Today, Bulgaria celebrates the 140th anniversary of the Unification of the Principality of Bulgaria and Eastern Rumelia. The center of the festivities is Plovdiv, where on this day in 1885, after the entry of the Golyamo Konare detachment into the city, Governor-General Gavril Krastevich was overthrown and the Unification was proclaimed. A provisional government was established in place of the Rumelian administration, involving representatives of all political forces, the military and revolutionaries.

On September 8, Prince Alexander I of Battenberg issued a manifesto recognizing the Unification. The defense of this historic national act became a priority for the National Assembly, the government and Bulgarian diplomacy.

To mark the 140th anniversary of the Unification of the Principality of Bulgaria and Eastern Rumelia, a military ceremony and fireworks display will take place this evening at Unification Square in Plovdiv.

The ceremony will be attended by National Assembly Speaker Natalia Kiselova, Prime Minister Rosen Zhelyazkov, politicians and public figures. President Rumen Radev will receive the rank of honor and deliver a speech. 

• Three points of views by Bulgarian historians on the Unification of Bulgaria in 1885

• The Unification of Bulgaria – people and places

Published and translated by Kostadin Atanasov

Photo: BTA