‘’Vasil Levski is a phenomenon beyond time, he is not fixed on history pages or in the granite of monuments, but he is inspiring’’, said the Bulgarian head of state Rumen Radev at the unveiling of a monument to Levski at Military Academy G.S.Rakovski, Sofia, according to the President’s website.

‘’Levski is the messiah of the national revolution, its preacher, inspirer and organiser’’, the President further said.

‘’Today some of  the Bulgarians call Bulgaria ‘’this country’’, while others claim there is no such state. When the Apostle was born 180 years ago, this country really did not exist but the fatherland was in the hearts of Levski and people like him’’, said Rumen Radev.

"The place which we have chosen is not accidental. The military academy trains and educates the guardians of the country. Through it have passed generations of defenders of the native lands, defending the ideal of Levski for free and independent Bulgaria, "said President Rumen Radev in his speech in front of the guests during  the ceremony.

The monument is part of celebrations for the 180th anniversary of Levski’s birth.

Novinite.com recalls that the celebrations in Karlovo city on the anniversary of the birth of the Apostle Vasil Levskiwill culminate on July 17 and 18.

An award ceremony and a concert are scheduled for the evening of July 17.

On July 18, the birth date of the Apostle and the Day of Karlovo, there will be a religious service in the morning, then a procession to the central square, a solemn ritual with the flags of Bulgaria and Karlovo, a prayer for the city and its residents, and a literature-musical programme in the afternoon. The most official celebrations include a procession and illuminations after 20:00 on July 18.

Vasil Levski is the first to realise that the strength of the nation resides across the Bulgarian lands, not among the emigration, historian Prof. Plamen Pavlov announced.

The Apostle suggests a new, radical and more possible plan for national liberation, Pavlov said, adding that Levski more than all other national leaders focuses on military strategy and organisation. He knows very well the situation on site and the Bulgarian people and more clearly than others notices the changes within society.