140 years from the Battle of Gorni Dubnik
The Bulgarian Sun was hiding behind a cloud when a commemoration day of Gorni Dubnik, known as one of the most significant battles in Bulgaria's history, was about to begin in an idyllic Lavrov park, nearby a city of Pleven. The battle of Gorni Dubnik relates to the Russo–Turkish war and the liberation of Bulgaria from Ottoman rule in 1878. Nearly thousand Finnish soldiers fought in the battle of Gorni Dubnik as part of the Russian troops.
The prayers of the Orthodox Church echoed to the skies opening this festive event where the Defense Minister of Bulgaria and a big group of representatives of the nearby cities and local inhabitants were also involved. The Finnish Embassy together with the representatives of Finnish Land Forces and the Guild of the Finnish Guard honored the memory of the fallen Finnish soldiers by laying their wreaths to the memorials as the Sun appeared bashfully between the clouds.
In this area 140 years ago the cannons were blaring and the swords swaying when the Russian troops with a help of nearly thousand Finnish Guard soldiers clashed with Ottomans who were ruling Bulgaria at the time. The purpose of the Russian soldiers was so storm the fortresses surrounding the highway between Sofia and Pleven in order to cut off the communication and supply lines to Pleven and besiege the city of Pleven. On 24th of October 1877 the Russian troops under the command of General Josif Gurko together with the Finnish soldiers attacked the Ottoman garrison located near Gorni Dubnik and defeated it. 24 Finnish soldiers were killed in the battle getting their final resting place in a scenic Lavrov park. The survived Finnish soldiers, out of which nearly hundred were injured, returned to Helsinki after a long homeward-bound nearly a year later.
The Brigadier Jari Kallio, the Operation Chief of the Finnish Land Forces, gave a speech of Finnish soldiers' chapters in Bulgaria and brought along the greetings of hundred-year-old Finland to the commemoration day. Besides the speeches, the audience enjoyed the music performed by local pupils and delicious food with tastes both from Bulgarian and Finnish cuisine. The hospitality and warm welcome of local people made surely an impression to every single Finnish guest. Despite the lack of common language, the atmosphere was extremely agreeable in the event which has connected these two nations for the last 140 years.
Besides the EU-presidency of Bulgaria in 2018, Bulgaria and Finland are celebrating the nations' centenary of the diplomatic relations when Bulgaria recognized Finland's independence in 1918.