The Buzludzha monument is one of the most emblematic and significant buildings of post-war modernism in Bulgaria and Europe. It was built in 1981 and abandoned in the 90s, as it represents the previous socialist period. Over 70,000 tons of concrete, 3,000 tons of steel, and 40,000 tons of glass were invested in the construction of the largest ideological monument of communism in the Balkans. The “Buzludzha” monument was erected in the geographical center of Bulgaria – Mount Hadzhi Dimitar in Stara Planina. It was abandoned in 1990.
Since then, the House of the Bulgarian Communist Party, which many people liken to a flying saucer, has been collapsing. A large part of the roof is missing. Rain and snow damage the structure and mosaics, but the gray concrete of the communist UFO attracts thousands of lovers of extreme “dark” tourism.
The rocky peak, 1441 meters high, is accessible by an asphalt road, but due to the climatic features of the area, it is cold, windy and inhospitable for most of the year. The fog additionally creates a sense of something mysterious and scary. All the signs in the area say that the site is dangerous and closed to visitors. However, this does not refuse the thrill seekers who try to sneak into it.
“The first time is always very impressive. For a moment you lose your breath. It is so impressive, extremely impressive! There is adrenaline, of course,” says arch. Dobrin Tsvetkov, member of the team for preservation and management of the monument of Buzludzha.
And when they are inside… they can easily see the sky. The sheet metal from the roof has long been missing, and the few remaining are corroded and barely holding on. In windy weather, they make eerie noises and make the experience even more scary and reminiscent of a horror movie. The huge hall with a diameter of 60 meters has long been destroyed. The stairs and corridors are dilapidated. The windows are broken. The mosaics have been dug up, the walls scratched with graffiti.
Mass people liken the monument to a flying saucer. According to the architectural design, however, it is a sacrificial tray and a column symbolizing an unfurled flag and a wreath in honor of the Bulgarian Communist Party.
“The idea of building a Memorial House of the BKP began to be discussed among the leadership of the party in the mid-1950s. In 1959, the National Park “Buzludzha” was created, which was supposed to preserve the beautiful nature and memories for the feat of Hadzhi Dimitar, the Constituent Congress of the BSDP and for a battle of the Gabrovo-Sevlievo partisan detachment from the winter of 1943,” says the director of the Shipka-Buzludzha National Park-Museum, Dr. Chavdar Angelov.
Thousands of active fighters, party members, strikers of socialist labor and foreign guests from other communist countries arrived for the opening of the Buzludzha monument. The monument is becoming a popular destination, but access to it is not easy. It is mandatory for visitors to obtain permission from the directorate in Kazanlak. A policeman checks the pass at the foot of the monument and, if everything is in order, a guard escorts people to the entrance.
“You walked up the stairs, where there were incredible bronze sculptures. After entering the building, visitors had to leave their outerwear, bags and cameras in a wardrobe. It was very difficult to take photos by random people. And if you want to go by the side of the monument, immediately a policeman comes and tells you: “Ya, you better go home!”, recalls the director of the Museum of Photography in Kazanlak, Stefan Papukchiev.
“The mosaics are the only thing that remains of the decoration of the monument. Indeed, there were many people who collected parts not only of the mosaic, but also of the monument – either as a memory or for some other purpose. I personally was quite surprised to I hear how even modern artists have gone to collect tesserae to make their own mosaics, which is very strange indeed. How can one artist encroach on another artist’s work to make his own work,” says Ch. assistant professor Dr. Nikifor Haralampiev from the “Restoration” department of the National Academy of Arts.
During the last 30 years, Buzludzha has been a scene of social dialogue. At first it was vandalized by anti-communists, then the curious came to look at the ruins, and lately the nostalgic ones have also appeared. Among them is an unknown 3D artist who recreates the image of Todor Zhivkov in the mosaic.
Europe Nostra, the largest European non-governmental organization for the protection of cultural heritage, included the socialist monument in the list of the seven most famous and endangered sites. For years, the BKP Monument House has been in the top ranking of the most beautiful abandoned places in the world.
“This monument is highly valued by Germans and other people in Europe who want it to be restored and protected,” says the deputy mayor of the Kazanlak municipality, Lilia Tsonkova.
The monument is the most impressive material creation of socialism, says architect Dora Ivanova, founder of the “Project Buzludzha” foundation. The young lady graduated with honors from the Technical University of Berlin, where she defended her diploma thesis on “Buzludzha”. Now arch. Dora Ivanova has taken up the mission to stop the destruction of the monument. She is the initiator of numerous conferences, exhibitions, presentations, discussions and meetings with the media.
The first success was when the American Getty Foundation showed interest in Buzludzha, which granted 185,000 dollars. With this money, an international team dealing with the House Monument of the BKP was created.
“The second funding we are extremely happy to work with, again from the Getty Foundation, is for the preservation and stabilization of the mosaics in the building. It is worth $60,000. With it, last year we first collected all the pebbles that were fell out. We archived them, preserved them. Then we cleaned the main spaces of the building for the first time. Then we worked with a team of 18 restorers on all the mosaic surfaces. And we built a canopy, a protective canopy to stop water and icing over the mosaics of the inner circle” , says arch. Dora Ivanova, quoted by Bulgaria On Air.
At the end of 2022, the project “Securing and Providing Temporary Visitor Access” was completed. But t
he Buzludzha monument didn’t open its doors in 2023. Currently, Buzludzha is under the management of the Stara Zagora Regional Administration, which organized the security of the site and assisted The Buzludzha Project Foundation in all field activities. The change of management positions in the Regional Administration and the Ministry of Culture, due to the parliamentary elections, led to delay and waiting. It became clear that the Regional Administration could not open the building.
Traditionally, regional governments are not institutions whose functions, duties, and rights include the running of cultural heritage sites. Buzludzha Project Foundation can do it if they are given this right. This turned out to be not so simple.
The inclusion of non-governmental organizations in the management of cultural heritage sites is a standard practice in many European countries, but for now, in Bulgaria, there are no such cases. The foundation keeps working because they realize how important it is to untangle this knot and create a working example that is useful for other objects as well.
Photos by The Buzludzha Project Foundation