When the cold hard reality of Soviet communism filtered to the masses, Kremlin officials needed more than words to hold their ideals together, and their people in line. Aside from imposing a generally draconian way of life, the Communist Party erected great temples to itself — declarations of power and authority.
Combining grand religiosity and pared down government efficiency, the propoganda centers and monuments of the day perhaps capture the essence of Soviet Communism better than any other buildings in the world.
Though the principles that built the structures have proven hollow, these buildings represented genuine power and strength that affected the lives of millions. The presence left behind all these years later is something that must be experienced to be understood.
Our friend and urban explorer Darmon Richter couldn't resist getting a feel for that presence himself, and takes us on a tour of the Bulgarian-Soviet Friendship monument that towers over the Bulgarian coastline, looking out across the Black Sea.
Join him as he explains what he found.
As I made my way up the long approach to Bulgaria's 'Park-Monument to the Bulgarian-Soviet Friendship', I had no idea that I would soon find a way inside the monument itself.
The old entrance was bricked up, but a small gap in the brickwork led onto a narrow flight of stairs.
One wing of the trapezoid structure was hollow, with dim lighting filtering down through gaps placed high in the walls.
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