During the National Liberation War in mid-1877, near Stara Zagora, a handful of Bulgarian militiamen stood with their chests against the oppressors' bayonets. Their feat remains in history and echoes through the centuries as an example of the courage and self-denial with which Bulgarian soldiers throw themselves at the enemy in the name of liberating the fatherland.
The battle was sung by the greatest poets and writers of Bulgarian literature and became a symbol of the Bulgarian people's steadfastness against the enslavers. And although it ended fatally, it remains one of the most important historical events for Bulgaria. Burned out and crippled, the city never seems to recover. Despite this, the tireless people of Stara Zagora managed to rebuild their homeland.
In memory of the worthy men who fell in battle, the Defenders of Stara Zagora Memorial was solemnly opened in 1977