Time Travel in Bulgaria: Buzludzha Monument
Total Read time: 4 Minutes
If you feel allured by abandoned buildings, Buzludzha will become your new magnet. This phenomenal structure rests on top of one of Bulgaria’s highest mountain summits. Constructed in a seven-‐year venture and completed in 1981 the spaceship-‐shaped monument became an icon of the Bulgarian communist movement. However, after the fall of socialism at the end of the same decade Buzludzha was quickly abandoned and left to nature and her immense powers.
Its circular shape gives Buzludzha a supernatural appearance. Reclining on the highest peak in the area it resembles a futuristic outpost overlooking the entire mountain range. The long and winding tar road that has lead up to the building for over 40 years is rough and narrow. The first indicator of the socialist atmosphere that rests on this mountain is an intimidating monument chiselled from raw steel:
Depicted are two solid fists holding lit torches as big as a two-‐story house. They mark the gateway from the world you know to that of a bygone ideology. From there the direct road access to Buzludzha is obstructed by officials who are probably also on the lookout for adventurers in proximity of the building. This is why we climbed the 45-‐degree steep back hill in an extreme off-‐road vehicle running on LPG. Check out the video of our ascent.
The interior of the Buzludza monument, to which access has been restricted, is divided into a lower and upper level. The lower level serves as the entrance hall and gives passage to all other areas. Eroded concrete stairs lead up to the fascinating upper section. The staircase releases you into a massive, perfectly round auditorium crowned by a suspended roof. Once upon a time politicians would come here to debate the country’s future in a luxurious ambience but instead of their echoing voices, all you can hear today is the winds whistling through the millions of
Tags: abandoned building, Balkan mountains, Bouzloudja, Bulgaria, buzludja, buzludzha, Communism, derelict, flying saucer, monument, socialism, travel, UFO, urban exploration
cracks and holes in the structure. A three-‐meter wide service corridor winds around the auditorium looped itself by a spacious gallery that permits a 360-‐degree view over the mountain range from any of the gaping frames that once held colossal windows.
The building’s decay is a tremendous historical loss considering the treasures it was furnished with: Enormous mosaics still cover the walls of the monumental main auditorium and gallery, telling Bulgaria’s history. The persons depicted were important heroes to the Bulgarian communists. Today these colourful mosaics remain largely intact, damaged only here and there by ideological antagonists or treasure hunters. Corridor walls used to be covered
top to bottom in red silk of which only small pieces endured the moisture and winds they have been exposed to for decades. The suspended ceiling is fitted with an undamaged imprint of hammer and siecle, a symbol to an abandoned philosophy. Nature has gradually taken back what used to be hers: Bricks are starting to show between the thick layers of plastering and sunlight manages to enter through holes in the roof to cast a mystic light on the dilapidated artefacts. Broken tiles constantly swing back and forth aching in the steady mountain winds and remind you that the roof is not here to stay for another 40 years. Sections of the ceiling have come down and pieces are scattered everywhere. The building and its original purpose tell an important story to generations of the future: Ideology drives people to construct icons like Buzludza to manifest their beliefs, despite the fact that the enclosed principles may be inapplicable in society. Do you have your own urban exploration experience to share? Find us on Facebook or Twitter and support our project:
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