Listen to the news

The monument to the Soviet army has literally killed a huge space around it, said the politician and historian Vili Lilkov at a discussion about the fate of the Prince's Garden, organized by him, the writer and public figure Zahari Karabashliev and the philosopher and journalist Tony Nikolov, BTA reported.

The discussion, which took place in the Union of Architects, was attended by the chief architect of Sofia Zdravko Zdravkov, the mayor of the "Sredets" district Traicho Traikov, the chairman of the culture committee of the Metropolitan Municipal Council (SOC) Malina Edreva, former and current municipal councilors, representatives of non-governmental organizations, members of the public and citizens. 

Vili Lilkov reviewed the history of the Prince's Garden and said that it is more expensive and more valuable than "this construction", as he defined the Monument to the Soviet Army.

The princely garden should be seen not as a neighborhood garden, but as developing along with Sofia's aspiration to join the European capitals, interrupted in 1954, he said. 

Lilkov recalled that before 1880 the place was known as Stambolova Meadow and was located outside the city limits.

Ice rinks were organized there, Lilkov pointed out.

After 1880, Prince Battenberg decided to turn it into a city garden.

In 1887, Ferdidand decided to create a Botanical Garden there, and later a zoo.

In 1903, Georgi Fingov, architect, master of the Secession, made the beautiful stone pillars with which the Prince's Garden was fenced.

During the Second World War, a Soviet anti-aircraft battery was positioned there, and then the monument to the Soviet Army was erected. 

They again demanded the removal of the Monument to the Soviet Army in Sofia

The SOS made a decision to remove the monument back in 1993, but it has not yet been implemented, Malina Edreva recalled.

She said the state should make the political decision about the monument's fate.

Edreva recalled the repeated efforts of the Metropolitan Municipality to obtain an opinion from the Ministry of Culture on the case.

We have also asked the regional governor to give his opinion and propose steps and solutions, Edreva said. 

The chief architect of Sofia Zdravkov, Zdravko Zdravkov, announced that there are two private properties in the Prince's Garden, which until recently were used as parking lots.

The first task, according to him, is to return them to the Metropolitan Municipality.

According to Zdravkov, the Prince's Garden is not visited by many people because there is nothing to keep them there.

He recalled that the decision for the garden was a competition involving authoritative architects from abroad.

According to Zdravkov, this is the only way to build a comprehensive concept of space.

This opinion was joined by Traicho Traikov.

"The garden got its name back, but it didn't get its spirit back," he said and proposed to justify a request by the Capital Municipality to the Sofia regional governor that the Monument to the Soviet Army be deactivated as state property and become the property of the Capital Municipality.

However, the participants in the discussion, mostly members of the public with right-wing views, declared themselves categorically against the organization of a competition before the state had decided on the removal of the monument.

Monument to the Soviet Army

Prof. Vili Lilkov