Buzludzha, the abandoned communist UFO in Bulgaria
Posted by Ra Moon
Who would think of building a giant circular pavilion with a capacity for thousands of people at the top of a mountain range, over 1,400 meters high?
The dreams of grandeur of the Soviets have left thousands of rare monuments scattered throughout the territories that one day formed the hermetic Eastern Bloc. Today we approach one of the most remarkable of them all: Buzludzha.
The dreams of grandeur of the Soviets have left thousands of rare monuments scattered throughout the territories that one day formed the hermetic Eastern Bloc. Today we approach one of the most remarkable of them all: Buzludzha.
Something so unique has not stopped firing the imagination of the few visitors who come here. When the snow covers the peaks of the Balkan mountains, this mass of concrete looks like a rebel base on the planet Hoth from the Empire Strikes Back. Also, it could be the fortress of the bad guy of any 007 film.
The fact is that this relatively contemporary building (opened in 1981), seems to have its days numbered. The country could restore and use it as a top tourist attraction.
However, during a time, only illegal scrap dealers were interested in recovering the metallic framework, leaving the structure at the mercy of the elements.
Today, there is some hope for the complex, as since 2020 an international team has been restoring the red colosseum.
Image KamrenB Photography
The decision to build this memorial was made in 1971. The rulers of the country wanted to celebrate the foundation of the Bulgarian Social Democratic Party, which took place after a secret meeting in these mountains in the late 19th century.
Now repairing the monument costs millions that nobody in Bulgaria is able or willing to afford.
Image Lisa
The complex has a tower 70 meters high and this corridor with large windows overlooking the magnificent landscape. As you can see, now it's also overlooking the sky. Image KamrenB Photography
Top artists worked on the extensive mosaics covering the walls.
Image KamrenB Photography
(Don't) forget your past. Do not be ignorant: Who forgets the past is condemned to repeat it.
Image KamrenB Photography
Cyrillic alphabet soup. After all, Buzludzha is like the religious shrines, which are also raised in the most unlikely places. Image KamrenB Photography
From the air, you can see the gaping holes in the roof of the temple of a despised ideology.
Image by Chris Kuklok
If the main dome collapses, this could be the end of an architectural ensemble that could have been added to the UNESCO heritage list. Image KamrenB Photography
Better days. This is one of the few images available from when Buzludzha was the pride of the Communist Party.
Inside, socialist realism mixed with a futuristic look Space Odyssey style, or in this case rather like Tarkovsky's Solaris. Image БКП
At the launch pad. Buzludzha was the inspiration for a filming location featured in the 2016 movie Mechanic: Resurrection. Image Michael Kötter
Ra Moon
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awesome pictures
ReplyDeleteDefinitely a place to be visited in near future, as it is slowly falling apart.
ReplyDeleteThe concrete will stay, but the ceiling is already gone, and this speed up the degrading of the interior.
Unfortunately, there is absolutely no way government will fix it.
shame, such work (independent of ideology which you may approve or likely not) should be retained, for future generations to judge and remember.
ReplyDeleteWhere in Varna is it and how do you get there?
ReplyDeleteAll comments are reviewed prior to publication