Shipka Pass
| Shipka Pass | |
|---|---|
View from Shipka
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| Elevation | 1,190 m (3,904 ft) |
| Traversed by |
 
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| Location | Bulgaria |
| Range | Balkan Mountains |
| Coordinates | 42°45′18″N 25°19′8″E / 42.75500°N 25.31889°E |
Shipka Pass (Bulgarian: Шипченски проход, Šipčenski prohod) (el. 1150 m./3820 ft.) is a scenic mountain pass through the Balkan Mountains in Bulgaria. It marks the border between Stara Zagora province and Gabrovo province. The pass connects the towns of Gabrovo and Kazanlak. The pass is part of the Bulgarka Nature Park.
The pass is 13 km by road north of the small town of Shipka. It is crossed by a national road I-5, which runs between Ruse, on the Danube River, and Makaza border crossing to Greece.
A road also leads from the pass to the summit of Buzludzha, 12 km to the east.
During the Russo-Turkish War in 1877 and 1878, Shipka Pass was the scene of a series of conflicts collectively named the Battle of Shipka Pass, fought between the Bulgarians, aided by Russian volunteers, and the Ottoman Empire.
The Shipka Memorial (Bulgarian: паметник „Шипка“) is on Stoletov Peak near the pass, reached by a flight of steps or a short road. It is a memorial to those who died for the Liberation of Bulgaria during the Battles of Shipka Pass in the Russo-Turkish War of 1877-78. It was opened with a ceremony in 1934 and designed by architect Atanas Donkov and sculptor Aleksandar Andreev. An important influence was the Monument to the Battle of the Nations in Germany.
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Wikipedia