The demolition of Georgi Dimitrov’s Mausoleum (1999)

The mausoleum of Georgi Dimitrov, Bulgaria’s first Communist leaders, stood in central Sofia since 1949. It contained his embalmed body and was used for ceremonial state functions throughout Bulgaria’s Communist period. In 1999, the democratic government of pro-Western leader Ivan Kostov resolved to demolish the monument. This is a collection of archival footage of the demolition, which lasted several days and was widely broadcast in media. The copyright does not belong to me : This video contains original footage and narrative from Matthew Brunwasser’s documentary A Better Tomorrow : the Georgi Dimitrov Mausoleum, Hope and Disappointment in Bulgaria (1999). This video also contains archival footage from BTV (Bulgarian National Television)