#postsoviet
The Memorial House of the Bulgarian Communist Party on top of the Buzludzha peak ( Бузлуджа ), hands down the sickest place I’ve ever visited.
I had found out about this astronaut-shaped building because a Spanish friend had posted scenic pics on fb. When I was travelling around the Balkan in 2017 I decided to pay it a visit. I was staying in a hostel in Veliko Tărnovo and together with other backpackers I met there we went to Buzludzha by car (the hitchhiking option seemed too complicated).
We went in from a hole in the ground, admired the shimmering communist mosaics (or what’s left of them), the graffiti, the scenic mountain landscape all around. Then we went out and found some guards who asked for our passports. As you can see from pic.5 the building is a security area protected by sensors and entrance is forbidden. Luckily they did not fine us, nor wanted a bribe, for I was quite short on cash.
I can’t tell if it’s still possible to visit this place, for it already seemed on the verge of falling apart 3 years ago. But if you go consider those guards and bring a torch and comfortable shoes.
All pictures were taken by me, except the first one and the last one, which are by Simon, a British fellow traveller. Bulgaria 2017
Post link
Sowjetisches Ehrenmal in Treptower Park, Berlin 2014. The memorial was built in 1949 to commemorate the Red Army soldiers who fell in Berlin during the Second World War. The soldier, holding a child, is standing on top of a broken swastika.
Post link
I was taking part in an Erasmus+ project in Kobuleti, by the Black Sea. One day I went to the beach to take some pictures of the sunset, but I found this abandoned hotel and I ended up exploring the swimming pool area on the ground floor. I didn’t venture upstairs tho. There were stray cows eating grass in the surroundings. Kobuleti, Georgia 2015
Post link
The Black Sea and the remains of a socialist swimmer-themed mosaic in Kobuleti, Georgia 2015.
Post link
I was struck by the funny architecture mix in Batumi, featuring old buildings, communist Plattenbauten and shiny skyscrapers with weird details (see picture 1). These are analog pictures shot with an Olympus camera and film from dm. (Georgia 2015)
Post link
The brutalist Tehumardi Memorial on the island of Saaremaa, built to commemorate the Soviet soldiers who fell during a battle against the Nazis.
I took the bus from Kuressaare to reach this place. It was a Sunday, so I had to wait a couple of hours for the bus to get back. To kill the time, I went to the beach to read my book, but a snake crossed my way, so I rushed back to the bus stop. Funny fact: buses on this Estonian island are free but you must ask the driver for a ticket.
Post link
The abandoned Palace of Culture and Sports in Vilnius, Lithuania 2018.
After a long day in Trakai, I borrowed my host’s bike to visit this brutalist concrete ship. Unfortunately I had forgotten to charge my camera so I was able to take only one pic. The rest were taken with my shitty phone, but I thought they were still worth sharing.
Post link
POWER. Silence or war. #autoportrait #doublexposure #doubleexposure #doubleexposureportrait #selfportrait #doubleexposurephotography #trilogy #silece #war #room #postsoviet #sovietunionart #women #aboutwomen #aboutwomenlife #georgianwomen #privatspace #photography #illustration #selfportrait #selfportrait_society https://www.instagram.com/p/BiW0MBDjlOg/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=1g69xx8xcisy9
Post link
