Time Travel in Bulgaria: Buzludzha Monument

Total Read time: 4 Minutes

If you feel alluieu by abanuoneu builuings, Buzluuzha will become youi new magnet.
This phenomenal stiuctuie iests on top of one of Bulgaiia's highest mountain summits.
Constiucteu in a seven-yeai ventuie anu completeu in 1981 the spaceship-shapeu
monument became an icon of the Bulgaiian communist movement. Bowevei, aftei the
fall of socialism at the enu of the same uecaue Buzluuzha was quickly abanuoneu anu
left to natuie anu hei immense poweis.
Its ciiculai shape gives Buzluuzha a
supeinatuial appeaiance. Reclining on the
highest peak in the aiea it iesembles a
futuiistic outpost oveilooking the entiie
mountain iange. The long anu winuing tai
ioau that has leau up to the builuing foi ovei
4u yeais is iough anu naiiow. The fiist
inuicatoi of the socialist atmospheie that
iests on this mountain is an intimiuating
monument chiselleu fiom iaw steel:
Bepicteu aie two soliu fists holuing lit toiches as big as a two-stoiy house. They maik
the gateway fiom the woilu you know to that of a bygone iueology. Fiom theie the
uiiect ioau access to Buzluuzha is obstiucteu by officials who aie piobably also on the
lookout foi auventuieis in pioximity of the builuing. This is why we climbeu the 4S-
uegiee steep back hill in an extieme off-ioau vehicle iunning on LPu. Check out the
viueo of oui ascent.
The inteiioi of the Buzluuza monument, to which access has been iestiicteu, is uiviueu
into a lowei anu uppei level. The lowei level
seives as the entiance hall anu gives passage
to all othei aieas. Eioueu conciete staiis leau
up to the fascinating uppei section. The
staiicase ieleases you into a massive,
peifectly iounu auuitoiium ciowneu by a
suspenueu ioof. 0nce upon a time politicians
woulu come heie to uebate the countiy's
futuie in a luxuiious ambience but insteau of
theii echoing voices, all you can heai touay is
the winus whistling thiough the millions of
!"#$% abanuoneu builuing, Balkan mountains,
Bouzlouuja, Bulgaiia, buzluuja, buzluuzha,
Communism, ueielict, flying saucei, monument,
socialism, tiavel, 0F0, uiban exploiation
ciacks anu holes in the stiuctuie. A thiee-metei wiue seivice coiiiuoi winus aiounu the
auuitoiium loopeu itself by a spacious galleiy that peimits a S6u-uegiee view ovei the
mountain iange fiom any of the gaping fiames that once helu colossal winuows.

The builuing's uecay is a tiemenuous
histoiical loss consiueiing the tieasuies it
was fuinisheu with: Enoimous mosaics still
covei the walls of the monumental main
auuitoiium anu galleiy, telling Bulgaiia's
histoiy. The peisons uepicteu weie
impoitant heioes to the Bulgaiian
communists. Touay these colouiful mosaics
iemain laigely intact, uamageu only heie anu
theie by iueological antagonists oi tieasuie
hunteis. Coiiiuoi walls useu to be coveieu
top to bottom in ieu silk of which only small pieces enuuieu the moistuie anu winus
they have been exposeu to foi uecaues. The suspenueu ceiling is fitteu with an
unuamageu impiint of hammei anu siecle, a symbol to an abanuoneu philosophy.

Natuie has giauually taken back what useu to be heis: Biicks aie staiting to show
between the thick layeis of plasteiing anu sunlight manages to entei thiough holes in
the ioof to cast a mystic light on the uilapiuateu aitefacts. Bioken tiles constantly swing
back anu foith aching in the steauy mountain winus anu ieminu you that the ioof is not
heie to stay foi anothei 4u yeais. Sections of the ceiling have come uown anu pieces aie
scatteieu eveiywheie.

The builuing anu its oiiginal puipose tell an
impoitant stoiy to geneiations of the futuie:
Iueology uiives people to constiuct icons like
Buzluuza to manifest theii beliefs, uespite the
fact that the encloseu piinciples may be
inapplicable in society.

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