Истината за върховете Свети Никола и Шипка
The Truth about the Balkan’s Peaks St Nicholas and Shipka

Summary/Abstract: The renaming of Stara Planina’s (The Balkan) peak “St Nicholas” to “Stoletov peak” in 1951 is a gross violation of a historical tradition, which was an essential part of the Bulgarian national memory, justified only by the ideological and conjunctival political considerations of the authorities. The new name “Stoletov peak” is not imposed in the public space, but the old name of the peak “St Nicholas” continues to be used not only in everyday communication but also in publications of maps, historical studies and other popular literature. The following renaming of the peak “St Nicholas” from “Stoletov peak” into the (second) “Shipka” in 1977 is another attack on the historical traditions and the national memory, because at the time of renaming there is another legendary peak named “Shipka”. In the government decision published in the State Gazette nothing was mentioned about the inconvenience being created, two adjacent peaks with a great historical fame and constant tourist interest to bear the same name.

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