Monuments

At the beginning of the 20th century, the Varna Alley of the Bulgarian National Revival in the Sea Garden was gradually developed. It features 22 monuments to prominent figures of the National Revival and the Liberation periods.

On June 4, 1902, the Varna Municipal Council adopted a program—proposed by councilor Dr. Ivan Bassanovich—for the creation and development of a seaside park with an impressive main alley. This initiative led, in the early 20th century, to the establishment of the unique Varna Alley of the Bulgarian National Revival, preserved for future generations. Founded in 1908, the Bulgarian Revival Committee set out to erect 22 monuments in the Sea Garden: 20 dedicated to prominent figures of the National Revival and Liberation from Ottoman rule, and two dedicated to Science and Liberty.
 

• The first monument on the Alley of the Revival - a bust of the great poet and revolutionary Christo Botev (by Zheko Spiridonov) - was inaugurated on July 27, 1911.
• The second monument - a bust of Vassil Levski, the so-called Apostle of Bulgarian Freedom (also by Zheko Spiridonov) - was inaugurated the following year, again on July 27 (the date of Liberation of Varna from Ottoman domination).
• The Wars (Balkan and First World War) hindered the further shaping of the Alley for a prolonged period of time - up to October 24, 1920, when a bust of Ivan Vazov, known as the Father of Modern Bulgarian Literature (by Andrew Nicholov) (the first monument to Ivan Vazov in Bulgaria), was set up here.

Following in a row, are the busts of:

• Paisii of Hilendar, the author of the first written Bulgarian History (by Cyril Shivarov), on August 24, 1926;
• Metropolitan Bishop Simeon, the first head of Varna clergy after the Liberation of 1878 (by Ivan Lazarov), on August 10, 1930;
• Vassil Aprilov, a great Revival Period enlightener (by Cyril Todorov, on October 7, 1936;
• Hadji Dimitar, a legendary insurgent detachment leader from 19th c. (by Vicho Vichev), on August 2, 1939.
• The socond world war postponed completion of the task for another prolonged period of time. No monument was erected on the Alley of the Revival for as long as 34 years; it was in 1973, when the next monument was put up - the bust of George Benkovski, the heroic leader of the April Rising of 1876 (by Paul Jafferov).
• In the same year (1973), within the span of several months, there followed the busts of: Dr. Peter Beron, a great Revival Period enlightener and the author of the so-called Fish Primer - the first modern Bulgarian textbook (by Alyosha Kafedzhiiski), and Lyuben Karavelov, a great revolutionary, writer and journalist (by Eugene Barumov).
• The bust of Gotse Delchev, a great revolutionary and freedom-fighter (by Paul Jafferov), was set up in 1997;
• the bust of Zachary Stoyanov, a revolutionary and chronicler of the April Rising of 1876 (by Eugene Barumov) - in 1998;
• and the latest - the bust of Peyo Yavorov, a great poet and revolutionary (by Kiro Yanev) - in 2001.

GPS: 43.206352, 27.927246