Bulgaria, Sofia, Monument to the Soviet Army, communist-era sculptural group

Getty Images/Dorling Kindersley

Monument to the Soviet Army

Sofia


Near the entrance to Borisova Gradina, this gigantic monument was built in 1954 and is a prime example of the forceful socialist realism of the period. The place of honour goes to a Red Army soldier atop a column, surrounded by animated cast-iron sculptural groups depicting determined, gun-waving soldiers and grateful, child-caressing members of the proletariat.