During an event marking 150 years since the April Uprising, the President of the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences (BAS), Evelina Slavcheva, asserted that the 1876 Uprising represents the definitive commencement of the Bulgarian national revolution, a claim she urged the global historiography to recognize. Speaking at the All-Bulgarian Solemn Assembly, the BAS President emphasized the Academy’s role as the oldest modern Bulgarian institution in preserving national memory. She stated that the Academy committed itself to uniting the efforts of scientific bodies, civic organizations, and state institutions in this endeavor.
Slavcheva characterized the April events of 1876 as the crucial starting point for the Bulgarian national revolution. She supported the interpretation by historian Prof. Nikolay Genchev, who viewed the uprising as a radical act of state-building.
According to this perspective, the subsequent Russo-Turkish War involved Bulgarian volunteers, who perceived the conflict not solely as an imperial struggle but as a reaction to the massacres of April 1876. Slavcheva noted that this resistance allowed the Bulgarian state to reappear on the European map after a prolonged period. She highlighted the deep connection between the BAS and the legacy of the uprising, pointing out that many members of its predecessor, the Bulgarian Literary Society, were direct participants in the preparation and execution of the revolt.
The President also acknowledged key chroniclers, including Stoyan Zaimov, Zahari Stoyanov, and Dimitar Strashimirov, whose documentation demonstrated that the path to freedom was established through both military action and written record. Finally, the BAS President appealed to contemporary Bulgarian historians to uphold Genchev
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