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The park was part of Dimitrovgrad’s green system, created also to improve the microclimate polluted by the industry.

Photo: ATRIUM Archive

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Park entrance from the “Third March” Boulevard

Photo: Municipality of Dimitrovgrad Archive

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Plan design: the park comprises various areas, such as the system of ponds, the child area and the memorial area.

Photo: Municipality of Dimitrovgrad Archive

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Child area

Photo: ATRIUM Archive

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System of ponds

Photo: ATRIUM Archive

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Inspired by the world exhibition of park art held in Italy in 1961, the plant composition followed the latest trends.

Photo: ATRIUM Archive

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Peny Penev Memorial Park: a synthesis between nature, art and poetry

Photo: ATRIUM Archive

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In the highest part of the park, a monument to the poet Penyo Penev was erected (Vasil Pisanov, 1969)

Photo: Municipality of Dimitrovgrad Archive

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The image of the socialist poet Penyo Penev was instrumentalised for propaganda purposes.

Photo: ATRIUM Archive

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Selected poem citations were chiselled on a number of natural stones - innovative for its time..

Photo: ATRIUM Archive

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The socialist regime employed an innovative pavement, which resembled cobble stone, but was easy to maintain.

Photo: ATRIUM Archive

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Innovativeness: the park furniture, such as park benches merged with the pavement style.

Photo: ATRIUM Archive

"Penyo Penev" Memorial Park

Synthesis between nature, art and poetry

The unique memorial park is a synthesis between nature, art and poetry. However, the image of the socialist poet Penyo Penev was instrumentalised for propaganda purposes.

Innovative park art

A fascinating fact is that the “Penyo Penev” Memorial Park was built on a completely destroyed quarry for the extraction of limestone, which had been used to construct the town of Dimitrovgrad. Inspired by the world exhibition of park art held in Italy in 1961, the rich plant composition followed the latest trends worldwide.

Dimitrovgrad’s green system

The park was part of Dimitrovgrad’s green system, created not only for aesthetic reasons, but also to improve the microclimate of the town, which was affected by industrial pollution. Soon, the park became a favourite recreation area as well as a place for cultural events – improvised readings, concerts and recitals.

Poetry for propaganda

In 1958, the park was dedicated to the youth brigade movement and later on to the socialist poet Penyo Penev, whose poetry was to a large extent ignored during his lifetime. In the highest part of the park, a monument to the poet (Vasil Pisanov, 1969) was erected. Poem citations were chiselled on a number of stones – an innovative approach for the time. The selection of the citations was ideologically based, thus serving the propagandist purposes of the socialist regime.