Plovdiv was remembered most of all
In the early seventies, as a young journalist, the Komsomol district committee awarded me with a tourist ticket to Bulgaria. Almost five decades have passed since that time, and I still remember all the details of that journey. We visited the five largest cities in Bulgaria. Plovdiv was remembered most of all.
We arrived in Bulgaria in early March. Everything on this earth was already breathing in spring, snowdrops were blooming with might and main. The Bulgarians respected Russia very much, many of them spoke our native language perfectly, so we felt at home. The Bulgarian people greatly appreciated the help of Russian brothers and in battles with the Turkish-Ottoman yoke, and with the fascists. Many streets, factories, schools, agricultural enterprises were named after Russians.
On the hill of liberators
But the most noticeable symbol of Soviet-Bulgarian friendship, of course, was Alyosha - “Bulgaria's Russian soldier”. This eleven-meter-high sculpture stood on the Bunardzhik hill (translated into Russian “The Hill of Liberators”). The monument was visible from almost anywhere in Plovdiv.
We went to "Alyosha" in the late afternoon. They carried several baskets of flowers with them. Slowly, with great excitement in their chests, they climbed the wide steps (there are exactly one hundred), leading to the pedestal, on which towered the stern, courageous figure of a victorious soldier. We stood in silence for several minutes. Bulgarians, both old and young, came up to us. We hugged, smiled at each other. The flowers we brought lay down at the foot of the monument.
A warm March evening was falling over Plovdiv. Powerful searchlights lit up, and the monument in their light seemed to become even higher, even more powerful. Again we stood motionless. This was our moment of silence. And then our guide told a lot about the monument.
Promotional video:
He was a scout and signalman
The idea to erect a monument in honor of Soviet soldiers-liberators was born to the inhabitants of Plovdiv in 1948. The initiative came “from below” (from the people), without any instructions from the authorities. It was opened in November 1957.
The prototype of the monument was the scout and signalman Aleksey Ivanovich Skurlatov, holder of two Orders of the Red Star. He comes from Altai, he volunteered for the war. He fought in the Kursk Bulge, in the Ukraine and in Belarus. During the liberation of Bulgaria, Alexei Skurlatov managed to defend the observation post, destroying 18 fascists, and took five more prisoners.
The years passed. Residents of Plovdiv were proud of their "Alyosha". Fresh flowers always lay at the foot of the monument. The song, written by Soviet authors Konstantin Vanshenkin and Eduard Kolmanovsky, became a favorite not only in Russia, but also in Bulgaria.
Defending Alyosha
And who would have thought that they would have to save Alyosha himself from death? Different times came, a different outlook on life, different interests of the Bulgarian authorities appeared. It was decided that the monument to Alyosha is a symbol of the Soviet occupation, and therefore it must be demolished. However, ordinary people rose up to defend their Alyosha, organizing a round-the-clock watch at the monument. It was in 1989
The next attempt took place in 1993, when the mayor of Plovdiv decided to dismantle the monument. Dozens of public organizations in Bulgaria opposed this.
Three years later, the "community council" of Plovdiv again decided to demolish the monument. This decision was overturned by the District Court. The final point was put in the same year by the Supreme Court of Bulgaria, which ruled that the monument is a monument of the Second World War and cannot be destroyed.
To keep every morning peaceful
… Soon, spring will come again to Bulgaria, as well as to Russia. The green haze of the first leaves will envelop the hills on which Plovdiv stands. And still, clutching a machine gun in his hand, a stone soldier will look to the east - as a symbol of the defender of peace, as a reminder that the friendship of the Slavic peoples will not be destroyed, because they fought together to ensure that every coming morning was peaceful.
Tatiana KUZNETSOVA