The Inauguration of the monument of Simeon Radev
On the 21st of November 2019 the monument of Simeon Radev was unveiled in the immediate vicinity of the National Palace of Culture.
The monument is the work of the famous Bulgarian sculptor Yanko Bonev, Past Grand Master of the United Grand Lodge of Bulgaria. The idea for constructing the monument came from the ‘Eminent Bulgarians’ Foundation. The financing for the creation and the installation of the monument was provided by donations from Freemasons from the United Grand Lodge of Bulgaria.
The inauguration ceremony of the monument was attended by many guests, including well-known historians, journalists, politicians, cultural figures and a number of representatives of the United Grand Lodge of Bulgaria.
Mr. Todor Chobanov, Deputy Mayor of Sofia with responsibility for culture
The Deputy Mayor of Sofia with responsibility for culture, Mr. Todor Chobanov, opened the ceremony with a short speech, in which he underlined that Simeon Radev is counted among the personalities of rank in the eternal pantheon of Bulgaria. He ended his speech as follows: “We are fulfilling our filial duty as Bulgarians to honour the magnificent person of Simeon Radev with this great monument, placed in a wonderful setting. A builder himself, he was also the chronicler of that epoch – decades of struggle for the establishment and transformation of Bulgaria into a strong European state, the Bulgaria that Botev and Levski dreamed of. We bow before Simeon Radev and before his timeless artwork. Long live Bulgaria!”
Before the ceremonial unveiling of the monument, the Grand Master of the United Grand Lodge of Bulgaria Iskren Yotov gave a short speech.
Iskren Yotov, Grand Master of UGLB
“Ladies and gentlemen, dear brothers,
Firstly, I would like to express my gratitude to those who first had the idea for this monument. Secondly, I would like to thank all the brothers from UGLB who helped to make this monument a reality through their most generous donations. I would further like to express my personal gratitude to the Deputy Mayor of the City of Sofia, Mr. Todor Chobanov. Because of his support for the project, we are today able to unveil the monument, despite the difficulties we went through last year when we celebrated the 25th Anniversary of the United Grand Lodge of Bulgaria. And last but not least my special gratitude goes to the sculptor, Yanko Bonev, for his creative professionalism and for the love he invested in his work which resulted in this wonderful memorial. A great monument fitting for a great Bulgarian, Simeon Radev.
Today is the Day of the Christian Family. The monument of Simeon Radev reminds us that we Bulgarians, are also one big family. And to all those from our Bulgarian family who are responsible for state affairs – above all politicians and statesmen, I would wish them to always ask themselves the same question posed by Simeon Radev: “Did I give something to Bulgaria? “.
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Simeon Radev was a writer, distinguished diplomat with international recognition, historian, publicist, an admirer of the Arts and Freemason (1879 – 1967). He was also an editor and publisher of newspapers and magazines. He is the author of over 1400 publications, the most famous of which is his unique work “Builders of Modern Bulgaria” (1911), one of the most valuable historiographical studies in Bulgarian literature.
From 1925 to 1940, he was Bulgarian Ambassador to Washington, London and Brussels. After the 9th of September 1944, he was fired and forced into retirement and was forbidden to participate in political or social activities.
His last words were “Did I give something to Bulgaria.”
He died on the 15th February 1967.
Video for the pubilcation