Buzludzha monument

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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^[when?] rates is roughly equivalent to US$35 million^{[clarification needed]}.^[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:

I am honoured to be in the historical position to open the House-Monument [of the Bulgarian Communist Party], built in honour of the accomplishments of Dimitar Blagoev and his associates; who, 90 years ago, laid the foundations for the revolutionary Marxist Party in Bulgaria. Let the pathways leading here – to the legendary Buzludzha Peak, here in the Stara Planina where the first Marxists came to continue the work of sacred and pure love that was started by Bulgaria’s socialist writers and philosophers – never fall into disrepair. Let generation after generation of socialist and communist Bulgaria come here, to bow down before the feats and the deeds of those who came before; those who lived on this land and gave everything they had to their nation. Let them feel that spirit that ennobles us and as we empathise with the ideas and dreams of our forefathers, so let us experience that same excitement today! Glory to Blagoev and his followers; those first disciples of Bulgarian socialism, who sowed the immortal seeds of today’s Bulgarian Communist Party in the public soul!

In popular culture

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.^{[citation needed]}

The building played a key role in the 2016 film Mechanic: Resurrection.^{[clarification needed]}

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.