PLANS FOR LARGE SOFIA CONSTRUCTION PROJECTS

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP80-00809A000700070327-0
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: C
• Document Page Count: 7
• Document Creation Date: December 22, 2016
• Document Release Date: August 18, 2011
• Sequence Number: 327
• Publication Date: July 14, 1952
• Content Type: REPORT

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CLASSIFICATION CONFIDENTIAL
SECURITY INFORMATION
CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE AGENCY
INFORMATION FROM
FOREIGN DOCUMENTS OR RADIO BROADCASTS
COUNTRY Bulgaria
SUBJECT Economic - Construction projects
HOW
PUBLISHED Daily newspapers
WHERE
PUBLISHED Sofia
DATE
PUBLISHED 24 Dec 1951 - 27 Jan 1952
LANGUAGE
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REPORT
CO NO.
DATE OF
DATE DIST. /y Jul 1952
SUPPLEMENT TO
REPORT NO.
PLANS FOR LARGE SOFIA CONSTRUCTION PROJECTS
This report consists of a number of articles discussing the 7.7-
billion-leva construction projects planned for the new center of
Sofia. It would seem that the Bulgarians, with tae help of Soviet
technical advisers, are undertaking large-scale construction projects
which will presumabl re uire lar uantities of building materials
and manpower.
WILL TRANSFORM CITY CENTER -- Sofia, Vecherni Novini, 24 Dec 51
During the last quarter of 1948, the former "Gradoustroystvo" (City Plan-
ning) Office of the Sofia City Council, with the valuable assistance of the
Soviet architects Prof N. F. Polyakov and Naumov, established the basic general
lines along which the transformation of the center of Sofia was to be carried
out.
The main idea is that the city ;enter of a socialist city is a system of
harmonious and organized open spaces, places in which the political and social
life of all the city's inhabitants is concentrated. The organizational nucleus
of this center is the main city square, in which the citizens assemble for na-
tional celebrations and great events to meet their leaders and heroes.
During 1951, the Sofia Municipal People's Soviet and the other departments
have been engaged in the construction of new housing, and as a result of thie
activity 1,200 housing units will be completed in the capital by the end of the
year.
The drawing up of the plan for building the center of Sofia was assigned
to the Architecture Office of the Sofia Municipal People's Soviet, which did
the necessary study and planning through the bureau specially set up in the
"Sofpro" (Sofia Planning) Organization.
CLASSIFICATION CONFIDENTIAL
STATE \ NAVY NSRS DISTRIBUTION
50X1-HUM
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Following the instructions of Vulko Chervenkov on the construction and
architectural pattern of the center of the city, the studies were expanded to
take in a larger area with a radius of one kilometer around the center sh.)wn
on the 1:2000 plan.
The plan aims at making the following clear:
1. The future layout of the city communications network.
In :omparison with the plan showing the present situation, the new plan
shows the simplification achieved with a clear and distinct radial circular sys-
tem, very much like the one that has been fixed for Moscow.
2. The location of a communications center (node), the main city square
("9 Septemvri"), and the other open spaces:
One of the city's two most important boulevards,"Georgi Dimitrov," must
be widened from "Zhdanov" Street to "Stamboliyski" Boulevard to make it a com-
municatiot.s node. The other main boulevard, "Stalin," which with "Georgi Dim-
itrov" Boulevard froms the city's north-south axis, runs into this section, as
well as "Stamboliyski" Boulevard and "Zhdanov" Street from the western side of
the city. When these last two arteries are widened at the ends, they will be
joined with "Georgi Dimitrov" Boulevard.
The boulevards leading from the northeast and southeast, and serving
as prolongations of the Plovdiv and Botevgrad highways, form a junction in the
center in the area between the headquarters of the CC of the BCP (Central Com-
mittee of the Bulgarian Communist Party) and the Building of the Soviets, and
from there run into the widened stretch of "Georgi Dimitrov" Boulevard.
The main city square is clearly shown as lying on the second important
axis of the city, the east-west axis. The space between the headquarters of
the CC of the BCP and the Building of the Soviets provides a satisfactory
nection between the communications node and the main city square.
3. From the studies made it was determined that the streetcar tracks
should be removed from the center of the city. They must converge on points
lying as near the center as possible without crossing it in any direction. An
exception is made for the north-south line, which must remain as it is for ;ome
time.
The 1:1000 plan shows the construction work in the center. It names and
gives the dimensions of the future buildings and shows their locations.
The sites and the dimensions of the squares and boulevards and, in general,
the areas forming the center of Sofia, are fixed.
The main city square is situated as indicated above, on the east-west axis,
between the inner ring and "Ruski" Boulevard.
On the east and south, the square is enclosed by the landscaped area of the
Municipal Park and parts of the park around the Council of Ministers Building
and the landscaped areas lying between "Ruski" Boulevard and "Moskovska" Street.
The mau-:oleum of G. Dimitrc-, stands here, and the headquarters of the-CC
of the BCP is being erected here.
The new building of the Council of Ministers will be erected on "Moskovska"
Street facing the mausoleum of G. Dimitrov.
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After the old building of the Council of Ministers is torn down, the State
Opera House will be erected on the eastern side of the square.
The layout of "Moskovska" Street will remain as is for the most part.
The space between the Congress Hall of the headquarters of the CC of the
BCP and the Building of the Soviets is enclosed on both sides (north and south)
by the buildings of the Ministry of Heavy Industry and the Ministry of Electri-
fication.
The widening of the section of "Georgi Dimitrov" Boulevard between "Zhdanov"
Street and "Stamboliyski" Boulevard is the new element in the approved plan and
is what distinguishes it from the one previously drawn up. The widened section
will be about 480 meters long and 74 meters wide.
This makes it possible for "Georgi Dimitrov" Boulevard to run directly into
"Stalin" Boulevard in such a way that traffic will flow along the north-south
axis with no interruption.
On the west side of the widened section, opposite the Building of the CC
of the BCP, the Building of the Soviets (okrug okoli
be erected. Ya, and municipal, will
ihe central unit of the Building of the Soviets will be a 14- to 16-story
building, which in its dimensions and height will be one of the dominant struc-
tures of the city.
The eastern side will be rounded out with the buildings of the new hotel
and the Central Department Store.
At the corner of ''Ekzarkh Yosif" Street and "Georgi Dimitrov" Boulevard,
where part of the ancient inner fortress wall of Serdica was discovered, an
administrative building will be erected.
The "Sveta Redelya" (Holy Sunday) Church on "Lenin" Square will be torn
The need to improve the traffic facilities on the widened section of
"Georgi Dimitrov" Boulevard and to provide a suitable intersection with "ZhdanoY
Street made it evident that the Black Mosque must be removed, and this has been
made part of the approved plan.
"Lenin" Square in its present form and dimensions is being discarded. Pro-
bably the name of V. I. Lenin will be given to the new open space between the
Building of the Soviets and the Congress Hall of the headquarters of the CC of
the BCP. In the north part of this area, in front of the Building of the Sovi-
ets, the Statue of G. Dimitrov will be erected, and in the south part, in front
of the Congress Hall of the headquarters of the CC of the BCP, the statue of
Lenin will be erected.
Together with the construction of buildings, the plan provides for the con-
struction of many facilities such as the following:
1. Restoration of the old sewage and water-supply systems and laying of
new ones
2. Restoration of old and laying of new electric, telephone, and other
cables
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3. Installation of central heating pipelines
4. Filling and grading of land
5. Restoration of old and laying of new pavements and sidewalks
6. Modernization of the street lighting system
7. Planting of grass and trees.
The total cost of the measures for the construction and layout of the cen-
ter of Sofia, together with the building indicated in the decree of the Council
of Ministers, according to preliminary and approximate calculations, will amount
to 7,700,000,000 leva.
According to the resolution of 22 November 1951, the CC of the BCP, the
Sofia Party Committee and the Sofia Municipal People's Soviet of Workers' Depu-
ties are obligated to see that the citizens are familiarized with the provisions
of the decree for the reconstruction of the center, to eliminate promptly the
weak personnel among construction workers, and to study and apply the experience
of the builders of Dimitrovgrad.
The resolution of the CC of the DCP on the work of the Sofia Party Commit-
tee also requires that the situation of the construction workers be looked into
immediately and that extensive measures be taken to increase their skill. The
committee must assure the entry of new workers into the construction field and
must make sure that Soviet acceleration methods in maeonry, painting, etc., are
mastered by Bulgarian construction workers an masse. The turnover of labor
which has existed up to now among construction workers and the erroneous idea
which a ae of them have that they should not work fast because they would then
be out of work must be corrected.
PREPARATIONS FOR SOFIA CONSTRUCTION UNDER WAY -- Sofia,Vecherni Novini,
5, 7 Jan 52
At yesterday's session of the Executive Committee of the Sofia Municipal
People's Soviet of Workers' Deputies, the vice-chairman of the committee, Dim-
itur Popov, reported on the implementation of the decree of the Council of Min-
isters on the construction of the center of Sofia.
The preparations for starting the construction work will be completed by
1 September 1952. The vertical planning will have been completed by that time.
The level of the ]and will have been computed and determined, and the transfer
of the unnerground installations (cables, sewers, etc.), the changes in the pav-
ing of the streets, the widening and the clearing of boulevards, the removal of
streetcar tracks, etc., will have been done. The plans for the new buildings
will also be defiritely completed. With all this preparatory work completed, on
1 September 1952 the construction organization can move in with its equipment
and personnel and begin intensive construction work immediately.
The work on vertical planning is already under way. Thorough geological
study of the land, in connection with the construction of large buildings, has
already started. At present, the land on whic'z the Building of the Soviets and
the new hotel are to be erected is being studied thoroughly.
The drawings have been made for the removal of the streetcar tracks in part,
Particularly those passing through the center of town.
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In conns_tion with the preparation of plans for the new larg: buildings
which are to be erected in the center of Sofia, an advisory commission has been
formed, headed by Boris Markov, Chief Architect of the Republic.
On 3 January 1952, the Architecture Section of the Ministry of Communal
Economy and Public Works, and the architectural section of the Sofia Society of
the Scientific and Technical Union, _eld a meeting at the Cultural Workers' Clubs
at which Markov-read a report on the construction of the center of Sofia.
Al. Obretenov, professor and architect, made an introductory speech on the
historic decree of the Council of Ministers of 20 November 1951.
It was proposed that 15 to 20 outstanding Soviet architects be invited to
pay a visit to the Bulgarian architects in April or May, so that their rich ex-
perience may be utilized and their advice sought.
After Markov'a report, ma.iy questions were raised. Architect P. Kantard-
zhiev, Prof L. Tonev, Architect Radoslavov, Architect B. Shangov, and Engineer
Aareg'ozov said something on the organization of the work. Architect P. Tashev
made various suggestions.
SOFIA BUILDING PROJECTS -- Sofia, Rabotnichesko Delo, 27 Jan 52
The Building of the Soviets will most probably be 300 meters long and 14
to 16 stories high. "Georgi Dimitrov" Boulevard, which will stretch alongside
the Building of the Soviets, will be about 74 meters wide on a 480-meter stretch
from "Zhdanov" Street to "Stamooliyski" Boulevard. This widening of the boule-
vard will permit it to enter "Stalin" Boulevard directly. To widen the section,
the mosque will have to be torn down; a park with lanes will be laid out where
the mosque stood. The central Mineral Bathhouse will be clearly seen, and
against it will rise the "Ga9tronom" Building (the present covered market).
The plan is elaborated in such a way that the entire center of the capita..
will be surrounded by green patches.
The space from the Congress Hall of the headquarters of the CC of the BCP
to the Building of the Soviets, between the Central Department Store and the
hotel, will be called "Lenin" Square. On two sides of this square will be (on
the north) the Ministry of Heavy Industry and (on the south) the Ministry of
Electrification. "Dondukov" and "Ruski" boulevards, which are continuations of
Botevgrad and t'lovdiv highways, will run into "Lenin" Square. The facade o=
Ministry of Heavy Industry will stretch from the Central D.:_aartment Store to u.%a
State Planning Commission Building. On the opposite side will be the facaae of
the Ministry of Electrification. It starts from the hotel and reaches and en-
circles a part of "Lege" Street. "Tsar Kaloyan" Street will terminate at the
new "Lenin" Square and the small, old "Sveti Georgi" Church will be situated in
the green inner yard, enclosed by the buildings of the Ministry of Electrifica-
tion and the hotel.
The "9 Septemvri" Main Square will be linked with the communications cen-
ter through the new "Lenin" Square.
The present building of the Council of Ministers will be torn down. The
new imposing building of the 'ouncil of Ministers will be situated on the north
side of "Moskovska" Street at the site of the Sofia Main Office of the Ministry
of Interior and the Academy of Music.
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The new State Opera House will be opposite the central facade of the Build-
ing of the CC of the BCP.
Provisions have been made for remodeling the "Bulgariya" Hotel (the old
building overlooking the square). A statue of Stalin will be erected on "9
Septervrl" Square; a statue of Lenin will stand in front of the Congress Hall
of the headquarters of the CC of the BCP; and the Georgi Dimitrov monument will
stand in front of the Building of the Soviets.
Along "Dondukov," "Stamboliyski," "Stalin," and "Georgi Dimitrov" boule-
vards and "Bacho Kiro," "Budapest," and other streets will be erected mddern and
hygienic apartment houses for the working people of the capital.
The work to clean up the center of capital must begin on 15 February 1952
so that the construction of the buildings of the Ministry of Heavy Industry, the
.Lnistry of Electrification, the Central Department Store, the Building of the
Soviets, and the hotel can begin on 1 September 1952. The above buildings must
be completed not later than 31 December 1954.
Successful execution of this construction plan for the socialist building
of the Bulgarian capital will be a new e::pression of the creative peaceful labor
of the Bulgarian people.
ANNOUNCES SALE OF CONSTRUCTION MATERIAL -- Sofia, Otechestven Front, 27 Jan 52
In Announcement No 310, the supply section of the Executive Committee of
the Sofia Municipal People's Soviet announces the sale of construction material.
acquired from torn-down buildings on the terrain where the new construction proj-
ects of the Sofia center are being erected.
ERECT APARTMENT HOUSES IN SOFIA -- .,ofia, Vecherni Novini, 7 Jan 52
On Alekaandur Stamboliyski Boulevard, between "Osogovo" and "Odrin" streets,
five new eight-story apartment houses have been erected.
Under the direction of the Soviet specialist Mikhin, prefabricated parts
were used for the first time. These prefabricated parts were moved into place
on the prepared reinforced-concrete structure with the enormous tower crane.
Instead of bricks, the new construction uaterial rstudizol" (cold insulation),
which is 22 times lighter than bricks and has better insulation qualities, was
used in constructing the buildings. Construction with prefabricated parts and
use of "studizol" blocks made it possible to complete the five apartment houses
in a short time and reduce the construction costs about 10.5 percent.
In 1952, the Sofia Municipal People's Soviet of 'Workers' Deputies will in-
crease the allocations for housing construction 20 percent over those for 1951.
Five enormous new apartment houses will be completed by the end of 1952
on "Rakovski" Street, between "Slaveykov" Square and "Levski" and "Gurko"
streets, and on "Levski" and "Stefan Ka-;dzha" streets.
This year, the Sofia Municipaal. People's Soviet will take extensive measures
for communal construction in Sofia. The plan which the "Inzhstroy" (Engineering-
Construction) Economic Enterprise at the Sofia Municipal People's Soviet has
drawn up for communal construction provides during 1952 for the laying of tens
of thousands of linear meters of new curbstones, more than 100,000 square meters
of pavement, street surfacing, etc.
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'The following paving and surfacing is planned: Stalin Rayon -- ^3,000
square meters of basalt slabs for sidewalks, 1,792 square meters of macadam sur-
face, and 4,000 square meters of pavement; Kolarov Rayon -?- 2,200 square meters
of smooth cobblestones; Dimitrov Rayon -- 1,904 linear meters of curbstones,
2,700 square meters of sidewalks, 25,136 square meters of macadam surface,
27,785 square meters of pavement, and 6,490 square meters of smooth cobblestones;
Blagoev Rayon -- 3,176 linear meters of curbstones, 3,614 square meters of side-
walks, 25,996 square meters of macadam surface, 21,196 square meters of pavement,
and 2,915 square meters of smooth cobblestones, Chervenkov Rayon -- 5,195 linear
meters of curbstc-as, 4,362 square meters of sidewalks, 29,854 square meters of
macadam surface, 31,888 square meters of pavement, and 2,100 square meters of
smooth cobblestones; Sixth Rayon -- 2,731 linear meters of curbstones, 7,455
square meters of sidewalks, 14,716 square meters of macadam surface, 20,312
square meters of pavement, and 2,924 square meters of smooth cobblestones.
6
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