"Not Hide, Not Honour, But Remember"
All across our travels in the Balkans we came across decaying monuments from the communist era. In general, the statues of Stalin, Tito, Hoxha , Ceaușescu and etc. have all been carted off to basements or museums, while monuments to partisans, soldiers and workers in general have mostly been left to stand not much the worse for wear.
More complicated is what to do with enormous installations and buildings that have more-or-less just been left to decay. The striking and unique Monument House of the Bulgarian Communist Party, or Buzludzha Monument, is a good example. It's a fascinating and iconic building--on the top of a peak and visible from great distances all around--which is literally falling apart. But Bulgaria is not a wealthy country, and the communist era is still politically controversial, so investment to preserve or destroy such a structure would prove divisive.
It's of course none of my business, but I'm in favor of people preserving history in a sensitive and intelligent way, which the Buzludzha Project--a plan to preserve Buzludzha and turn it into a museum--seems prepared to do. Buzludzha Monument, Kom-Emine, Bulgaria.
"Not Hide, Not Honour, But Remember"
All across our travels in the Balkans we came across decaying monuments from the communist era. In general, the statues of Stalin, Tito, Hoxha , Ceaușescu and etc. have all been carted off to basements or museums, while monuments to partisans, soldiers and workers in general have mostly been left to stand not much the worse for wear.
More complicated is what to do with enormous installations and buildings that have more-or-less just been left to decay. The striking and unique Monument House of the Bulgarian Communist Party, or Buzludzha Monument, is a good example. It's a fascinating and iconic building--on the top of a peak and visible from great distances all around--which is literally falling apart. But Bulgaria is not a wealthy country, and the communist era is still politically controversial, so investment to preserve or destroy such a structure would prove divisive.
It's of course none of my business, but I'm in favor of people preserving history in a sensitive and intelligent way, which the Buzludzha Project--a plan to preserve Buzludzha and turn it into a museum--seems prepared to do. Buzludzha Monument, Kom-Emine, Bulgaria.