The Monument House on top of the Buzludzha Peak, which is among the most recognizable buildings in Bulgaria, is awakening to a new life thanks to thirty two-year old Dora Ivanova. The young woman managed to unite people with different professions, Bulgarians and foreign nationals, governmental organizations and NGOs, to conserve this crumbling symbol of the socialist period, which still causes controversy among Bulgarians.

Dora is among the ten nominees for the 2022 “Awakener of the Year” award of the Bulgarian National Radio.

Dora was still studying at the Technical University of Berlin when she first saw the decaying saucer shaped monument on Buzludzha Peak. It happened in 2014. The future architect was amazed by the beautiful mosaics, the white marble and the overall structure of the site. Later, the young woman decided to dedicate her thesis to the monument, which was built in the 1980’s as a Monument House of the Bulgarian Communist Party. The monument was included in the list of the most beautiful abandoned placed in the world.

“It is not a matter of forgiving or forgetting. The aim is to remember and to talk, to pass on this information to the future generations, to be able to come to different points of view in a normal dialogue and hear different standpoints. The greatest strength of society lies in the civilized dialogue”, said Dora Ivanova.

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Dora established Buzludzha Project Foundation together with like-minded people. The Buzludzha cause also received international support. In 2019, the Getty Foundation, one of the world’s most respected institutions engaged in the preservation of modern architecture, funded a conservation and management plan with the participation of more than 100 experts from 8 countries.

“We are already working on the implementation of this plan – says Dora. –Together with a team of international restorers, we started with the emergency measures aimed at conserving the mosaics. Fortunately, we are now in the final stage. We are now completing the work on the dome mosaics to stop the process of decay. This year our goal is to secure the building and open it for visitors. People should be part of the process aimed at preserving the monument. That is why we want to open the building even in its current state.”

• Buzludzha – memory of the past

The aim, however, is not to rehabilitate a propaganda symbol of the socialist period, but to preserve this unique architectural site for the future generations. The monument will become venue for history, discussions and contemporary art.

Anyone can donate money for the cause, says the young Bulgarian architect who was nominated for the Inspirational Leader of the Year 2022 award.

“This nomination shows that the message is getting through. Buzludzha is an example that we can roll up our sleeves and solve the problems instead of finding fault and complaining about the inability to find solutions. I very much hope that everyone will find their own “Buzludzha”, roll up their sleeves and find solutions, or merely join another cause and help create a better environment in our country.”

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English version: Kostadin Atanasov