ПРОГРАМИ
en de ru fr es sr gr al tr ro
Podcast in English
Share
Related
Text size
Bulgarian National Radio © 2025 All Rights Reserved

200 years since the birth of the genius of the Bulgarian revolution Georgi Rakovski

Photo: Library

April 14 is the date of birth of the great Revival Period figure, revolutionary and first ideologue of the struggle for the liberation of Bulgariafrom the five centuries of Ottoman Rule, Georgi Stoykov Rakovski. It is unlikely that in the Bulgarian 19th century there was another person who combined in one the struggle for church and national independence, for national education and literature. "Rakovski is an unusually large figure in the post-Crimean war era. A person of impulsive spirit, strong-willed nature, a fanatical patriot, he leads a tumultuous life doomed to the ideal - the Freedom of Bulgaria,” wrote Mikhail Arnaudov, the greatest researcher of Rakovski’s life and legacy.

Rakovski wrote the first in revolutionary poem in Bulgaria, "Gorksi patnik" (Forest Traveller), published in 1857. In it, the struggle of the haiduts is presented as a phenomenon in the historical life of the Bulgarian nation. A year later, Rakovski created the “First Plan for the Liberation of Bulgaria”.

He was also the founder of the newspaper "Dunavski lebed" (Danube Swan), which marked the beginning of the Bulgarian revolutionary press.

Georgi Rakovski founded the First Bulgarian Legion /1862/ - a military unit consisting of about 600 young Bulgarians, some of them students at that time in Odessa, Vienna and Belgrade. The legion included voivodes, former haiduts and future organizers of the national revolution, including Vasil Levski, Stefan Karadzha, Ivan Karshovski, Ilio Markov and others. Georgi Rakovski remains in the memory of Bulgarians with his call for an uprising from August 1, 1862. In it he writes: “Let no one wait for others to set him free. Our freedom depends on us.”

Georgi Rakovski remains a symbol of patriotism and enlightenment in today's Bulgaria with his work and forward-thinking about the people and the fatherland. It is no coincidence that most Bulgarian schools in Bulgaria and around the world bear his name. 

Последвайте ни и в Google News Showcase, за да научите най-важното от деня!
Listen to the daily news from Bulgaria presented in "Bulgaria Today" podcast, available in Spotify.
Radio Bulgaria History and religion    Dunavski lebed First Bulgarian Legion Georgi Rakovski National Liberation National Revival Period Ottoman Rule Rakovski revolutionary

More from category

Exhibition in Sozopol showcases monuments from ancient cities around the Black Sea

A trilingual exhibition titled “Egyptian Cults around the Black Sea” opens today at 6 PM at the Archaeological Museum in Sozopol , according to BNR – Burgas. Part of an international research project, the exhibition is organized by the Institute of..

published on 8/7/25 5:55 PM
The building of the Holy Synod of the Bulgarian Orthodox church

Bulgarian Orthodox Church calls for vigilance against self-proclaimed spiritual leaders

The Bulgarian Orthodox Church has issued an official statement on “pagan neo-Hindu propaganda with pseudo-Christian elements”. The bishops of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church call for greater vigilance against “touring gurus, self-proclaimed “spiritual..

published on 8/7/25 10:14 AM

The restored second male statue from ancient city of Heraclea Sintica officially presented

Our lands are the cradle of ancient civilizations. Thanks to Bulgarian archaeologists, they are becoming known to the general public, said Prime Minister Rosen Zhelyazkov at the presentation in Sofia of the restored statue of a man from the ancient..

published on 8/6/25 9:07 AM

WEATHER
Pick city: Sofía
Partly Cloudy
Min: 17 | Max: 34
Partly Cloudy
Min: 23 | Max: 30
Clear
Min: 23 | Max: 30
Clear
Min: 17 | Max: 34
Partly Cloudy
Min: 17 | Max: 33
Clear
Min: 18 | Max: 33
Partly Cloudy
Min: 16 | Max: 32
Clear
Min: 16 | Max: 32
Partly Cloudy
Min: 21 | Max: 33
Partly Cloudy
Min: 16 | Max: 33
Clear
Min: 17 | Max: 33
Clear
Min: 18 | Max: 34
Clear
Min: 17 | Max: 33
Partly Cloudy
Min: 15 | Max: 31
Clear
Min: 20 | Max: 34
Clear
Min: 19 | Max: 34
Clear
Min: 17 | Max: 32
Clear
Min: 20 | Max: 34
Clear
Min: 17 | Max: 33
Clear
Min: 22 | Max: 32
Partly Cloudy
Min: 16 | Max: 29
Partly Cloudy
Min: 16 | Max: 31
Clear
Min: 18 | Max: 34
Clear
Min: 16 | Max: 32
Clear
Min: 20 | Max: 34
Clear
Min: 18 | Max: 33
Clear
Min: 19 | Max: 33
BULGARIA IN PICTURES
Which world-famous Bulgarian artist designed QSL cards for Radio Bulgaria?
Yasen Gyuzelev
Theodore Ushev
Christo Javacheff - Christo
Ilia Peikov
Lika Yanko

BULGARIANS ABROAD

Български English Русский Deutsch Српски Français Ελληνικά Español Shqip Türkçe Română
MOST VIEWED

Exhibition in Sozopol showcases monuments from ancient cities around the Black Sea

A trilingual exhibition titled “Egyptian Cults around the Black Sea” opens today at 6 PM at the Archaeological Museum in Sozopol , according to BNR –..

published on 8/7/25 5:55 PM

Bulgarian Orthodox Church calls for vigilance against self-proclaimed spiritual leaders

The Bulgarian Orthodox Church has issued an official statement on “pagan neo-Hindu propaganda with pseudo-Christian elements”. The bishops of the..

published on 8/7/25 10:14 AM

english@bnr.bg

+359 2 9336 661

Общи условия за използване на сайта | Политика за поверителност | Политика за "бисквитки"