Despite the fact that now there’s peace in Pleven and its residents’ faces are lit up with happy smiles, no one has forgotten the events of the past, everyone remembers the heroes of the siege of Pleven. In memory of Russian and Romanian soldiers and tragic events of the Russo-Turkish War of the late 19th century, a park was created and named after a Russian general Mikhail Dmitriyevich Skobelev.

Ever since the grand opening of the park in 1904, it has never been desolate. Some people come here to pay tribute to the past, others simply to enjoy nature and fresh air. Noone leaves the city park of Pleven unaffected. There’s a small stone obelisk at the park entrance, a little further bust of the legendary general Skobelev is installed, and the main attraction of the park is a panorama museum called “Pleven Epopee 1877”.

Just like the rest of Skobelev Park, the panorama is dedicated to the Liberation of Bulgaria from Ottoman rule. Even its opening was symbolic because it was held in conjunction with the 100th anniversary of the Liberation. The architectural monument was designed by local talented architects Plamen Zatchev and Ivo Petrov, with 13 artists from Russia and Bulgaria creating the exposition.

The museum consists of four spacious halls. In the first one, guests can see paintings depicting the events of the April Uprising in Bulgaria in 1876 and the Battle of Shipka Pass, one of the most famous battles of the Russo-Turkish War. The second panorama hall explores the theme of the third attack on Pleven of September 11, 1877. The most dramatic moment of that day is portrayed on a giant canvas 115 meters long and 15 meters wide. The annihilation of the Turkish army near Pleven is depicted in a painting in the third hall, and the fourth one is dedicated to the capitulation of Osman Pasha and to Russian soldiers crossing the Balkans during cold winter.