity and warned against using Levski’s legacy for political gain. “His memory should not be a stone in the political slingshot we use against our opponents while praising our own accomplishments,” the PM said. He emphasized that Levski was more than a revolutionary - "he was a national visionary who defined Bulgaria’s ideals of dignity, equality, and a “pure and sacred republic.” He stressed the importance of honoring Levski not as a symbol of personal or political pride, but as a compass guiding national conscience.

Paying tribute to Levski in Etropole, Vice President Iliana Iotova called him a moral compass for the Bulgarian people. “Levski did not serve ideologies. He had one ideology and that was Bulgaria, for which he gave the most precious thing: his life,” Iotova said. She emphasized that for Bulgarians, Levski lives in the heart and soul from early age. “That’s how we’re raised by our parents, that’s what we’re taught in school. And when we’re faced with difficult choices, when we’re uncertain, we turn to the Apostle. He is our point of reference.” She warned against misusing his legacy. "Let us not abuse the image of the Apostle. Let us not quote - often inaccurately - what he said, or exploit his words for political or other opportunistic purposes."

At a ceremony to unveil the new name of Vasil Levski Airport – Sofia, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Transport and Communications Grozdan Karadjov said that Bulgaria is slowly achieving national hero Vasil Levski's ideal of being equal to other European nations. He quoted Levski, “Let us stand equal with other European nations!” “We have already stood on equal footing with the most advanced European nations. Our entry into Schengen, our imminent entry into the eurozone, into the heart of Europe, shows that Bulgaria is at the core of the European family,” he said. According to him, Vasil Levski is not only Bulgaria’s beloved revolutionary and Apostle of Freedom, but also a symbol of a just cause. “We want every Bulgarian citizen and every guest who arrives at Sofia Airport to remember Levski’s ideal of a pure and holy republic. This ideal is embedded in everything we do,” Karadjov said.

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By 08:48 on 20.07.2025 Today`s news

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