This monument was built as a memorial to Russia’s support for Bulgaria during the Russo-Turkish War of 1828-29.
During the conflict, the siege of Varna lasted over two months.
After landing on the coast north of the city, Russian forces established their base of operations on the top of the nearby hill.
The monument was built on the same spot where Russian forces had been stationed.
Construction began in late 1974, and more than 10,000 tons of concrete and nearly 1,000 tons of rebar iron were used to create the monument.
The figures at the front of the monument show four Russian soldiers, on the right, coming to the rescue of three Bulgarian women on the left.
The women give gifts of bread and salt, as well as Bulgaria’s national flower, the rose.
These seven statues placed on the wings measure 11 meters in height.
The metal letters on the façade of the Bulgarian-Soviet Friendship Monument, now heavily decayed and partially missing, once read: “Friendship for centuries, through the ages.”
Over 200 floodlights illuminate the monument at night, so that it was visible even from ships far away in the Black Sea.
The monument fell into disuse after the political changes of 1989.
Today it is heavily vandalized with graffiti.
