UER Store order your copy of Access All Areas today! Activity 338 online Server Time: 2024-04-16 17:47:48 Visit Infiltration Access All Areas AvBrand

UER Forum > Archived World > Socialist School, Bulgaria, April 2012 (Viewed 747 times) Darmon_Richter  Location: Eastern Europe  |  |  Socialist School, Bulgaria, April 2012 < on 6/21/2012 4:12 AM >   This school was built in 1943, and at the time it represented a revolution in its approach to teaching. It embraced the philosophies of the Bulgarian Socialist Movement (which later developed into the Bulgarian Communist Party), and in addition to boasting more classrooms and equipment than any other school in the area, the site also featured Bulgaria's first ever teacher-training college. In the picture below, it's the huge yellow building right in the town centre. However, as communism swept across Bulgaria, the state began to do away with such elaborate buildings, rehousing its institutions in more practical, and more easily-maintained concrete shells. By the end of the 1970s the school was abandoned altogether. Nowadays the school exists in a strange kind of limbo - it's by far the most famous building in town, and a well-loved, prominent landmark on the skyline. However, while the council pay for annual repairs and decoration to keep the exterior looking presentable, the insides of the building have been left to rot. I managed to get in at the back of the building, waiting patiently until the coast was clear before climbing down a shaft that led to the basement windows. I entered through a small storeroom at the back, which opened out onto the main assembly hall. The school spread across three main floors, in addition to a large attic space. The halls and classrooms inside have been painted in a range of gaudy, neon colours, which contrast dramatically with the crumbling plaster and general state of disrepair. From the size of the halls, the elaborate decor and the hand-carved stone staircase, it is clear that the building was very much loved at one time... but after decades of neglect, much of the interior structure now seems beyond repair. There were a few surprises lurking inside the building... the mummified remains of a stray cat in one room, and in another, a recently made bed - complete with wardrobe, a makeshift bench and an ashtray on the table. It seems that even now the school provides a home to someone. Another room was filled from wall to wall with dried plants - I was told that a food processing company once leased the school as a place to dry herbs over the winter, but this project was abandoned in mid-progress, and the vegetation was left here to rot. The attic - reached by a treacherous metal walkway extending up from the top of the stone steps - also contained a few unexpected treasures. A giant red star had been stored here, a decoration brought out for communist holidays, along with a number of wooden plaques. One commemorated the Bulgarian Socialist Revolution, of September 9th 1944. Two others bore further Socialist slogans... pictured here is a quote from Dimitrov, Bulgaria's first communist ruler. It translates as: “By his own talent and the character of his own artistic struggle Smirnenski is our Mayakovsky.” Here Smirnenski, a beloved Bulgarian poet who supported the socialist movement, is being compared to the famous Russian writer Mayakovsky. The basic message here is that life may be hard, but our struggle brings us closer in kinship to Russia... I hope people enjoy these photos... if you want to see more, or to read more about the history of the site and the various other treasures it contained, then check out the full report at: http://bohemian-bl...ialist-school.html. Cheers! DR. Bohemian Urbex: Urban Decay & other curiosities. Kurt  Location: Taxachusetts Gender: Male NEVER SAY DEVER!  |  |  Re: Socialist School, Bulgaria, April 2012 <Reply # 1 on 6/24/2012 3:46 PM >   awesome set with a cool history! i need to come to Bulgaria! "What is your favorite thing about Belchertown?" "...the history, man" Darmon_Richter  Location: Eastern Europe  |  |  Re: Socialist School, Bulgaria, April 2012 <Reply # 2 on 6/30/2012 4:53 AM >   Thanks, glad you liked it! I would definitely recommend Bulgaria, if you ever fancy a trip somewhere a bit different... it's urbex heaven. Bohemian Urbex: Urban Decay & other curiosities. Maglyte   |  Re: Socialist School, Bulgaria, April 2012 <Reply # 3 on 7/1/2012 1:56 AM >   maybe you entertain visitor? mmmm. mandias....... Darmon_Richter  Location: Eastern Europe  |  |  Re: Socialist School, Bulgaria, April 2012 <Reply # 4 on 7/15/2012 5:58 PM >   Posted by Maglyte maybe you entertain visitor? If you're serious about visiting Bulgaria, send me a message... there's a link to my blog in my signature, and you can send me an email through the 'contact' page. Bohemian Urbex: Urban Decay & other curiosities. UER Forum > Archived World > Socialist School, Bulgaria, April 2012 (Viewed 747 times) All content and images copyright © 2002-2024 UER.CA and respective creators. Graphical Design by Crossfire. To contact webmaster, or click to email with problems or other questions about this site: UER CONTACT View Terms of Service | View Privacy Policy | Server colocation provided by Beanfield This page was generated for you in 93 milliseconds. Since June 23, 2002, a total of 738276928 pages have been generated.