Shipka-Buzludzha National Park-museum

Shipka-Buzludzha is a museum complex in the Balkan Mountains featuring a concrete structure with a circular main hall and a 70-meter tower. The interior contains 500 square meters of mosaics, marble floors, and copper decorations beneath a large dome pierced by 550 individual window panels.

Construction took place between 1974 and 1981 as a memorial to the 1877 Shipka battle and to honor Soviet partnership. The building required 70,000 tons of concrete and 35 kilometers of steel reinforcement, bringing together Soviet and Bulgarian symbols.

The name honors the Shipka battle of 1877, when Bulgarian volunteers fought against Ottoman forces. Today the monument connects visitors to both that national struggle and the Soviet influence that shaped Bulgaria after World War II.

The site stands at 1,432 meters (4,698 feet) elevation and is reached by a 12-kilometer road from Gabrovo or 16 kilometers from Kazanlak via Shipka Pass. Visitors arriving by car should prepare for changing mountain weather conditions, especially during colder months.

The vast dome contains a circular conference room measuring 60 meters across, where natural light enters through the numerous window openings. This space feels like an open-air amphitheater even though it sits entirely enclosed beneath the concrete roof.