Podcast in English
Text size
Bulgarian National Radio © 2025 All Rights Reserved

118 years since the outbreak of the Ilinden-Preobrazhenie uprising

Photo: BGNES-archive

On 20 July the Bulgarian Orthodox Church honours the memory of the prophet Elijah. It is also a day celebrated by furriers, saddlers, bakers and firemen.

20 July also marks the outbreak of the 1903 Ilinden-Preobrazhenie uprising of the Bulgarians in Macedonia and Eastern Thrace. In North Macedonia it is marked only as the Ilinden uprising and on 2 August - according to the old calendar.

Polish historian Prof. Jaroslaw Rubacha, member of the Macedonian research institute stated, in an interview for the BNR, that the 1903 Ilinden-Preobrazhenie uprising is a tragic episode in Bulgarian history and the history of the Macedonian lands. According to Prof. Rubacha it will be difficult to reach a consensus on historical issues between Skopje and Sofia, among them the celebration of the heroes of the uprising together. 



Последвайте ни и в Google News Showcase, за да научите най-важното от деня!
Listen to the daily news from Bulgaria presented in "Bulgaria Today" podcast, available in Spotify.

More from category

Bulgaria’s National Museum of Military History offers a free audio-visual journey through war and art

The newest exhibition at the National Museum of Military History in Sofia, 'War and the Creatives: A Journey Through Darkness' opens today, offering free entry as a gesture to those who were unable to visit during the recent renovations. Rather than..

published on 11/28/25 8:25 AM

Footsteps of Cumans, Pechenegs, and DNA reveal the secrets of Ryahovets fortress near Gorna Oryahovitsa

A 5,000-year-long history lies hidden in the ruins of the medieval fortress “Ryahovets” near the town of Gorna Oryahovitsa where active excavations began ten years ago. On this occasion, on November 17, the Historical Museum in Gorna Oryahovitsa..

published on 11/26/25 10:50 AM

Roman engineering genius comes to life beneath the streets of ancient Ratiaria

Just days ago, archaeologists uncovered part of the complex underground infrastructure that once served the Roman baths of Ratiaria - one of the most important ancient cities in Bulgaria’s northwest.   Founded in the 1st century in the area of..

published on 11/23/25 10:15 AM