Buzludzha is the peak of the Balkan Mountains- in the Shipka-Tryavna part of the Central Stara Planina with a height of 1441 m, on the territory of Bulgaria, 12 km east of the Shipka Pass. Since 1942, the official name of the peak is “Hadji Dimitar”.
In 1868, on this summit, in an unequal battle with the Ottoman Turks, the rebel detachment of Haji Dimitar heroically died. In 1891, the founding congress of the BSDP (later the BKP, now the BSP) was held here. During the reign of the Bulgarian Communist Party, Buzludzha was the “shrine” of the Bulgarian communists. Now the objects at the top are plundered and forgotten.
The monument of Buzludzha, with the official name “House-monument of the party”, was erected in 1981 on the peak Hadji Dimitar, Stara Planina. The monument is still the largest ideological monument in Bulgaria.
the monument occupies the honorable 25th place in the international ranking “The most beautiful abandoned places in the world”.
Access : Coordinates: 42.735833, 25.393889 / Buzlunza is accessible by two roads from the Sipka Pass: either a 16km road from Kazanluk to the south, or a 12km road from Gabrovo, on the north side of the mountain.
Highlights :
- the Buzludzha Memorial House appears in The Mechanic: Resurrection as a military base with submarines of one of the heroes (Max Adams, played by Tommy Lee Jones). In the film, the building is shown restored, including the interior decoration.
- the Buzludzha Memorial is the location of the video for the song “Vihaan kyllästynyt” by the Finnish band Haloo Helsinki! (from the album Kiitos ei ole kirosana) also filmed a video for the song “Riddles” by the group “Kensington”.
- The building is a prime example of the brutalist architectural style common to many state communist buildings. However, no longer maintained by the Bulgarian government after 1989, it has since fallen into disuse. Today the monument remains abandoned and vandalized. The roof of the building has been severely damaged and due to the risk of collapse of the metal tiles the main entrance of the building is closed to the public.
Activities : sightseeing / Photography, Architecture Photography / Long distance walking / snapping selfies
Go next : Shipka Pass , a mountain pass in the central part of Shipchenska Planina (part of Sredna Stara Planina, in Gabrovo Municipality, Gabrovo District and Kazanlak Municipality, Stara Zagora District / The Tomb of Seuthes III is located near Kazanlak, Bulgaria.
