Solo Through Bulgaria’s Communist Past 🇧🇬

🇧🇬 Bulgaria is a land nestled between sea and mountains on the southern border of Europe. Its location made it a target for invaders, however, although subjugated for 500 years, the Bulgarians never gave up their hope to one day be free again. Join me as we make our way towards one of the greatest examples of communist architecture as we explore the hidden ancient and communist past of this friendly nation on our way to…Buzludzha.

Behind me stands the gigantic House of the Republic built as a symbol of chesu all encompassing rule over what was once the Socialist Republic of Romania and far away to the south of here lies another iconic communist Monument join me as we now make our way into the Misty Mountain to Bulgaria in

Search of bulua I think that’s how you say it bulja something like that let’s go in 1974 the top of a mountain was blown up in deep as Bulgaria and construction was begun on the bulua monument or as it is officially known the monument House of the Bulgarian Communist

Party the futurist building filled with intricate mosaics would take 7 years to construct until finally in 1981 Bulgarian leader Todd zivkov declared it open the building now stands abandoned and falling into disrepair on the windy Mountaintop where it was constructed soon its former glory will be completely

Gone and so I felt it was time to travel through Bulgaria’s dark history to finally pay homage to what is perhaps the ultimate communist monument bulua and so our journey to a new land begins let’s avoid poison tipped umbrellas and see how much Russian the locals still understand down in Old

Bulgaria because if they don’t I’m a little bit screwed but um let’s get out of what was once very elegant and beautiful Bucharest jump on a train here at the Gord head south off you sir well we got our ticket given to me in this rather tasteful retro envelope

And now we’re going to look on our board up here and see the destinations we can go to and find our train look at it all the different towns we can go to brov SIU tavisha sigara towns that 800 years ago were attacked by the Mongols the Mongols came

All the way to Transylvania to subdue the Europeans but we’re looking for the town of rousa where we’re going Rus there is the 1095 train number 1095 to Rus down on the other side of the board the other side of the danu and Bulgaria let’s go look for our train but

Also it’s a little bit disappointing a little bit modern I was hoping for some old Transylvanian train but instead we got this flipping modern thing let’s get on it bye-bye Bucharest passing through some of these semi deric towns where the factories will been closed down the infrastructure is basically destroyed you can’t help

But sympathize with some of the people that long for the days of chesu in the past because out here away from the capital city there’s not much to look forward to in life a friendly Romanian dog in the last town in Romania called georgu geu Geor georgu check it out check out

Georgu I might get in trouble for filming but this is the very last station before we cross the Soviet built friendship Bridge into mysterious Bulgaria but this is georgu in communist times this would be the last thing you saw before you entered the land of too zivkov the ex-

Leader of Bulgaria we’ll talk more about him but let’s have a look at this look at it Georg nort let’s have a look inside oh hello sir oh wow look at this check out this the old pictures on the walls still preserved up here we got some king of Romania and some

People and up here some Romanian people having a picnic they like a picnic in Romania well that was the inside of a little old provincial Romanian railway station and here’s some old seats and let’s imagine we were back in the 1940s 50s 60s under Nikolai and his wife people have sat

Here on this very bench and seen the trains come and go entering Romania leaving Romania and here there would have been flags look at this the old flag holder look at that piece of history there would have been Flags in that Romanian Flags welcoming people to the country to

The Socialist Republic of Romania now the flags have gone people don’t put Flags out anymore but there would have been Flags here look at it we are touching history blood don’t know if I should have done that probably now got the shits for the next couple of weeks but anyway that was georgu

Nord let’s get back on the train those were the Corinthian colonies of the Soviet built friendship Bridge linking Romania to Bulgaria across this the second mightiest River in all of Europe the danu this way oh let’s go wow welcome to Roose I like it R Center Center of Roose taxi taxi

Taxi I walk you’re a taxi driver no no what are you a hobbit let’s go a small let’s see what we have here I’ve got a new friend here in the town of Roose let’s head into the center wow check it out after you sir hello there wow what is this place

Yes wow full of characters we got a little little person and look at this you can see that Roost is built by the Soviets or at least in Soviet times in communist times check it out look it’s just like being back in Ukraine or Russia oh my

God what a way to be greeted in former communist Bulgaria what a place and we’ve got some cidic writing I like it I feel at home this amazing where are we going my friend where are we go huh ATM ATM bank card this way B yeah

Bankat let’s go then whoa got a friend and look at Roose railway station flipping EG it’s Mega oh my friend’s having a spit come on then let’s go my new friends wow as we leave Roose railway station this is great good old Bulgaria I knew it wouldn’t let me down nor have the

People my new buddy right ATM I don’t know what the exchange rate is but I’ve ordered 150 bugar or whatever they called around the ls did no research let’s get the cash out magazine byebye magazine I like old Roose I want I like my mate it’s a proper

Bulgar let’s go got it cigarette and pivo for the boys okay perfect uh bulgar PIV bulgar Piva which one what’s a good one maybe this one no yeah okay two you two no no no no me Uno okay 10 oh bulgar is cheap for you I don’t even smoke it’s

For you I don’t smoke noing no smoking healthy man just beer chow chow chow chow chow okay I go Center C Center my friend it was emotional thank you you take care bye-bye I just handed that dude 20 whatever their money is here Lev I have literally no idea how much that

Is 20 Lev could be flipping 100 quid for all I know hopefully it was no more than a couple of quid who knows anyway let’s try the old Cita I can read it Cita let’s try it I’ve had better but I’ve also had worse L it in is this Star Center Star

Center no star Star Center n St Star Center thank you there you go Star Center they do speak Russian here kind of look at it is this what you thought or imagined I should say when you thought of provincial Bulgaria because check out the architecture check out the

Beauty and unlike in Great Britain they’ve kept their buildings in good Nick even little provincial root this isn’t the capital city this is way out in the Boondocks and still they’ve kept their architecture their historical buildings looking nice maintained the public parks aren’t graffiti or rubbish strewn look at this

Beautiful yeah we got some nice friendly baskers this is it I found the country I was always looking for let’s check into the hotel I booked the hotel Central and see what £25 a night gets you here in the town of Roose Hotel central entrance good ah D ah thank

You I thought it closed down here we go Hotel central it’s third deck 30 306 oh perfect all right we room 306 €25 oh I like it not much going on but nice enough oh and a little view of the main Square on my own balcony which I can’t you oh I

Can W look at it welcome to rof 25 quid a night bargain all right down here is the mighty danu this is the danu over there is Romania where we began our journey today but the river’s Journey began far far away in the dark Forest of Southern Germany before it

Meandered its way down through Slavic and magar lands all the way down here to little old Roose and that’s what gave this city it’s importance in the past it was a trading Town goods and ideas came down from Central Europe all the way down here to the Balkans and vice

Versa wow and it also brought dangers in the 6th Century BC Darius the great a name we’ve heard from history came here to the pretty much this spot to invade European civia to conquer the wild Horsemen of Europe a lot of history here a lot of history here on the banks of the

Danu and a lot of Underpants a lot of random Underpants history and Underpants what more do you want and look at this up here these old buildings just across cross in the Riverport as I was saying ideas travel down the danu from Europe and that included architectural design ideas look

At this this old barck architecture look at it the details the fanciness of it but of course it’s not only old barck architecture and ideas that came from Europe also the Soviets came here and what did they bring they brought ideas of their own including some magnificent Soviet

Mosaics and a man speaking loudly on the telephone but here it is the old Soviet mic look at it telling the history the history of Roose and the Soviet rose there’s a red star up there perfectly intact good old Bulgaria are you still yapping

On well I’m in my bed back back at the hotel Central and that’s because we got a very early start tomorrow we’ve got to jump on a 6:00 a.m. train down to the city of Starling I mean van a city which well it played a a little part in my

Burgeoning Soviet interest back when I was a teenager I’ll explain the full story tomorrow so it’s good night from unexpectedly Pleasant little old Roose good night well we’re back at Roose railway station magnificent Roose railway station let’s go and buy a ticket and get out of here flipping neck it’s

Early Platform One platform onea here we go it’s a bit more like it the journey down to Vana is going to take us about 6 hours do you know how much I paid for my ticket 5 quid 5 quid what would this cost me in the UK unbelievable all right a little

Snooze during the majority of communist times Bulgaria was ruled by a man called Todd zivkov in comparison to other leaders in East block jivkov was something of a moderate avoiding the excesses of other Regional leaders he closed the gags and opened a Coca-Cola factory he strongly rejected the cult of

Personality refusing to allow statues to be built of himself and even changed the name of the city called Stalin back to its original name OFA he also opened up Bulgaria’s Black Sea Coastline to Western tourism at a time when the rest of the block was pretty much off limits

To foreigners and that’s how I first heard of Bulgaria Well we’ve arrived in not so Sunny Vana here on the Black Sea let going to have a look around Cy well as welcomes to a tourist town go is not the most welcoming check it out flipping EG the weather doesn’t help it is overcast gray and cold but um let’s get out of

This area head to the center or somewhere well let’s go and look at the Black Sea that’s why we’re here where do we go oh the dodgy underpass Savana in the late 198s my grand and Granddad like many westerners looked a cheap summer holiday to here in Vana

Bulgaria when they came home they told me stories of their Soviet Hotel of the mosaics that they found in cafes of communist statues and of the ber Oscar shops where only foreigners are allowed to enter and buy things now I was only about 12 at the time but I remember being fascinated by

Everything they told me and decided there and then that one day I would also go to Bara and see the things that they told me about but 40 years later I finally made it well Roose and Van are nice orderly places with their mosaics and monuments

But how are things out in the hinterland of Bulgaria let’s find out as we now make our way to bua well thanks to the EU Bulgaria just built a br brand new four lane Highway that leads pretty much where we want to go however I’m following the old

Communist road the road that would have been oh my God there’s an abandoned Factory already the road that would have been driven on by Factory managers in their Zeals by appara in their vulgar and by the regular man in N juli secretary into the past on the road to bua communist Road commun this road oh where are we well we’ve pulled into this little town just as we begin our journey a little communist town with its war memorial over there an old abandoned Cafe with a bit of a mosaic over there some government building here all built in the well

1960s communist style it’s just interesting to stop here in a little town in Bulgaria something I’ve not seen before a little perfectly preserved communist town fore fore foree for I was a little bit Hasty to rush off out the town because I’ve seen an Old Post Office let’s see what it’s like inside

If it’s open check it out see what a little village posture is like is missing one of the letters let’s have a little look wow the old doors the original old doors time has stood still here look at this oh look this is the Old Post Office where

People were a cued up in the past in the 50s the 60s the 70s here at these little Windows collected their pensions D them D them collected their pensions and their letters everything’s the same everything’s the same here look at the telephone r r wow and before this little

Booth wow here before they would have come to make little phone calls phone calls to different parts of Bulgaria and maybe to Moscow or Leningrad or somewhere they would have stood in there wow interesting star historious thank you bye-bye bye-bye wow that was the old post office here in

This town and nothing has changed look the same doors the same door handles the same walls the same floors the same little telephone booth all right let’s continue our journey to buja we got a lot miles to cover so we’ve got to stop we got to stop stopping at every

Bit of communist architecture we see otherwise we’ll never make it well I brought you high up above the town of Schuman to a monument building communist times dedicated to founders of the Bulgarian Nation the bulgars were a tribe from Central Asia who rode their horses and settled

Here in this windy part of Europe God knows how many centuries ago and this huge brutalist structure the heaviest brutalist structure Monument ever built is dedicated to those men women and children who rode their horses all the way here wow incredible but as we look out over this

Land beneath us we have to remember that it was a land that was subjugated by the Ottomans for some 500 years for half a millennia the Christians of this land were heavily taxed discriminated against and often massacred it would take the Russian army to finally help the bulgarians achieve their freedom

Off to Ukraine they go well you never know what you’re going to find and stumble upon when you’re driving the old communist Highway here in rural Bulgaria I just passed these woods and I saw a head appear from nowhere let’s go and see what it is let’s discover what Li in these words

And look what it is it’s a flipping abandoned communist statue who is it please tell me it’s todder zivkov no it’s todder petkov Andre a member of the Comet a member of the party basically flipping EG just here abandoned in the middle of nowhere a statue good old todda

And the perfect place for me to relieve myself thanks todda you’re a good guy right come on guys stop encouraging me to stop everywhere and look at old bloody communist stuff we’ve got to get to buja we got a long journey well I know I said no more stops

But when you see an abandoned building with a statue you of some dude you’ve got to stop in this little beautiful Village look at it bulgar is full of little Sunny Villages where people sit outside in the sunshine and Shout a hero from 1915 to 1943 so he

Died in the second world war so obviously a hero from this part of the country but as I say what a beautiful part of the world Bulgaria is these little quiet Villages I better check I’ve locked the car might not be that quiet let’s have a little look around here

Though see if we can find out what this building was well yeah I suppose it was the schoolhouse look the old football post and the basketball hoop now long gone and you can imagine on this basketball court the kids of the village before little communist kids running around dunking some hoops or whatever

You say in basketball shooting some goals in front of the old school building but now probably like so much of rural Bulgaria just aband but what’s in here oh look the old school desks get it wow some old signs on the walloo long abandoned how fascinating to find this about it [Applause] Oh no but magazine yes okay perfect we still got the shop bye-bye bye byebye thank you well there you have it the story of The Village everything’s bloody being closed down the school the Dei s kindergarten the church I think she was saying some shop over there that seems

Closed and now it’s just this shop here left oh we’ve got like a a load of people on the wall let’s have a look at what this is what is thiso ah ah so yes so these are the people who died and that’s why it says

Pan and it’s the people from The Village mostly men who passed away and some women but just old people and their names put them in the village so I suppose people can remember who they were some of them are quite young wow never seen that before just pictures

Of the dead of the Village Dry bye-bye bye-bye have a good day for where we this is how you get around in communist Villages thank you I don’t know where we’re going but um let’s see we just go for a little bit just to experience the

True life in a Bulgarian Village as we pass by the abandoned school yes oh that yeah good guy have no idea okay let’s go is this ah yes ah what is it oh it’s the old well of the village yeah I can drink it super super

Super are you sure I don’t want a problem super super COA tasty this no this yes we don’t need this anymore from now on we only drink Bulgarian Village Water ah okay so you pick the rubbish up over there and then throw it in the ah River down here

Understand I got you from the floor to the river to the oceans the cycle of life where are you taking me sir barbecue look at this they got a little barbecue place in town and an old Soviet swing communist swing and a barbecue place that doesn’t look very

Communist but yeah oh can you do it yeah it’s still working oh my god you watch his you watch yourself my friend I think we finished our trip here in the village let me give you I got what have I got here take some change and stuff wait

There wait there what have I got what have I got that’s it okay all thank you nice to meet you nice to meet you yes he did byebye byebye bye and there he goes the horse and cart man in the village didn’t take his very far

Made himself a couple of quid he’s done well out of it let’s be honest ah SC a kilometer SC a kilometer three three ah three okay three okay three kilm come on then we giving someone a lift 3 km jump in guys I’m taking the whole village okay

Cigan please to meet you seans I got some seans in the he’s saying the girls of course beautiful I don’t know what he means by that but um I’m going with it this vage obviously she’s beautiful I can see she’s beautiful uh I don’t know are you saying

Sexual things to me what is this place you live in look at this place kosma wow abandoned factories VI there VI there VI hi well the people I just picked up are called sigani in this part of the world or to many of us Romany Gypsies and they came

Here in the late 1300s as musicians and Craftsmen accompanying the invading ottoman army they [Applause] [Applause] Autobox express service please Autobox be open and help me Yes if ever you’re in rural Bulgaria and you get a flat tire come to auto box here in wherever Town we’re in well since this is the town that saved the journey by fixing our tire hopefully I think it deserves a little look around let’s see what they’ve got here in old

Star or whatever it’s called let’s go and check it out hello you okay good man well look at little old flipping stra bar it’s the nicest place I’ve been on the journey so far we got little shop selling clothes we got a man selling carpets more clothes you can buy Christian

Dior and up here we’ve got this well let me just show you so I can’t describe it it is a mammoth building the most brutalist building I’ve seen in well many of my travels look at it and on the side some old kind of metal decoration let’s call it

That looks like a satellite or something so it must be the post office but here this big old building the Communist built so much stuff without communism in Bulgaria I don’t know what stuff there would be here this wouldn’t be here look at look at it big old monstrous building

But beautiful in its own way check out the yellow tiles of star reminds me of Cheno Metro station Kev a thing of Wonder look at this up here we’ve got the old sign very old sign for the gastronome gastronom in communist times was the well the shop where you came and

Bought your food and stuff the G ason look at it up there still goingon magon [Laughter] there you go let’s see if we can look inside anyway she thinks it was better under jivkov and there is the old gastronom what’s it like inside I wonder

Let’s see might find a bit of Old Ham lying around or something probably not just a dog guarding the gastronome oh and look bit of History here it was built in 1965 1965 let’s see what’s inside oh you’re cleaning magazine start start it wow very staring is there any traces

Of the past here the old gastronome let’s have a look what’s up here now the gastronom is a secondhand clothes shop well it’s not a bad old life adventu ising here in a communist Heartland of Bulgaria meeting the locals exploring their towns sitting in front of the hotel having a flipping

Coffee I don’t know I never came to Bulgaria before I didn’t realize there’d be so much to see but it’s good that we’re here now well I’ve stopped off in the pretty much deserted village now of K men here in the middle of nowhere really All That Remains is some

Old communist buildings and shops restaurants where the only hint of the past can be found by looking through holes in the glass this kerman’s main square and Village Restaurant would have been teaming with life before on a Friday sun’s out Barbers here Milling about coming for their food or coming

Here to the old shop to buy their textiles their clothes and whatever else it sold but those days are long gone Villages like care men no longer really survive just the buildings the people are gone and this abandoned textile Factory on the edge of K men explains the whole situation of why

This and all the other Villages are depopulated when jov’s rule came to an end so did subsidies for places like this set up around the country when the subsidies ended so do the factories and so these Gates will never be opened again well it’s been a long day and so I’ve

Booked myself into the hotel steel worker believe it or not that is the name here in the town of nov Zagora or St something a the hotel gelnik hotel steel worker it’s got terrible reviews online let’s see what the room’s like a steel lift in the hotel steel

Worker fpp EG watch out this thing’s bloody lethal smells like a steel workers’s armpit well what does 25 quid did the hotel steel worker get you it gets you this a rather H not very nice smelling to be honest with you room but Steel Workers Can rough it and so can

We there’s the light in the bathroom there we go basic but we’ll take it well that brings an end to what has been an incredibly fascinating day for me hopefully for some of you too I’m going to get an early night now because well I’m going to set my alarm and get

Up at dawn as we begin our journey the final leg into the mountains to the mon of buja good night from the Communist provinces good very early morning from the Pretty Little provincial town of star Zagora but this town wasn’t always so peaceful as it is right now in 1877

Star Zagora was burned To The Ground by the ottoman troops they also slaughtered 14,000 innocent Bulgarian civilians here men women and children Europe was appalled but did nothing only the Zar of Russia sent troops to help the bulgarians let’s head now into the mountains to see where otoman rule

Finally came to an end and where we finish our journey it’s bloody lovely an old star as a Gore isn’t it better than Soho Road flippy neck we’ve made it to the turnoff that heads up into the mountains to Bull Lua and it’s marked by this

Chap this giant statue of a man now well let’s face it the statue has seen better days but that is I believe the founder of the Communist party here in Bulgaria they all look the same in those days same clothes hairstyle and stuff but I think that’s him the founder of the

Communist party and he guards the entrance the road that leads up into the mountains to bulua where we going now wow they did build things big in Bulgaria well we’ made it almost wow well I’m the only person climbing up here on this path today however in the

1980s there would have been hundreds of people coming up here every day there would have been busloads of people arriving from down in the valley buos of school children trade unionists of pioneers of foreign dignitaries who’ come from all over the Communist block follow this path up here to pay homage to

Bua well on our Journeys together we’ve seen communist flying boats communist spaceships but we’ve never seen a communist flying sorcerer but here we are finally on top of the mountain at bosia workers of all countries unite of course it’s closed and locked and there’s no way for us to get

In but we’ve seen plenty of Soviet mosaics in our time the most important thing as always when adventu ising is the journey and what a journey it’s been and you may be asking yourself why here why build this huge construction all the way up here on top of this mountain top

Why not in sofhia or some other city that’s because these mountains here have a significant meaning to the Bulgarian people cuz it was just over there in the distance on the ship capap pass that the Russian and Bulgarian Army defeated the Ottomans once and for all ending finally 500 years of

Occupation and this point also marks the end of our adventure along the Communist Road through the history of Bulgaria hope you enjoyed it see you next time in a former Soviet Republic we’ve never been to before until then goodbye from bua