Can a prison carry the spirit of hope, the price of the freedom of others, and the history that is part of us? The answer is a resounding "yes" when we talk about the Prison-Museum in Bulgaria’s town of Veliko Tarnovo. It is the only oriental prison in Bulgaria, built in 1854 for the needs of the then Turkish authorities, and today preserving the memory of hundreds of Bulgarian revolutionaries imprisoned in its cells for a short time before being taken to a trial in Ruse or Sofia.

Bulgaria’s national hero Vasil Levski was also incarcerated in this place between December 27 and 31, 1872, in a separate cell, before he was taken to Sofia where he was hanged. The atmosphere in the cell where Levski was imprisoned is authentically preserved.

Who was the only Bulgarian revolutionary who managed to escape from the Tarnovo Prison and how did this happen? You can learn more about this and other interesting historical facts about the Tarnovo Prison in the publication "The Veliko Tarnovo Museum of Prison keeps the memory of hundreds of Bulgarian revolutionaries" from Radio Bulgaria’s Best collection.

Edited by Vessela Krasteva

English Rositsa Petkova