Buzludzha

Buzludzha is a dilapidated memorial on one of the peaks of the Balkan Mountains, dedicated to the military confrontation between Bulgaria and the Ottoman Empire and the birth of the Bulgarian Communist Party. For more than half a century, the mountain has been named after the revered Bulgarian military commander Hadji Dimitra.

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Video: Buzludzha

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Highlights

In 1868, a small group of Bulgarians fighting the Turks died heroically in this place. Five years later, the revolutionary and poet Hristo Botev wrote a poem about the tragic death of the Bulgarian governor and the people loyal to him. The Buzludzha Memorial was erected in 1981 and was revered by Bulgarian communists as one of the most significant shrines. It was created to connect the communist regime existing in those years with the country’s centuries-long history.

The Buzludzha project turned out to be quite expensive and, in addition to the monument on the mountain, included the construction of roads and the erection of campgrounds, cottages and dachas. Nowadays the memorial on the mountain is looted and broken. Most Bulgarians who were born after 1989, when Eastern Europe changed its political course, know nothing about Buzludzha.

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A ruinized building in the form of a flying saucer, 12 meters high, has been preserved on the summit. Bulgarians call it “Chiniyata” or “Dish.” Inside you can see a ruined hall, broken stained glass windows and crumbled mosaic panels. Through the holes in the ceiling, the sky shines through. The building offers great views of the surrounding peaks and valleys. Basejumpers and skydivers often climb the high stele near the “saucer” and make dizzying jumps from there.

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These days, Buzludzha has become a reminder of the bygone communist regime. Patriots and historians come here to honor the memory of Bulgarians who died in 1868. In addition, reconstructions of the historic battle are organized near the monument every year, with the participation of members of military history clubs in Bulgaria.

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History of Buzludzha

In the summer of 1868, a Bulgarian detachment led by Stefan Karadzha and Hadji Dimitra came to the mountains. For a long time the Bulgarians fought heavy battles with the well-armed Turks and under the onslaught of the enemy were forced to retreat. Bashibuzuks surrounded them on the top of Buzludzha. The Turkish detachment numbered 700 men, and they were opposed by 30 Bulgarians. For several hours Chetniks of the voivode Hadji Dimitra tried to shoot back from the enemies, but the forces were unequal, and all Bulgarians were killed.

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When the bloody battle was over, the Ottoman Turks began to challenge each other for the right to behead Bulgarians and strip them of their uniforms. The inhabitants of Kazanlak with difficulty managed to ask the Turkish authorities to bury their compatriots and hold a funeral service for the remains of the soldiers according to Christian customs. The funeral of the heroes took place on August 2, the day of the memory of Elijah the Prophet.

In 1891, the Bulgarian leftist movement was born on the mountain. Twenty delegates from different cities gathered on Buzludzha. They held a congress and founded the Social Democratic Party, which later reformed into the country’s Communist Party.

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Communist Memorial

The construction of the monument to the height of 1441 meters above sea level began in 1974 under the direction of the famous Bulgarian architect Georgi Stoilov. Sixty painters and sculptors, as well as about 6,000 workers took part in the decoration of the building’s interiors. The Buzludzha Memorial cost 25 million leva, 16.2 million of which were voluntary donations from Bulgarian citizens. The grand opening of the memorial house took place in 1981, when the 1300th anniversary of the formation of the Bulgarian state was celebrated.

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For almost two decades Buzludzha served as the “temple” of the Bulgarian Communist Party. Here they held mass political events and celebrated state holidays. On the mountain accepted into the Pioneers and handed out Komsomol badges. In Buzludzha became candidates for membership in the Communist Party and congratulated advanced workers and veterans of labor.

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In order to allow residents of the surrounding towns and villages, tourists and visitors to reach the memorial, free buses ran from Gabrovo, Kazanlak and Stara Zagora to the summit. In addition, people were attracted to Buzludzha by active street trading. During celebrations, stalls were set up on the mountain selling chocolate, sweets, drinks, beer and barbecue at lower prices than in ordinary Bulgarian stores.

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The fate of the memorial since the 1990s

Almost 20 years after its opening, the monument on the mountain was abandoned. This happened after the communist regime in the country ceased to exist. What had long been considered “holy” turned out to be of no use to anyone. The red star that used to crown the majestic building was torn down by helicopter.

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Year after year the Buzludzha memorial was destroyed under the influence of time and the forces of nature. And after a decade and a half or two decades, everything that had been built was reduced to rubble – an unsightly pile of reinforced concrete. Looters looted power cables and valuable finishing materials – brass, copper, bronze, gold-plated parts, aluminum, granite, labradorite and marble. Communist dachas and tourist resorts were privatized and handed over to private individuals and tourist firms.

The barbaric treatment of Buzludzha was determined by the dissatisfaction of Bulgarians with the Communist Party, which promised them paradise on earth, but built a harsh authoritarian regime. No funds were allocated for the maintenance of the monument, as post-communist Bulgaria had enough other worries than the big “flying saucer” in the Balkan Mountains.

In 2011, by decision of the country’s authorities, the Socialist Party became the owner of the memorial, and today its members are making plans to rebuild Buzludzha and dream of restoring the destroyed memorial to its former glory. However, there is not a single state institution in the country interested in realizing this utopian idea.

Video: Buzludzha in winter

What you can see on the mountain today

The entrance to the main building is covered with bars and the words “Forget your past” are written above it in red paint. The outside and inside of the building is mottled with graffiti, and everywhere you can see trash and signs warning in Bulgarian that it is dangerous to move around the facility. But despite the barriers, many amateur photographers and adventurers still climb into the dilapidated hall through a hole in the wall.

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On the walls inside there are fragments of mosaics depicting the leaders of the Communist Parties of the USSR and Bulgaria. Large portraits of Lenin, Stalin and Brezhnev can be seen here. Next to them are the faces of Dimitri Blagoev and Georgi Dimitrov. The portraits of the leader of the Bulgarian Communist Party Todor Zhivkov and his daughter Lyudmila Zhivkova are completely destroyed. It is believed that somewhere in the house buried a capsule, where the address of the Bulgarian Communists to descendants is placed.

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On the dilapidated ceiling of the great hall, images of a sickle and hammer have been preserved, as well as a call to unite the proletariat from different countries, written in Bulgarian.

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How to get there

Buzludzha is located 12 km from the Shipka Pass. Flight buses only go to the nearest village of Shipka, so it is impossible to get to the memorial itself by public transportation. Most tourists get to the mountain by sightseeing buses, cabs or rented cars. A good quality serpentine road leads up to the top.

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