Bulgaria: Mountain roads and monuments [Part C']

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The definition of a pattern is someone or something used as a model to make a copy, a design, or an expected action. I consider myself a creature of habit, so, following the pattern of my previous rides [Part A’] – [Part B’] in Bulgaria, i rode my motorcycle on small mountain roads and visited important historical monuments and buildings from my favorite material, concrete. With this third part i wish to complete my trilogy for Bulgaria, by covering mainly the regions of Black Sea and Shumen.

Bulgaria: Mountain roads and monuments [Part C']

Day 1 [434 km]

I departed from Thessaloniki, Greece and as i was aiming to reach the Black Sea, i entered Turkey and spent a night in Edirne.

Day 2 [332 km]

Leaving Edirne, i was soon to Bulgarian borders near Lesovo and i followed the provincial roads 7 and 7072 to reach Chargan. There, on Druzhba peak (497,8m.), allowing spectacular views to the city of Yambol and the valley of Tundzha river, i found the «Bakadzhik Monument».

Built in 1987 and some 37 meters tall, this monument is celebrating the 1300 years of Bulgarian state foundation or the 110 years of the Liberation from Ottoman Turkish occupation.

The 32 tons bronze figures depict events related to Bulgarian history.

Among others i saw a Russian soldier and a Bulgarian guerilla fighter (symbolizing the victory over Ottoman forces and also the victory of Christianity on Bulgarian lands over Islam) and a woman with a child (symbol of Bulgarian continuity over the centuries or maybe the resurrecting Bulgarian nation).

The weirdest figure was a Cosmonaut. I am not sure if Bulgaria had a space program at that time, so maybe it stands for the Russian achievements on that field.

On October 8, 2011 a bronze bust of Yuri Gagarin was installed in Varna, so my initial thoughts of observing there the first monument for the Hero of the Soviet Union in Bulgaria, was just incorrect.

Leaving the monument i noticed some abandoned facilities that maybe deserved some exploration.

Later I found out it was holiday residencies for the workers of the chemical factory «Yambolen». At the base of the hill there is a monastery (dedicated to the Russian saint Alexander Nevski), that surely had hard times during the communist times in Bulgaria.

If you can spare some time there, try visit the famous cave well, or even stay there as a guest. Heading east on the 7072 provincial road, passing villages like Irechekovo and Nedyalsko, when abandonment gave me the impression that time for that places stopped somewhere back in the ’60’s. In Zornitsa i had to stop for a while to suck everything in. The main square had a rusty, forgotten playground, an artillery cannon next to a monument of a fighter.

I just cannot understand how this statue, like many other small monuments scattered all over Bulgaria, served the causes of the political powers of their times, especially in a place with a population of few hundreds, and if finally the resources spent for their making were justified. This one maybe was dedicated to guerilla fighter Zhelio Bozhkov (i couldn’t find anything about it) and its role now is to guest a stork nest. Across the main square, standing a crumbling fate, was the most modern building - a typical example of socialistic architecture - maybe a cultural center or some kind of library, now turned into a market.

On its walls there were, except some ads for funeral services, some marvelous murals that used to glorify socialist virtues.

My next goal was Burgas, where to its promenade i would find the «Pantheon» monument.

The city was maybe the most developed one after Sofia and i was really impressed how clean and tidy the beachfront was.

To the seaside park, after a series of well restored old mansions, i found the monument dedicated to people that supported and died for the ideas of the antifascist movement.

I really liked the gigantic monstrous figures on its round roof, fighting each other or trying to escape from their concrete base.

It was built in 1981 by the sculpture Valentin Starchev and architect Vladimir Milkov, but after the political situation in 1989 the Eternal Flame burning to its center and the 24h guards were removed.

Locals call it «Пантеона» and the plaza and alleys around it are a great meeting place.

On the provincial road 9, riding by the sea for some 35 km, i reached Nessebar. Entering the city i noticed a Mig plane. The Bulgarian air force on 2015, 18 December held a ceremony to mark the retirement of its last Mikoyan MiG-21 fighters.

Following the Bulgarian retirement, Flightglobal's Fleets Analyzer database records 18 nations as still operating a combined total of around 550 MiG-21s. The more than 3,000-year-old site of Nessebar, situated on a rocky peninsula on the Black Sea, was originally a Thracian settlement (Menebria).

At the beginning of the 6th century BC, the city became a Greek colony. The city’s remains, which date mostly from the Hellenistic period, include the acropolis, a temple of Apollo, an agora and a wall from the Thracian fortifications. Among other monuments, the Stara Mitropolia Basilica and the fortress date from the Middle Ages, when this was one of the most important Byzantine towns on the west coast of the Black Sea (source unesco). After Nessebar the provincial road 9 become interesting as it involved continuous twisty uphill turns. My next pin was placed for the city of Varna. I also selected a stay that would give me limitless views to another concrete giant of socialist times, the monument of the «Bulgarian - Soviet friendship».

It was initially designed as a monument to Soviet Army, commemorating Russia’s support to Bulgaria during the Russo-Turkish War of 1828–9. Nowadays is considered as a symbol of friendship between the two peoples.

It was already about two months of the Siege of Varna when Russian forces arrived north of the city and set up their camp on Turna Tepe (Mount Crane). The original idea was to built the monument to that place, that later became a mass grave for the perished in the conflicts.

Like other socialist-era structures, this «pametnik» (Bulgarian word for «monument»), stands out with its impressive, almost terrifying, dimensions. Works lasted for 4 years and the monument was solemnly inaugurated on November 13, 1978. Around the monument were planted 20.000 trees, same as the number of Russian troops and some 27.000 volunteers were involved in constructing the 10.000 tons of concrete and 1.000 tons of steel monument.

The majestic image of the 48 meter wide monument was completed by the 180 spotlights that were illuminating it by night, making it visible from many kilometers away from the shore into the Black Sea and by the park’s public address system that was playing the Symphony № 7 by the Russian composer Dmitri Shostakovich.

From the base of the hill to its top, 305 stairs make up the «Victors’ Staircase» that lead to the dynamic 23m high composition of Varna sculptors Alyosha Kafedzhiiski and Eugene Barumov, resembling a bird.

There are four figures of Russian soldiers with empty cold eyes to the north and three women figures to the south wing. The women bear gifts for the soldiers: bread, salt and rose, the national flower.

The orientation of the monument was said to be towards USSR, but in reality the 11m figures more likely look to the east and Turkey. Before them there was a bronze cube feeding with gas the eternal flame. Decaying letters on the walls, once read «Friendship for centuries, throughout centuries», no longer make any sense.

It used to tell about the developing over the centuries connections between the Bulgarian and Russian people. As Georgi Dimitrov (first communist leader of Bulgaria) once said: «Friendship with the Soviet Union is as essential as is the sun, air and water for the living creatures». The once internal spaces used for the Communist Party gatherings, as well as the long corridor descending deep in the hill, once serving as nuclear shelter, now were heavily graffitied, damaged and barricaded.

Here are some aerial footage from the monument, or if you are more fond of crazy acrophobic stuff, check this guy.

Day 3 [288 km]

From my room i was staring this monument with that strong symbolism, now just a concrete remnant and i was reflecting the degree of abandonment and vandalisation that occurred after the political changes of 1989, as an inevitable result of the «soviet» orientation of the monument. Also, is worth mentioning that after WW2, Varna was named for a short period «Stalin», while in 1947 Tito and Dimitrov signed the «Varna Agreement», which created the vision of the unification of Yugoslavia and Bulgaria, as a first step for a Balkan Federation.

Early wake as today’s program was quiet heavy. My next stop was at the national archeological reserve «Madara», located 75 km from Varna and some 15 km from Shumen.

The origin of the name Madara is maybe connected to the ancient Greek epithet «madaros» meaning «naked», «bald-headed», or «treeless», when others claim a Bulgarian origin to the name, meaning «Holy Cliff» or «Holy Place». The location is famous for «Madara Rider», an early medieval (early 8th-century) large rock relief featuring several epigraphs of historic importance written in Medieval Greek; the relief most likely dates to the reign of Tervel of Bulgaria.

The relief depicts a majestic horseman, of almost natural size, 23 m above ground level in an almost vertical 100 m high cliff. The horseman, facing right, is thrusting a spear into a lion lying at his horse's feet, and on the left a dog is running after the horseman.

One legend has it that a Roman emperor was hunting on the plateau when he fell off the cliff and died. His relatives memorialized him by engaging a master to carve his image on the cliff.

It was created some 1300 years ago, before Bulgaria’s conversion to Christianity, so this adds to the mystery of its creation, as it was a sacred pagan site prior.

The area had a very special atmosphere, with the towering cliffs and the beautiful natural surroundings, like an energy vortex.

I tried to climb to the top of the rock, where it used to be a fortress, using the carved on the rock steep steps, but as i was in a full motorcycle gear i soon quit my plan and just sat halfway to enjoy the views.

The «Monument to 1300 Years of Bulgaria» («Паметник 1300 години България»), also known as the «Founders of the Bulgarian State Monument» («Паметник на създателите на Българската държава») over the city of Shumen, could be seen clearly from that point and it was my next destination.

In 1981, to celebrate the 1300-year of the founding of Bulgaria, tons of pure concrete in a Cubist style, designed by a great team of designers, engineers and architects under Bulgarian sculptors Krum Damyanov and Ivan Slavov, completed with mosaic works and 21 figures of early Bulgarian rulers, finally formed this majestic structure that is said to be the heaviest communist monument on Earth.

It mainly represents the foundation, recognition and prosperity growth of the First Bulgarian State, between the 7th and 10th century. The dimensions of the memorial (140 meters long and 70 meters tall), for which construction some 2.300 cubic meters of earth were excavated, and 2.400 tons of reinforced steel together with 50.000 cubic meters of concrete used for the completion, just underline the passion of the communist government to demonstrate their power through the size (yes, sometimes size matters).

Once between the 8 concrete blocks that form two semi-halls, the giant sculptures like frozen in time, will give you the impression that they will forever guard the Bulgarian nation.

The most impressive one is the massive figure of Khan Asparuh, the founder of Bulgaria, who stands with his sword stuck in the ground and his hands pointing the boundaries where the Bulgarian State will be expanded.

The imposing feelings that create the statues of Kings [Boris I - ruler of the first Bulgarian Empire, King Simeon I - ruler of Bulgaria from 893 to 927], and the figures of the Khans [Asparuh, Tervel, Krum and Omurtag] are complete when the mosaic work is faced.

Standing really high, almost like hanging from the sky, this composition of 3 panels is considered to be the largest triptych in Europe.

To the first panel («The Victors»), warriors acclaiming the Khan dressed in crimson. The second one is related to the conversion to Christianity, and the third one is dedicated to the builders of the «Golden Age», the brothers Cyril and Methodius and their disciples.

At the higher part of the monument there is a granite lion statue, symbol of both Christianity and Bulgaria.

Stepping away from the concrete «giants» i was thinking that this memorial even though it was a creation of socialist rule, it remains in spotless condition, maybe because it reflects elements that make its inheritors nationally proud and lacks of communist symbolism.

Leaving the center of the city of Shumen and near where the 1300 steps that lead to the Memorial «1300 Years of Bulgaria» were, i found the composition «Monument to the Red Army», created by the architects Nikolai Shmirgela, E. Kotsev, A. Zankov and completed in 1949.

On the provincial road 7 on my way to Targovishte, next to the passage «Boaza» and near the ancient bulgarian castle Misionis, i noticed a statue of a horse rider.

Some say it is dedicated to Khan Krum, while others claim it’s a 2007 work of Vasil Radoslavov depicting a Bulgarian woman – warrior that symbolizes freedom. Later on, leaving the provincial road 7 for the 706 and 48, some 5 km southeast of the town of Kotel, i met another stone statue, named «Khan Krum and his soldiers».

It was erected to glorify his victory over the Byzantine Emperor Nicephorus in year 811. Other sources mention that is dedicated to the Bulgarian King Ivaylo, who on July 17, 1280, in the Stara Planina Kotlensky Pass, near the fortress Diavena, defeated the Byzantine army of 10.000 soldiers under the commands of Emperor Michael VIII Paleolog.

Personally, i support the second version as i tend to trust the stone inscription placed near the statue, where we read «King Ivaylo and his soldiers».

Kotel itself was a really pleasant place that worthies a stop, as it has a beautiful architecture from the period of the late Bulgarian rebirth. In the middle ages, there were numerous defenses and fortresses in this part of the Balkan Mountains, which protected the Bulgarian capitals in the north (Pliska, Preslav and then Tarnovo).

A good example of the places i prefer to ride my motorbike is the provincial forest road 484, that connects Kotel and Maysko. Its around 25 kilometers long and because it was heavily damaged it took me almost 45 minutes to cross it.

After Maysko, still on the provincial road 55, there is a small village called Konstantin. As the Russo-Turkish War came to its end, Turks set fire to Bulgarian villages on their way retreating south. Such was the fate of the village of Bebrovo, some 5 km away of Konstantin and its inhabitants, back in 1878, were between rebuilding their houses or finding a new place to start over. Russian Konstantin Adrianovich Rudanovski is considered the founder of Konstantin, as he helped people of Bebrovo to resettle there. Once he visited Konstantin in 1915, he donated the land and money for the construction of a building that served as a municipality, church, community center and school and decided after his resignation from the army to also settle there.

His intentions didn’t come true as he died not long after, leaving a big sum of money to the village, that also never reached to its people because of the events in Russia in 1918. A statue for the «Soldiers of Konstantin», who participated in wars of 1912-3 and 1915-8, is placed near General Rudanovski’s land.

Like the Christian Saints Konstantin and Helen, after the village Konstantin followed the small town of Elena. The town lies in the lovely valley of the Elena River and has managed to preserve the greater part of its architectural heritage. For Bulgarians, Elena is a place preserving the national pride and the revival spirit. I didn’t have much time to see more than the road signs that delimit the city.

Continuing my course on the 551 provincial road, i was soon to Veliko Tarnovo where i would spend a night. Starting from the very center, i found on Vasil Levski str. the monument of «Mother Bulgaria».

It is dedicated to those fallen in war: the Russo-Turkish war of 1877-1878, the Serbian-Bulgarian War of 1885, the Balkan wars of 1912-1913 and WW I, 1915-1918. The central figure is a crowned woman who personifies Bulgaria, holding up a banner and a laurel branch. Around her are represented Bulgarian soldiers on military scenes.

Walking the main roads on my way to Yantra river and the «Monument to the Asen Dynasty», i was admiring typical examples of socialist era residential buildings, like the brutal design of the «Interhotel Veliko Tarnovo», as well as some fine murals, striving not to decay and maybe steal a little from the commercial ad’s glitter.

Trying to find sources around the «Monument to the Asen Dynasty» (Паметник на Асеневци), i came across an interesting article in wiki that describes the Byzantine branch of the Asens, that i quote: «.. the Asens in Byzantium largely descend from Ivan Asen III, who ruled briefly as Emperor of Bulgaria before fleeing to Constantinople as Ivaylo's uprising was gaining momentum in 1280. A despotes under Michael VIII Palaiologos, Ivan Asen III had already been married to the Byzantine Emperor's eldest daughter, Irene Palaiologina. The couple's five sons and two daughters were the progenitors of one of the highest-regarded Byzantine noble families of their time, along with the Palaiologoi.. A smaller branch descends from Elena Asenina of Bulgaria, wife of Nicaean Emperor Theodore II Laskaris.. The Asens of Byzantium intermarried with other prominent noble dynasties, including the Kantakouzenos, Doukas, Laskaris, Tornikios and Raoul families ..».

Regarding the monument an excellent post is published by grreporter.com under the title «The four Tsars of the Asen Dynasty that defeated Byzantium», from where I quote:

«A remarkable monument to the Asen dynasty stands out in the capital of the Second Bulgarian Empire Veliko Tarnovo. It was built in 1985 on a rocky promontory at one of the bends in the Yantra River to celebrate 800 years since the rebellion of the Asen and Peter brothers. The uprising of the brothers broke out on 26 October 1185 and took place during the Byzantine rule over the Bulgarian lands in what is now northern Bulgaria. Their insurgent activities lasted two years and culminated with success, and in the spring of 1187, Byzantine Emperor Isaac II Angelos concluded a truce with them, thus recognizing the resumption of the Second Bulgarian Empire north of the Balkan Mountains.

The state was headed by the older brother, Asen, who took the name Ivan Asen I. However, the composition of the monument includes two of the rebel brothers’ heirs to the throne, namely Tsar Kaloyan, the younger brother of Tsar Ivan Asen I, who ruled Bulgaria after the death of the first tsar of the Second Bulgarian Empire. While the first two tsars of the Asen dynasty sought to establish state centralism in the national politics and restore the previous Bulgarian borders in terms of foreign policy, their younger brother Kaloyan continued to successfully implement their policies, being able to significantly expand the territory of Bulgaria. However, the policy of the first three members of the Asen dynasty was finally realized during the reign of their successor Tsar Ivan Asen II, who is the forth figure in the composition of the monument. He conquered huge territories thus expanding the borders of Bulgaria to three seas, and in 1230, during the Battle of Klokotnitsa, he defeated the Byzantine army and captured emperor Theodore Komnenos and his family.

The construction of the monument took place under the guidance of Professor Krum Damyanov and the overall layout of the surrounding area was completed within one year. It took just two months to make the monument, which turned it into a unique example in global practice. A revolutionary technical solution in this monument is that it is composed in such a way that two of the riders are standing, balanced only on the horses’ hind legs. In Europe there are few such structures made of special Japanese steel, which acts as a spring.

In the middle of the composition of the monument there is a high metal sword, with its edge upwards, that symbolizes the power and the rise of the Second Bulgarian Empire and the zeal for eternity of the Bulgarian nation. Under its handle there is a granite figure of Virgin Orans, the heavenly mother, who creates and protects life. The reasons for placing it there are not clear, as this symbol is relatively unusual for the social realism monuments in Bulgaria, as they in no way admit the belief in a religion or in something that is more senior than the communist party is. Sometimes the figure of a woman is put in the centre of some monuments of this kind, symbolizing the image of "Mother Bulgaria" suffering for her sons and daughters who died in the name of their homeland.

The four equestrians are placed on granite pedestals that are 7 metres high and the total height of the monument is 15 metres. The equestrians surrounding the high metal sword are made of bronze and weigh about 11 tons, and each of them is depicted in a different way, to underline the individual contribution to the Second Bulgarian Empire of each of them. The eldest brother of the Asen dynasty, Peter, is depicted with a blessing gesture that symbolizes the belief in the Christian religion and God's help for the Bulgarian rebellion activity. The younger Ivan Asen I boldly holds the bridle of his horse and his sword, ready to act, which symbolizes his strong will to preserve the independence of the Second Bulgarian Empire. The two brothers are on the two horses of the composition that stand on their hind legs and balance their weight through a special technology.

The youngest brother, Kaloyan, belligerently looks at the territorial expansions of Bulgaria and is in a cautious readiness to protect them whereas Tsar Ivan Asen II is on top of his glory as he wears a crown and spear with which he pierced the parchment of the broken peace treaty between Bulgaria and the Latin Empire.

Nowadays, the monument to the Asen dynasty is one of the most attractive places in Veliko Tarnovo and every tourist has a picture against its background. Every year in late May, all graduates come here to say "farewell" to their school years, and many young couples marry at this place all year round. For several years already, during the day of Veliko Tarnovo on 22 March, which is associated with the victory of Ivan Asen II over the ruler of Epirus Theodore Komnenos in the Battle of Klokotnitsa the same day, the monument has become the scene of 3D mapping and a laser show».

The best view to the monument, as well as the bends of Yantra river, is from the oldest street in the town, ulica Gurko.

I closed my day strolling the cobbled street and admiring the, decaying but still marvelous, period houses. This atmosphere achieved to transfer my thoughts back at the time when they were built, when things were much simpler and people only cared for what is truly important.

Day 4 [305 km]

The day’s program involved some mountain riding, leaving Veliko Tarnovo for the Stara Planina mountain range. The provincial road 55 and then 552, some 55 kilometers away from V. Tarnovo, brought me to Tryavna. It was my second visit to this nice little town. Last time i was there was from a much harder road, the 609 coming from Tsareva Livada.

What makes Tryavna really special is that it keeps almost intact its Revival period spirit. I don’t want to be unfair to other places, but i consider it my favorite place in Bulgaria. Here is some aerial footage, mainly over Tryavna’s symbol, the St. Archangel Mihael Church, that was built in the late 12th century after Bulgarian Tsar Asen defeated the Byzantine forces under the Emperor Isaac II.

Some kilometers west, still on the 552 road and near Torbalazhite village, i found the «Monument to the executed collaborators of partisans».

I couldn't find any sources around its creators, and by the inscription «09-06-1944» i just assume it is dedicated to the Anti-Fascism movement of that time and the casualties civilians suffered.

Very soon i was once again on E85 – 5 road, also known as «Shipka pass».

This kind of mountain roads is something i really enjoy and a video of mine [1080p] riding the specific mountain ridge of Stara Planina [Shipka to Buzludzha], follows:

[ from Shipka to Buzludzha ]

As always, i couldn’t keep my time schedule and my plans to explore a little the back roads around Sofia, had to be postponed. I was directed to Sofia via the provincial road 6, bypassing some of my favorite places, like the village Klisura and Kalofer.

This time exploring the city of Sofia had also to be added to «skip it» list. Some places i would recommend around the city are: The Serdika Metro Station, where the ruins can give you an idea of how old is the city, before becoming Bulgaria’s capital and a little bit out of the center, the Museum of Socialist Art, where you can find in its courtyard numerous statues and other remnants that used to decorate the streets of Sofia, like the massive Red Star that adorned the top of the Communist Party Headquarters, where a Bulgarian flag flies in its place today.

To a future post i will include relevant material of the places mentioned above, as well as from the Monument to the Soviet Army, which became quite popular when the statues of its composition, were painted like Marvel’s Superheroes.

At the time of my visit i spent most of my time around Vitosha pedestrian road and the park where the National Palace of Culture is located.

To be honest this structure reminded me that it was a common practice, as part of the Socialist propaganda, to create such community centers, both for recreational purposes, as well as for some political indoctrination. You can see a typical example of those former USSR structures, also a bit of decaying, to my post about Pripyat, Ukraine by clicking here.

DAY 5 [366 km]

My plan was to return to my hometown Thessaloniki, Greece, but waking up early gave me the opportunity to explore more. I headed north to the small city Slivnitsa, where i found the memorial complex «Heroes of Slivnitsa».

It was built in 1935 to commemorate the Bulgarian soldiers and officers who perished in the Serbo-Bulgarian war of 1885. It is made of granite, standing some 20 meters high. The composition consists of memorial plaques, two statues of soldiers and an artillery cannon. Bulgaria’s finest poet Ivan Hristov's words «Bulgaria, they died for you», are written on the east side of the monument, while the cannon is facing west, towards Serbia and where the war conflicts took place.

Next stop Gurgulyat village and the temple-like monument «Pantheon - Mother Bulgaria», or «Pantheon of the Immortals», or «Pantheon to the Heroes of the Serbian-Bulgarian War».

It was designed by the architect Georgi Stoilov [the person responsible also for some other massive monuments in Bulgaria, like the Monument to the Dead in the Fatherland War (Dobrich - 1964), the Arch of Liberty (Beklemeto Pass - 1980) and of course the famous Buzludzha conference center], in honor of the 100th anniversary of the Unification and the Serbian-Bulgarian War and of the soldiers, officers, volunteers and citizens of Gurgulyat killed at Slivnitsa positions. Built in 1985 of red cement in the shape of a 29 meters pyramid, like a temple open towards the sky.

In the center is placed a statue symbolizing Mother Bulgaria, grieving over the heroes that perished defending her. The statue is made of quartzite presented by the Soviet Union (Kazakhstan). After the political changes this monument was left to decay and be forgotten. The night projectors and the letters of the soldiers' names are stolen and walls start to crumble.

Leaving the area i tried to spot the ruins of the ancient fortress of Petlyuka gorge or the sanctuary of the Greek god of Healing - Asclepius, son of Apollon, that are said to be close to the monument, but with no luck.

My last stop, before exiting Bulgaria, was to the province of Kyustendil, on the provincial road 62 near the village Panicarevo, for the monument called «Flame» or «Monument to the Antifascists». The road leading to it, as well as the monument itself, is in bad shape. The whole area seems completely abandoned, letting looters remove some of the commemorating plaques and sculptures of the composition.

From the sources i found later around its creation, the monument was a creation of Alexander Barov, who designed, among others, the National Palace of Culture in Sofia. It is dedicated to the 16 partisans from the Dupnitsa detachments that were killed here by fascist forces.

Closing Thoughts

The monuments presented to my 3 parts of exploring Bulgarian provinces share something in common, that is the time of their creation during the Communist regime. My interest in visiting them was originally sparked by many publications around them and soon enough i was out on the road chasing them and getting lost, trying to locate them, sometimes having to reach the most remote locations. As my photo archive got bigger and bigger by their shots, i really couldn’t understand why some of them were doomed to decay and crumble, get looted or sprayed, in some occasions guarded by the police, while others enjoyed a better fate, renovation works or sometimes even won the love of their heirs. Having spent much time and getting dedicated to create a descent presentation of these «Concrete Giants» i finally came to a conclusion by comparing them, so let’s take as an example the Buzludzha Conference Center with the Shumen memorial. Both are made of pure concrete and are emphasizing to their size, as a symbol of the power the Communist Party possessed at that time. The factor that determined their fate was the message and their main focus.

Where it was just a demonstration of authoritarianism, imposed by the communist leadership, or even had a more «we owe everything to the Russians» feel around them, those monuments were vandalized after the democratic changes or, in best case scenario, they were just abandoned and let forgotten to rust. But where the message was focused on historical events, battles and the continuity of Bulgarians through the centuries, without any decorative communist symbols, those memorials got loved and even survived to fulfill the purpose of their creation.

I couldn’t find a better way to close my trilogy of posts dedicated to Bulgarian monuments, nature and small provincial roads than sharing a video of mine riding the road leading to Devil’s Throat near the city of Trigrad, on the Bulgarian side of Rhodopi mountain range, a place of exceptional natural beauty.