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 Darmon_Richter
 
Location: Eastern Europe
 |  |  | Communist Party Headquarters, Buzludzha, Bulgaria, April 2012
< on 4/24/2012 10:23 AM >
|  | | | As far as abandoned Soviet monuments go, this one is a beauty.
It is situated on the peak of Buzludzha in Bulgaria’s Balkan Mountains, and this bizarre structure resembles a giant concrete saucer. At over 100m tall it can be seen for miles in all directions, and was built as the headquarters for the Bulgarian Communist Party in 1981.
This particular site has great significance in Bulgarian history… 12km away at Shipka, there is another monument celebrating the epic Battle of Shipka Pass. When the Russian army rescued Bulgaria from Ottoman rule in the mid-nineteenth century, it was here that a garrison of just 7,500 Russian soldiers and Bulgarian volunteers managed to defend the pass against an army of over 38,000 Turks! It is said that when the Russians ran out of bullets, they had to use their dead comrades as ammunition, hurling them down the mountainside at the approaching invaders.
The Buzludzha monument, or to give it it’s full title, the House-Monument of the Bulgarian Communist Party, was built as a celebration not just of Bulgarian socialism, but also of their appreciation of Russian aid – both in the nineteenth century, and more recently, as the Soviet Union took Bulgaria under its wing. It cost the equivalent of £7,000,000 to build – all collected as ‘donations’ from the people of Bulgaria.
The monolithic saucer is built from vast concrete blocks, and features a number of slogans written in Bulgarian Cyrillic – these are powerful messages of revolution and solidarity, written in an old form of the Bulgarian language. Above the main door, modern graffiti reads: “FORGET YOUR PAST”.
When I visited this site, Spring was just arriving after a long, hard Winter. As a result the building was filled with snow and ice, and the insides echoed with the sound of running water. Climbing the stairs from the entrance hall was a near-death experience, as the concrete steps had become sheer walls of ice and gushing water. Getting out again was even worse…
The main attraction of Buzludzha, however, is the conference chamber. Right in the heart of the monument is a great, round arena, with colourful murals across the walls, along with portraits of famous Communist heroes. Engels, Marx and Lenin are all here, along with a number of members from the Bulgarian Communist Party. In the centre of the ceiling is a massive hammer and sickle, surrounded by Bulgarian text that translates as: “THE PROLETARIATS OF EVERY COUNTRY JOIN TOGETHER!”
In the central chamber the floor had hardened with thick layers of ice, giving it the appearance of a bizarre Soviet ice rink.
After the main chamber, I took the time to explore around the circular wings of the structure, which again were plastered with murals – mostly depicting scenes of labour, the construction of the monument itself, bountiful harvests and victorious battles.
I also managed to find a way deep down into the bowels of the monument. There was a network of pitch-black tunnels here, filled with old boilers, pipes and rusted machinery. Again the floor here was a thick sheet of ice, making movement very slow and treacherous.
When it came to finding a way out again, the slippery steps seemed far too dangerous to walk down. Instead, I ended up sitting on the top step, and sliding all the way to the bottom! Pretty exhilarating, although I did manage to catch my hand on a shard of glass as I whizzed by… nasty.
All in all, this was one of the most amazing explores I’ve had for a long time. Hope you enjoy the photos. I’ve written a longer report too, which goes into more depth over the history of the site, as well as offering translations of all the Socialist slogans, and talking about the possible future of the monument. If you’re interested, you’ll find it on my blog - along with some additional photos, both from my visit, and of how the site looked back at the time of its opening.
Thanks guys, hope you enjoy it.
DR.
Bohemian Urbex: Urban Decay & other curiosities. |
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Loki
 
Location: Melbourne, Australia
Gender: Male
| | Re: Communist Party Headquarters, Buzludzha, Bulgaria, April 2012
<Reply # 1 on 4/24/2012 12:42 PM >
| | | | Awesome photos and write up, great to get read more history on a place I've seen so many photos of.
Wank | Wank | Wank | Wank | Wank | Wank |
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Jack Strathmore
Location: Adrian, MI
Gender: Male
Good friends bail you out of jail....true friends will be with you saying, "Damn, that was fun!
| |  | Re: Communist Party Headquarters, Buzludzha, Bulgaria, April 2012
<Reply # 2 on 4/24/2012 12:46 PM >
| | | | Fucking sweet place! Thanks for sharing!
Jack Strathmore
http://www.flickr....os/jackstrathmore/ |
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Frogster
Location: Mississauga ON
Gender: Male
Either you run the day, or the day runs you!
| | Re: Communist Party Headquarters, Buzludzha, Bulgaria, April 2012
<Reply # 3 on 4/24/2012 10:28 PM >
| | | | That my friend is so fucking sweet. Im lost for words.
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Guerrillaexplorer066
Location: London, UK
| | | Re: Communist Party Headquarters, Buzludzha, Bulgaria, April 2012
<Reply # 4 on 4/24/2012 10:59 PM >
| | | | I think you could have posted this with half the number of photos. Also, where's the shots from the tower? They're the best bit!
Website FB |
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Zero
 
Location: Where the drains are!
Gender: Male
| | Re: Communist Party Headquarters, Buzludzha, Bulgaria, April 2012
<Reply # 5 on 4/25/2012 12:24 AM >
| | | | Posted by Guerrillaexplorer066
I think you could have posted this with half the number of photos. Also, where's the shots from the tower? They're the best bit!
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You are learning the art of trolling well young one. Seems you're taking over from me 
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Guerrillaexplorer066
Location: London, UK
| | | Re: Communist Party Headquarters, Buzludzha, Bulgaria, April 2012
<Reply # 6 on 4/25/2012 1:14 PM >
| | | | Posted by Zero
You are learning the art of trolling well young one. Seems you're taking over from me
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You have my motives confused young 'un, I was merely offering help to someone who appears to be new. I find too many vaguely repetitive photos denigrates the overall value of the post. Also, missing out on the tower views is unforgivable.
Website FB |
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seicer
  
Location: New York
Gender: Male
| | | Re: Communist Party Headquarters, Buzludzha, Bulgaria, April 2012
<Reply # 7 on 4/25/2012 1:57 PM >
| | | | Awesome photographs and awesome history. Thanks for sharing!
Abandoned |
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ue20
Location: Ontario
Gender: Male
| | Re: Communist Party Headquarters, Buzludzha, Bulgaria, April 2012
<Reply # 8 on 4/25/2012 2:20 PM >
| | | | Im drooling a bit, that is awesome!
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cjb
Location: Sept-îles/Saint-John's/Corner Brooks/Montréal/Sydney
Gender: Male
| | | Re: Communist Party Headquarters, Buzludzha, Bulgaria, April 2012
<Reply # 9 on 4/27/2012 11:31 PM >
| | | | First time I hear about this place, do you know if there are any plans to renovate it ?
http://www.magazin...dossiers/index.htm |
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PaleAle
Location: Florida
Gender: Male
| | Re: Communist Party Headquarters, Buzludzha, Bulgaria, April 2012
<Reply # 10 on 6/7/2012 5:41 PM >
| | | | epic beyond words!
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dsankt
Location: live and in the fresh
| |  | | Re: Communist Party Headquarters, Buzludzha, Bulgaria, April 2012
<Reply # 11 on 6/11/2012 10:23 AM >
| | | | Posted by Guerrillaexplorer066
I think you could have posted this with half the number of photos. Also, where's the shots from the tower? They're the best bit!
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++
sleepycity.net: watch out for the third rail baby, that shit is high voltage. urbex and urban exploration photography |
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SinCalRyder
Location: Bakersfield CA
Gender: Male
Less worrying, more exploring!
| | | Re: Communist Party Headquarters, Buzludzha, Bulgaria, April 2012
<Reply # 12 on 6/12/2012 6:16 PM >
| | | | I am really beginning to question why I never check the "world" section of the forum. This is awesome! Thanks for the share, as well as the history lesson. Right to the point, not a long drawn out story, yet full of detail! Good Job!
"Dream as if you'll live forever, Live as if you'll die today"
http://CurtisNoblePhotography.Com |
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G to the Race
Hi!
| | Re: Communist Party Headquarters, Buzludzha, Bulgaria, April 2012
<Reply # 13 on 6/12/2012 6:28 PM >
| | | | Posted by PaleAle
epic beyond words!
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This is truth.
You betcha |
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Elegia
Location: Redondo Beach, CA, SoCal, Los Angeles
Harmony makes small things grow, lack of it makes great things decay. ~Sallust
| | Re: Communist Party Headquarters, Buzludzha, Bulgaria, April 2012
<Reply # 14 on 6/12/2012 7:15 PM >
| | | | This place looks amazing! Thanks for the wonderful descriptions accompanying the photos.
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Darmon_Richter
Location: Eastern Europe
| | | Re: Communist Party Headquarters, Buzludzha, Bulgaria, April 2012
<Reply # 15 on 10/12/2012 1:17 PM >
| | | | Posted by cjb
First time I hear about this place, do you know if there are any plans to renovate it ?
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I actually found an old report on this just the other day -
http://www.dailyma...tain-demolish.html.
It sounds like the cost of renovating it would be crippling, though.
Bohemian Urbex: Urban Decay & other curiosities. |
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