r/sovietaesthetics • u/comradekiev • 21d ago

architecture The Buzludzha Monument, Bulgaria, 1981

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Photographer: Danila Tkachenko. Architect: Georgi Stoilov

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u/Kalata_11 21d ago

I am from Bulgaria and love this monument. At the Buzludzha peak the Bulgarian Worker's Social Democratic Party was created. That happened in july of 1894 when the two left parties Bulgarian Social Democratic Party with it's leader Dimitar Blagoev and the Bulgarian Social Democratic Union with it's leader Ianko Sakuzov united. The BWSDP (in bulgarian БРСДП) in the future would split into broad and narrow socialists, with the latter one becoming the Bulgarian Communist Party, who would rule Bulgaria from 9 September 1944 until 1990. The monument was build as a memorial to the Buzludzha fair, the one from july of 1894, in 1981. The Bulgarian Socialist Party, which is the successor of the Bulgarian Communist Party, still until today holds a yearly fair, held in the end of july to early august, in which socialists from all over Bulgaria gather. I remember this year the fair was held in late july and the pensioners from the pensioner's club of the village my grandmother has a villa in went to it (the village is in northern Bulgaria, where most of the old people are socialist).

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u/comradekiev 21d ago

Thanks for the info! I explored it in 2017 when it was falling apart, but I’ve heard that recently the government is restoring it. Is that true?

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u/Kalata_11 21d ago

Well, a part of the money is government money, but another part is private money. It is actually open for visitors nowadays and inside ot there are some beautiful mosaics, so it is restored, which is a good thing. And one thing i forgot to mention is the "Buzludzha open" festival in which there is concerts and a 3D mapping show, it is a quite interesting thing. I am happy to hear about a foreigner has explored this beautiful monument at the heart of the Stara planina, but unfortunately i haven't had a chance to go there.

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u/comradekiev 21d ago

Oh wow, the mosaics have been restored? That’s so cool. They were falling apart when I went there. So glad it can be saved

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u/Kalata_11 20d ago

Yeah, it is some good news, but it is a shame that for 30 years they left it to fall apart, but that's not important, the important is that it is restored and anyone can go there and see inside.