The road through Shipka

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.

For 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.

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.

Reinforcements 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.

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.

In 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.

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.

The 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.