Social tension and protests over the renovation of the Freedom Monument on Mount Shipka are reported by bTV. Protesters gathered in front of the historical monument over the removal of stone slabs from the stairs and the platform, and yesterday they blocked a truck with stone blocks.
After the start of the renovation and the removal of the stone slabs from the stairs, citizens expressed concerns on social networks whether the authentic appearance of the Freedom Monument would be preserved.
Yesterday, protesters blocked a truck with stone slabs and did not allow them to be removed from the top.
„In Bulgaria, renovations and reconstructions of cultural monuments are done with bulldozers and heavy construction equipment. You saw on the ground how the restorations are done – "This is not the case all over the world," says protester Lyubomir Petkov.
The dissatisfied insist that the stone elements and the authentic appearance of the historical monument be preserved during the renovation.
“The man who restored the “Shipka“ monument cried yesterday“, says Stanislav Georgiev - also part of the protest.
The National Park-Museum “Shipka – Buzludzha“ is categorical that the dismantling is foreseen in the project and all requirements will be met during the restoration.
“The facing slabs of the stairs and steps according to the scheme are numbered, separated, sorted and arranged around the Freedom Monument. The task of this removal is to solve the problem with the subsidence of these steps. And the cladding parts are located on the southern and eastern sides of the monument and whoever came**,** saw them, arranged on wooden beams“, points out Dr. Chavdar Angelov, director of the park-museum “Shipka – Buzludzha“.
The company – contractor told bTV that the dismantling is necessary, as the staircases are compromised by open joints and subsidence.
They assure that each stone element is numbered and will be returned after the construction of a concrete structure. The company adds that the project has been approved by the Ministry of Culture and is being implemented under author's and construction supervision, and investor control.