Soldier Unknown

The Monument to the Unknown Soldier (Bulgarian: Паметник на Незнайния воин, Pametnik na Neznayniya voin) is in the center of Sofia, just next to the 6th-century Church of St Sophia. It commemorates the hundreds of thousands of Bulgarian soldiers who died in wars defending their homeland. The monument was designed by architect Nikola Nikolov and was unveiled on September 22, 1981, the 1300th anniversary of the founding of the Bulgarian state. The inscription is a stanza from "The New Graveyard Above Slivnitsa" -- the 1885 poem by Ivan Vazov. Nearby is a sculpture of a lion (a national symbol of Bulgaria) by the noted sculptor Andrey Nikolov. An eternal flame is kept nearby and the courtyard features turf from the Battle of Stara Zagora and Battle of Shipka Pass, sites of two of important battles during the 1877-78 Russo-Turkish War of Liberation. This monument is a national place of honor for Bulgaria. The President of Bulgaria and foreign state leaders often perform ceremonies here to honor the fallen soldiers.