Communist-era & modern monuments
Concrete monuments of the communist era, memorials, bridges, lighthouses, palaces and towers of the 19th and 20th centuries. Photogenic places that younger travellers love.
Map: © OpenStreetMap contributors
25 places
Alyosha Monument
Plovdiv · giant Soviet soldier watching over the city
Apriltsi Memorial Complex
Panagyurishte · hilltop monument to the 1876 April Uprising
Balchik Palace
Balchik · Queen Marie's summer palace, minaret and cactus garden
Battenberg Mausoleum
Sofia · neo-baroque tomb of Bulgaria's first prince
Belenski most
Byala · 14-arch stone bridge born of a daring bet
Buzludzha Monument
Stara Planina · the largest monument of Bulgaria's communist era
Dyavolski Most (Devil's Bridge)
Ardino · stone bridge in a gorge and a deal with the Devil
Eagles' Bridge
Sofia · 1891 stone bridge guarded by four bronze eagles
Euxinograd
Varna · French-style royal palace, rare-tree park and wine cellar
Georgi Dimitrov Mausoleum
Sofia · communist-era tomb built in six days, demolished in 1999
Hristo Botev Monument
Botevgrad · 1966 bronze statue of the poet-revolutionary
Kadin Most
Nevestino · granite bridge of 1470 and a legend of a bride
Kaliakra Lighthouse
Cape Kaliakra · 1901 stone lighthouse above 70 m cliffs
Kordopulov House
Melnik · 1754 wine mansion with a cellar cut into the rock
Lions' Bridge
Sofia · 1891 bridge guarded by four bronze lions
Monument of Liberty
Ruse · pyramid of freedom with lions, chains and a sword
Monument to the Soviet Army
Sofia · Cold War memorial, repainted often, partly dismantled
Monument to the Tsar Liberator
Sofia · bronze tsar on a black granite plinth, 1907
Monument to the Unknown Soldier
Sofia · eternal flame and a bronze lion that was lost for years
Pleven Panorama
Pleven · a 115 m painted battle on four stone bayonets
Ruse TV Tower
Ruse · 204 m concrete tower, Bulgaria's tallest TV mast
Shabla Lighthouse
Cape Shabla · oldest lighthouse at Bulgaria's easternmost tip
Shipka Memorial
Shipka · tower with a giant lion, reached by 890 steps
Snezhanka Tower
Pamporovo · 156 m TV tower with a panoramic café
Vrana Palace
Sofia · royal palace, hunting lodge and landscape park