Its outline resembles a medieval Bulgarian fortress and can be seen from dozens of kilometres. It was built with donations from the people from all over Bulgaria and was inaugurated on 26 August 1934. It is 31.5 m tall and 890 steps lead up to it. The powerful bronze lion, symbolizing the coat of arms of Bulgaria – the symbol of the Bulgarian state – guards the entrance to the Memorial. The other three walls of the monument bear the names Shipka, and Stara Zahora – the battlefields in defense of the Pass. On the ground floor under a marble sarcophagus, rest the remains of Shipka’s defenders.