Buzludzha
Buzludzha (Turkish: Buzluca - lit. meaning "glacially/icy") is a historical peak in the Central Stara Planina, Bulgaria and is 1441 metres high. In 1868 it was the place of the final battle between Bulgarian rebels led by Hadji Dimitar and Stefan Karadzha[1] and the Ottoman Empire.
The Buzludzha Monument on the peak was built by the Bulgarian communist regime to commemorate the events in 1891 when the socialists led by Dimitar Blagoev assembled secretly in the area to form an organised socialist movement with the founding of the Bulgarian Social Democratic Party, a fore-runner of the Bulgarian Communist Party. The Monument was opened in 1981.[2] No longer maintained by the Bulgarian government, it has fallen into disuse.
Buzludzha can be reached by two side roads from the Shipka Pass [3]: either a 16 km road coming from Kazanlak or a 12 km road coming north from Gabrovo.
Now the monument is abandoned, vandalised, and devastated. As the roof of the building is heavily damaged, the main entrance of the building has been closed for the public.
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Distant view
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Dome interior
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Torch monument
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Mosaics
See also
References
- ↑ The Rough Guide to Bulgaria. Rough Guides. 2002. pp. 302. ISBN 978-1-85828-882-6.
- ↑ John D. Bell (1986), The Bulgarian Communist Party from Blagoev to Zhivkov, Hoover Institution Press, p22
- ↑ The Rough Guide to Bulgaria (2008) ISBN 978-1-85828-068-4 p.297
Coordinates: 42°44′09″N 25°23′38″E / 42.735819°N 25.393819°E
External links
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Buzludzha. |
- Text and photos of the Buzludzha Monument by an English photographer
- Exterior and interior pictures from the Buzludzha Monument (text is in Romanian)
- Website dedicated to Buzludzha Monument
- Exploration of Buzludzha Monument by a French photographer
- How to get into Buzludzha Monument (by Don't Complain Travel)