What is Shipka? This word is sometimes found when talking about Bulgaria. In fact, this term has several meanings. This is a city, village, name, and also a mountain. More about what Shipka is, about the various meanings of this word and interesting facts related to it, will be described in the article.
Dictionary Values
Studying what Shipka, you should turn to the dictionary. It states that the term has several meanings, namely:
- a city in Bulgaria;
- a village in one of the regions of Moldova;
- village in Transnistria;
- mountain peak in the Balkans;
- church in Bulgaria;
- military camp in Ukraine, in the Transcarpathian region;
- brand of bulgarian cigarettes ;
- Bulgarian-made submachine gun;
- one of the varieties of capsicum;
- last name of the American actress (Kiernan Shipka).
As can be seen from the dictionary, the word "Shipka" has a lot of diverse meanings, some of which will be discussed in more detail in this essay.
City in Bulgaria
Shipka is the name of the Bulgarian city, which is located at the foot of the southern part of the Balkan Mountains. This place is called a city only conditionally, since its population reaches just over one and a half thousand people. Due to its location, it is a kind of entrance to the Shipkinsky pass.
Historians claim that these places were settled back in the distant XI-VI centuries BC. e. Thracians. In the period from VI to II century BC. e. their culture and economy flourished. However, in the I century BC. e. all territories were captured by the Romans.
When the Roman Empire fell, local tribes began to settle here, gradually developing and equipping their lands. In 1396, Bulgaria was captured by the Turks, and in the town of Shipka they created a garrison that guards and controls the Shipkinsky pass.
During the Russian-Turkish war (1877-1878), bloody battles were fought here, which ended with the victory of the Russian army and the liberation of the Bulgarians from Ottoman oppression. In memory of these events, a memorial church of the Nativity of Christ was erected near the city between 1885 and 1902. The temple is also called "Church on Shipka."
Mountain peak
Continuing to consider what Shipka is, we should talk about a mountain peak bearing this name. It is located in the Balkan Mountains and reaches a height of 1523 meters. This peak is located on the territory and is the highest point on Shipkinsky pass. The latter, in turn, is of great importance in the routes of communication between southern and northern Bulgaria. As mentioned earlier, serious hostilities were carried out in these places, which entailed numerous losses. The Turkish army was opposed by the Russian army and the Bulgarian militias.
Initially, this peak was called "St. Nicholas" (St. Nicholas). In 1954, the Bulgarian government decided to rename it to Stoletov peak. This is a Russian general who led the military operation at the top of Shipka. This name was re-changed in 1977, and today the peak is simply called Shipka.
In memory of the fallen Russian soldiers, the Monument of Freedom was opened here in 1934. It was built on the donations of grateful residents of Bulgaria. It is a tower of stone in the form of a truncated pyramid, reaching a height of about 32 meters. Above the entrance to the monument-museum is a sculpture of a lion and a woman, which symbolize the victory over the Turkish troops. In Shipka's photo you can see the large size of the sculptural composition, which reaches eight meters in height and four in width. At present, the peaks and adjacent territories are a national park-museum.
Submachine gun
In the mid-1990s, weapons called the Shipka were developed in Bulgaria. This submachine gun is produced at a military factory in the city of Kazanlak. The weapon is intended primarily for close combat, as it does not have a very large accuracy and a relatively low range. It is a folding weapon, small in size and weight, quite convenient to use.
The trigger mechanism provides only automatic firing. It is possible to install a laser target indicator and silencer on the gun. It was assumed that the weapons would be adopted by the army or the police, but for objective reasons this did not happen.
It should be noted that everything connected with the name Shipka certainly recalls the feat that was accomplished by the Russian army and the Bulgarian partisans in the battles for the liberation of the country from the Ottoman invasion.