I wouldn't blame anyone for wondering why I'm writing about UFO's now, because that's honestly the first thing that came to mind when I saw this photograph taken for National Geographic.
It is unfortunately not a UFO, but rather the Budludzha Monument in Bulgaria. Seemingly in the middle of nowhere too....
So anyway....this monument. Yes. It was opened in 1981, after 7 years of construction, by the communist government of Bulgaria to commemorate the secret meetings to establish an organised socialist party in 1891, and designed by architect Guéorguy Stoilo. It has unfortunately been left to ruin now and is in pretty bad condition. For a better idea of what it looks like inside (because I know I couldn't get my head around the first photo the first time I saw it), here it is in normal weather conditions.
The ceiling reads "Proletariat of every country, unite!"
The building also boasts work by 20 of Bulgaria's foremost artists of the time, the interior surrounded by mosaics of ideological figures like Lenin, Stalin and Bulgarian members of the socialist movement:
Opened only in 1981, it really is in quite a terrible state, but for an idea of what it once looked like, there are these photos (the last being taken during construction):
Somewhat hard to imagine when looking at the state of it now! It is a shame to let such a wonderful monument fall to ruin (this is going to be a main theme throughout this blog!), but every year there is a socialist gathering here, and with any luck, there may be some movements to try and preserve what is left of this amazing place.
There will be plenty more posts on socialist style buildings in the future, as I find it quite fascinating. It has the strange quality of being so damn ugly and brutal that it is really quite pleasant to look at. A seeming contradiction!
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