Steam train excursion to run in September 2018 as Bulgaria celebrates Independence Day
The municipality of Veliko Turnovo and Bulgarian state railways BDZ are to hold on September 23 a steam train excursion and a re-enactment of the 1908 event at which Prince Ferdinand announced the independence of Bulgaria.
Bulgaria celebrates Independence Day on September 22, a Saturday in 2018, and the events have been planned for Sunday. September 24 will be a special public holiday, giving Bulgarians a three-day long weekend this year.
The re-enactment will involve the arrival of “Prince Ferdinand” at Trapezitsa Station and the announcement of independence.
This event, starting at the station at 12.10pm, will see the arrival of the prince, accompanied by “Prime Minister Alexander Malinov” and other officials, who will be welcomed by the mayor of Veliko Turnovo. The ceremony will include the proclamation of Prince Ferdinand as Bulgaria’s tsar.
The events are part of the national celebrations of 110 years since the announcement of independence. The celebrations are under the patronage of Prime Minister Boiko Borisov and are part of the national calendar of the European Year of Cultural Heritage 2018.
The steam train excursion, by the Korona Express, will include the carriage that was used by Tsar Boris III, Bulgaria’s monarch from October 1918 to August 1943.
The Korona Express run will begin at 11.50am with a trip from Gorna Oryahovitsa railway station to Tryavna station and back.
After the re-enactment is over, the retro train will continue its journey on a route Veliko Turnovo station, Debelets station, Dryanovo station, Bacho Kiro siding (Dryanovo Monastery) and Tryavna, reaching there at 2.10pm. After a one-hour stay in Tryavna, the train departs back on the same route to Gorna Oryahovitsa station.
Tickets for the retro train trip can be bought from the BDZ cash desks all over the country and seats are limited.
