Buzludzha…..The House-Monument of the Bulgarian Communist Party

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In 1891, as the last of the Turks were being expelled from Bulgaria after 500 years of Ottoman rule, it was here on Mount Buzludzha that socialist revolutionaries such as Dimitar Blagoev met secretly to lay the foundations for the Bulgarian Social-Democratic Workers’ Party – a precursor for the Bulgarian Communist Party.

The House-Monument of the Bulgarian Communist Party sits on the peak of Mount Buzludzha, at an altitude of 1441m, and 12km away from the Shipka Pass. Here, in temperatures as low as minus 30 degrees, a garrison of 7,500 Bulgarians and Russians successfully repelled 38,000 marauding Turks in 1877, during the epic Battle of Shipka Pass. Now abandoned, the site has become something of a Mecca for urban exploration in Bulgaria.

The House-Monument of the Bulgarian Communist Party was opened 90 years later in 1981, to commemorate both the 1878 liberation from Turkish rule, and the 1944 victory against Hitler’s fascist domination of the country. It was also to serve as headquarters for the Bulgarian Communist Party, who were keen to associate themselves with the nation’s historic heroes.

Construction of the striking monument cost in excess of 16,000,000 Bulgarian Levs – that’s almost $12,000,000.00 Canadian  at today’s exchange rates. The majority of this money came in the form of suggested donations, collected from the Bulgarian people by state officials. There are more than 150 Soviet monuments scattered across the country, but Buzludzha is by far the largest – and the most extravagant – of them all.

The saucer-shaped monument rises to a height of 107m, and was designed by the architect Georgi Stoilov. More than 60 Bulgarian artists collaborated on the design of murals for the site, and thousands of ‘volunteers’ were involved in the construction process. The Soviet star which adorns the tower of Buzludzha was three times larger than that at the Kremlin, and in its heyday, the site was considered one of the greatest icons of the communist world.

Bulgarian Communism came to an end in 1989 and the monument at Buzludzha, being the property of the communist party, was inherited by the state in 1991. This site has been left to decay. The damage that has been allowed to happen to the site, the results of poor maintenance and an inhospitable setting, is bordering on irreparable. However, there are those who would like to see the Buzludzha monument returned to its former glory. Considering the present condition and the original cost this would be a daunting task.

Buzludzha, The House-Monument of the Bulgarian Communist Party in the distance and a Soviet Monument in the foreground, There are over 100 of these monuments scatterd throughout Bulgaria.

Buzludzha, The House-Monument of the Bulgarian Communist Party in the distance and a Soviet Monument in the foreground, There are over 150 of these monuments scattered throughout Bulgaria.

A long path with many steps leads up from the parking lot to the monument.

A long path with many steps leads up from the parking lot to the monument.

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The monument can also be accessed from the opposite side. There is a road that leads up to the main entrance steps.

 

Although many letters are now missing this says..... “ON YOUR FEET DESPISED COMRADES ON YOUR FEET YOU SLAVES OF LABOUR! DOWNTRODDEN AND HUMILIATED STAND UP AGAINST THE ENEMY! LET US WITHOUT MERCY, WITHOUT FORGIVENESS YES, WE TAKE DOWN THE OLD, ROTTEN SYSTEM… WORKING MEN WORKING WOMEN FROM ALL COUNTRIES COME TOGETHER FORWARDS! COMRADES WITHOUT FEAR BUILD STRONG OUR GREAT DEEDS! TO WORK AND TO CREATE…”

Although many letters are now missing this says…..
“ON YOUR FEET
DESPISED COMRADES
ON YOUR FEET YOU SLAVES OF LABOUR!
DOWNTRODDEN AND HUMILIATED
STAND UP AGAINST THE ENEMY!
LET US WITHOUT MERCY, WITHOUT FORGIVENESS
YES, WE TAKE DOWN THE OLD, ROTTEN SYSTEM…
WORKING MEN
WORKING WOMEN
FROM ALL COUNTRIES COME TOGETHER
FORWARDS! COMRADES WITHOUT FEAR
BUILD STRONG OUR GREAT DEEDS!
TO WORK AND TO CREATE…”

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We walked around the outside looking for a way in as we could see others already inside.

 

At the base of the tower was the wall art.

At the base of the tower was this wall art.

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If you look closely there is a man standing on the railing at the top of the tower.

Eventually we found a small 2 x 2 opening that we were able to crawl through.

Eventually we found a small 2 x 2 opening that we were able to crawl through. (View from the inside)

Once in the main chamber the former magnificence of this building is reavealed, although todays condition is a far cry from what it looked like in 1981.

Once in the main chamber the former magnificence of this building is revealed, although todays condition is a far cry from what it looked like in 1981.

The Hammer and Sickle in the center of the dome is surrounded bt the words.... “THE PROLETARIATS OF EVERY COUNTRY JOIN TOGETHER”

The Hammer and Sickle in the center of the dome is surrounded by the words….
“THE PROLETARIATS OF EVERY COUNTRY JOIN TOGETHER”

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These walls are covered with millions of 1 x 1 inch mosaics made of what appeared to be glass.

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From left to right the images depict Engels, Marx and, of course, Lenin.

Meanwhile, taking pride of place on the wall behind the prime council seats, there appear another three portraits. The image on the left has been removed with painstaking care, and would appear to have been a likeness of Todor Zhivkov – communist president of the People’s Republic of Bulgaria from 1954 until 1989.

Meanwhile, taking pride of place on the wall behind the prime council seats, there appear another three portraits.

The image on the left has been removed with painstaking care, and would appear to have been a likeness of Todor Zhivkov – communist president of the People’s Republic of Bulgaria from 1954 until 1989. Towards the end of his career, Zhivkov is criticised with having allowed the country to slump into a stagnating economic crisis, and failing to deal with the protests of his citizens; this is one explanation for the removal of his face. Another story has it that he ordered his own face removed in 1991, in an effort to distance himself from the collapsing Soviet regime.

Placed centrally, Dimitar Blagoev was an idealist and philosopher, often credited as the founder of Bulgarian socialism, and later a key figure in the communist party of Bulgaria. A statue of him marks the turning to Buzludzha, from the main road south of the mountains.

Finally, on the far right we have Georgi Dimitrov. Another Bulgarian Communist politician, Dimitrov led the People’s Republic of Bulgaria in the early years, from 1946 to 1949.

Canada EH !

Canada EH !

Around the outside of the main hall are more mossaics, thses are mad from multi-coloured stones from Bulgaria.

Around the outside of the main hall are more mosaics, these are made from multi-coloured stone from Bulgaria.

It was interesting to see how the design had been laid out before placing the tiles.

It was interesting to see how the design had been laid out before placing the tiles.

Some of the colourful murals show scenes of labour and the construction of the monument itself, while others depict wars and harvests.

Some of the colourful murals show scenes of labour and the construction of the monument itself, while others depict wars and harvests.

Andrei had visited Buzludzha many years ago. At that time it was in much better shape than it is today. There were even a few red chairs left that the members of the Bulgarian Communist party once sat on. There used to be an elevator to access the top of the tower, however that is no longer an option. We managed to find the stairs that go up the inside of the tower. As we were not prepared with adequate lighting we decided to forgo the tough climb up the steels steps to the top, a 110 plus meter climb. The effort to visit this place was well worth it, one gets a very good idea of how those in power took advantage of the masses to bath themselves in luxurious surroundings. This still goes on today in many places around the world!

All images used on this page are the property of and Copyright © 2015 Wayne Parks, and as such, may not be used in any way without the express written consent of Wayne Parks.

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