The Pass
Though the pass itself has degenerated into a truck-stop, it's impossible not to be awed - and exhausted - by the final ascent of Mt Stoletov , whose summit the Bulgarians held during the battle, and which overlooks the pass. Visitors struggle up five hundred steps, past heroic bas-reliefs, to reach the towering stone Freedom Monument , erected in the 1890s, which commands a glorious panorama of the Sredna Gora and the Valley of the Roses (the monument itself can be seen from Kazanlak). The tower contains a symbolic sarcophagus and a museum of weapons and paintings detailing each phase of the battle, but the real lure is the observation platform on the roof, affording superb views of the mountains. From here you can see the Russian cemetery , 300m to the northwest, which is the largest of the many concentrations of cannon and gravestones planted on the slopes of surrounding hills. Accommodation at the Shipka Pass is limited to the humdrum two-star Shipka Hotel (tel 066/29119; US$9-18), which sometimes suffers water shortages. There's also a rather forlorn campsite (mid-May to Sept) with chalets, 800m down the road towards Gabrovo. Don't miss sampling the buffalo-milk yoghurt, a local speciality sold at the pass.
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