Translate

Tuesday 20 February 2018

The Bulgarian revolutionaires lead by Hrisot Botev hijacking the Austrian river steamship Radetzki according to the Dutch newspaper Leeuwarder courant dated 8 December 1876



National Museum, Veliko Tarnovo, Bulgaria

An item referred to tidings received from Belgrade reporting that Serbian policemen searched the Austrian mail boat Radetzki releasing the Bulgarian refugees sent with the help of the police towards Galatz, Romania. The demand of her master to let the refugees on board of his ship was neglected by the Serbians. Another Dutch newspaper De Maasbode dated 10th December reported that the Austrian representative at Belgrade was ordered to demand complete satisfaction for the violation of the borders by the Serbian police when attacking the Radetzki. To support this command were two monitors sent from Semlin. De Tijd dated 21 June 1876 reported that the Bulgarian gang which recently captured the Austrian steamship Radetzki with the intention to call for a uprising in Bulgaria was defeated by the Turkish.

Built at Obuda, Hungary in 1851 for passengers transport on the Danube between Orsova, Austria-Hungary and Galato, Romania. Was hijacked by Bulgarian revolutionaries when she Bechet [Romania] lead by the poet Hristo Botev to pass the borders without alarming the Ottoman or Romanian governments. The gang was transported to Kozioduy where she was disembarked without spoiling any blood. So the items in the Dutch newspapers were partly not the truth. Hristo Botev (27 December 1847 Kalofer, Bulgaria-20 May 1876 Vola Peak, Vratsa Mountain) and most of his men were indeed killed by Ottoman troops.