On 18th of July, Bulgaria marks 183 years since the birth of national hero Vassil Levski. Ceremonies will be held in Levski’s home town of Karlovo (Southern Central Bulgaria) and across the country to honour his memory.

The programme in Karlovo starts with a solemn liturgy at the temple "St. Nikolai”, followed by laying flowers and wreathes to the grave of Vassil Levski’s mother – Gina Kouncheva.

Participants in the national tourist campaign "Follow in the Footsteps of Vassil Levski" will be greeted in the square of the town. The national flag will be hoisted.

The programme will end with a solemn fireworks display at 21:00 in Vassil Levski Square, which will take place under the patronage of the speaker of Bulgaria’s Parliament, Tsveta Karayancheva.

Vassil Levski was a leading figure in the fight of the Bulgarian people against Ottoman rule in the late 19th century. He was a revolutionary, democrat, ideologist, organizer and leader of the Bulgarian national liberation movement, founder of the Internal Revolutionary Organisation (IRO) and of the Bulgarian Revolutionary Central Committee (BRCC).

He was called the Apostle of Freedom by the Bulgarian people for his self-sacrifice in developing a strategy to liberate Bulgaria from Ottoman rule.

Vassil Levski organised the revolutionary movement across Bulgaria for several years. He established numerous revolutionary committees and started preparing the people for a general uprising. Betrayed by a traitor, he was captured by the Ottoman authorities and was executed by hanging on 18th of February 1873 in the outskirts of Sofia./BNT