Monument to the Soviet Army
Location: Sofia, Bulgaria
Completed: 1954
Architects: Danko Mitov (lead architect) and Ivan Funev (lead sculptor) plus collective
Genre: War memorial, Socialist memorial, former Eastern Bloc
The monument symbolises the gratitude of the Bulgarian people towards the Soviet Army for their decisive help in liberating them from fascism. The sculptural composition on the plinth at the centre of the memorial complex portrays a Soviet soldier holding high his machine gun, a Bulgarian worker and a Bulgarian mother with her child. The three sections of bas-relief at the foot of the column are entitled “The Patriotic War”, “Everything “for the Front, Everything for Victory” and “October 1917”. The two pedestals that flank the entrance to the complex are called “The Bulgarian people welcome the Soviet Liberation Army with bread and salt, with flowers and gifts”.
The monument was unveiled to mark the 10th anniversary of the 9 September (1944) coup d’état, a notable event in Bulgaria’s more recent history that put the country on the path to socialism.
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