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2. 681
A Memorial that brings everyone together and reveals who we are

3. past
1934 - 1978
present
1978 - 2017
future

4. ‘Memorial to the fallen soldiers of I Iron Division Sofia’
Soon after the Bulgarian independence of 1878 a decision was made
to construct army barracks for the newly formed Bulgarian army.
The barracks for the infantry were built on the southern outskirts of
the capital Sofia. The buildings were occupied by the I Infantry
Division of Sofia and VI Infantry Division of Veliko Tyrnovo. Both of
these divisions fought in the Serbo-Bulgarian war of 1885. In the
beginning of the twentieth century, they formed part of the I Iron
Division of Sofia during the Balkan Wars of 1912-1913 and in the First
World War, 1915-18, respectively.
In memory to the soldiers fallen in war, a Memorial was built in 1934-
1936. The Memorial was designed by Alexander Obretenov (1903-
1990) and constructed on the three end-walls of the northern most
barracks in a symmetrical composition.
past

5. Location of army barracks of 1st and 6th Infantry Division, 1917 Memorial plates made of enamelled metal were fixed onto the three
stone walls. The composition was completed by a bronze lion
holding a shield with a map of Bulgaria based on the San-Stefano
Peace Treaty of 1878. The Memorial and its surroundings were used
for both ceremonial and recreational purposes.
During the Blitz of 1944, the southern (central) building and
memorial wall were destroyed. After the war, the Memorial was left
in complete disrepair. The second and third barracks were
demolished in the mid-to-late 1960s. In the late 1960s in place of
the first missing building the ‘Lada’ fashion house and associated
parking were built (left).

6. During the 1970s the surrounding park was asphalted over. Now just
a free-standing west wall remained. The Memorial, however, still
gave its surroundings a sense of place and to the local people – a
sense of belonging to a particular community.
Perhaps the last photograph of the west wall. The Memorial was
about to be demolished to make way for a new grand project – The
National Palace of Culture and surrounding parkland. The metal
plates were removed and some were stored in the National War
Museum.
Construction began on the 25 May 1978. The Palace’s completion
was to coincide with the 1300 anniversary of the Bulgarian state. The
design team was led by architects Alexander Barov and Atanas
Agura, civil engineer Valentina Atanasova and sculptor Valentin
Starchev.

7. ‘1300 years Bulgaria’
Since the mid-1970s the idea to build a new cultural centre in Sofia
was building momentum. Initially, the area of the old army barracks
was designated for a new opera house. An international competition
was held but the jury did not announce a winner. The idea fell
through and soon after it was decided that a new multi-purpose
venue was to be built instead. This was to become the National
Palace of Culture. The completion of this project was to also coincide
with the 1300 anniversary to the foundation of the Bulgarian state. A
new monument named ‘1300 Years Bulgaria’ was intended to further
mark the occasion.
At the end of 1979 a competition was announced and soon after a
shortlist of three sculptors was formed. First prize was given to the
sculptor Valentin Starchev. The theme of the competition was ‘Past,
Present and Future’.
present

8. Aerial photograph of Sofia with overlayed location of demolished
army barracks, 2017
With the 1300 anniversary looming, the monument had to be built
quickly. It was never fully finished and in places suffered from poor
craftsmanship. The monument and the National Palace of Culture
were opened at the end of March 1981 by the then Head of State
Todor Zhivkov..
The composition of ‘1300 Years Bulgaria’ consists of three bodies
forming a spiral that culminates in a bronze wing. The wing meant to
symbolize the flight of the nation towards the future. Each body
represented a theme – Tsar Simeon and the scholars, Pietà for the
fallen over those 1300 years and the builder who has endured and
built the country over the centuries.

9. The monument was controversial from the start – praised by some
and despised by others. It stirred emotions in everyone – be it hatred
by those who associated it with the Communist regime that
commissioned it or admiration by the cultural and artistic
establishment both at home and abroad.
After the fall of Communism in 1989, the monument was left in
complete disrepair. Water ingress behind the poorly fixed granite
panels and their subsequent collapse lead to the fencing off of the
structure.
Over the next 20 years the condition of the monument deteriorated
further and further. Calls for its demolition to make way for a
reconstruction of the old Memorial gained support. A number of
ideas for its refurbishment were rejected.

10. The monument cannot stay in its current condition. The Monument during the winter of 2017. After a judicial decision for
its demolition and removal of the figures to a museum, the end of
‘1300 Years Bulgaria’ is before us. Demolition is scheduled for spring
2017.

11. ‘Major influence to the development of this project was the work of
David Chipperfield Architects on the Neues Museum in Berlin:
“The restoration and repair of the existing elements of the building were
building were driven by the idea that the spatial context and
and materiality of the original structure should be emphasised – the
emphasised – the contemporary reflects the lost but without imitating
without imitating it.”
David Chipperfield
A project of this scale and prominence invites multiple approaches.
To demolish the existing monument, or to fully repair it to its original
form, does little to support a historical narrative of the site. To
reconstruct the original memorial, on this site or any other, offers no
real programme for increasing public engagement or developing a
civic utility. The proposed scheme is one that recognises the
historical narrative of the site and original memorial, preserves it,
and makes a substantial new contribution to the life of the city.
future

12. This became the guiding principle behind the reimagining of the
existing monument. What is therefore proposed is the introduction
of a new material. A bronze mesh that completes the damaged
figures and offers an interpretation of the original third volume. This
contemporary element will be clearly distinguishable. It will
therefore allow visitors to read the layers of history that make up the
monument – from its original volume and mass through the bare
concrete structure and bolt-holes to the completed figures and wing.
A true physical manifestation of its original theme – Past, Present
and Future.
View towards the proposed new Memorial park and repaired
monument. The existing iron armature is clad in bronze mesh
designed to interpret the original volume and completes the
composition. The bronze figures are repaired and completed using
the same mesh, clearly showing each layer of history. The concrete
bodies are also repaired, cleaned and left exposed.
View of the proposed main entrance to the Memorial park with the
repaired monument in the background. The entrance is completely
open and provides access not only to the garden but to the
reception/bookshop to the left and archive/office to the right. A
generous spiral stair with lightwell above would take visitors down
into the museum space.

13. The monument’s grounds will be enhanced and for the first time
made accessible to all. A new excavation at the lower level will
complete the square of the existing triangulated plan and provide
almost three times the usable area. Access to this new area will be
through a large opening in the existing retaining wall. The new space
will accommodate a 250m2 museum that tells the story of both
monument and memorial. In addition, a new 200m2 sunken
sculpture court will be located on the opposite end of the plan.
View of the proposed entrance to the museum. The large opening
cut into the existing retaining wall reveals the museum space
beyond. The space could be used for exhibitions, talks, lectures,
book launches and other events. This lower level would be accessible
for able- and disable-bodied people alike for the first time.
View of the proposed sculpture court on the opposite end of the
museum. A secondary entrance to the garden above would be
provided via a bridge over the sunken court.

14. On top of this excavated ground, a new body will be placed. The
proposed Memorial park to the fallen soldiers of the I Iron Division.
This new room for the city will be accessible to all and will offer a
different type of space for commemoration; a garden of
remembrance – a quiet place for contemplation, rest and recreation.
The original bronze lion will be reinstated in this new contemporary
setting. As part of this project, every place and fallen soldier’s name
have been meticulously placed and ordered on the proposed 39
stone panels that line the garden.
An additional layer of activity is added by the introduction of
archive/office, reception, bookshop and ancillary facilities that are
fully accessible.
View of the proposed Garden of Remembrance. This new space
provides a quiet and contemplative environment in the middle of the
busy surroundings of the Memorial park. The space is lined with 39
stone panels engraved with the names of the fallen soldiers as per
the old 1934 Memorial. The original bronze lion is also reinstated in
this new contemporary setting.
The Garden could be open day and night, offering different
atmospheres and presence.

15. In the process of designing this proposal, every fallen soldier’s name
has been placed and ordered on the 39 stone panels. Each panel is
designed to turn into a bench at it’s base, providing space for rest
and contemplation along the entire perimeter of the garden.
View of the proposed secondary entrance at dusk. The powerful
composition of the monument is retained while the presence of the
new memorial space is clearly identified.
View of the proposed repaired monument at night. The bronze mesh
glows and gives the missing body an ethereal presence. The
monument’s powerful presence is restored. The Garden of
Remembrance assumes a more subdued character from this
perspective. A single window into the bookshop presents itself to
the public.

16. Proposed Ground Floor Plan Proposed Lower Ground Floor Plan Proposed Section through the Memorial Park

17. Finally, it is proposed that the complex is renamed Memorial park
‘681’- a name that takes us back to the beginning without offering an
end – just like the wing that symbolised the flight of the nation
towards the future. This project is a starting point. Its aim is to open
up a conversation and help us re-evaluate what we already have.

18. ‘I love beginnings. I marvel at beginnings. I think it is
beginning that confirms continuation.’ – Louis I Kahn
To me this is a beginning – a new way of looking at what
is not a destructive way, but constructive; inclusive rather
exclusive, cohesive rather than divisive.
With the residency of the EU Parliament at the National
Culture in 2018 it is vital to pause for a moment and
message we are sending to the world. Are we going to be
that pretends the past does not exist or one that examines
learns from it? Is the best we can do to destroy or to
going to let a monument of exceptional sculptural and
quality disappear? Are we a civilised society or just pretend
Having considered the story of the Memorial to the I Iron
and that of the monument ‘1300 Years Bulgaria’, one
draw a comparison. History repeating itself. However, it is
to History what happens with the present. It is down to us.
we are faced with a dilemma. To demolish ‘1300 Years
re-construct a memory out of place and context, or build
shared story a new Memorial. A Memorial that brings
together and reveals who we are.
initiative

19. www.681-project.com