Founders of the Bulgarian State Monument
1300 Years of Bulgaria
The monument to 1300 Years of Bulgaria, also known as the Founders of the Bulgarian State Monument is a Bulgarian communist-era giant situated on a plateau overlooking the east- northern city — Shumen. The main idea was realized and implemented through mosaic works and figures of Bulgarian founders and leaders, by a team headed by Professor Krum Damyanov and Ivan Slavov. It represents the foundation, recognition and prosperity growth of the First Bulgarian State, built in concrete in a Cubist style. It is built in 1981 to commemorate the 1300th anniversary of the First Bulgarian Empire. The mammoth structure can be reached from the city centre by a processional concrete staircase consisting of 1300 steps — about 2km — each step represents a single year for the 1300th anniversary up until the moment the monument was opened to the public, or by road. Three concrete bodies and three figurative sculptural elements forming a spiral that culminates in a bronze wing, symbolize the country’s historic prosperity. Major events from the history of the First Bulgarian Empire (681–1018 A.D.) are represented by 21 monumental sculptures and a mosaic triptych — the biggest open-air mosaic in Europe. A giant lion statue was placed on the top of the monument as the lion is the emblem of Bulgaria. The monument also has sculptures made of stone, forever lurking behind the corners of the geometric building representing some of the most important Bulgarian khans as well as the history creation of Bulgarian alphabet by Cyrl and Methodius (in the year 855). In composition are figures of the Bulgarian rulers Asparuh (depicted on horseback, founder of the Bulgarian State), Tervel, Krum, Omurtag, Boris I and Simeon I and others. The monument stands at a height of 450m above sea level and can be seen from 30km away. The monument is historically symbolic because of its exceptional cultural, artistic, architectonic and social values.
The story of the Bulgarian State is told through a succession of abstract granite figures of numerous large-scale mosaic murals and Bulgarian rulers in the interior, which reinforce the impression of visiting a cathedral. As the art historian Veneta Ivanova in 1982 called the internal space of the monument ‘resembling the grandeur of a cathedral’ reaffirming its success to inspire.
A stark, deliberate contrast between the massive, rough monolithic volumes on the outside and the decomposed and colourful space inside. The monument is one of the best maintained monuments in Europe in the present and its scale had made its silhouette characteristic not only of a city but of a whole region in the country. The city, where the memorial is situated in, was an important defence centre and the remains of the last fortress stand on the east side of the plateau above the contemporary city. Initially the plans were for construction of three separate monuments at historical sites in the region.
The monument “Founders of the Bulgarian State” has often been criticized for its forceful and non-contextual character, as well as for the obscure and far-fetched abstract imagery, similar to the monument in Sofia, capital of Bulgaria, “1300 Years of Bulgaria”.
Veneta Ivanova in 1982 writes: ‘it is true that the banal, naturalistic interpretation would be incompatible with the spirituality of our contemporaries but this roughness and primitivism are also unacceptable’. (Vasileva, 2013, p. 29) Even when the characteristics of the sculptures were disliked and ridiculed for their roughness, they still represented a national tradition in a sculpture evolving through generations of masters transferring their skills to their masters. (Starchev, n.d.) (Monument Founders of the Bulgarian State, n.d.)
Krum Damyanov, together with other artists, gave a new direction in the practice of monumental construction. Creating a new form — the so called ‘memorial complexes’ where the monument interpret on its own the symbolism, (THE MONUMENT TO 1300 YEARS OF BULGARIA NEAR SHUMEN, 2016)navigating people to experience and reveal to themselves the story of the monument. (Vasileva, 2013, p. 29) However, that was seen as problematic. Immediately after the monument’s inauguration, it was considered that it might be difficult for visitors to understand ‘correctly’ its narrative without guidance. It was considered that ‘the level of patriotic education and understanding of the monument is lowered’, if visitors, especially in groups, visit it on their own without guidance, given the fact that the monument is open and accessible from all sides. Thus, it was not completely successful in its main goal. However, it was proposed that group visits should be forbidden without an authorised guide, as no profit or effect was seen in such a visit.
Both monuments manifest modernist as well as socialist conceptions through a marked traditionalist narrative. Although the monuments share similar sculptural and structural language, their symbolic meaning is different. One of them symbolizes the eternal eminence of the Bulgarian State and the other- the oppressive socialist past.
The mosaic panels continue to peel off, and the danger of breaking the integrity of sculptural figures is even more serious. (shum, 2017) The money was raised and the problem is in the process of solving, but as it is a huge monument its maintenance is really expensive.
References
Mark. (2016, 09 17). Monument to 1300 Years of Bulgaria in Shumen, Bulgaria. Retrieved from kathmanduandbeyond.com: https://www.kathmanduandbeyond.com/monument-1300-years-bulgaria-shumen-bulgaria/
Monument Founders of the Bulgarian State. (n.d.). Retrieved from visit.guide-bulgaria.com: http://visit.guide-bulgaria.com/a/54/monument_founders_of_the_bulgarian_state.htm
shum. (2017, 03 13). Shumen and Preslav want help from the state for the monument “Creators of the Bulgarian State” and the Golden Church. Retrieved from shum.bg: http://www.shum.bg/article/152197/
Starchev, V. (n.d.). Monument 1300 Years Bulgaria. Retrieved from http://architectuul.com: http://architectuul.com/architecture/monument-1300-years-bulgaria
THE MONUMENT TO 1300 YEARS OF BULGARIA NEAR SHUMEN. (2016, 11 18). Retrieved from thousandvoyages.net: http://thousandvoyages.net/the-monument-to-1300-years-of-bulgaria-near-shumen/
Vasileva, A. (2013). ON THE INSTABILIY OF MONUMENTS. MONUMENTS IN BULGARIA FROM THE PERIOD OF THE COMMUNIST REGIME 1944–1989, pp. 1–49.
