The Bulgarian News Agency’s archives preserve the news of each of the National Tourist Marches “In the Footsteps of Botev’s rebel detachment” from Kozloduy to Okolchitsa Peak, BTA Director General Kiril Valchev said at a meeting in the Vratsa village of Banitsa with the leaders of groups participating in this year’s National Tourist March.

“You continue a glorious decades-long tradition. BTA’s archives preserve the news of each of the marches in Botev’s footsteps. The first news article is about the first march in 1946. It says how, from early dawn, thousands of people set off along the steep path up into the mountain to pay tribute to Botev and the fallen rebels. Among the participants were students, military units and citizens from different parts of the country. At that time, BTA also reported on the holding of the first Botev Congress of the General Student People’s Union near Okolchitsa, as well as an organized military parade,” Valchev added.

According to him, the oldest photo in the agency’s archives is from the 1952 campaign and from each year after that. “On Monday, on the Bulgarian News Agency website we will upload this in PDF format – one page for each of the marches, every year, 80 pages, so you can see those before you who did the same thing that you are doing today,” Valchev added.

The meeting was attended by Education and Science Minister Georgi Valchev, Vratsa Mayor Kalin Kamenov, the mayor of the village of Banitsa Vladimir Valov, the leader of the march Evgeni Filipov, representatives of the groups that joined the National Tourist March.

Saturday is the fourth day of the largest tourist initiative in Bulgaria. The participants, who this year number over 1,800 people from all over the country, will spend the night near the village. On Sunday they will set off for the Rechka area at the foot of Stara Planina in the Vratsa Region.