Do you know that the National Palace of Culture in Sofia was built in 1981 as a part of a huge campaign dedicated to the anniversary of 1300 years since Bulgaria was founded as a country here on the Balkans back in 681? Indeed this anniversary was a really remarkable event in the country.
Apart from the National Palace of Culture there are two really significant pieces of architecture built exactly in 1981. These are the “1300 years” monument in Shumen and Bulzludzha monument.
This blog post is dedicated to one of them – the Buzludzha monument.
The construction of the Buzludzha house-monument of the Bulgarian Communist Party has its foundations in the heart of Stara Planina at Hadzhi Dimitar mountain peak (a.k.a Buzludzha peak).
This peak has a historical significance for several reasons that are closely connected to important moments in Bulgarian history. On the same peak on 10 August 1868 during a battle with the Ottoman forces died Hadzhi Dimitar, considered as a Bulgarian national hero and one of the most famous Bulgarian revolutionaries fighting against the Ottoman rule.
During the Russian-Turkish war in 1877-1878 the defence of Shipka pass happened 10 kilometres away from Buzludzha peak and was one of the decisive battles during the war.
One of the main reasons for Buzludzha memorial house to be built here is because it was constructed in honour of the Buzludzha congress held in 1891 and that gave the beginning of the Communist ideology in Bulgaria.
Though the decision for the construction of Buzludzha monument dates back to 1971 it started to be built in 1974. The official opening ceremony of the monument took place on 23 August 1981 and was led by the Bulgarian communist leader Todor Zhivkov.
Postcard with a view towards Buzludzha monument, “Septemvri” Bulgaria
This is one of the iconic and quite impressive buildings built during the communist regime in Bulgaria. It was built for a short period of time of 7 years. Approximately 6000 people were involved in the heavy construction works including volunteers, soldiers, architects, engineers, artists and sculptors. The building both from the inside and outside implied the greatness of the achievements of the Bulgarian Communist party. Indoors in the shape of mosaics were depicted historical figures and scenes related to the Communist era.
For the period of 8 years between 1981 and 1989 the Buzludzha monument was opened for visitors functioning as a political museum and ceremonial venue and was visited by 2 million people.
At the end of 1989 right after the fall of the communist regime in Bulgaria the Buzludzha monument was abandoned and has been falling apart for the last couple decades.
Nowadays if you want to visit the remains of this piece of architecture it is important to mention that the monument is completely closed for visitors.
Buzludzha monument was enrolled in the list of the seven most famous and endangered sites for 2018 selected by Europe Nostra, the largest European non-governmental organisation for the protection of cultural heritage.
The connection between the past and the future
Despite the fact that Buzludzha memorial house is closed for visitors now, a good reason and occasion to get there is OPEN BUZLUDZHA 2024. From 08 August to 11 August, Open Buzludzha Festival takes place in front of the Buzludzha monument and on the meadow next to the Buzludzha hut. You can read more about the 2024 edition of Open Buzludzha Festival in the next TRIPSTOTAKE.