{"version":2,"locale":"en","id":"story.shipka-1877","hasFind":true,"slug":"shipka-1877","url":"/en/stories/shipka-1877/","topic":"Shipka","title":"The road through Shipka","summary":"A mountain road, a joint defence and a flag brought from Samara. How terrain and reinforcements shape the August fighting, and what the later monument shows.","cover":{"title":"The road through Shipka","subtitle":"Shipka Pass, August 1877","hook":"How did the defenders hold the pass?","summary":"A mountain road, a joint defence and a flag brought from Samara. How terrain and reinforcements shape the August fighting, and what the later monument shows.","takeaway":"Holding the pass connects joint defence, terrain and reinforcements; objects and memorials tell different parts of that story."},"sortYear":1877,"firstActivity":5,"epoch":{"id":"epoch.revival","styleId":"revival","sortOrder":1,"title":"Revival and Liberation","dateLabel":"18th–19th centuries","eraShort":"Revival","slug":"revival","fill":"#B9A48E","ink":"#221616","raised":"#C4B29F","dark":"#77654D"},"epochId":"epoch.revival","placeShort":"Shipka","date":"1877","image":{"alpha":true,"avif":[{"src":"/media/asset-shipka-monument-detail-cutout-480.59ac5cee.avif","w":480},{"src":"/media/asset-shipka-monument-detail-cutout-864.59ac5cee.avif","w":864}],"dominant":"#93837c","h":1192,"w":864,"webp":[{"src":"/media/asset-shipka-monument-detail-cutout-864.59ac5cee.webp","w":864}],"src":"/media/asset-shipka-monument-detail-cutout-864.59ac5cee.webp","id":"asset.shipka.monument-detail-cutout","alt":"The modern Shipka monument isolated from the photograph; not an image of the battle in 1877.","objectCaption":"Stone tower","caption":"Stone tower — memorial opened in 1934","kind":"photo","creditLabels":{"title":"Images","source":"Open source","full":"Full attribution"},"fit":"contain","credit":"Ivano Giambattista · CC0 · Wikimedia Commons","license":"CC0","attribution":"Ivano Giambattista / Wikimedia Commons. CC0. Stone tower — memorial opened in 1934. Cut-out detail; background removed.","attributionParts":[{"text":"Ivano Giambattista / Wikimedia Commons. CC0. Stone tower — memorial opened in 1934. Cut-out detail; background removed.","lang":"en"}],"sourceUrl":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Shipka_Monument_4.jpg","licenseUrl":"http://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/deed.en"},"scenes":[{"id":"shipka-1877.s1-pass","number":1,"kind":"narrative","title":"The pass that had to stay closed","body":"On 21 August 1877, in the Gregorian calendar, attacks begin against the Shipka Pass. The Julian calendar calls this 9 August. War between Russia and the Ottoman Empire has brought armies into the Balkan Mountains. Russian troops and Bulgarian volunteers, known as opalchentsi, defend the pass under General Nikolai Stoletov.\n\nFor Süleyman Pasha, the pass offers a route to Ottoman forces north of the mountains. Joining them is intended to ease Russian pressure at Pleven. The defenders must keep that route closed. How can a few thousand hold against a larger army? The answer begins with the terrain, before the monument we see today.","images":[{"alpha":false,"avif":[{"src":"/media/asset-shipka-monument-front-480.9ce63c5c.avif","w":480},{"src":"/media/asset-shipka-monument-front-960.9ce63c5c.avif","w":960},{"src":"/media/asset-shipka-monument-front-1600.9ce63c5c.avif","w":1600}],"dominant":"#62a6ab","h":1081,"w":1600,"webp":[{"src":"/media/asset-shipka-monument-front-960.9ce63c5c.webp","w":960}],"src":"/media/asset-shipka-monument-front-960.9ce63c5c.webp","id":"asset.shipka.monument-front","alt":"Freedom Monument on the ridge — modern view","objectCaption":"Freedom Monument on the ridge — modern view","caption":"Freedom Monument on the ridge — modern view","kind":"photo","creditLabels":{"title":"Images","source":"Open source","full":"Full attribution"},"fit":"cover","credit":"Ivano Giambattista · CC0 · Wikimedia Commons","license":"CC0","attribution":"Ivano Giambattista / Wikimedia Commons. CC0. Freedom Monument on the ridge — modern view. Processed image.","attributionParts":[{"text":"Ivano Giambattista / Wikimedia Commons. CC0. Freedom Monument on the ridge — modern view. Processed image.","lang":"en"}],"sourceUrl":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Shipka_Monument_1.jpg","licenseUrl":"http://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/deed.en"}],"hotspots":[],"places":[],"map":null,"activity":null,"audio":{"durationSeconds":41.334875,"source":"synthetic_tts","voice":"en_US-ljspeech-high","provider":"Piper","assetId":"audio.en.shipka-1877.shipka-1877.s1-pass","duration":41.429,"src":"/audio/en/shipka-1877/s1-pass.c23921c0.m4a"},"textRevised":false,"sources":[{"id":"src.shipka.august"},{"id":"src.shipka.battle"},{"id":"src.shipka.tasdemir2021"}]},{"id":"shipka-1877.s2-ridges","number":2,"kind":"map","title":"Ridges, valleys and a road","body":"Find Gabrovo north of the pass and Stara Zagora to the south. These are orientation points, not a front line. At Shipka, parallel ridges are divided by deep, wooded valleys. Batteries and trenches help the defenders, while flanking movements threaten them. The road towards Gabrovo matters for supplies and withdrawal.\n\nThe museums give about 7,500 defenders. Historian Ahmet Taşdemir distinguishes about 4,500 at the pass before the attack from 7,000 assigned to its defence, including reserves at Gabrovo. Taşdemir distinguishes the men at the pass from the reserve at Gabrovo. It has not been established whether the difference from the museum estimate reflects the time of counting, the units included or something else. Reinforcements also arrive.","images":[],"hotspots":[],"places":[{"note":"The Freedom Monument at Shipka commemorates the fighting of 1877; it was built later than the battlefield positions.","precision":"exact","id":"place.shipka.monument","name":"Freedom Monument, Shipka","latitude":42.748194,"longitude":25.321545,"accuracy":"verified_point","radiusMeters":30,"sourceIds":["src.shipka.bas2024","src.shipka.coord-monument"],"short":"Shipka","guideUrl":"https://travel-guide-bulgaria.zydeno.com/en/places/shipka-memorial/","slug":"shipka.monument","url":"/en/map/#shipka.monument"},{"note":"Gabrovo lies north of Shipka Pass. The road from the town mattered for supplies and reinforcements in 1877.","precision":"approximate","id":"place.shipka.gabrovo","name":"Gabrovo","latitude":42.874242,"longitude":25.31784,"accuracy":"approximate","radiusMeters":1500,"sourceIds":["src.shipka.coord-gabrovo"],"short":"Gabrovo","guideUrl":null,"slug":"shipka.gabrovo","url":"/en/map/#shipka.gabrovo"},{"note":"Stara Zagora is associated with the fighting for the Samara flag before the August defence of Shipka.","precision":"approximate","id":"place.shipka.stara-zagora","name":"Stara Zagora","latitude":42.425668,"longitude":25.634595,"accuracy":"approximate","radiusMeters":3000,"sourceIds":["src.shipka.coord-stara-zagora"],"short":"Stara Zagora","guideUrl":null,"slug":"shipka.stara-zagora","url":"/en/map/#shipka.stara-zagora"}],"map":{"light":{"src":"/assets/maps/relief@3x.jpg?v=075869a7dd","w":3072,"h":1987,"avif":[],"webp":[],"responsive":[{"src":"/media/map/map-relief-2x-1024.4c826249.avif","w":1024},{"src":"/media/map/map-relief-3x-1536.8876519a.avif","w":1536},{"src":"/media/map/map-relief-2x-2048.4c826249.avif","w":2048},{"src":"/media/map/map-relief-3x-3072.8876519a.avif","w":3072}]},"dark":{"src":"/assets/maps/relief-dark@3x.jpg?v=0941a59d06","w":3072,"h":1987,"avif":[],"webp":[],"responsive":[{"src":"/media/map/map-relief-dark-2x-1024.73ab39a9.avif","w":1024},{"src":"/media/map/map-relief-dark-3x-1536.4f3ca147.avif","w":1536},{"src":"/media/map/map-relief-dark-2x-2048.73ab39a9.avif","w":2048},{"src":"/media/map/map-relief-dark-3x-3072.4f3ca147.avif","w":3072}]},"places":[{"note":"The Freedom Monument at Shipka commemorates the fighting of 1877; it was built later than the battlefield positions.","precision":"exact","id":"place.shipka.monument","name":"Freedom Monument, Shipka","latitude":42.748194,"longitude":25.321545,"accuracy":"verified_point","radiusMeters":30,"sourceIds":["src.shipka.bas2024","src.shipka.coord-monument"],"short":"Shipka","guideUrl":"https://travel-guide-bulgaria.zydeno.com/en/places/shipka-memorial/","slug":"shipka.monument","url":"/en/map/#shipka.monument","number":1,"x":47.76931,"y":49.49721,"inside":true,"viewX":47.60506632258064,"viewY":46.70120182903227},{"note":"Gabrovo lies north of Shipka Pass. The road from the town mattered for supplies and reinforcements in 1877.","precision":"approximate","id":"place.shipka.gabrovo","name":"Gabrovo","latitude":42.874242,"longitude":25.31784,"accuracy":"approximate","radiusMeters":1500,"sourceIds":["src.shipka.coord-gabrovo"],"short":"Gabrovo","guideUrl":null,"slug":"shipka.gabrovo","url":"/en/map/#shipka.gabrovo","number":2,"x":47.723,"y":46.17585,"inside":true,"viewX":56.60506632258064,"viewY":52.70120182903227},{"note":"Stara Zagora is associated with the fighting for the Samara flag before the August defence of Shipka.","precision":"approximate","id":"place.shipka.stara-zagora","name":"Stara Zagora","latitude":42.425668,"longitude":25.634595,"accuracy":"approximate","radiusMeters":3000,"sourceIds":["src.shipka.coord-stara-zagora"],"short":"Stara 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This is a museum copy of the Samara flag. Nuns in Samara sewed and embroidered the original; Nikolai Simakov created its icon images. One side bears the Mother of God, the other Cyril and Methodius.\n\nThe flag was presented near Ploiești in May 1877 to the Third Bulgarian Volunteer Battalion. Its route connects fighting at Stara Zagora, Shipka and Sheynovo. In our reading, the flag draws attention to the volunteers’ participation alongside the Russian regiments. The original has been held by the National Museum of Military History since 1946; this photograph shows the copy.","images":[{"alpha":false,"avif":[{"src":"/media/asset-shipka-samara-copy-480.86c799ef.avif","w":480},{"src":"/media/asset-shipka-samara-copy-960.86c799ef.avif","w":960},{"src":"/media/asset-shipka-samara-copy-1600.86c799ef.avif","w":1600}],"dominant":"#715762","h":2400,"w":1889,"webp":[{"src":"/media/asset-shipka-samara-copy-960.86c799ef.webp","w":960}],"src":"/media/asset-shipka-samara-copy-960.86c799ef.webp","id":"asset.shipka.samara-copy","alt":"Copy of the Samara flag at Shipka — Mother of God side","objectCaption":"Copy of the Samara flag at Shipka — Mother of God side","caption":"Copy of the Samara flag at Shipka — Mother of God side","kind":"photo","creditLabels":{"title":"Images","source":"Open source","full":"Full attribution"},"fit":"contain","credit":"Ivano Giambattista · CC0 · Wikimedia Commons","license":"CC0","attribution":"Ivano Giambattista / Wikimedia Commons. CC0. Copy of the Samara flag at Shipka — Mother of God side. Processed image.","attributionParts":[{"text":"Ivano Giambattista / Wikimedia Commons. CC0. Copy of the Samara flag at Shipka — Mother of God side. Processed image.","lang":"en"}],"sourceUrl":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:The_Samara_Flag.jpg","licenseUrl":"http://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/deed.en"},{"alpha":false,"avif":[{"src":"/media/asset-shipka-samara-copy-reverse-480.6c8c5879.avif","w":480},{"src":"/media/asset-shipka-samara-copy-reverse-960.6c8c5879.avif","w":960},{"src":"/media/asset-shipka-samara-copy-reverse-1600.6c8c5879.avif","w":1600}],"dominant":"#b37761","h":1800,"w":2400,"webp":[{"src":"/media/asset-shipka-samara-copy-reverse-960.6c8c5879.webp","w":960}],"src":"/media/asset-shipka-samara-copy-reverse-960.6c8c5879.webp","id":"asset.shipka.samara-copy-reverse","alt":"Copy of the Samara flag — Cyril and Methodius side","objectCaption":"Copy of the Samara flag — Cyril and Methodius side","caption":"Copy of the Samara flag — Cyril and Methodius side","kind":"photo","creditLabels":{"title":"Images","source":"Open source","full":"Full attribution"},"fit":"contain","credit":"Klearchos Kapoutsis from Paleo Faliro, Greece · CC BY 2.0 · Wikimedia Commons","license":"CC BY 2.0","attribution":"Klearchos Kapoutsis from Paleo Faliro, Greece / Wikimedia Commons. CC BY 2.0. Copy of the Samara flag — Cyril and Methodius side. Processed image.","attributionParts":[{"text":"Klearchos Kapoutsis from Paleo Faliro, Greece / Wikimedia Commons. CC BY 2.0. Copy of the Samara flag — Cyril and Methodius side. Processed image.","lang":"en"}],"sourceUrl":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Samara_Flag_Klearchos_Photo.jpg","licenseUrl":"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0"}],"hotspots":[{"id":"h-flag-colours","x":0.3,"y":0.71,"title":"Three colours","body":"Red, white and blue are visible on the museum copy.","sourceIds":["src.shipka.media.samara-copy"],"certainty":"source_reported"},{"id":"h-flag-icon","x":0.6,"y":0.58,"title":"Mother and Child","body":"The cross contains the Mother and Child. Cyril and Methodius appear on the reverse.","sourceIds":["src.shipka.icons","src.shipka.media.samara-copy"],"certainty":"source_reported"},{"id":"h-flag-finial","x":0.75,"y":0.07,"title":"Finial of the flagpole","body":"An ornamented finial is visible at the top of the flagpole. The photograph shows the copy, not the condition of the original after the fighting.","sourceIds":["src.shipka.media.samara-copy","src.shipka.copy"],"certainty":"source_reported"}],"places":[],"map":null,"activity":null,"audio":{"durationSeconds":44.8875,"source":"synthetic_tts","voice":"en_US-ljspeech-high","provider":"Piper","assetId":"audio.en.shipka-1877.shipka-1877.s3-flag","duration":45.013,"src":"/audio/en/shipka-1877/s3-flag.273ee670.m4a"},"textRevised":false,"sources":[{"id":"src.shipka.may"},{"id":"src.shipka.flag"},{"id":"src.shipka.icons"},{"id":"src.shipka.copy"}]},{"id":"shipka-1877.s4-relief","number":4,"kind":"narrative","title":"The third day","body":"On 23 August, the third day of fighting, the defenders’ ammunition is running low. Ottoman units press their positions from several sides. The museum gives about 27,000 men and separately a reserve of 10,000, while Taşdemir gives about 26,500 before the offensive. The composition and timing of these estimates have not been reconciled; they do not show how many men attack simultaneously.\n\nReinforcements sent by General Radetsky arrive from Gabrovo. They include men of the Sixteenth Rifle Battalion. The crisis is overcome and the pass remains with its defenders. This is a turning point, but fighting continues. Reinforcements reach the pass along the road from Gabrovo.","images":[{"alpha":false,"avif":[{"src":"/media/asset-shipka-stoletov-portrait-480.2ab4fd1d.avif","w":480},{"src":"/media/asset-shipka-stoletov-portrait-960.2ab4fd1d.avif","w":960},{"src":"/media/asset-shipka-stoletov-portrait-1340.2ab4fd1d.avif","w":1340}],"dominant":"#a2a1a1","h":1594,"w":1340,"webp":[{"src":"/media/asset-shipka-stoletov-portrait-960.2ab4fd1d.webp","w":960}],"src":"/media/asset-shipka-stoletov-portrait-960.2ab4fd1d.webp","id":"asset.shipka.stoletov-portrait","alt":"Nikolai Stoletov — engraving published in 1878","objectCaption":"Nikolai Stoletov — engraving published in 1878","caption":"Nikolai Stoletov — engraving published in 1878","kind":"archive","creditLabels":{"title":"Images","source":"Open source","full":"Full attribution"},"fit":"contain","credit":"П. Ф. Борел; И. Матюшин · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons","license":"Public domain","attribution":"Nikolai Stoletov — engraving published in 1878. Drawing: P. F. Borel; engraving: I. Matyushin. Wikimedia Commons. Public domain. Processed image.","attributionParts":[{"text":"Nikolai Stoletov — engraving published in 1878. Drawing: P. F. Borel; engraving: I. Matyushin. Wikimedia Commons. Public domain. Processed image.","lang":"en"}],"sourceUrl":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:%D0%A1%D1%82%D0%BE%D0%BB%D0%B5%D1%82%D0%BE%D0%B2_%D0%9D%D0%B8%D0%BA%D0%BE%D0%BB%D0%B0%D0%B9_%D0%93%D1%80%D0%B8%D0%B3%D0%BE%D1%80%D1%8C%D0%B5%D0%B2%D0%B8%D1%87,_1877.jpg","licenseUrl":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Commons:Public_domain"}],"hotspots":[],"places":[],"map":null,"activity":null,"audio":{"durationSeconds":44.132875,"source":"synthetic_tts","voice":"en_US-ljspeech-high","provider":"Piper","assetId":"audio.en.shipka-1877.shipka-1877.s4-relief","duration":44.245,"src":"/audio/en/shipka-1877/s4-relief.7ed8c599.m4a"},"textRevised":false,"sources":[{"id":"src.shipka.battle"},{"id":"src.shipka.august"},{"id":"src.shipka.tasdemir2021"}]},{"id":"shipka-1877.a1-relief","number":5,"kind":"activity","title":"Activity: why relief matters","body":"","images":[],"hotspots":[],"places":[],"map":null,"activity":{"id":"q.shipka.relief","kind":"single_choice","prompt":"Which road matters for supplies and arriving reinforcements?","sourceIds":["src.shipka.battle","src.shipka.tasdemir2021"],"items":[{"id":"opt-gabrovo","label":"Towards Gabrovo"},{"id":"opt-samara","label":"Towards Samara","whyWrong":"Samara is where the flag comes from, not the immediate supply road."},{"id":"opt-pleven","label":"Straight through the siege of Pleven","whyWrong":"Pleven explains the strategic objective, but is not the relief route described."}],"explanation":"The supply road leads north towards Gabrovo, from which third-day reinforcements arrive.","correctItemId":"opt-gabrovo","sources":[{"id":"src.shipka.battle"},{"id":"src.shipka.tasdemir2021"}]},"audio":{"durationSeconds":4.171333333333333,"source":"synthetic_tts","voice":"en_US-ljspeech-high","provider":"Piper","assetId":"audio.en.shipka-1877.shipka-1877.a1-relief","duration":4.267,"src":"/audio/en/shipka-1877/a1-relief.d1a4d111.m4a"},"textRevised":false,"sources":[{"id":"src.shipka.battle"},{"id":"src.shipka.tasdemir2021"}]},{"id":"shipka-1877.s5-cost","number":6,"kind":"narrative","title":"Holding the pass has a cost","body":"The following days also bring Russian counterattacks. Taşdemir distinguishes the Ottoman offensive of 21–23 August from fighting on 24–26 August, when Russian units also attack. According to Taşdemir, attacks against fortified positions in difficult terrain cause heavy losses for both armies. Holding the pass does not lessen that suffering.\n\nIn Taşdemir’s interpretation, Ottoman problems of command, allocation of forces and timing help explain why the attacks failed. This is historical analysis. It adds the attacking side’s decisions to the account of the defence. Defence continues through autumn and winter. The August days should not be confused with all the months that follow.","images":[{"alpha":false,"avif":[{"src":"/media/asset-shipka-monument-landscape-480.64957774.avif","w":480},{"src":"/media/asset-shipka-monument-landscape-960.64957774.avif","w":960},{"src":"/media/asset-shipka-monument-landscape-1600.64957774.avif","w":1600}],"dominant":"#839cb0","h":767,"w":1600,"webp":[{"src":"/media/asset-shipka-monument-landscape-960.64957774.webp","w":960}],"src":"/media/asset-shipka-monument-landscape-960.64957774.webp","id":"asset.shipka.monument-landscape","alt":"Mountain landscape at Shipka today","objectCaption":"Mountain landscape at Shipka today","caption":"Mountain landscape at Shipka today","kind":"photo","creditLabels":{"title":"Images","source":"Open source","full":"Full attribution"},"fit":"cover","credit":"Ivano Giambattista · CC0 · Wikimedia Commons","license":"CC0","attribution":"Ivano Giambattista / Wikimedia Commons. CC0. Mountain landscape at Shipka today. 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Processed image.","lang":"en"}],"sourceUrl":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Shipka_Monument_3.jpg","licenseUrl":"http://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/deed.en"}],"hotspots":[],"places":[],"map":null,"activity":null,"audio":{"durationSeconds":44.214125,"source":"synthetic_tts","voice":"en_US-ljspeech-high","provider":"Piper","assetId":"audio.en.shipka-1877.shipka-1877.s5-cost","duration":44.331,"src":"/audio/en/shipka-1877/s5-cost.abf2329a.m4a"},"textRevised":false,"sources":[{"id":"src.shipka.tasdemir2021"},{"id":"src.shipka.battle"}]},{"id":"shipka-1877.a2-timeline","number":7,"kind":"activity","title":"Activity: put events in order","body":"","images":[],"hotspots":[],"places":[],"map":null,"activity":{"id":"q.shipka.timeline","kind":"sequence","prompt":"Order these events from earliest to latest.","sourceIds":["src.shipka.may","src.shipka.tasdemir2021","src.shipka.battle"],"items":[{"id":"ev-flag","label":"Samara flag presented"},{"id":"ev-attacks","label":"Attacks begin"},{"id":"ev-relief","label":"Reinforcements arrive"},{"id":"ev-counterattack","label":"Russian counterattacks"}],"explanation":"All events occur in 1877; May precedes August, and the August dates here are Gregorian.","correctOrderIds":["ev-flag","ev-attacks","ev-relief","ev-counterattack"],"sources":[{"id":"src.shipka.may"},{"id":"src.shipka.tasdemir2021"},{"id":"src.shipka.battle"}]},"audio":{"durationSeconds":3.4282916666666665,"source":"synthetic_tts","voice":"en_US-ljspeech-high","provider":"Piper","assetId":"audio.en.shipka-1877.shipka-1877.a2-timeline","duration":3.541,"src":"/audio/en/shipka-1877/a2-timeline.a0f3080b.m4a"},"textRevised":false,"sources":[{"id":"src.shipka.may"},{"id":"src.shipka.tasdemir2021"},{"id":"src.shipka.battle"}]},{"id":"shipka-1877.s6-memory","number":8,"kind":"narrative","title":"The object and the memory","body":"The pass is held by a joint defence, helped by terrain and arriving reinforcements. In our reading, the volunteers symbolise Bulgarian participation in the joint defence. The Samara flag, entrusted to the Third Bulgarian Volunteer Battalion, is one of the objects through which we tell that story.\n\nThe stone tower opened on 26 August 1934. Donations funded it, to a design by architect Donkov and sculptor Andreev. The ground floor contains an ossuary with a sarcophagus. The exhibition flag is a copy made in 1981. Monument, copy and original are different kinds of evidence. Distinguishing them helps us see both the event and how it was remembered later.","images":[{"alpha":false,"avif":[{"src":"/media/asset-shipka-monument-detail-480.b6a8e8a8.avif","w":480},{"src":"/media/asset-shipka-monument-detail-960.b6a8e8a8.avif","w":960},{"src":"/media/asset-shipka-monument-detail-1600.b6a8e8a8.avif","w":1600}],"dominant":"#6fa0b7","h":1174,"w":1600,"webp":[{"src":"/media/asset-shipka-monument-detail-960.b6a8e8a8.webp","w":960}],"src":"/media/asset-shipka-monument-detail-960.b6a8e8a8.webp","id":"asset.shipka.monument-detail","alt":"Stone tower — memorial opened in 1934","objectCaption":"Stone tower","caption":"Stone tower — memorial opened in 1934","kind":"photo","creditLabels":{"title":"Images","source":"Open source","full":"Full attribution"},"fit":"cover","credit":"Ivano Giambattista · CC0 · Wikimedia Commons","license":"CC0","attribution":"Ivano Giambattista / Wikimedia Commons. CC0. Stone tower — memorial opened in 1934. 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Ridge and monument — modern view. Processed image.","attributionParts":[{"text":"Ivano Giambattista / Wikimedia Commons. CC0. Ridge and monument — modern view. Processed image.","lang":"en"}],"sourceUrl":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Shipka_Monument_2.jpg","licenseUrl":"http://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/deed.en"},{"alpha":false,"avif":[{"src":"/media/asset-shipka-monument-approach-480.a9b0d935.avif","w":480},{"src":"/media/asset-shipka-monument-approach-960.a9b0d935.avif","w":960},{"src":"/media/asset-shipka-monument-approach-1600.a9b0d935.avif","w":1600}],"dominant":"#6c97a6","h":1086,"w":1600,"webp":[{"src":"/media/asset-shipka-monument-approach-960.a9b0d935.webp","w":960}],"src":"/media/asset-shipka-monument-approach-960.a9b0d935.webp","id":"asset.shipka.monument-approach","alt":"Approach to the Freedom Monument today","objectCaption":"Approach to the Freedom Monument today","caption":"","kind":"photo","creditLabels":{"title":"Images","source":"Open source","full":"Full attribution"},"fit":"cover","credit":"Ivano Giambattista · CC0 · Wikimedia Commons","license":"CC0","attribution":"Ivano Giambattista / Wikimedia Commons. CC0. Approach to the Freedom Monument today. Processed image.","attributionParts":[{"text":"Ivano Giambattista / Wikimedia Commons. CC0. Approach to the Freedom Monument today. Processed image.","lang":"en"}],"sourceUrl":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Shipka_Monument_5.jpg","licenseUrl":"http://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/deed.en"}],"hotspots":[],"places":[{"note":"The Freedom Monument at Shipka commemorates the fighting of 1877; it was built later than the battlefield positions.","precision":"exact","id":"place.shipka.monument","name":"Freedom Monument, Shipka","latitude":42.748194,"longitude":25.321545,"accuracy":"verified_point","radiusMeters":30,"sourceIds":["src.shipka.bas2024","src.shipka.coord-monument"],"short":"Shipka","guideUrl":"https://travel-guide-bulgaria.zydeno.com/en/places/shipka-memorial/","slug":"shipka.monument","url":"/en/map/#shipka.monument"},{"note":"Gabrovo lies north of Shipka Pass. The road from the town mattered for supplies and reinforcements in 1877.","precision":"approximate","id":"place.shipka.gabrovo","name":"Gabrovo","latitude":42.874242,"longitude":25.31784,"accuracy":"approximate","radiusMeters":1500,"sourceIds":["src.shipka.coord-gabrovo"],"short":"Gabrovo","guideUrl":null,"slug":"shipka.gabrovo","url":"/en/map/#shipka.gabrovo"},{"note":"Stara Zagora is associated with the fighting for the Samara flag before the August defence of Shipka.","precision":"approximate","id":"place.shipka.stara-zagora","name":"Stara Zagora","latitude":42.425668,"longitude":25.634595,"accuracy":"approximate","radiusMeters":3000,"sourceIds":["src.shipka.coord-stara-zagora"],"short":"Stara Zagora","guideUrl":null,"slug":"shipka.stara-zagora","url":"/en/map/#shipka.stara-zagora"}],"map":null,"activity":null,"audio":{"durationSeconds":43.43625,"source":"synthetic_tts","voice":"en_US-ljspeech-high","provider":"Piper","assetId":"audio.en.shipka-1877.shipka-1877.s6-memory","duration":43.563,"src":"/audio/en/shipka-1877/s6-memory.9ea017e4.m4a"},"textRevised":false,"sources":[{"id":"src.shipka.monument"},{"id":"src.shipka.copy"},{"id":"src.shipka.flag"},{"id":"src.shipka.august"},{"id":"src.shipka.may"},{"id":"src.shipka.bas2024"}]},{"id":"shipka-1877.a3-matching","number":9,"kind":"activity","title":"Activity: match","body":"","images":[],"hotspots":[],"places":[],"map":null,"activity":{"id":"q.shipka.matching","kind":"matching","prompt":"Match each piece of evidence to its description.","sourceIds":["src.shipka.flag","src.shipka.copy","src.shipka.monument"],"items":[{"id":"pair-original","label":"Original Samara flag","pairedLabel":"At the National Military History Museum"},{"id":"pair-copy","label":"Shipka display copy","pairedLabel":"Made in 1981"},{"id":"pair-monument","label":"Stone monument","pairedLabel":"Opened in 1934"}],"explanation":"Original object, later copy and monument have different dates and different meanings as evidence.","sources":[{"id":"src.shipka.flag"},{"id":"src.shipka.copy"},{"id":"src.shipka.monument"}],"columns":["Item","Description"]},"audio":{"durationSeconds":3.26575,"source":"synthetic_tts","voice":"en_US-ljspeech-high","provider":"Piper","assetId":"audio.en.shipka-1877.shipka-1877.a3-matching","duration":3.371,"src":"/audio/en/shipka-1877/a3-matching.a37c2981.m4a"},"textRevised":false,"sources":[{"id":"src.shipka.flag"},{"id":"src.shipka.copy"},{"id":"src.shipka.monument"}]}],"minutes":5,"sources":[{"year":null,"url":"https://militarymuseum.bg/voenna-istoria/voenen-kalendar/avgust/","institutionOrAuthor":"Национален военноисторически музей","id":"src.shipka.august","title":"Военен календар: Август","accessedOn":"2026-10-28","supports":{"en":"Russian regiments, five Bulgarian volunteer battalions, about 7,500 and 27 guns; ammunition crisis, relief from 16th Rifle Battalion; museum casualty total, not all-war deaths."},"authors":["Национален военноисторически музей"],"accessed":"2026-10-28","fieldLanguages":{"institutionOrAuthor":"bg","title":"bg"},"container":""},{"year":2024,"url":"https://iefem.bas.bg/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/Sledite-na-geroichnoto-vreme_sm.pdf","institutionOrAuthor":"Вуков, Николай; Ненов, Николай; Григоров, Григор Хар.; Рошкева, Ренета; Казаларска, Светла; Атанасов, Владислав; Воскресенски, Валентин; Великов, Искрен. Редактори: Григор Хар. Григоров и Светла Казаларска. ИЕФЕМ–БАН.","id":"src.shipka.bas2024","title":"Следите на героичното време: места на памет, свързани с националноосвободителните борби (1867–1878)","container":"София: ИК „Гутенберг“; ISBN 978-619-176-231-6","pages":"640–641","accessedOn":"2026-10-28","supports":{"en":"Exact coordinate point for the memorial; opening in 1934; distinction between monument and museum copy made in 1981. Source PDF is research evidence only, not licensed app media."},"authors":["Вуков, Николай; Ненов, Николай; Григоров, Григор Хар.; Рошкева, Ренета; Казаларска, Светла; Атанасов, Владислав; Воскресенски, Валентин; Великов, Искрен. Редактори: Григор Хар. Григоров и Светла Казаларска. ИЕФЕМ–БАН."],"accessed":"2026-10-28","isPdf":true,"fieldLanguages":{"institutionOrAuthor":"bg","title":"bg","container":"bg"}},{"year":null,"url":"https://www.shipkamuseum.org/about/our-story/","institutionOrAuthor":"Национален парк-музей „Шипка-Бузлуджа“","id":"src.shipka.battle","title":"Шипченска епопея","accessedOn":"2026-10-28","supports":{"en":"Campaign context, Stoletov, museum estimate about 7,500 defenders and about 27,000 attackers plus reserve; 9/21 and 11/23 August, relief, winter and Sheynovo. First paragraph has inconsistent endpoint 13/26: not silently corrected."},"authors":["Национален парк-музей „Шипка-Бузлуджа“"],"accessed":"2026-10-28","container":""},{"year":2016,"url":"https://www.shipkamuseum.org/2016/10/05/днес-националният-парк-музей-шипка/","institutionOrAuthor":"Национален парк-музей „Шипка-Бузлуджа“","id":"src.shipka.copy","title":"Днес Националният парк-музей „Шипка“ навършва 60 години","accessedOn":"2026-10-28","supports":{"en":"Shipka display flag is a copy made in 1981, installed the following year, in new exhibition from 1991. Interior redesign: ossuary project by Mihail Kats; sculptural group by Lyuben Dimitrov and Mara Georgieva. Identification does not establish reproduction permission; interior photograph excluded under R15."},"authors":["Национален парк-музей „Шипка-Бузлуджа“"],"accessed":"2026-10-28","fieldLanguages":{"title":"bg"},"container":""},{"year":null,"url":"https://militarymuseum.bg/item/samarsko-zname/","institutionOrAuthor":"Национален военноисторически музей","id":"src.shipka.flag","title":"Самарско знаме","accessedOn":"2026-10-28","supports":{"en":"Original flag dated 1877; silk and oil paint on canvas; 3rd battalion; acquisition 1946; inventory 012 VА25."},"authors":["Национален военноисторически музей"],"accessed":"2026-10-28","fieldLanguages":{"institutionOrAuthor":"bg","title":"bg"},"container":""},{"year":2008,"url":"https://militarymuseum.bg/novini/2008/01/18/na-18-01-2008g-be-otkrita-izlozhbata-voini-na-svobodata/","institutionOrAuthor":"Национален военноисторически музей","id":"src.shipka.icons","title":"Изложба „Войни на свободата“","accessedOn":"2026-10-28","supports":{"en":"Iverskaya Mother of God and Saints Cyril and Methodius on the Samara flag; silver finial with bravery decoration. Distinct flags of other battalions; the Samara flag belongs to the Third Battalion, not all battalions collectively."},"authors":["Национален военноисторически музей"],"accessed":"2026-10-28","fieldLanguages":{"institutionOrAuthor":"bg","title":"bg"},"container":""},{"year":null,"url":"https://militarymuseum.bg/voenna-istoria/voenen-kalendar/may/","institutionOrAuthor":"Национален военноисторически музей","id":"src.shipka.may","title":"Военен календар: Май — 1877, 6 май","accessedOn":"2026-10-28","supports":{"en":"Presentation at Ploiești in May 1877; nuns at Iversky convent, artist Nikolai Simakov; 3rd battalion; flag in Stara Zagora, Shipka and Sheynovo; custody from 1946; award in 1880. Calendar day is Old Style; only month and year used in scene."},"authors":["Национален военноисторически музей"],"accessed":"2026-10-28","fieldLanguages":{"institutionOrAuthor":"bg","title":"bg"},"container":""},{"year":null,"url":"https://www.shipkamuseum.org/about/our-mission/","institutionOrAuthor":"Национален парк-музей „Шипка-Бузлуджа“","id":"src.shipka.monument","title":"Паметник на свободата","accessedOn":"2026-10-28","supports":{"en":"Donations, Donkov and Andreev, opening 26 August 1934, 31.5 m, bronze lion, inscriptions, ossuary, copy of Samara flag."},"authors":["Национален парк-музей „Шипка-Бузлуджа“"],"accessed":"2026-10-28","container":""},{"year":2021,"url":"https://dergipark.org.tr/en/pub/htde/article/1149081","institutionOrAuthor":"Taşdemir, Ahmet","id":"src.shipka.tasdemir2021","title":"Harp Prensipleri Bağlamında 93 Harbi’nde Şıpka Taarruzları","container":"Harp Tarihi Dergisi / Turkish Journal of Military History","issue":"3","pages":"115–166","accessedOn":"2026-10-28","supports":{"en":"Ottoman objectives; about 26,500 Balkan Army troops; 7,000 allocated to defence, about 4,500 physically at pass before attack and remainder at Gabrovo; terrain, supply route, 21–26 August; author’s interpretation of command coordination. Archival originals cited by author were not independently read."},"authors":["Taşdemir, Ahmet"],"accessed":"2026-10-28"}],"credits":[{"id":"asset.shipka.monument-detail-cutout","src":"/media/asset-shipka-monument-detail-cutout-864.59ac5cee.webp","alt":"The modern Shipka monument isolated from the photograph; not an image of the battle in 1877.","w":864,"h":1192,"caption":"Stone tower — memorial opened in 1934","credit":"Ivano Giambattista · CC0 · Wikimedia Commons","license":"CC0","attribution":"Ivano Giambattista / Wikimedia Commons. CC0. Stone tower — memorial opened in 1934. Cut-out detail; background removed.","attributionParts":[{"text":"Ivano Giambattista / Wikimedia Commons. CC0. Stone tower — memorial opened in 1934. Cut-out detail; background removed.","lang":"en"}],"sourceUrl":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Shipka_Monument_4.jpg","licenseUrl":"http://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/deed.en","creditLabels":{"title":"Images","source":"Open source","full":"Full attribution"}},{"id":"asset.shipka.monument-front","src":"/media/asset-shipka-monument-front-960.9ce63c5c.webp","alt":"Freedom Monument on the ridge — modern view","w":1600,"h":1081,"caption":"Freedom Monument on the ridge — modern view","credit":"Ivano Giambattista · CC0 · Wikimedia Commons","license":"CC0","attribution":"Ivano Giambattista / Wikimedia Commons. CC0. Freedom Monument on the ridge — modern view. Processed image.","attributionParts":[{"text":"Ivano Giambattista / Wikimedia Commons. CC0. Freedom Monument on the ridge — modern view. 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