On the eve of the 148th anniversary of the Liberation, the expanded edition of the book "We Remember Your Deeds" by Ivan Babev – a teacher, historian, regional ethnographer and researcher of the political, social and economic processes that accompanied one of the most significant social cataclysms – the refugee wave of the 19th century, was presented at the Artium Center. These dramatic events turned the Balkans into a stage of difficult separations – from one's homeland, from one's roots and from the familiar way of life for a large part of the population with Bulgarian self-awareness, who remained outside the borders of post-liberation Bulgaria.

"Ivan Babev occupies a worthy place among the most prominent personalities awarded the title of 'Honorary Citizen of Nessebar.' His patriotism finds expression in his in-depth research activity and in his efforts to preserve the public memory of the refugee heroes and their deeds in the history of the struggles for the realization of the national ideal – the unification of ethnic Bulgarians under a common statehood. Today, the message to contemporaries is that the memory of the deeds of our ancestors is a moral duty – to history, to the community and to future generations. It is this memory, placed in the spiritual foundations of Nessebar, that reminds us that freedom and the national ideal are values ​​that must be defended over time," said Mayor Nikolai Dimitrov.

Mr. Dimitrov presented the plaque and the certificate with which the Municipal Council honors Ivan Babev with the title "Honorary Citizen of Nessebar."

This was followed by the account of teacher Babev, from which the numerous audience learned the names and deeds of a number of brave men who participated in the national liberation struggles and later contributed to the social processes that marked the beginning of the modern development of Nessebar.

Ivan Babev is the author of the books "Macedonian Golgotha" - 2009, "Ravda – Through the Crucible of Time" - 2011, "A Breath from the Vardar South" - 2012, "We Remember Your Deeds" – 2013.