Buzludzha

On the night of July 6-7, 1868, 129 fighters for the liberation of Bulgaria from the Ottoman yoke crossed the Danube river near the Varadinsky swamp on a barge, near the villages of Varadin and Svishtov .

The Bulgarians fought under the command of Haji Dimitar and Stefan Karadzh. After heavy fighting with numerous Turkish troops and Bashibuzuk , the remnants of the Bulgarian detachment retreated to the Balkan Mountains.

On July 18, 1868, the rebels were finally surrounded on the top of Buzludzha. The thirty chetniks of Haji Dimitra were opposed by the Bashibuzuki of the Kazanlash kyragasa Kurtchu Osman from the south, the office of Suleiman-aga from the west and regular troops of Mehmed Pasha from the north, totaling over 700 people. The Chetniks preferred a decent death in a battle with the enslavers, rather than a humiliating captivity, and for three and a half hours they shot back in an unequal battle. Governor Haji Dimitar dies with the words: “ Brotherhood, let us die like Bulgarians !”

After the battle, the Ottomans started a dispute over the uniform and heads of the dead Chetniks. As a result, the Kazanlak group received 8 goals, and regular Turkish troops from Northern Bulgaria received 17 goals. From the Chetniks of Haji Dimitra there were: clothes, weapons, a spyglass and documents of the governor of Haji Dimitra.

The Bulgarians from Kazanlak , at the risk of their lives, requested permission for the burial and Christian burial of the decapitated, stripped and scolded corpses of the Chetniks on the day of St. Ilya .

In 1873, a prominent Bulgarian poet and activist of the liberation movement, Hristo Botev, published in the newspaper Nezavisimost his poem “ Hadji Dimitar ”, dedicated to the heroic death of the governor.

On July 20, 1891, the Bulgarian Social Democratic Party was established on Buzludzha. There were 20 delegates from the cities of Veliko Tarnovo , Gabrovo , Sliven , Kazanlak , Stara Zagora and others. Dimitar Blagoev presided . Congress adopted the party’s program and charter, taking the Belgian Social Democratic Party as a model. This first congress was held secretly . Later, he entered the history of socialism and communism in Bulgaria as the Buzludzhan Congress .

In 1894, the BSDP united with the Bulgarian Social Democratic Union into the Bulgarian Workers Social Democratic Party. In 1903, the BJDP was divided on an ideological basis into " broad " and " close " socialists.

On May 27, 1919, the Bulgarian Workers' Social Democratic Party (close socialists) adopted the line of Lenin and the CPSU (b) , and was renamed the Bulgarian Communist Party (close socialists).

On April 3, 1990, the Bulgarian Communist Party was renamed the Bulgarian Socialist Party and continues its active participation in the political life of Bulgaria to this day.

During the reign of the Bulgarian Communist Party ( September 9, 1944 - November 10, 1989 ) Buzludzha was considered the shrine of the Bulgarian Communists . On August 23, 1981, a huge memorial house in honor of the BKP was inaugurated at the top. The construction of the monument began in 1974. Over 25 million leva was spent, 16.2 million of which were voluntary donations from ordinary Bulgarians. The construction of the monument house was attended by communists, Komsomol members and workers of the NRB . Public cottages, camp sites, monuments, paved roads and many other infrastructure and communication facilities were also built.

Lush cultural events were held all year round in Buzludzha:

• admission to pioneers , to the Komsomol , to candidates and members of the BKP;
• celebration of the anniversary of September 9 (the BKP came to power in 1944 ), September 23 (in 1923 , at the direction of the Comintern, the Communists raised the so-called September Socialist Uprising in Bulgaria) and other memorable dates for the Communists;
• celebrations of the achievements of socialism in Bulgaria: successes of the brigadier movement, successes in labor-cooperative agricultural enterprises and the like;
• celebrating the achievements of socialism and the communist movement throughout the world — the successes of the Comintern , successes in the socialist struggle for peace, and so on.

During the celebration of each holiday, the BKP organized free bus transport for residents and guests from the cities of Gabrovo , Stara Zagora and Kazanlak . During the holidays, at the very top there were numerous stalls selling scara (barbecue), bira (beer), soft drinks, chocolate and the like, and prices were much lower than in ordinary stores.

The BKP memorial house was completely looted: all power cables and all elements of the external and internal decorative cladding, which consisted of marble, granite, labrador, gold, silver, bronze and other precious stones and metals, were stolen. Most of the monuments and communications at the top were also destroyed for the purpose of robbery, and cottages and camp sites were sold to private individuals and firms.

Most Bulgarians who were born after 1989 know little about Buzludzha.

The Bulgarian Socialist Party annually celebrates here on July 20 and is very proud of its 128-year history. Companions and sympathizers of the communist and socialist parties and organizations in Bulgaria also spend their holidays here at the present time.

Bulgarian history buffs and patriots celebrate the anniversary of the battle of 1868 on Buzludzha. Every year, on July 18, they carry out a historical reconstruction of the battle of the detachment of Haji Dimitar with the Ottoman forces.

Location of the video for the song “Vihaan kyllästynyt” by the Finnish band Haloo Helsinki! (from the album Kiitos ei ole kirosana ) ^[2] ; also shot a clip for the song "Riddles" by Kensington.

Also, the Buzludzha Monument House appears in the movie Mechanic: Resurrection as a military base with submarines of one of the heroes (Max Adams, the role was played by Tommy Lee Jones ). In the film, the structure is presented restored, including with interior decoration.

• Museum of Socialist Art

• Burgaskite socialists gave a present to BSP star "Buzludzha 1891"