landmark
Buzludzha Monument
A colossal flying-saucer-shaped Communist monument abandoned on a 1,432m Balkan peak.
5 km · about 10 min drive
EuropeBulgariaStara Zagora
Shipka
Stara Zagora, Bulgaria · Europe
About Shipka
Shipka is worth a stop: 5 minutes from Sheynovo, 6km from Shipka Pass.
Shipka is in Stara Zagora, Bulgaria, with about 1,600 people. You drive on the right here. The nearest town is Sheynovo, about 4 km away.
The Memorial Temple of the Birth of Christ (Bulgarian: Храм-паметник „Рождество Христово“, Hram-pametnik „Rozhdestvo Hristovo“), better known as the Shipka Memorial Church or Shipka Monastery is a Bulgarian Orthodox church built near the town of Shipka in Stara Planina between 1885 and 1902, according to AntoniyRead more
Tomishko's design in the seventeenth-century Russian style under the direction of architect Alexander Pomerantsev. It is dedicated, along with other parts of the Shipka Monument complex, to the Russian and Bulgarian soldiers who died for the liberation of Bulgaria in the Russo-Turkish War, 1877-78.
The temple was officially opened on September 28, 1902, in the presence of Russian Army generals and many honourable guests. The opening and consecration of the Shipka Memorial Church coincided with the 25-year anniversary of the Battles of Shipka Pass. In 1970, the temple was proclaimed a national monument of culture.
The church's bell tower reaches a height of 53 m, and its bells, the heaviest of which weighs 12 tons, were cast from the cartridges that were collected after the battles. In the temple itself, the names of the Russian regiments and Bulgarian volunteers are inscribed on 34 marble plates. The remains of the perished are laid in 17 stone sarcophagi in the church's crypt.
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Frequently Asked Questions
What is there to see near Shipka?
Within an hour or so of Shipka: Buzludzha Monument (5 km), Shipka Pass (6 km), Etar Architectural-Ethnographic Complex (11 km), Veliko Tarnovo (47 km).
Are there any good drives near Shipka?
The nearest famous roads are Shipka Pass, Troyan Pass (Beklemeto) and Trigrad Gorge.
Where is Shipka?
Shipka is in Stara Zagora, Bulgaria, about 4 km from Sheynovo.
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Quick Information
- Population
- 1,604
- Continent
- Europe
- Country
- Bulgaria
- Region
- Stara Zagora
- Timezone
- Europe/Sofia
- Coordinates
- 42.7117, 25.3353
Emergency & Services
Essential numbers in Bulgaria
Vignette required for all roads outside towns.
Full driving guide for BulgariaTags
Worth the detour from Shipka
5 notable places within an hour's drive.
mountain pass
Shipka Pass
A historic 1,150m Balkan Mountains pass crowned by the Freedom Monument commemorating the 1877 battle.
6 km · about 10 min drive
museum
Etar Architectural-Ethnographic Complex
An open-air museum village near Gabrovo where water-driven workshops from the Bulgarian Revival still operate: craftsmen forge, weave and carve along a lane of 50 reconstructed houses powered by the Sivek river.
11 km · about 20 min drive
landmark
Veliko Tarnovo
The spectacular hilltop former capital of the Second Bulgarian Empire, with houses cascading down cliffs above the winding Yantra River.
47 km · about 55 min drive
castle
Tsarevets Fortress
The medieval stronghold of the Second Bulgarian Empire in Veliko Tarnovo, spectacularly illuminated at night with a sound and light show.
49 km · about 55 min drive
Driving roads near Shipka
3 named roads, passes and coastal drives within 150km.
- Right hereShipka PassA historic 1,150m Balkan Mountains pass crowned by the Freedom Monument commemorating the 1877 battle.
- 60 kmTroyan Pass (Beklemeto)At 1,525 m the highest paved pass over the Balkan Mountains, following an old Roman road between Troyan and Karnare with hairpins, panoramic ridgeline views and the Arch of Freedom monument.
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