Monument to Vasil Levski, Lovech, Bronze monument in Lovech, Bulgaria.
The Monument to Vasil Levski in Lovech is a sculptural-architectural figure on a 5-metre granite pedestal. The cast metal statue is 9 metres tall and weighs 10 tonnes, giving a total height of 14 metres. It stands in the Varosha architectural and historical reserve, near the Hisarya fortress. Below the figure, a marble plaque bears the inscription: "Vasil Levski (1837 – 1873). If I win, I win for the whole people; if I lose, I lose only myself."
In spring 1959 Genoveva Sirkova, head of the Lovech city council's education and culture department, proposed a Levski monument, arguing that Lovech was the apostle's revolutionary capital. A decision followed on 25 April 1959, and a competition on 2 February 1960 rejected all entries. The commission then assigned the work to sculptors Georgi Gergov, Iliya Iliev, Ivan Kesyakov and Dimitar Dimitrov with architects Alexander Dorosiev and Dushko Romanov. The figure was cast in bronze by 15 November 1963 and unveiled on 27 May 1964, the ribbon cut by Prime Minister Todor Zhivkov.
The monument stands in the Varosha architectural and historical reserve, next to the Hisarya fortress that separates Varosha from Drastene. Its pedestal carries a marble plaque with Levski's words: "If I win, I win for a whole nation; if I lose, I lose only myself." The monument was one of the symbols of Lovech and appeared on the city coat of arms for 40 years.
The monument stands in the Varosha architectural and historical reserve, on the site between the Hisarya fortress and the Vasil Levski house-museum. It is reached on foot from the old quarter; the 5-metre granite pedestal and 9-metre figure are visible from the surrounding lanes, and the paved square allows a full walk around the base.
The 9-metre figure weighs 10 tonnes and was cast in bronze at the foundry of the Union of Bulgarian Artists by 15 November 1963, then carried to Lovech in parts for assembly. The monument was among the entries in Bulgaria's list of 100 tourist sites. Its opening on 27 May 1964 was covered by BTA, Bulgarian National Radio and newsreel cameras.
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