Modern & monumentSofia & Western Bulgaria

The Georgi Dimitrov Mausoleum: the Lost Tomb of Sofia's Central Square

The Georgi Dimitrov Mausoleum was a ceremonial tomb on Prince Alexander of Battenberg Square in the centre of Sofia, built to house the embalmed body of the first leader of Communist Bulgaria. It no longer exists: it was demolished in August 1999 after a long public debate. Its story remains one of the most discussed chapters of the city's twentieth-century history, and the square is an easy stop on a walk through central Sofia.

Built in just six days in 1949, the white mausoleum in the heart of Sofia needed a whole week and several explosions to bring down in 1999. The first blasts left it standing.

WherePrince Alexander of Battenberg Square, central Sofia (the building no longer stands)

TypeFormer communist-era mausoleum, demolished in 1999

Best forReaders of twentieth-century history and walkers exploring the centre of Sofia

Getting thereIn the middle of Sofia, within walking distance of the city's other central sights

The history of the Georgi Dimitrov Mausoleum

Georgi Dimitrov, the first leader of Communist Bulgaria, died in Moscow on 2 July 1949. The Council of Ministers decided to embalm his body and to build a mausoleum in which it could be displayed for lasting veneration, in the manner of Lenin's tomb in Moscow. Work on Prince Alexander of Battenberg Square in central Sofia began at once, and the white building was ready in a record six days, roughly the time the body needed to travel from the USSR to Sofia. On 10 July it was officially placed inside.

Accounts of the design differ in the details. Sources agree that the architect was Georgi Ovcharov, working with Racho Ribarov and Ivan Danchev, and that the engineer Georgi Natov led the construction. Ovcharov is said to have drawn a hall with Doric columns, but the party leadership rejected the plan and had it simplified into a plain, temple-like block with square pillars. A platform in front of the building, raised a few metres above the street, served as a rostrum. The facade was clad in light stone, later replaced with stone from the Vratsa area, and bronze busts of Dimitrov and his comrades flanked the entrance.

For four decades the mausoleum stood at the centre of state ceremony. Foreign delegations laid wreaths there, and from its rostrum the party and state leadership watched the May Day demonstrations and the parades on official holidays. A guard of honour stood outside, in a ritual comparable to today's changing of the guard at the Presidency. Most of the rooms lay underground, where the equipment for preserving the body was housed and the temperature was held at a constant 17 °C. In 1974–1975 the building was rebuilt: the rooms beneath the mourning hall were enlarged, the air conditioning was replaced, and a sculpted monumental door, a crystal sarcophagus chamber and mosaics by Dechko Uzunov were installed. Vasil Kolarov, the second communist leader, was buried in the second niche of the east wall.

In 1956 a group of anti-communists planned to blow up the building during a May Day demonstration, but they were delayed, and State Security arrested them in February 1960. The end of the regime came in 1989. After a demonstration of state power on 9 September, the mausoleum was closed to the public. In July 1990 the government decided to remove the remains: Dimitrov's body was cremated and the ashes buried in Central Sofia Cemetery, and Kolarov's remains were moved there as well.

For nine years the fate of the empty building was debated. Some proposed turning it into a museum or an art gallery; an opinion poll reported that two-thirds of the population opposed demolition. In 1999 the government of Ivan Kostov decided to pull it down. The work began on 21 August, and the early blasts, which relied on single powerful explosions, did not bring it down; after the third it merely tilted. A series of smaller consecutive explosions and heavy machinery finally finished the job, and the last debris was carried away on 27 August 1999. Beneath the building, workers found a nuclear shelter built in 1958.

Curious facts about the Georgi Dimitrov Mausoleum

The mausoleum was completed in six days, about the time it took for Dimitrov's body to be brought from the USSR to Sofia.
Inside, the temperature was kept at 17 °C, give or take half a degree, and the sarcophagus was lowered by a special lift when it was not on display.
The soldiers who stood guard outside had no cartridges in their rifles, as police were always on duty in the area.
After the demolition, workers discovered that a nuclear shelter had been built under the mausoleum in 1958.
There were reportedly plans to move the body to a cave in the Balkan Mountains by special bus in the event of war.
The last communist leader, Todor Zhivkov, died after the mausoleum had been closed, so no leader after Kolarov was buried in its side niches.

Tours near Georgi Dimitrov Mausoleum

Experiences in the area that you can book online with Viator:

Half Day Tour around Sofia and the mountains with Thermal Spa

★ 5 (47 reviews) · 6 h

See details ›

ATV Off Road Tour Near Sofia Guided Quad Bike Experience

★ 5 (28 reviews) · 1.5 h

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Plovdiv, Asen's Fortress and Bachkovo Monastery small group tour with pickup

★ 5 (27 reviews) · 9 h

See details ›

Full-day Rila Monastery, Stob Pyramids and St Ivan Rilski Cave from Sofia

★ 5 (24 reviews) · 6 h

See details ›

Visiting the site of the Georgi Dimitrov Mausoleum

The mausoleum was demolished in 1999 and the building itself cannot be visited; the site is now part of the garden in front of the National Theatre on Battenberg Square.
A walk around the square helps to picture the scale of the former building and of the rostrum from which the May Day parades were reviewed.
Within easy reach in central Sofia are the Amphitheatre of Serdica, the Monument to the Unknown Soldier, the Saint George Rotunda and the Church of Saint Petka of the Saddlemakers.
Dimitrov's grave is in the Central Sofia Cemetery; check the current conditions for visiting before you go.

Opening hours, access and conditions can change. Check before you go.

Map: where Georgi Dimitrov Mausoleum is

Photos of Georgi Dimitrov Mausoleum

Questions

What was the Georgi Dimitrov Mausoleum?

It was a ceremonial tomb in central Sofia, completed in 1949 to hold the embalmed body of Georgi Dimitrov, the first leader of Communist Bulgaria. It was also the rostrum for state parades and demonstrations.

Where was the Georgi Dimitrov Mausoleum and does it still exist?

It stood on Prince Alexander of Battenberg Square in Sofia. It was demolished in August 1999 and no longer exists.

Why was the Georgi Dimitrov Mausoleum demolished?

The government of Ivan Kostov argued that keeping it was inappropriate after the fall of communism, because it stood for the repressive past. The decision was hotly debated, and an opinion poll showed that two-thirds of the population were against demolition.

Who designed the mausoleum?

The architect was Georgi Ovcharov, with Racho Ribarov and Ivan Danchev. His first design with Doric columns was rejected and the building was simplified.

Why did the demolition take so long?

The first attempts relied on single powerful explosions and failed to bring the building down. It was finally demolished with a series of smaller consecutive blasts, and the debris was removed by 27 August 1999.

What happened to Dimitrov's body?

In 1990 the government decided to cremate it, and the ashes were buried in the Central Sofia Cemetery.