141 years ago, in May, 205 young men stepped on the Danube bank near Kozloduy and kissed the Bulgarian land. They were led by the noble idea to fight for the liberation of the Fatherland from 5 centuries of oppression in the Ottoman Empire. Voivode of the revolutionary band was 28-year-old poet and revolutionary Hristo Botev, for whom love of Bulgaria stood above all.

“The idea of freedom is omnipotent and love of it can do everything,” he was convinced. In separate groups the rebels boarded the Austrian ship of Radetzky from different Romanian ports on the Danube. Dressed like gardeners they hid their weapons and uniforms in tool cases. When they come close to the Bulgarian bank Botev gave an ultimatum to the captain who agreed to stop the ship so the band can get off on Bulgarian land.

The hope of the poet to spark the fire of freedom in Bulgarians and lead them in battle for the Liberation extinguished on June 1 (May 20 Old Style). After heavy fighting in the mountains above Vratsa, Botev was shot dead.

The story of Botev's revolutionary band is one of the brightest pages of the April Uprising that took place in 1876 - a culmination in the liberation struggles of Bulgarians in the Ottoman Empire. The cruel suppression of the uprising provoked a broad international response and led to the liberation of Bulgaria after the Russo-Turkish War of 1877-78. Today Hristo Botev is among Bulgaria’s most beloved national heroes, leaving a light trail in the minds of generations of Bulgarians. His great poetry and passionate journalism are dear to every Bulgarian. Since 1901, the Day of Botev and those who died for the freedom of Bulgaria has been marked on June 2. Since 1948 every year on June 2 at 12 o'clock, sirens remind us to keep a minute of silence across the country. In memory of the great Bulgarian and his detachment, annually from May 27 to June 2, hundreds of pilgrims walk the 120-kilometer path from Kozloduy to Okolchitsa peak, also called the Botev route. A special reenactment of the events organized by Traditions Association takes place to pay respect to the feat and sacrifice of Hristo Botev and his rebels.

English: Alexander Markov