On 18 April 2026 at 10:30 a.m., the Museum of the National Revival in Varna will open the exhibition “The April Uprising in Bulgarian Philately.” The event is organized with the active support of the Varna Philatelic Society “Odesos” and aims to show how Bulgaria’s postal heritage preserves the memory of the dramatic events of 1876.
The exhibition brings together a rich selection of original postage stamps, envelopes, and postcards dedicated to the April Uprising and its heroes. Among the most valuable items is the very first Bulgarian stamp series commemorating the uprising — “The Cherry-Tree Cannon,” issued in 1901 to mark the 25th anniversary of the historic events. This early issue laid the foundation for a long tradition in which Bulgarian philately honors key figures and moments from the national liberation movement.
Over the following decades, many additional commemorative series were released, each offering its own artistic and historical interpretation of the uprising. Visitors will see stamps depicting iconic personalities and scenes such as Ivan Borimechkata, Benkovski’s Flying Detachment, the Apostles of the uprising, Rayna Knyaginya, and Hristo Botev. A particularly notable highlight is the 1976 series created by the National Academy of Arts, which transfers masterpieces of Bulgarian fine art onto postage stamps. These works — by renowned artists including Dechko Uzunov, Zlatyu Boyadzhiev, and Svetlin Rusev — capture the spirit of the revolutionary spring of 1876 and the broader struggle for national freedom.
The exhibition also features original and reproduced first‑day covers and postal cards illustrating important locations, figures, and events from the Bulgarian fight for independence during the final decades of the 19th century. Through these materials, visitors can trace both the artistic evolution of Bulgarian philately and the ways in which historical memory has been preserved and communicated through postal imagery.
The exhibition will remain open to the public until 2 June 2026 at the Museum of the National Revival, 21 Dr. L. Zamenhof Street, Varna.