Buzludzha monument

The Buzludzha Monument

The Monument House of the Bulgarian Communist Party (also known as the Buzludzha Monument) was built on Buzludzha Peak by the Bulgarian communist regime. It commemorated the events of 1891, when a group of socialists led by Dimitar Blagoev assembled secretly in the area to form an organised socialist movement that led to the founding of the Bulgarian Social Democratic Party, a forerunner of the Bulgarian Communist Party.

Construction

Construction of the monument began on 23 January 1974 under architect Georgi Stoilov, a former mayor of Sofia and co-founder of the Union of Architects in Bulgaria.[1] Trinitrotoluene (TNT) was used to level the peak into a stable foundation, reducing the mountain's height from 1,441 metres (4,728 feet) to 1,432 metres (4,698 feet).[1] More than 15,000 cubic metres of rock were removed in the process.[1] The monument was built at a cost of 14,186,000 leva, which by today's rates is roughly equivalent to US$35 million.[1]

The building exemplifies the futurist architecture common to many state-constructed communist buildings. It is no longer managed, and is closed to the public as it is considered dangerous.[1]

Mosaics


Inside the building, mosaics that cover approximately 510 square meters of space commemorate the history of the Bulgarian Communist Party. The mosaics were built with 35 tons of cobalt glass. Today 20% of them have been destroyed due to age and vandalism.

On the outer ring of the monument, mosaics were built with natural stones gathered from rivers across Bulgaria. These mosaics have also mostly vanished due to natural causes.

The final mosaic in the building was the communist hammer and sickle encircled by a quote from The Communist Manifesto stating, "Proletarians of all countries, unite!"[2]

Opening ceremony


The monument was opened on 23 August 1981.[3] At the opening ceremony, Bulgarian communist leader Todor Zhivkov announced:

The band Kensington filmed the videoclip for their song Riddles on the monument. Finnish rock band Haloo Helsinki! shot a videoclip featuring the monument for the single "Vihaan kyllästynyt."[4]

The experimental American band Algiers filmed the music video for the single "Irony. Utility. Pretext." from their eponymous album inside the monument in 2015.

The building played a key role in the 2016 film Mechanic: Resurrection.

Travel

Buzludzha can be reached by two side roads from the Shipka Pass:[5] either a 16 km (10 mi) road from Kazanlak in the south or a 12 km (7 mi) road from Gabrovo on the north side of the mountain.

Destroyed Torch Monument

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 buzludzha-monument.com
  2. ↑ "History". The Buzludzha Monument. Retrieved 2017-05-03.
  3. ↑ John D. Bell (1986), The Bulgarian Communist Party from Blagoev to Zhivkov, Hoover Institution Press, p 22
  4. ↑ Rytkönen, Annika (2014-10-03). "Haloo Helsingin uutuusvideo kuvattiin poikkeusluvalla". Iltalehti (in Finnish). Retrieved 2015-07-31.
  5. ↑ The Rough Guide to Bulgaria (2008) ISBN 978-1-85828-068-4 p. 297

Coordinates: 42°44′09″N 25°23′38″E / 42.7358°N 25.3938°E / 42.7358; 25.3938

Bibliography

Adrien Minard, Bouzloudja. Crépuscule d'une utopie, Paris, éditions B2, 2018.

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