The President of BAS, Corresponding Member Evelina Slavcheva, took part in the celebration of Thrace Day, which is observed on March 26 at the initiative of the Union of Thracian Societies in Bulgaria.
On this date in 1913, the Second Bulgarian Army, under the command of Lieutenant General Nikola Ivanov, captured Edirne. The Bulgarian soldier astonished the world with his feat which brought the Balkan War to an end. The triumph of victory, however, was overshadowed by the tragedy of hundreds of thousands of Thracian Bulgarians who, during the summer and fall of 1913, were subjected by the Ottoman army to persecution, ruin, and physical destruction.
In her speech, Corr. Memb. Slavcheva recalled that in his book “Разорението на тракийските българи през 1913 г.” (The Ruining of Thracian Bulgarians in 1913), Academician Lyubomir Miletich wrote that the tragedy of the Thracians was comparable to the Batak massacre. “March 26 in the Bulgarian cultural and historical calendar is a day of remembrance and reverence for the heroic deeds of the Bulgarian soldiers who fell near Edirne. But it is also a day to remember and honor the Thracian refugees who found shelter within Bulgaria’s borders, preserved their ancestral memory, and passed on the Thracian historical and cultural heritage to future generations,” said the president of the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences during the commemorative ceremony at the memorial of Edirne citizens.
The celebration was organized by the Sofia Municipality, the Union of Thracian Societies in Bulgaria, the Thracian Scientific Institute, and the Reserve Officers and Non-commissioned Officers Union.
