Battle of Shipka Pass
Shipka Pass, Balkan Mountains, Bulgaria
What happened
Russian troops and Bulgarian volunteers (opalchentsi), under commanders including Nikolay Stoletov and Fyodor Radetsky, fought Ottoman armies under Süleyman Pasha and others. In the Russo-Turkish War, Russian and Bulgarian forces took the high mountain pass of Shipka in July 1877. In August and September, Ottoman armies attacked again and again, but the defenders, many of them Bulgarian volunteers, held the pass. In January 1878 the Russians and Bulgarians surrounded the remaining Ottoman troops, who surrendered.
Why it matters
Why it matters: Holding the pass stopped the Ottomans from relieving the besieged town of Pleven. The Bulgarian volunteers' defence became a symbol of the struggle for Bulgaria's freedom.
What came next
Pleven fell in December 1877, and Russian forces went on to take Sofia. A large memorial to the defenders was unveiled on Shipka Peak in 1934.
Did you know?
The Shipka Memorial is 31.5 metres tall, and 890 steps lead up to it.
Timeline
- 17-19 July 1877Russian and Bulgarian forces take the pass.
- 21-26 August 1877The defenders hold off the main Ottoman attack.
- 10 December 1877Pleven falls.
- 5-9 January 1878The last Ottoman force at Shipka surrenders.
- 26 August 1934The Shipka Memorial is unveiled.