Bulgaria was founded in 681 and in 1981 the country celebrated its 1300th anniversary with the creation of numerous monuments and cultural centers built throughout the country.
Without a doubt, the most important of these is the Monument to the Founders of the Bulgarian State, in Shumen.
Pliska, the former capital of the First Kingdom of Bulgaria, is located in the vicinity of present-day Shumen.
Construction began in August 1979 and the monument was officially inaugurated on 28th November 1981.
Designed by architects Georgi Gechev and Blagoi Atanasov, this monument is in the form of concrete pillars that rise to a height of about 70 meters.
Cubist sculptures decorate these pillars, illustrating Bulgaria’s early leaders.
Khan Asparuh (considered the founder of Bulgaria) is depicted first, standing with his sword stuck in the ground and his hands raised. It is followed by the 18-meter-high sculptures of Tervel, Krum, and Omurtag (Bulgarian khans who reigned in the 8th and 9th centuries).
The next 11 figures represent the golden age of Bulgaria under the reign of Simeon the Great (893-927).
A cross is located at the top of the monument as a symbol of the Christian religion to which the Bulgarians converted in the ninth century.
The ensemble also features a mosaic-decorated wall, illustrating the establishment of language and culture in Bulgaria.
The monument is located on top of a 450-meter-high hill and can be seen from over 30 km away.
Unusually for socialist-era monuments in Bulgaria, this site is well maintained.
