President Calls for Stronger Recognition of April Uprising as Founding Moment of Bulgarian National Revolution

During a ceremony marking the 150th anniversary of the April Uprising, Evelina Slavcheva, President of the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences (BAS), asserted that the 1876 uprising should be firmly established in global historiography as the commencement of the Bulgarian national revolution. Speaking at the All-Bulgarian Solemn Assembly, the BAS President emphasized the institution’s role in preserving national memory. She stated that as the oldest institution of modern Bulgaria, the Academy committed itself to uniting the efforts of the scientific community, civic groups, and state bodies for this purpose.

Slavcheva framed the April events of 1876 as the foundational moment for the Bulgarian national revolution. She referenced historian Prof. Nikolay Genchev’s interpretation, which views the uprising as a significant 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 atrocities committed during the 1876 uprising. She noted that this response resulted in the reappearance of Bulgaria on the European map. The President 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.

She mentioned an exhibition showcasing key figures, including Stoyan Zaimov, Zahari Stoyanov, and Dimitar Strashimirov, crediting them with documenting the events through both writing and action. In conclusion, the BAS President urged contemporary Bulgarian historians to follow the intellectual trajectory of Nikolay Genchev. She called for scholarly affirmation of the April Uprising’s status as the legitimate and significant beginning of the Bulgarian national revolution within world scholarship.

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