Monument to the Goryani in Sliven
The monument to the Goryani in Sliven is in the centre of the town almost hidden by the decorative green foliage around it.
It consists of part of a small stone with plaques inscribed with the names of 41 members of the Second Sliven Brigade which was active between 1950-1951 in the Stara Planina mountains above Sliven.
In addition to the names of the victims, the modest monument also bears the following inscriptions: “To the memory of the Goryani from Sliven who died between 1950-1951” and “Their life was a fight under the banner of freedom, death – a noble victory!”
The monument was erected and funded by the Union of Repressed in Sliven in 2001. It was opened by Vice President Todor Kavaldzhiev, member of the Agrarian Party and former prisoner at the Belene camp. He was a political internee during communism and spent 11 years in the prisons of Pazardzhik and Pleven (1952-1963).
The ceremony to honour the memory of the Goryani from Sliven is held on the 2nd June when Hristo Botev Day is celebrated throughout the country to honour the memory of all those who fought for the freedom and independence of Bulgaria. The reason for this is that between the 1st and 2nd of June, 1951, the Second Sliven Brigade, consisting of 106 persons and led by Georgi Marinov Stoyanov-Tarpana, engaged in combat with armed units of the Ministry of the Interior and the army numbering 13 000 men. 40 Goryani died in the battle.
