The initiative commemorates the start of the hiking tradition in 1946, which became one of Bulgaria’s most emblematic patriotic events. The 120-km route starts at Kozloduy on the bank of the River Danube and ends at the Okolchitsa Peak in the Western Balkan Range.
On May 16/27 and 17/28, 1876, a total of 205 Bulgarian emigrees boarded the Austro-Hungarian steamer Radetzky at five Romanian Danubian ports. They formed a detachment led by revolutionary poet Hritso Botev (1848-1876) and organized for joining the April 1876 Uprising against Ottoman rule in Bulgaria. On May 18/29, 1876, Botev and his associates commandeered the ship and forced its master, Dagobert Englaender, to land them on the Bulgarian bank of the river near the village of Kozloduy. From there, the detachment headed for the Balkan Range. Contrary to expectations, very few Bulgarians joined the insurgents. The detachment fought several battles with Ottoman troops. The uprising in the Vratsa region never broke out, and on May 20 (New Style June 2), 1876, Botev was killed at the Okolchitsa Peak in circumstances that have never been cleared up.
Speaking at Monday’s launch, Education and Science Minister Georgi Valchev said the role of Bulgarian schools in organizing the Botev March is very important. He described the March as a strong example of how education can enlist society by bringing together families, communities and schools. Valchev noted that Bulgarian revolutionary, writer and historian Zahari Stoyanov helped establish the tradition through the early commemorations of Botev, and that the initiative has grown over time thanks to the efforts of numerous enthusiasts. He also pointed out that after Bulgaria’s Liberation in 1878, there were attempts to politicize Botev’s legacy. He added that his Ministry will continue to support the initiative together with the local authorities along the route.
BTA Director General Kiril Valchev said BTA’s publication of archive materials about the Botev March helps preserve the memory of this patriotic initiative. He noted that informal marches along Botev’s route date back to the early 20th century and that, with the assistance of Vratsa Municipality, BTA gained access to archive footage from the 1920s. Valchev added that BTA keeps visual records of the March over the years, the earliest photo dating from 1952. The tradition was initiated by Pavel Deliradev, Dimitar Osinin and Ivan Velkov, who in 1946 retraced the route from the Danube River bank at Kozloduy to the Vratsa section of the Balkan Range in Northwestern Bulgaria, laying the foundations of what later became one of Bulgaria’s major patriotic traditions and which, at 80 years old, has now inspired a special publication of BTA’s LIK magazine based on archive photos and news reports.
BTA Archives and Reference Directorate Director Desislava Sevova said that the history of the Botev March proves that memory remains alive when it is passed down generations, and this is precisely what BTA’s archives tell. “With this publication, we demonstrate how news turns into history,” Sevova said. BTA has archived news about the initiative from its very beginning, while the agency’s bulletins trace its development throughout the decades, Sevova said. She noted that the archives tell the story not only of the march itself but also of the dozens of events that have accompanied the Botev Days over the years, including literary meetings, exhibitions, concerts, reenactments and events in the Ledenika Cave.
