Monument of Liberty, Freedom monument in central square, Ruse, Bulgaria
The Monument of Liberty is a pyramidal composition by Italian sculptor Arnoldo Zocchi, cast by Georgi Kiselinchev. At its top a female figure holds a sword in her left hand and points northwest with her right. Two bronze lions flank the base: one tears slave chains with its teeth, the other guards the Sword and Shield of Freedom. Reliefs of resistance scenes cover the pedestal, and two cannons stand at the rear.
The monument was erected in 1909, financed by public donations of around 150,000 leva to honor liberation from foreign rule. This project replaced an earlier plan to commemorate Russian Tsar Alexander II.
The monument's main inscription reads: "To the fighters and volunteers who took part in the Liberation of Bulgaria in 1876–1877." Two cannons stand at the rear of the base, and reliefs of resistance scenes cover the pedestal. After 1944, Ruse was the only larger Bulgarian city whose main symbol was not a Soviet monument.
The monument stands in Freedom Square, the former city garden and a former Turkish cemetery that was turned into Ruse's central square. The square was once fenced with iron and locked at night; today it is open and reached on foot from the surrounding centre. Two cannons sit at the rear of the base, so walk around the pedestal to see the reliefs and both lions.
After 1944, Ruse was the only major Bulgarian city whose largest monument was not a Soviet one. This gave rise to a narrative that the statue's right hand was designed to point east, toward the "brother liberators", although it actually points northwest toward the free peoples of Europe.
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