Svilengrad has unveiled a monument to poet Ivaylo Balabanov. The municipality said the bronze relief was unveiled near the Old Bridge on the Maritsa River on the eve of October 5, the day the town marks its feast day.

Mayor Anastas Karchev and Petko Pachov, president of the Rotary Club of Svilengrad, unveiled the monument. The club came up with the idea and helped fund it.

Bishop Bogoslov of Marcianopolis, from the Stara Zagora Diocese, blessed the monument with holy water alongside priests from the Stara Zagora Eparchy, then read out a greeting from Metropolitan Kiprian of Stara Zagora.

The monument was created by sculptor Tamer Halil. The bronze relief stands 2.20 metres tall and rests on a 5-tonne granite block. Residents themselves chose the verses for the base after a public campaign and poll, picking an excerpt from the poem "Most" ("Bridge").

The municipality provided the site and paid for the design, while construction and installation were carried out by the municipal utility "Blagoustroyavane i Ozelenyavane". The poet was born in the village of Hukhla, in Ivaylovgrad municipality, whose council voted to donate 2,500 euros towards the memorial.

"With this monument we are repaying our debt of gratitude to the voice of Svilengrad and Thrace, the unforgettable Ivaylo Balabanov," Pachov said. He thanked Valentin Angelov and Nikola Dinkov, who first came up with the idea, as well as the donors, the mayor and both municipalities. Karchev thanked the Rotary Club, the sponsors and Ivaylovgrad municipality.

The mayor said the monument will remind future generations of Balabanov and of the love, pride and patriotism running through his work, and that the town will keep his memory alive forever. Pachov said taking part in creating the relief was a source of pride and a legacy left for the children.

The municipality said the monument reflects people's gratitude and their wish — shared by those who knew Balabanov — to keep alive the memory of a poet whose life and work were bound up with Svilengrad. He is an honorary citizen of the town.

The ceremony was attended by the poet's sister, Zlatka Dolapchieva, his sons Atanas and Dimitar, and his grandson Ivan. Flowers and wreaths were laid by his sons and grandson, along with officials, institutions, organisations, pupils and local residents.

"Our father loved Svilengrad and all of you," said his eldest son, Atanas Balabanov, thanking people on behalf of the family for the respect shown to the poet and the man. Representatives of the Svilengrad and Ivaylovgrad municipalities, Rotary Bulgaria, and various cultural and civic organisations also attended the unveiling.

Right after the ceremony, the national recitation contest "Nebesen Gurbetchiya", built around Ivaylo Balabanov's poems, got under way. It is organised by the Prosveta 1870 community cultural centre, now in its sixth year, and held to mark Svilengrad's October 5 feast day.