The monuments and the places carrying the past, even totally forgotten locations, have always attracted me. Many years ago, I saw Nikola Mihov’s exhibition “Forget your past” at the Red House in Sofia and Buzludzha became a must-visit place. Well, good things don’t come easily and I had to wait until this trip comе true.

Buzludzha is a controversial topic but despite the negative associations, the monument can be recognized as an achievement not only in the architectural field. Just by looking at the place where it was built and how it survived over the years, we cannot remain indifferent. Buzludzha is often part of the lists like “Most Beautiful Abandoned Places in the World”.

BG (Бузлуджа)

It was a fresh June morning when we’ve decided to head the road to Buzludzha. We drove by Shipka Pass, reaching Shipka Monument and from there we traveled about 12 more kilometers. We arrived at the foot of Buzludzha and left the car on the parking lot.

We were impressed by the preserved stone path. When we reached the top, there were quite a few people, including a group of students. We knew we could get inside, but we couldn’t find the entrance. We met a man who proposed to us to join him. He was thinking to enter with his daughter. He told us that he was on the official opening of the building describing the red carpets, the new and shiny mosaics, the armored windows, etc. So we followed him and we started the tour in the Bulgarian version of Disney Land. We heard the voices of a group of foreigners showing us that we were not alone.

!Attention! Buzludzha is closed and the entrance is prohibited. If you find a way to enter you do it by your own risk. Keep yourself and others safe!

Everything was very extreme and uplifting. Most of the time we felt like we were on a military mission. Seriously. We trusted the adventurous spirit and followed it. After some walk and climb, Bulgaria was at our feet. We were at the top of the building. We were on top of everything. For the first time, my heart skipped a beat because of the view. We’ve been inside the building for more than 3 hours, thinking that no Bulgarian museum could keep us for such a long time.

Don’t forget your past. Past mistakes can lead us to a different future. No story can be deleted or muted, it is not its purpose. The story is to be told.