06/12/2023 The photo-documentary exhibition 'The Thracian Epic – Fight for the Freedom of the Thracian Bulgarians' was opened at the National Assembly

06/12/2023

The photo-documentary exhibition "The Thracian Epic - Fight for the Freedom of the Thracian Bulgarians" was opened at the National Assembly. The exhibition includes 14 panels, which in a synthesized form present numerous photographs, documents and historical evidence of the struggle for freedom of the Thracian Bulgarians after 1878 to the 1930s. The organizers of the initiative are the Union of Thracian Societies in Bulgaria and the Thracian Scientific Institute in partnership with the State Agency "Archives" and the regional historical museums in Burgas and Kardzhali.

The National Assembly of the Republic of Bulgaria is not and will not be indifferent to the fate of the Thracian Bulgarians and their successors, Vice President Kristian Vigenin said. According to him, the pogrom over the Thracian Bulgarians, the ethnic cleansing of Thrace and the struggles for freedom are an integral part of our historical memory. Kristian Vigenin emphasized the tragedy of these events, which he believes are an unequivocal message to the descendants and future generations for the preservation of the Bulgarian spirit, identity and patriotism.

Krassimir Premyanov, chairman of the Union of Thracian Societies in Bulgaria, recalled that the first genocide in the Balkans was committed against the Thracian Bulgarians, with 68,000 people mercilessly killed and over 300,000 expelled from their homelands. We need to remember these facts, to look for opportunities in modern international and domestic politics to protect the moral cause of the Thracian Bulgarians, he said.

The exhibition is part of events marking 120 years since the Ilinden-Preobrazhenie Uprising and 110 years since the destruction of the Thracian Bulgarians. Its opening was also attended by MPs, historians, journalists and public figures.