Revolutionary Hristo Bonchev

Hristo Bonchev was born on 4 February 1850 in the village of Gaytanite in the Gabrovo region. During the Russo-Turkish War, he served in the Bulgarian Volunteer Corps and was assigned to the 9th Shipka Battalion under Lieutenant-Colonel Lvov. In addition to combat duties, Hristo Bonchev was appointed battalion clerk because his calligraphic skills enabled him to maintain the unit’s documentation.

In 1922, the Gabrovo Municipal Council made the volunteers who had fought at Shipka honorary citizens. Hristo Bonchev was among them.

On 23 April 1902, the foundation stone of the monument to the fallen volunteers was laid in Kazanlak. It was unveiled on 20 September that year in the presence of military personnel, civilians and war veterans, including volunteers such as Hristo Bonchev.

After the war, Hristo Bonchev received an award for faithful service to his homeland and settled in the village of Popovtsi in the Gabrovo region, where he spent the rest of his life. He died on 6 December 1943 at the age of 93.

His remains were buried in the village of Prahali in the Gabrovo region. His gravestone records his name, his service as a Shipka volunteer and his date of death. It states that Hristo Bonchev died at the age of 90, although the State Archives’ records give his age as 93.