Explore the epic, abandoned Communist headquarters hidden in the Bulgarian mountains
The headquarters is located in a fairly isolated place in the Central Balkan Mountain range. It sits on the top of the historic Buzludzha peak, from which it gets its name.
The complex is about 130 miles from Sofia, the closest major city. You have to take some back roads, most of them unmaintained, to get there, but once you're close, you can't miss it.
The Buzludzha Monument was built on this peak to honor the socialists who clandestinely met there in the late 1800s to organize the first socialist party in Bulgaria, which later became the Bulgarian Communist Party.
Its hardly inviting territory. Temperatures in the area can get to as low as negative 30 degrees.
The monument was completed in 1981, using both government funds and donations. It was built by both Bulgarian civil engineers and the Bulgarian Army. By 1990, Bulgaria had adopted Democracy in place of Socialism.
At the foot of the mountain stands a massive sculpture of two hands holding torches.
Then you begin your trek up the mountain, following a fieldstone path 4,728 feet up to the peak.
At the base of the building is a courtyard with large steps leading up the front entrance. During its heyday, leaders would hold rallies in this area. Even today, a yearly gathering of Bulgaria's Socialists brings 30 to 40,000 people.
The outside of the building is covered in Bulgarian Cyrillic letters, many of which have fallen off. The stanzas say things like "On your feet, despised comrades, on your feet, you slaves of labor! Downtrodden and humiliated, Stand up against the enemy! Let us, without mercy, without forgiveness, yes, we take down the old, rotten system!"
Even though the building has fallen into disrepair and graffiti is everywhere, the view from on top still is majestic.
Entering the Buzludzha Monument can be treacherous, especially in the winter. But once inside, you're greeted with the (now decrepit) lobby.
From the lobby, visitors can take the stairway, marked here with the arrow, which leads into the dominating main hall.
Here's what the main hall looked like when it was new. The entire building reportedly cost more than $11 million to construct.
Today, after no longer being maintained by the Bulgarian government, it looks like this.
The circular walls are covered in elaborate murals made of Communist and Social leaders, as well as scenes of Communist triumph and victory. Once dazzling, they are now crumbling.
The rows of benches were members would sit for meetings are now falling apart as well.
The ceiling features a massive hammer and sickle painted on a round metal plate. The words around the symbol read, "Workers of the world, unite!"
From there, you can explore the passage ways that surround the giant, UFO-shaped building.
The mosaics continue up here, too.
The windows may all be gone, but the outer corridors provide an unparalleled view of the surrounding Balkan mountains.
Some brave souls even scale the tower behind the main building, which is emblazoned with a red star, once rumored to be made of ruby (it's not).
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