site.btaSoviet Army Monument Restoration Doesn’t Have to Be Coordinated with Culture Ministry, Sofia Regional Administration Says

The Soviet Army Monument’s restoration is not subject to coordination with the Culture Ministry’s Specialized Expert Council for the Arts (SECA), the Sofia city’s regional administration said, quoting the minutes of a meeting, held on December 15.

 The administration said the document was sent to them with a letter from the Culture Minister. It states that the proposed technical dismantling of the bronze statues and plaques of the bas-reliefs of the Soviet Army Monument in central Sofia does not fall within SECA’s competence.  

According to the Cultural Heritage Act, the Ministry of Culture only coordinates the investment projects for constructing and erecting monuments, as well as their moving or removal, the regional administration said, adding that the dismantling of the monument’s statues does not fall within the procedures listed in the law, but are considered part of the process of restoration.

The regional administration published on Friday on its website the plan for safety and health, which includes photographs of the cracks observed on the Soviet Army Monument’s statues. The plan also says that the granite tiles are in poor condition, with many of them cracked or raised.

The Ministry of Culture has ordered an immediate termination of the dismantling of the Soviet Army Monument as early as December 14, reported the Bulgarian Socialist Party -Sofia (BSP-Sofia).