Buzludzha Peak
By walking along an asphalt road from Mount Shipka, you can reach another memorable Bulgarian peak with an incredible and great history, namely Mount Buzludzha, also known as Hadji Dimitar. It is 1441 meters high and is located in the Shipchensko-Trevnensky division of the Central Stara Planina.
On Mount Buzludzha in 1868, the brave company of Hadji Dimitar fought with the Turkish troops, but despite the strong spirit of the Bulgarian fighters, they were defeated due to their small number compared to the Turks. Despite the fall, Bulgarians will never forget the honor and courage of the heroes who gave their lives for the freedom of the homeland. Their memory will be preserved forever thanks to the Renaissance literary works, the most famous of which is the poem “Hadji Dimitar” by Hristo Botev:
“He who falls fighting for freedom,
he does not die: he is pitied
earth and sky, beast and nature
and singers sing about him…”
Today, an impressive monument built in 1981 with the name “BKP Memorial House” is erected on the top. The monument was erected in honor of the secret Buzludzhan Congress of 1891, at which the Bulgarian Social Democratic Party was established.
The monument consists of the so-called sacrificial tray and column, compared in appearance to Montreal’s Olympic Stadium. The monument has a large ceremonial hall decorated with mosaics with an impressive total area of 550 sq.m.
The monument on Mount Buzludzha is the project of a large team headed by Prof. Eng. Dobromir Kolarov. The overall layout of the work is aimed at recreating the struggles of the BKP to build a socialist society.
After the political rearrangement of November 10, 1989, the monument slowly began to deteriorate and was destroyed. Detractors also contribute to its poor condition, looting and destroying a large part of the creations in the structure itself. However, the monument on Mount Buzludzha is included in the ranking “The most beautiful abandoned places in the world” at number 25.
On several occasions in the period 2011-2017, the Bulgarian Social Democratic Party made a request to obtain a free right of use on the monument, but it was refused. Every year, at the place in the area of Istoricheska Polyana, under Mount Hadji Dimitar, the BSP holds its party congress, which is attended by supporters of the party.
Directions from Chamurkov guest house in Veliko Tarnovo to Buzludzha peak via Google Maps can be found here
