I first wanted to write a post about the whole city of Dimitrovgrad to get an idea of the overall atmosphere of the place, and only then to show you up close some of its creatures / monsters.
And for those who missed my previous post, I can give a hint: did you know that in honor of some famous, or rather infamous regimes and leaders of these regimes, not only monuments and individual monumental buildings were ever built, but entire cities?
And here comes the trick I got myself into: when you visit a city you know was built in 1947, in honor of a communist leader, you can't imagine that there are buildings in it that are more old from that date.
So I myself, seeing the water tower of the city for the first time, thought that it was from 'that time'. Its appearance perfectly fits into the whole atmosphere of the city, which I presented to you in the previous post - old, monumental buildings from 'that time', left to the whims of fate.
And I think you can see for yourself from these close-ups.
From one side:
Then from the other side:
Mold, crumbling plaster, crumbling construction - typical of the condition of so many other buildings in this city. And what else? Correct - abandoned and non-functioning.
So, everything I have said so far is clear and visible to the naked eye. Except for one thing - that this building is not from communist times.
In fact, first look at the structure and the overall landscape that surrounds it, and I think you'll understand why I'm so confused. Why my mind has gone so far:
An overpass is built around the tower.
And from below it looks like this:
It's a bit of an 'alien architecture' style. Don't you think? Which is woven into so many buildings from that time.
Coat of arms of the city of Dimitrovgrad and logo: "I am and will be", together with the date of foundation - 02.09.1947. This placed on the tower helps to deepen the delusion of its age:
The tunnel under the overpass, after which pedestrians can climb up the stairs:
Here are exhibited archival photos of some of the buildings in the city. But I did not see a single picture of this tower to show or tell its true age.
Photos from the overpass where there is a roundabout:
And now, after showing you in detail this place and the whole building, let's talk in essence - the water tower was built in 1873.
And now the question is, how can there be such an old building in a city that was built 74 years later?
Because the foundations of this city were laid long before its construction by young volunteer foremen.
And it is based on three fully built villages. And this place here is not accidental, but completely strategically chosen, because of the railway already built here, which connected Constantinople with Vienna. And this tower was built for the needs of steam locomotives.
Ugh, so many historical facts, all uninteresting and, I'm sure, unknown to the average Bulgarian.
What is interesting, at least for me, is that this tower, one of the most important landmarks and one of the oldest symbols of the city of Dimitrovgrad, was bought in 2018 by the municipality for the ridiculous nearly 18,000 euros. It was planned to renovate this building and turn it into an art center.
Okay, am I blind? Or do you not see an art center here, just like me? 🙄😥
Should I clarify that such things often happen in poor post-communist countries?
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Copyright: @soulsdetour