Blagoevgrad Through the Eyes of Stefan Spassov

These events took place last October. We were heading home from the village and along the way, as always, I was browsing through my phone. I rarely receive messages on the page Next Stop: Blagoevgrad because most people here already know me and reach out directly. So when I saw that I had a message, I was overcome with that special excitement you feel when you know that something new, something different, but certainly good, is coming.

The message was from Stefan Spassov, a designer and student at the National Academy of Art, with a personal project researching and documenting artifacts from the period 1944-1989. Architecture and monumental/decorative arts in Bulgaria are his passion and you can read more about his project at the links at the end of the article.

Our conversation via chat was direct and to-the-point: Stefan had come to Blagoevgrad for a few days and came across my blog. He decided to ask me for contacts and information "from the source”, regarding where in the city there are still mosaics, murals, and monuments from the aforementioned period. He asked very specific questions and for me it is enough just to be asked, to be able to help, and I’ll do what I can—this is my greatest satisfaction from the whole idea behind Next Stop: Blagoevgrad.

I gave him some directions and contacts for the drama theatre, the community centre, AUBG (the former Party House), and we agreed that if I could make time the next day, I would join him for a short walk around the city. From his preliminary knowledge on Blagoevgrad, I was certain that he would help me much more than I would help him.

Over the years, I've had several valuable meetings thanks to Next Stop: Blagoevgrad, I knew right away that this one would also earn a spot on that list.

Mosaic

/Drama Theatre "Nikola Vaptsarov"/

Architect Vitomir Gabrovski (and collective)

Artist Ivan Kozhuharov

1987

The next day, Stefan had already visited the theatre and the AUBG, and in the afternoon we had time to visit the community centre together. Just a few months earlier, I filmed a live taping here where I had the pleasure of hearing the organ in the main hall performed live. And so, I thought I would make the tour quick and easy.

However, the community centre is a truly magical place with its many staircases, floors, levels, and entrances. There were some dead ends throughout its interior but we managed to reach the important places where Stefan took photos of the architecture, mosaics, and other decorative elements, and we left the rehearsing artists and musicians to practice in peace.

Mural “Scene”

/Chamber Opera and Community Centre “Nikola Vaptsarov”/

Architects Maria Mileva and Alexandar Todorov

Artist Hristo Stefanov

1987

We also visited my favourite house in the city—the house of the late Viktoria Varlamova—we then saw the 140 year-old National Humanitarian High School "St. St. Cyril and Methodius" with the monuments to the Holy Brothers and Kuzman Shapkarev.

Next stop: the house-museum of the great Bulgarian sculptor Krum Dermendzhiev. Stefan and I stood in front of the main gate and began talking about the facade, the Three Falcons sculpture, the yard, the exhibited artworks, Krum Dermendzhiev's studio… and as if by chance, perhaps by fate, Stefan noticed that the front gate was slightly open.

I, as if accustomed to the idea that it was always locked and that there was no chance of getting in, couldn’t believe my eyes. Besides the gate, towards the back of the yard, Stefan noticed a man in working clothes. My curiosity got the better of me and I called out “Hello! Can we talk?”

The man approached and introduced himself—it was Boris Dermendzhiev, one of Krum Dermendzhiev’s sons. He invited us into the yard and while he tidied and cleared up the space, he told us many interesting stories about the family three generations back. However, our meeting was relatively short as it was quickly becoming dark outside and we needed to leave. We wished each other good health and see-you-agains and Stefan and I carried on down the street. Half an hour later, we said our own see-you-agains and parted ways.

Later on, he processed and selected a number of photos around Blagoevgrad and sent them to me to be included in this article. Under each photo, you can read the original title of the work (wherever possible), the name of the author/s, and the year of creation.

As some time had passed since his visit to Blagoevgrad, I decided that it was a good moment to hear a different perspective, one belonging to a person who visited the city for the first time and who has an affinity towards architecture, art, and culture as a whole. I asked him the following question:

“What are your general impressions of Blagoevgrad, where does it land on the map of other Bulgarian cities in terms of tourism development opportunities, and how do you assess the care of its monuments?” Before sharing Stefan's answer below without redaction, I want to express special thanks to Tsveti, Igor, and Inna! Without you, this wouldn’t have happened!

“Blagoevgrad is an exceptionally beautiful, historic city surrounded by remarkable mountains and natural beauty. We are talking about a city that consists of three "ensembles": revival, post-liberation, and modern.

Fountain

/Former Square “Dimitar Blagoev” (today: Square “Georgi Izmirliev”)/

Architect Atanas Agura

Artist Yanko Bonev

1987

Continuing this thought, I had long since read about how the city's central urban plan was among the best examples of modern urban planning in Bulgaria during the 1980s (despite some polarizing opinions from Blagoevgrad locals). At last, I was able to experience the city in person, to fully appreciate its scale and grandeur, and to feel its spirit and dynamism as a vibrant contemporary city.

From my short stay in Blagoevgrad, I saw that it extends outwards from its beating heart: the centre. In it, thanks to the skillful planning and efforts at the time to improve the appearance of the city, a number of initiatives had been applied to improve the functional connections between its individual parts, the rational implementation of new buildings, the layout of pedestrian zones, park areas, and restorations to existing buildings (from the three “ensembles”) in order to achieve an overall effective aesthetic synthesis.

Bas-Relief

/Former House of the Municipal Peoples’ Council (today: Municipality of Blagoevgrad)/

Architects Lyubomir Bonev and Slavei Galabov

Sculptor Lyubomir Prahov

Artist Petar Braikov

1987

The harmonious tones between modern materials in the design of cladding, railings, supporting walls, glass, etc.—of white limestone, thermopile glass, copper cladding, etc.—and the surrounding greenery are refined and competently assembled.

All of this leads to a successful dialogue between the old and the new, something that makes Blagoevgrad feel much more alive and fascinating.

In addition to its aesthetic qualities, the city is also highly developed as a balneotourism centre; something which, in my opinion, greatly contributes towards the its overall tourism development. It’s also important that the city has a rich academic base that continues to attract young foreigners. Precisely because of these key aspects, Blagoevgrad is considered a centre of attraction for many people.

In order to maintain and to further develop this direction in Blagoevgrad, additional efforts could be made to protect and preserve the cleanliness and aesthetic qualities of its spaces. This will definitely be beneficial in making the city more attractive to tourists.

It’s strange to me, for example, that the former Hotel-Restaurant "Alen Mak" (once an incredibly popular venue) with its central location is in such a neglected state today. Not to mention that the building was once rich with numerous monumental and decorative works that have, sadly, been neglected, damaged or completely destroyed over time. It is very unfortunate. The hotel has all the potential to be a highlight in the city centre. An adequate restoration/renovation project without compromising its architectural quality would be terrific.

Bas-Relief

/Former Hotel-Restaurant “Alen Mak”/

Architects Stoyan Hadzhistoyanov and Nenko Nenkov

Sculptor Mihail Shapkarev

Artist Ivan Smolyanov

1975

As for the care and maintenance of the city's monuments, most of them are well maintained. Even the more politically charged monuments, such as the Fraternal Barrow (without commenting on it's missing bronze bas-relief compositions), have decently well-kept surroundings. Unfortunately, however, the sculptural composition by the city’s entrance from Sandanski (designed as a symbol of the city by sculptor Ivan Neshev and architect Lozan Lozanov) is damaged and could definitely be restored by competent artists, but unfortunately such things are usually not a priority for city administrations. Regarding the park sculptures, I was happy to see that most were in good condition. Perhaps what can be improved here is the maintenance of their surroundings in order to prevent some of them from sinking into an unkempt environment.

Sculptural Composition “Mother”

/City Park/

Sculptor Nikolai Smirgela

1985

Blagoevgrad has a lot to show (in both exterior and interior spaces). I’ll be happy to come back, spend more time here, and to get to know more about the city and its qualities.”

Decorative woodcarving “Paisius from Bansko”

/House of Youth/

Architects Ivan Bitrakov and Yakim Petrov

Artist Hristo Barakovski

1972

Copyright photos and texts: Stefan Spassov

Instagram profile for the project theforgottencivilization https://www.instagram.com/theforgottencivilization/

Original text in Bulgarian, translated to English.