Amaze / Attract / Observe

2 Amaze / Attract / Observe

Table of content

Abstract

3

Present / Future / Past

4

Ritual / Cult / Modernity

10

Sea / Sand / Sun

16

Image / Senses / Perception

24

Branding / Hierarchy / Control

34

Capitalism / Kitsch / Crime

40

West / Resorts / East

42

Suggestion for further research

44

Bibliography

46

The text has been produced as part of the AR2A011 Architectural History Thesis course at the Faculty of Architecture and the Built Environment - TU Delft Conducted between January and April, 2022 Academic supervisor: Dr. Sabina Tanović Author: Ventsislav Kartselin // 5483204 // venci.svetlinov@gmail.com [fig.01] - Front page: Sunny Beach in the end of the 60ies of the XIX century

Abstract 3

Abstract After the Second World War, in coherence with the then global trend of development, the Bulgarian state documented rising prosperity and urbanisation, remarkable construction of transportation networks, as well as an increase in leisure time as a consequence of shortening the working hours. Consequently, the general society became more mobile and focused on recreation, which opened a broad spectrum of possibilities for introducing mass tourism in the country as a means of economy and leisure. Soon after, the Bulgarian State shifted its focus on attracting Western tourists, partially excluding the Bulgarian population from the newly created resorts. This text introduces the concepts and strategies used for the development of a distinctive leisure context at the Bulgarian seacoast and highlights the important position that architecture and the open space played for that purpose. The design characteristics of the built environment are examined through the lenses of the controversial coexistence of capitalistic practices during the Communist regime in Bulgaria between 1944 and 1989. [fig.02]

Keywords: Bulgaria, architecture, resort, socialism, tourism, leisure, Disney

[fig.02] - A fragment from a catalogue with images collected by the Bulgarian state archive

4 Amaze / Attract / Observe

Present / Future / Past 1According to Merriam-webster online dictionary lockdown is defined as: a temporary condition imposed by governmental authorities in which people are required to stay in their homes and refrain from or limit activities outside the home involving public contact.

2Berkeley Bryant, “The Impact of COVID-19 on Tourism,” College of Natural Resources News, July 29, 2020, https://cnr.ncsu.edu/news/2020/07/impact-of-covid-19-on-tourism/. 3Juan Antonio Duro et al., “Covid-19 and Tourism Vulnerability,” Tourism Management Perspectives 38 (April 2021): 100819, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tmp.2021.100819. 4Desislava Stoilova, “Tourism Industry and Economic Development of Bulgaria,” Romanian Economic and Business Review, Vol. 8, Issue 4.1, Pp. 60-68 , January 1, 2013., 61

5Ibid., 57

labour

leisure

pre-modernity

At the time of writing, the future surrounding the world’s development was uncertain. Since the end of 2019, the fast-spread of the SARS-CoV-2 virus led to a dramatic loss of human life worldwide and presented an unprecedented challenge to public health, leisure and the world of work. As a result, the subsequent pandemic that was officially declared by the World Health Organisation (WHO) on 11 March 2020 forced governments to take severe measures, initiating regional or total lockdowns.1 The consequences affected nearly all aspects of daily life, resulting in a tension between individual freedom and the common good. Additionally, the restrictions on movement forced people to spatially condense their life to the premises of their homes, blurring out the border between work and leisure - a rigid division that was already challenged by the flexibility that the Internet brought to the labour market. [fig.03] As a consequence, a necessary process of adjusting in the structure of the global world might occur, yet the intensity and duration of which cannot be easily asserted. What is evident is that the broader concept of leisure and the related industries were directly affected, with aeroplanes grounded, hotels closed and travel restrictions put in place.2 This state of affairs exposed some dependencies of the current tourist market and opened the p ossibility for transdisciplinary teams to rethink how tourism interacts with our societies, other economic fields and our natural resources and ecosystems.3 Taking in consideration that tourism has been an essential development power in the last 20 years in Bulgaria,4 the seemingly unclear future of the leisure domain sparked my curiosity about its origins, and more specifically, the history of leisure architecture on the Bulgarian seacoast. Going back in time, following the development of leisure culture in Bulgaria, we can observe a continuous increase in supply and demand after the end of the Second World War. Due to the lack of historical distance to the Communistic times in Bulgaria and the national sensitivity to the second half of the 20th century, an objective view about the socio-political condition of that time is difficult to achieve.5 However, what we know for sure is that leisure, among others, was heavily affected as part of the transition from agricultural to industrial society that took place after the establishment of the Communist government in 1944. The enforced nationalisation and collectivisation, in addition to fast industrialisation, electrification and

labour

leisure

early modernity

labour

leisure

modernity

labour leisure

post-modernity

[fig.03] - The blurring border between labour and leisure

Present / Future / Past 5 urbanisation, brought fundamental modifications to the socio-political framework of Bulgaria. Under the broad ideas of the communist agenda, architects and other urban experts were developing a cult towards the sea and the sun, while invigorating mechanisms for disciplining the population. In the State’s plan, leisure and labour were not considered as counterpoints, but rather as two supplementary aspects of daily life. The increasing workforce in the industry was compensated with an almost free, state-organised holiday in nature or at the seaside. The holidays were seen as an oppor tunity given to the labour force, to recover and strengthen their physical condition. Additionally, the minimal expenses from the side of the workers were in exchange for loyalty to the workplace and a considerable degree of social control.6 At the same time, in the decades between 1944 and 1989, the Bulgarian government was seeing the seaside as a valuable asset for profit. Steadily branding strategies were reaching beyond the political borders, welcoming those who can bring hard currency to the market.7 [fig.04] The problem in the case was that with its freedom of behaviour and consumerist culture, the western understanding of leisure was contradicting the authoritarian regime established in the country. So for the purpose of distancing the Western influence from the Bulgarians, the State had to regulate when and where the Bulgarians could rest - limiting their choice to worker’s stations, private villas and camping sites.8 Therefore the newly built complexes, which are investigated in this paper, should be understood as places that were never intended for the Bulgarians.9

6Elke Beyer, Holidays After the Fall: Seaside Architecture and Urbanism in Bulgaria and Croatia (Jovis, 2013)., 70

7Hard currency refers to money that isissued by a nation that is seen as politically and economically stable. Hard currencies are widely accepted around the world as a form of payment for goods and services and may be preferred over the domestic currency.

7Rumen Draganov, “Хотелите Бяха За Чужденците, Почивните Станции За Българи,” www.24chasa.bg, August 4, 2018, https://www.24chasa.bg/ojivlenie/article/6995360.

8An economic organisation , which existed between 1949 and 1991 under the leadership of the Soviet Union that comprised the countries of the Eastern Bloc along with a number of socialist states elsewhere in the world.

9Maria Davcheva Dr.Arch., “Bulgarian Black Sea Resorts. Genesis and Metamorphoses,” in Architectural Images Bulgaria in the Second Half of the Xx Century Volume I (Mio Design, 2022), 57–145., 73

[fig.04] - International tourist flows towards Bulgaria, 1972

6 Amaze / Attract / Observe

10An economic organisation , which existed between 1949 and 1991 under the leadership of the Soviet Union that comprised the countries of the Eastern Bloc along with a number of socialist states elsewhere in the world. 11Elke Beyer, Holidays After the Fall: Seaside Architecture and Urbanism in Bulgaria and Croatia (Jovis, 2013)., 78 12According to Duden, turbo capitalism is the: ruthless, undisguised exclusively on profit maximisation oriented capitalism. Dani Nikolova, “Диалектика На Преходния Период,” Programata, November 18, 2013, https://programata. bg/?p=66&l=1&c=13&id=736. 13Until the Postwar period Bulgaria was considered a distinctive agrarian country, with around 80% of the Bulgarian workforce in agriculture. The underdeveloped transport network, the lack of social welfare and other factors kept the majority of the population distant from the leisure culture of the seaside resorts.

The attracted flows of foreign tourists gave the Black Sea resorts a specific aura and aesthetic that other towns in Bulgaria lacked. [fig.05] The resorts were becoming a vivid window onto new international trends and youth practices, creating a vibrant interface between the socialist and capitalist worlds. The development of infrastructural connections with the “outside world” such as airports, and connecting the coastal cities to the international highway system opened the possibility of Bulgaria to become one of the leading Europe’s holiday destinations and “the country most specialised in tourism” among the Comecon member states.10,11 [fig.06] The fall of the Communist government and the major political changes after 1989 resulted in a vigorous metamorphosis of the Bulgarian coast, reaching a state of turbo-capitalism.12 Therefore, nowadays, stretched between the nostalgia of the lost past and appreciation for the achieved unlimited freedom, new concepts about the seaside resorts become difficult to be widely accepted. So to find a sustainable way for its future development, it is crucial to trace the Bulgarian seaside resorts back to their origins, and to understand the core idea behind their structure. Taking into account the fact that before the Second World War seaside resorts were accessible to only a small part of the Bulgarian nation,13 this paper focuses on the development after the establishment of the People’s Republic of Bulgaria in 1944, after which mass tourism and resort expenditures started to be important to the nation’s identity. [fig.06.1]

[fig.05] - A fragment from the Bulgarian movie "S detsa na more" ("With kids at the seaside"), 1972. In the 1970s and early 1980s, Black sea resorts gain more and more fame also as part of the movie and TV productions. Movies became an effective tool to covey a popular model for luxurious and fun life on the summer seaside.

Present / Future / Past 7

Bulgaria

[fig.06] - A map of the Comecon countries

The USSR

Other countries part of the Comecon

8 Amaze / Attract / Observe

The April Plenum of the Central Committee of the Bulgarian Communist Party and the official start of the de-stalinisation process

introduction of 14 days paid annual holiday

construction of the sanatorium in the area "St.St. Constantine and Helena”

domestic importance global importance

1914

establishment of the state controlled tourist agency called “Balkantourist” invasion of the red army in Bulgaria

1944 1915

begin of WW1

1953 1944

begin of WW2

decree of the council of ministers on the cultural development of Varna's seacoast

1948

begin of the construction of "Sunny Beach"

1955 1958 1955 the death of Joseph

Vissarionovich Stalin

[fig.06.1] - A timeline with some of the most important local and global events in relationship with the resort development

Present / Future / Past 9

the first “Korekom” was opened in “Golden Sands”

1300 th anniversary of the Bulgarian State's foundation

1970 1965

1983

Bulgaria becomes member of the European Union

1989

1981 Johan Huizinga defines the term “hono ludens” [lat. the playful man]

critical regionalism, was the fall of communism in defined and developed by eastern europe Kenneth Frampton

2019 2007 outbreak of SARS-CoV-2

10 Amaze / Attract / Observe

Ritual / Cult / Modernity 14Fred Gray, Designing the Seaside: Architecture, Society and Nature (Reaktion Books, 2006), 7

15Ibid., 17

16Karin Taylor, Let’s Twist Again: Youth and Leisure in Socialist Bulgaria (LIT Verlag Münster, 2006)., 108

17Valentina Beloeva-Savova et al, Architecture and Man’s Living Environment, vol. 7 (Sofia: Academic Publishing House “Prof. Marin Drinov,” 1995)., 48

18Janina Gosseye and Hilde Heynen, “Architecture for Leisure in Post-War Europe, 1945–1989: Between Experimentation, Liberation and Patronisation,” The Journal of Architecture 18, no. 5 (October 2013): 623–31, https:// doi.org/10.1080/13602365.2013.8353 34.

“The invention of the Western seaside as a site of leisure and pleasure almost three centuries ago went hand-in-hand with development of a novel urban form - the seaside resort - and the emergence of a new pleasure architecture beside the sea.” 14

Sea-bathing was familiar to the common folk and was pursued for therapeutic, educational and festive purposes. Nevertheless, the capital generating potential of the seaside was unfamiliar until the 18th century, when it was imagined, learned and accepted. Originating in Britain, it was part of a codified, guided and constrained ritual, in which only the elite could participate. [fig.07] Followed by decades of steady development, it was not until the 1920s and 30s, when the seaside seized the imagination of the common people, releasing a torrent of new architectural responses to the seaside leisure.15 The accelerated pace of scientific, technical, cultural, and social progress since the beginning of the century has influenced the nature of resort activities. Holidays at sea were gradually turning from a privilege of the wealthiest to a mass social practice.16 In the end of the 1950s, Western resort activity was characterised by seasonal mass travel, pursuit of contacts with different regional cultures and preferences for an economical and original architectural environment.17 The UK, France, Spain, Italy and Portugal, were among the first to look for urban solutions corresponding to the new development of coastal recreation, leading the modern resort to a new phase.18

[fig.07] - " On the Sands at Brighton: Figures Walking on the Shore", ca.1800

Ritual / Cult /Modernity 11 It was during that period that the construction of the first big resorts along the Bulgarian Black Sea coast began. In the years before 1944, summer vacations were still not part of the widespread practice. They were considered as part of the high-class culture, dating the origins of resort construction back to 1915 with the construction of the sanatorium for patients with bone tuberculosis in the area „St. St. Constantine and Helena” [fig.08] near Varna, known for its natural beauty.19 In the 1930s, separate holiday homes of various government agencies were built along the coast. The Black Sea settlements such as Varna, Burgas, Sozopol and Nessebar, were partly used for resort purposes, but this did not significantly affect their functional organisation and spatial planning. Only the beaches of Varna and Burgas have been established for resort purposes, and the shelter and public service of holidaymakers were provided in small hotels or private homes. The events during and after WW2 changed those conditions and in the decades afterwards leisure infrastructure began to expand exponentially.20

[fig.08] - The building of the sanatorium in the area of St.st. Constantine & Elena

19 During the period between 1957 and 1992 the resort was called Druzhba, which will also be the name used later in thew text. More information about Varna could be acquired through the official touristic webpage: https://visit. varna.bg/en/index.html

20Anton Gugov et al, Architecture and Man’s Living Environment, 85

12 Amaze / Attract / Observe 21(18 December 1878 – 5 March 1953) was a Georgian revolutionary and Soviet political leader who governed the Soviet Union from 1922 until his death in 1953. He is considered one of the most important world leaders during the first half of the 20th century. 22R. R. Betts, “The European Satellite States,” International Affairs 21, no. 1 (January 1945): 15–29, https://doi. org/10.2307/3018989. 23Elke Beyer, Holidays After the Fall: Seaside Architecture and Urbanism in Bulgaria and Croatia (Jovis, 2013)., 26

24Anton Gugov et al., Architecture and Man’s Living Environment, 86

25Beyer, Holidays After the Fall, 41

26Ibid., 74

27Beloeva-Savova et al, Architecture and Man’s Living Environment, 52

28Beyer, Holidays After the Fall, 74

29Ibid., 75

In order to understand the broader meaning that architecture had at that moment we have to acknowledge the external social, political and cultural events happening in the meantime. The watershed event in the current case, was the death of Joseph Vissarionovich Stalin21 [fig.09] and the subsequent processes of de-stalinisation in the Soviet Union and its satellites.22 Most importantly it led to the abolition of some practices, such as the cult of personality, which had a major influence on the architectural development in the whole Eastern Bloc.23 In Bulgaria the official de-stalinisation process began with the April Plenum of the Central Committee in 1956, but de facto due to the reflective delay of the architecture practice, buildings with elements from the “embellishment period” were constructed up until the end of the 1950ies.24 Under the initiative of Stalin’s successor, Nikita Khrushchev, international tourism within Bulgaria and between countries of the Eastern bloc was increasingly approved and even promoted by the USSR.25 This opened a crack in the Iron curtain, allowing social and cultural tendencies to flow between the two sides, resulting in a bidirectional influence. Modernist approaches, which were already familiar in the West, were overtaking the silhouette of the Bulgarian resorts, rejecting the dysfunctional and uneconomical solutions from the cult period.26,27 Sought-after lightness and serenity, skillful use of the relief and the inclusion in the spatial composition of the characteristic natural features contributed the most to the creation of originals and unique atmospheres. The adoption of the basic principles of the International style, led to metamorphosis not only on the outside, but also in regard to the internal organisation. The communal experience was replaced by a more cost-effective accommodation typologies, where the private room, with its own sanitary unit, was constructed as a counterpoint to the sea, sun and sand. [fig.10] Adjacent, new volumes were set aside for recreation rooms, bars and restaurants, embedded in the surrounding topography by terraces and arcades.28 Eventually, even in the hotels for international visitors communal spaces were reduced or completely removed in order to simultaneously answer to the growing search for privacy, but also as an opportunity to cut costs.29 This allowed a rapid construction and growth of the Bulgarian resorts, in anticipation of the waves with tourists.

[fig.07] - The death of Stalin, 1953

Ritual / Cult /Modernity 13

[fig.10] - A fragment from the newspaper "Rabotnichesko Delo" in issue 160 of June 9, 1959. The headline says: ”Yesterday Sunny beach welcomed its first summer tourists”.

14 Amaze / Attract / Observe

30Janina Gosseye and Hilde Heynen, “Architecture for Leisure in Post-War Europe, 1945–1989: Between Experimentation, Liberation and Patronisation,” The Journal of Architecture 18, no. 5 (October 2013): 623–31, https:// doi.org/10.1080/13602365.2013.8353 34.

31Beyer, Holidays After the Fall, 50

32Ibid., 43-53

33The achieved results were acknowledged even from the Western travel guides and newspapers, leading to the choice of the seacoast city of Varna as the host for the 11th congress of International Union of Architects (UIA) on the topic of “ Architecture and Leisure ” in 1972. Beyer, Holidays after the fall., 57

34Beyer, Holidays After the Fall, 56

[fig.13] - Balkantourist logo

Facing the emergence of the newly developing leisure-based society, governments didn’t have ideal solutions in mind and often they would turn to architects to seek guidance on shaping mass leisure.30 Aware of the planned growth expectations of the Bulgarian resorts, one of the main tasks in front of the Bulgarian architects from this period was the prevention of spontaneity in the planning and appearance of the coast. The 380km coastline consisted largely of undeveloped stretches of dunes and sandy beaches, and was comprehensively studied for its natural resources, transport links, possibilities for profitable business services, and more. The state government determined the central resort cores and settlements in which to concentrate more comprehensively on institutions and establishments for active social and cultural life. [fig.11] This was recognised even from planners from abroad, thanks to the ability to handle larger scale developments, which in case of the seacoast would prevent the uncontrolled sprawl, a phenomena already present in the Western countries.31 Following examples such as, Sesimbra, Portugal; La Grande Motte, France and Carretera de lÁlmadrava, Spain, the Black Sea became an experimental ground for the renewal of resolutely modern design and the resorts that sprang up there showcased the very latest in contemporary Western architecture.32 [fig.12] Therefore it is often argued that the planning of the Black Sea resorts was one of the first opportunities, used successfully by Bulgarian architects, which brought them international fame.33 That was an important step for the integration of Bulgaria on the map of global tourist destinations, amplifying the influence between East and West even more. For the proper development for the planned large-scale project, the communistic government established a tourist agency called “Balkantourist” [fig.13] in 1948, which was operating under the direct guidance of the Bulgairan Committee of Tourism. Its main task was to organise and facilitate tourism, to arrange holiday and resort stations, hotels, restaurants, etc., and to attract more visitors, with the focus on foreigners.34 In addition to that, in the same year the Bulgarian employees were guaranteed 14 days paid annual holiday and a five-day work week, allowing people to benefit from the tourist products developed by the state. Those two factors became crucial for the development of the Black Sea coast for recreation and tourism in the People’s Republic of Bulgaria.

[fig.11] - Hotel do Mar. Sesimbra, Portugal, 1960s

Ritual / Cult /Modernity 15

[fig.12] - Postage stamps. Black Sea Resorts Set, 1972

16 Amaze / Attract / Observe

Sea / Sand / Sun

[fig.19] - Explore Bulgaria by car. A French tourist map from 1972.

35Beloeva-Savova et al, Architecture and Man’s Living Environment, 63

Initially, the focus of the developement process was laid upon the northern part of the Bulgarian Black Sea coast with the preparation of plans for Druzhba and Golden Sands in 1956, and later in 1957-1958 began construction of the assigned as an international resort Sunny Beach. [fig.14-18] Functionally the three resorts were very similar, each of them designed only for summer seasonal recreation of foreign and Bulgarian vacationers arriving privately or in organised groups. The service staff was incoming, with no permanent residents in the newly built recreation complexes, making them unused for most of the year. At first the accommodation was organised mainly with already familiar resort typologies - in hotels and holiday homes in Druzhba, in hotels and bungalows in Golden Sands, and in Sunny Beach. During the first years after the opening of the resorts public services were kept around a contestable minimum and the specific for western resorts from that period variety of attractions were not provided. Activities related to shelter, catering, and recreation were intertwined, while the beach and economic services were separate. The less dense urban environment required the use of cars for commuting inside the resorts. Although its broader usage opened up previously remote and inaccessible seaside places it became one of the main problems in the development of these resorts. The insufficiently organised transport service in terms of the separation of pedestrian and motor traffic, parking, and service, left its physical mark on seaside villages up until nowadays. 35 [fig. 19]

albena

varna

albena golden sandssands golden druzhba druzhba

sunny beach sunny beach

sofia burgas

[fig.14] - Map of Bulgaria with indication of the 4 biggest resorts along the Black Sea

Sea / Sand /Sun 17

[fig.15] - Plan of Albena. Marked with blue is the built before 1970

[fig.16] - Plan of Golden Sands. Marked with blue is the built before 1972

18 Amaze / Attract / Observe

[fig.17] - Plan of Druzhba. Marked with blue is the built before 1972

[fig.18] - Plan of Sunny beach. Marked with blue is the built before 1975

Sea / Sand /Sun 19 Similar interests, problems and demands concerning the development of mass tourism in East and West, led to analogous strategies and concepts in planning the architecture and the urban environment: for example, reoccurring hotel typologies could be found in Bulgaria and Greece, or in Croatia and Portugal. 36 Numerous articles and reports in modern architectural magazines, additionally contributed to the extensive exchange of ideas across the iron curtain. 37 The seaside destinations all around Europe began to be structured around an essentially Fordist conception of leisure. From volumetric optimisations on the urban scale and structural prefabricated components, to line-manufaced interior elements and furniture, architects had an active role in the definition of mass leisure that reached far beyond an accommodating capacity. Architecture for mass recreation frequently had the function of a lab and achieved a critical role in building culture. 38 The substantial economic growth for the scale of Bulgaria in the third five-year plan (1958-1963) and the extension of urbanisation, increasing incomes, and leisure time of the population, were key prerequisites for the intense growth of the touristic sector in the years that followed. International tourism had already earned itself a highly valuable position in the Bulgarian economy and was seen as a major branch of profit for Bulgaria. Gradually more new typological varieties of accommodation and entertainment architecture were introduced to the Bulgarian seacoast, diversifying the tourist product, transforming it into an ‘exciting new polyglot playground for the world’. 39 [fig. 20 ]

[fig.20] - Restaurant "Hanska shatra" ("Khan's tent")

36Anke Hagemann, “From Polyglot Playgrounds to Tourist Traps? Designing and Redesigning the Modern Seaside Resorts in Bulgaria,” Europa Regional 22.2014, no. 1–2 (January 1, 2015), https://doi.org/0943-7142., 31

37Ibid.,37

38Tom Avermaete, “A Thousand Youth Clubs: Architecture, Mass Leisure and the Rejuvenation of Post-War France,” The Journal of Architecture 23, no. 4 (May 19, 2018): 617–31, https://doi. org/10.1080/13602365.2018.1479232. , 617

39Footage showing rural, city and tourist life in Bulgaria. British Pathé, “Bulgaria,” British Pathé, 1965, https://www.britishpathe.com/video/bulgaria.

20 Amaze / Attract / Observe

[fig.21

[fig.22] - Different types of hotel typologies

Sea / Sand /Sun 21 One of the initial and probably the most recognisable typology used in the creation of the seaside silhouette was the high-rise tower. A hybrid between a vertical volume, where the sleeping rooms were located and a horizontal slab, in which the public araea and service zone took place. It was one of typologies, which was almost without any modification transferred from the urbanised cities to the seaside resorts.40 Such examples are the noteworthy hotels “Globus” in Sunny Beach and " "Intercontinental" in Golden sands. Y-shaped floor plans, terraced structures and embedded in the hill volumes were other popular typologies in resort architecture, from which Bulgaria didn’t make an exception. The most notable example of that category are the group of hotels in “Albena”. Another part of the architectural toolkit from that period was the composition of horizontal volumes in the “sober modernist tradition”. 41 Arranged either in clusters or around an atrium it benefited from a better connection with the surrounding nature. In the context of Bulgarian resorts, the atrium typology was often described by critics as a reminiscence of the Bulgarian monastery with its open gallery circulation and inner courtyard. One of the most recognisable examples of that typology are the hotels “Continental” and “Sozopol-Nessebar” ,built by arch. Nikola Nikolov in Sunny beach. Another eminent example of that typology is the hotel group “Black Sea” by arch. Stefka Georgieva, again in Sunny Beach.42 [fig.21-23]

[fig.23] - Typological mix of hotel buildings, Sunny beach.

40Avermaete, A Thousand Youth Clubs, 43

41Ibid., 44

42Additional information could be found in: Georgi Vladimirov Stoilov and Angel Petrov Sharilev, Arkhitektura Na Nashite Chernomorski Kurorti (State publishing house “Tehnika,” 1971).

22 Amaze / Attract / Observe However, differing from the thorough modernistic search for the tabula rasa, a reasonable amount of the Bulgarian architects argued in favour of traditional culture and heritage stressing that: 43Borislav Angelov, “Ornament Because of Crime : Learning from Mafia Baroque,” January 1, 2019, https://dspace.mit.edu/handle/1721.1/121811.

44Aneta Vasileva, “Bulgarian Architecture in the Second Half of the XX Century. External Influences and Development of Identity.,” 2017, https://uacg. bg/filebank/att_12942.pdf., 10

45Ibid., 20

46Lea-Catherine Szacka, Oase 103: Critical Regionalism Revisited (Nai010 Publishers, 2019)., 20

“nothing new could be founded on a completely blank slate, therefore only progressive elements from past cultures should be borrowed and fused into one worthy of defining a bright future.” 43 Since the moment of its self-conscious existence in the XIX century, Bulgarian culture has lived in a state of constant conflict between its roots and the universal civilization with which it is compared, and the search for a local reading of global phenomena through its own tradition is its constant state.44 Therefore it shouldn’t be a wonder why the search for local reading of the International style was a phenomena, particularly important in the development of the architecture of that period. Internationalism was trivialised not only because it could be very easily imitated, but mainly because it had characteristics of „pure style”, which inevitably leads to aesthetic fatigue.45 The neglect of local peculiarities and the „spirit of the place”, was not fully accepted, so while still following the modern understanding of space, composition and detail, new approaches were on the go. Metabolism, postmodernism, brutalism and critical regionalism could be all traced to different extent in the architectural legacy of the Bulgarian architecture in the Cold War era. In the construction of Bulgarian resorts, two of those sub-styles of Modernism stand out. On one hand critical regionalism, as defined and developed by Kenneth Frampton in 1983,46 focused not on the romantic nostalgia of the past leading to sentimental provincialism, but argued in favour of a strategy where modern architecture generates a sensibility towards the past, which manifests in unusual projects which transform the literal regionalism through the artistic and critical approach of their author. Sought was not self-serving diversity or deliberate originality, but full creativity, imagination and professionalism. On the other hand Brutalism with its “truthfulness” to the materials was highly praised by the architects of that period. The exposed construction, the monolithic shapes, in combination with tectonic borrowings from the traditional Bulgarian architecture created a unique style. Each of them, and often a mixture between the two, were used throughout the Bulgarian coast in a search for the new national architecture. [fig.24, 25] Architectural experimentation was at a peak and the seacoast was the lab facility for that matter.

[fig.24] - An advertisement about Hotel " Kontinental", Sunny Beach

Sea / Sand /Sun 23

[fig.25] - Bar Orient & Hotel Kontinental, 1968. What is visible in both structures are familiar national motifs, expressed in raw concrete. The interpretation of the typical tiled roofs, the cantilever balconies, the wood-imitating joints and more were part of the toolkit of arch. Nikola Nikolov, one of the most prominent representative of the critical regionalists in Bulgaria.

24 Amaze / Attract / Observe

Image /Senses / Perception

47Beyer, Holidays After the Fall, 76

48Gray, Designing the Seaside, 115

49Petko Evrev, “Otkritite Arhitekturni Prostranstva - Element Na Sredata Za Otdih v Nashite Morksi Kurorti,” Arhitektura, 1972., 31

With growing interest among international guests in the Bulgarian resorts, the tourist sector in the country seized the moment and started to offer a much broader palette of services in seaside resorts. The attractions multiplied one after another and the growing tourist market introduced a hitherto unseen variety of styles and themes in the built environment, giving the resort a more urban, progressive flair.47 Architecture became the medium to achieve a distinguished appearance between the seaside resorts and the mainland. Although it could be argued that seaside resorts relied heavily on the built environment for establishing their branding, generally the biggest part of their territories was taken by open spaces. Apart from the sea itself, the beach, the promenades at the seafront, the parks and the gardens, provided ways of experiencing nature and society, entertainment, leisure, pleasure and health.48 Thanks to the favourable climate in Bulgaria during the summer season, life outside took an important position in the lifestyle and culture of the Bulgarian folk, inspiring a diverse range of activities at seaside resorts. Open and closed spaces intertwined with each other, and were treated as equal spatial components. [fig.26] Perceiving man as the measure of the quality of these spaces, architects strived to create definite dimensions and scale that would allow the user to respond emotionally to this environment. The juxtaposition of the open and the closed, of the known and the unknown, created the feeling of appropriation of the space in which the users were and built curiosity about the spaces in which they were about to be. The psychological impact of the environment profoundly shaped the experience of relaxation.49 But tourists are not only passive consumers. They also co-produce the social space and visual culture of their resort,

[fig.26] - Plan of Sunny beach. Marked with blue is the built before 1975

Image / Senses / Perception 25 respectively their tourism landscape of choice, insofar as they create demand for specific services there, and participate in, or personally instigate, certain rituals.50 Architecture as an essential component of the whole experience, has to underpin and fulfil tourist’ expectations. Seaside architecture, particularly in the principal entertainment buildings and public open spaces, was designed as a visual spectacle. But it also performed other functions, both allowing the seaside to be commodified and helping in the creation of resort experiences consumed by holiday-makers. As such, resort architecture had a wider sensory role than merely the visual.51 Sounds, smells, tastes, textures, colours and shape were used to create a complex new world in which entertainment was put on a pedestal. The emergence of entertainment architecture in Bulgaria was associated with the realisation that the formation of the recreation environment cannot rely only on natural resources, but requires a range of recreational activities to meet a wider range of needs. In the 1972 article Arch. Todor Krastev describes the attractions as diverse elements, which in addition to their utilitarian function include a certain set of activities or elements of entertainment or/and attraction.52 In order to divide the objects into categories he compiled 3 signs by which we can sort them53. [fig.27]

50Beyer, Holidays After the Fall, 36

51Ibid., 54

52Todor Krustev, “Atrakcionni Zavedeniq Po Chernomorieto,” Arhitektura, no. 6, 7, 8 (1972): 106–11. 53Ibid., 107

presence of an existing attraction element presence of an existing attraction element

adapted architectural sites

content thematic presence of an existing attraction element

adaptedadapted non-architectural sitessites architectural

new sites adapted non-architectural sites

content thematic

universal - unrelated to on specific environment on specific environment ctural sites adapted non-architectural sites new sites a specific topic topic a pre-selected topic a pre-selected

universal - unrelatedprogram to with attraction a specific topic

stage element

versal - unrelated to a specific topic

with attraction program

[fig.27] - Diagram based on the text from arch. Krastev

stage element

without attraction program

without attraction pr with attraction

26 Amaze / Attract / Observe Narrative, symbolic and cinematic aspects were part of the creation of the brand “Bulgarian resort”. They were traceable in all visual elements of the resort environment, but found their most prominent application in the architect’s repertory. Competition for attention was created by the profit oriented approach, reasoned by the focus on the western tourist and the hard currency, which they brought. The need to stand out led to the appearance of distinct exterior facades, in eye-catching style, often brightly illuminated at night. [fig.28] Exotic vegetation, colourful uniforms, open kitchens were also among the elements used in the quest to awaken all senses related to the outlandish world that the planners were trying to build. Interiors were typically richly decorated and themed in a mood-enhancing style. The centre of design was no longer space, but rather the possible experience and the identity which was communicated. Similar approach was used in the amusement parks, especially the ones part of the chain created by Walter Disney. His obsession was not connected with the reproduction of reality, but with its improvement. The theme parks focused on short 54Ines Nizic, “The Influence of Disneyfizierung on Contemporary Architecture,” October 1, 2009, http://hdl.handle. net/20.500.12708/13092., 4

trips and excursions, providing offers for the “whole family“ and varying their offer depending on age, sex, social classm, and educational level of the target group.54 The big difference in comparison with Disneyland was that the Bulgarian resort experience didn’t exclude immoral or against family values. Alcohol, sexual references and freedom of appearance deeply contrast the fun-park concept. Still in both cases the “authors” were trying to develop prototypes for future communities by creating a lively, yet controlled, urban space. The artificially well-designed layout, which seemed to consist of an endless succession of different worlds, was an antipode of the modern monotonous city. [fig.29]

[fig.28] - Restaurant "Ropotamo", Sunny beach.

Image / Senses / Perception 27

[fig.29] - A tourist family riding camels in front of hotel “Globus”, Sunny beach.

28 Amaze / Attract / Observe Driven by nostalgia and a desire for a collective future, another key moment in theme parks was their endeavour to recreate foreign cultures or historical epochs. Truthfulness was traded for the miracle, in an endeavour to create a strong effect on the visitor. A complex set of cultural symbols and signs emerged through repetition and quotation, building the artificial world of the seaside resort. In doing so, culture and economy, adventure and profit, were strategically combined. As already mentioned, such processes were also taking place in the context of Bulgarian resorts, where the falsifications or/and imitations were concerned mostly with local motives. The topics were several, the main of which were: Household (pubs, taverns, camps, cellars), Maritime (frigates, ships), Primitive (Robinson, Picnic), Proto-Bulgarian and Gypsy-nomadism. [fig.30] Each of these areas served only as a starting point, and the end result was a mixture of already established models and the creative idea of ​​the author. The appearance of attractions including domestic elements was a result not only by the interest of tourists of the unfamiliar culture, but also by the national nostalgia of the old Bulgarian architecture.

55Krustev, Atrakcionni Zavedeniq, 111

56Beyer, Holidays After the Fall, 29

Beside the thematic approach, one of the main features of Bulgarian seaside resorts was the connection between architecture and the natural environment. It was understood not as a mere passive background, but as an active element of the overall architectural composition. Examples, where the landscape was a major visual component, could be found all along the coast. However, often for the purpose of creating an mesmerising visual identity, the unpredictable character of nature was neglected, which led to its negative sequences. When the possible strong winds and bad weather conditions were ignored in planning the qualities of the restaurant suddenly would disappear under the raindrops falling in the plates of the guests. Whereas the modernistic doctrines saw the attractive packaging serving the rational content, at that moment the roles were reversed. The “Ford” model, “form follows function,” was replaced by form follows emotion. Arch. Krastev also pointed out the functional ratio between the visitor and the staff tract as an often miscalculated proportion.55 Therefore, we can suggest that in their attempt to create the strongest impression, architects often neglected the functional needs hidden “behind the curtain”. In the late 1960s and 70s, the seacoast saw a surge of playful themed architecture as a backdrop for the gastronomic and entertainment options that were fast becoming an important feature of the tourist product: simulacra of fantasy worlds, garnished with luxury sports, casinos and mildly salacious stage acts.56 The distinctive elements were contained not merely in the architectural expression, but also in the overall atmosphere in it. This also included the program, the service, the menu, the dishes, the clothes of the staff and so on. Each component played a role and only their combination created the necessary qualities for complete immergance in the world of imagination. The intensity of those worlds was proportional with the isolation from the outside world. In the most explicit examples, the direct connection with nature, crucial for the modernist architecture, was opposed by completely inverted time and space condensing architecture. Its conscious alienation was intensifying the

Image / Senses / Perception 29

[fig.30] - Themed based restaurants and bars along the seacoast.

30 Amaze / Attract / Observe

57Meaning from latin “the working man”, homo faber is the concept, dating back to ancient Rome, that human beings are able to control their fate and their environment as a result of the use of tools. 58Meaning from latin “the playful man”, a term defined beforewards from the Dutch cultural theorist Johan Huizinga in 1970. According to Huizinga Homo Ludens will demand, firstly, that he responds to his need for playing, for adventure, for mobility, as well as all the conditions that facilitate the free creation of his own life. It is developed as a antipode to the homo faber

psychological factor of the playfulness, in contrast to the socially accepted behaviour of the outside world. Once inside, the architecture was trying to keep all of the focus to the present moment. Those spaces were in contrast to the outdoor bars and restaurants, where the visual space was completely open to the environment, allowing the eye to drift between the stage and the calm surroundings. In inverted bars, casinos and restaurants, the planned characteristics of the building were largely determined by the constant and seamless visual connection of the spectator with the stage. The performances were seductive, dynamic and colourful. [fig.31,32] Those were spaces, where the social ideologies of communism weren’t in control. Therefore, those spaces were also the most strictly forbidden for Bulagrians. There was no place for the homo faber.57 It was the domain of the homo ludens,58 who was allowed to immerge in the world of his dreams. [fig.33]

69Ibid., 23

[fig.31] - Bar "Variete", Sunny beach.

[fig.32] - Bar "Variete", Sunny beach.

Image / Senses / Perception 31

[fig.33] - Restaurant "Magoura", Sunny beach.

32 Amaze / Attract / Observe The recreational environment appeared as a counterpoint to the traditional urban environment. Therefore, the transition from one to the other could be understood as an intentional search for change. An interesting phenomenon that occurred over the years was the emergence of a need for change of the change. The increased desire of man to seek new experiences was proportional to the offered variety of new opportunities. An example of this were the architectural examples „Strandzanski kolibi” near Sunny Beach and „Karakachanski stan” near Golden Sands. Despite their remoteness from the respective resorts, they were in demand and were beloved by the national and foreign tourists, precisely because of their detachment from the already familiar environment in which recreation was taking place. Domestic references served as the antithesis of modern, cosmopolitan buildings at the centre of resorts. Stone masonry, wood panelling, brick or wood floors and knitted ceilings sought naturalness, ease, which were expressed not only through the details and materials used, but also in the plan and volumetric composition. [fig.34] This example could indicate that precisely through those shifts of atmospheres the designers of the seacoast were able to build a space of escape in a never-tiring environment. [fig.35]

[fig.34] - Restaurant “Strandzhanski kolibi”, Sunny beach.

Image / Senses / Perception 33

[fig.35] - Restaurant "Melnicata" ("The windmill"), Sunny beach.

34 Amaze / Attract / Observe

Branding / Hierarchy / Control The pursuit of exceptionality and the distinction with the inner land was related by some scholars with the geographical position of the seaside resorts at the transitional zone between the land and sea, the secure and the unknown.59 This could be read as a major factor in their cultural position, providing unparalleled opportunities for people to step beyond the normal codes of everyday behaviour. In this sense, the beach was becoming “an open field for social innovation”, where the conventions and inhibitions of daily life might be disregarded, dismissed or overturned, even if only for a while.60 In the Bulgarian case the model of exceptionality was conflicting with the Communist programm, in which leisure was understood as “socially useful content”. The rest at the sea had to be enriching the moral, physical and intellectual qualities of each individual, but only in the sense of individuals contributing to the condition of society as a whole.61 This disposition could be seen as reminiscent of 19th century Protestant concepts of rationality positioned clearly against the ‘wasteful’ hedonism, underlining the broader philosophical framework of that contradictory coexistence. Emphasising the conflict between the fluid behavioural boundaries at the seaside and the limitations imposed by the State, reveal to us the exceptionality of the resort phenomena at the Bulgarian seacoast, where modern leisure culture was able to exist even in a, considered to be, hostile environment. That contradiction created a paradoxical situation, where a big part of the created public functions were not meant to be used, seen or explored by Bulgarians. The resorts were seen as part of the national program for bringing foreign currency in the country and therefore targeting mainly foreign tourists. In the Bulgarian defector Georgi Markov’s reports about the seacoast we read about a hierarchical treatment of the visitors positioning people coming from the capitalist countries, mostly from western Europe, and people from Hungary on the top of that pyramid. They were followed by people from other European countries from the Eastern bloc. The bottom of the pyramid was constructed by the majority of the visitors in the face of Bulgarians.62 The territories and borders of division would vary in scale and intensity. From face control at the entrance of public buildings, through prohibitory signs,63 to the scale of whole resorts. An example of the latter could be traced in Druzhba, where major government ministries and some of the most powerful trade unions, such as coal and steel, were given privileged locations on the bay in increasingly luxurious accommodations. For the workers from the minor state organisations, the buildings were positioned further away from the beach, along with a growing string of villas, chalet parks and camping sites.64 [fig.36]

Branding / Hierarchy / Control 35

[fig.36] - Camping “Chernomorets”, Burgas district. Postcard from 1974.

36 Amaze / Attract / Observe 65Taylor, Let’s Twist Again, 225 66The “Korekom” was more than just a store. The wide variety of imported western goods could be perceived from the current viewpoint as a spatial condenser, where East and West intertwine and establish an active exchange of goods and ideas. It came as a result after during the previous seasons many German tourists had the complaint that they weren’t able to buy the necessary for every sea vacation beach accessories, cosmetics and cigarettes. The imported goods were in most cases old-fashioned, obsolete, bought from traders at no cost and therefore they were affordable to the Bulgarians. That is why even before the end of the season in 1965 the government forbade any purchases done by Bulgarians, which didn’t stop them from using all kinds of side doors. "Waiters, bartenders, hotel employees, etc., who were given the opportunity to collect foreign currency from foreigners when paying for consumption, did not report the currency, but refunded it in Bulgarian money, using it for personal use.”. Some Germans were seeing these shops as "one of the biggest provocations that Bulgarians make against their own people." and compared Bulgaria to Germany in 1945, when special shops were opened for the occupying American army and the access of the local population was restricted. Due to the negative "moral and political effect" only 2 years after the opening in 1967 the local state services required from the Council of Ministers the closure of all Corecom shops on the Bulgarian seacoast, which was not only unsuccessful, but in the years afterwards such a store opened also in Sunny beach, amplifying the creation of a specific cultural phenomena at the resorts. Dariknews.bg, “Защо ДС Иска Да Бъдат Закрити Магазините „Кореком”,” Dariknews.Bg, November 22, 2015, https://dariknews.bg/ regioni/varna/zashto-ds-iska-da-bydat-zakriti-magazinite-korekom-1530118.

Referring back again to the amusement parks, a similar approach towards surveillance could be traced in the structures of Disneyland. The term “disneyfication” appeared as a synonym to the shift of our physical world to a space free of danger, unexpected situations, boredom and even germs. However, the “artificial paradise” was only possible in the company of a constant top-down control of each activity in the Park. Similarly the leadership of the Communist Party and the special services were sure that bourgeois ideology was easily penetrating Bulgaria through the channel of international tourism. Therefore tourism was one of the economic sectors in Bulgaria, which has been most seriously monitored by the entire state machine. The Bulgarian agencies were doing their best in order to control each action, talk and intercourse between foreigners and nationals. The preparation for each summer season was always beginning in the winter months, according to numerous reports and action plans of the secret services.65 The state organs were burdened with the almost impossible task to create isolated land inside Bulgaria, which would follow a diametrically different mechanism, similar to the Vatican inside Rome. The problem was that activities concentrated around the topic of tourism, transforming the concerned cultural and physical landscapes, trigger additionally enormous waves of transnational mobility and labour migration. Almost every person from the staff in the resorts was Bulgarian, which meant that the contact between nationals and foreigners was physically impossible. Therefore a strict regulation had to be imposed controlling those interactions. The world of leisure had to be protected from the world of labour. Remarkable in the development of the resorts, following the line of contradictions between communism and modern leisure, was the opening of the first “Korekom” in Golden Sands in 1965.66 [fig.37] Ironically, because of the restrained access for the Bulgarian masses the ‘golden’ children of the political elite, who were allowed more freedom and easy access to items of Western fashion and products of the music industry, posed as the leading style-setters among Bulgarian youth.67

67Taylor, Let's twist again, 225

[fig.37] - The first “Corecom” in Golden Sands.

Branding / Hierarchy / Control 37 Fashion was just one of the many elements shaping the spirit of the place, in addition to the built environment. Using a second layer of cultural design that included various forms of visual and written representations, such as: postcards, letters, journals and more, the resort’s creators were aiming at the wholeness of the transferred image. Especially tourist postcards were an interesting cultural representation, because of their dependence not so much on how the resort actually look like, but rather how do the authorities want it to be seen as. The iconic sites drew the most visitors and dominated postcard images and purchases, reaffirming the status of the site and judgement of the holidaymakers. But as Fred Gray states “people taking holidays are not passive recipients of what they consume but instead make a direct contribution to designing the seaside”,68 therefore the image was not just based on the ideology of the host, but also on the expectations of the guests. The multiple ways the seaside architecture was being represented helped it in reaching the acclaimed status of an iconic cultural site. [fig.38] Although not as much as in the west, in Bulgaria branding strategies were also using the pervasive images of “the seaside girl”. Used as a representation of the development of a spectacle and a cultural ideal, the

68Taylor, Let's twist again, 11

sexualised space of leisure was used to sell a huge range of commodities. Therefore in Bulgarian seaside resorts, where the profit was put in the foreground, the naked body was not ruled out of the resort. [fig.39] Exactly the opposite, it was cherished by even creating catwalk shows in bathing suits and setting aside space for Eve’s beaches, which were appropriated for nudists. However, it was important for the state to keep the non-conservative practices only as part of the resort culture.

[fig.39] - Restaurant "Melnicata" ("The windmill"), Sunny beach.

[fig.38] - QR-code leading to a gif with postcard collection from the Bulgarian seaside

38 Amaze / Attract / Observe

69Evrev, Selishtata Na Otdiha, 33

The resorts on the Bulgarian Black Sea coast didn’t go without receiving criticism from some of the members of the architectural chamber. The main questions were targeting the modernistic approach of the monofunctional city, asking whether there is enough space and, above all, whether it makes sense to build separate settlements for work, weekends, and leisure.69 Lacking a constant flow of people, who could maintain, supply and entertain the Black Sea resorts on a daily cycle was seen as the core problematic of the established system. In exchange the planners were suggesting strategies for functional enrichment, while still maintaining the experimental ideas about the current and future living environment of man. In such a sense, the possibilities and lessons that could have been learned and implemented in the planning of the recreational settlements, might have been exciting prototyping opportunities for the cities of the future. [fig.40,41]

[fig.40] - Sunny beach , around 1970

Branding / Hierarchy / Control 39

[fig.41] - Brochure for Sunny Beach.

40 Amaze / Attract / Observe

Capitalism / Crime / Kitsch

71Max Holleran, “‘Mafia Baroque’: Post-Socialist Architecture and Urban Planning in Bulgaria,” The British Journal of Sociology 65, no. 1 (March 2014): 21–42, https://doi. org/10.1111/1468-4446.12052., 27

Whether full with optimism about the new resorts or desperate for the missed opportunities, what few of those architects foresaw was the fall of Communism in Bulgaria in 1989, when the numbers of international tourists dropped significantly. The tourism sector underwent dramatic changes, not being able to rely on the established rapport with other Comecon countries, resulting in uncertainties prompted by political and economic upheaval. The political changes released the suppressed individualism, presenting an opportunity for establishing a new architectural language across the country. The unexpected change of political direction, led to the establishment of a new organisation, which self-declared themselves as the new authorities. After the economic downfall in the middle of the 1990s, the government was even less able to regulate urban development, which gave the new upper-class the opportunity to dictate the architectural mechanisms. While tourism during the communist era was concentrated in a few designated and planned locations along the coast, in the following decades there were no more effective restrictions on urban sprawl as political unrest has stripped the institutional and legal power of central planning. Inexpensive beach tourism became the trademark for the majority of the coastal cities, focused on budget travellers, who are looking for cheap alcohol and sunshine, hoping that this would lead to wealthier visitors. What remained in the spirit of the past was the approach towards the seaside resorts as a place of extraordinariness. The cult towards the multisensory experience was exploited to new horizons. The balance in the relationship with nature was sacrificed in the name of the iconic experience. The new style, dictated by the taste sensibilities of the investors rather than the educated proposal of the architects. The kitsch and the “failed”71 Postmodernism became the symbols of the following years, establishing the undisciplined style of Mafia Baroque.72 [fig.42] The style completely transformed the Bulgaian resorts, conditioning a second metamorphosis, after the one in the age of Communism. [fig.43]

72“Mafia Baroque could be recognised as a non-homogenous mixture, including lavish materials and garnishes, extensive use of mullion-transom facades, along with a kitschy attempt for postmodern playfulness. It became an architecture of norm rejection, searching for its pure individual expression. “It certainly referenced Las Vegas but did not learn from it.” Borislav(Borislav L.) Angelov, “Ornament Because of Crime : Learning from Mafia Baroque,” January 1, 2019, https://dspace.mit.edu/handle/1721.1/121811., 17

[fig.42] - Hotel Victoria (Imperial) Palace, Sunny beach

Capitalism / Crime / Kitsch 41

2003

2013

[fig.43] - The development of Sunny Beach after 1989

2020

42 Amaze / Attract / Observe

West / Resorts / East Whether during the monarchic, communistic, or democratic times, the Black Sea coast was a place of possibilities. During their history, the seaside resorts have existed as distinct sub-systems, which although part of Bulgaria, were also apart from Bulgaria.

73J.B.Priestley, Postscripts quoted in Fred Gray, Designing the Seaside: Architecture, Society and Nature (Reaktion Books, 2006)., 51

74Hagemann, From Polyglot Playgrounds to Tourist Traps, 30

Following the less active years before the Second World War, as a result of fast industrialisation, electrification, and urbanisation, the socio-political situation of Bulgaria changed fundamentally. Under the wide-ranging agenda of the Communist State, the seaside was becoming one of the main development areas in Bulgaria. As a result of the less restrictive relationship with the West since 1953, the resorts along the coast began developing as modern and progressive, welcoming anyone who can bring hard currency to the domestic market. Therefore the main focus of the planners was the preferences and expectations of the foreign tourist. This resulted in a step back from the accepted practices in favor of the International style that is flourishing in Western Europe at the moment. Soon due to the conceptual advance of the seacoast resorts in comparison with the other parts of Bulgaria, the used urban and architectural concepts were becoming an example to follow. Their exceptional condition allowed the coexistence of contradictions and hybrids, resulting in a fertile ground for architectural experimentation. 73 This laboratory experiment focused on sensory stimulation, which would provoke positive affirmations. Although the visual sense was the main focus of the planners, they were trying to generate heightened and very often extreme experiences across all senses. Light, sounds, smells, visual framing, and other tools were used by the architects to achieve a complex, submerged environment. A big part of those effects was possible thanks to the inspiring demonstrations of the capabilities of the Bulgarian engineers at that time. Pre-fabrication, exposed structures, big cantilevers, and other structural approaches were often showcased at the sea resorts. Furthermore, new typologies and morphologies were tested on the ground and an exploratory and full of imagination interior ignited new trends all around the country. 74 Those elements were intertwined with the open, green spaces, supplementing each other, and achieving a harmonious environment. The concept of creating extraordinary spaces in contrast to the humdrum, ordinary city, spawns a unique cultural aura at the seaside resorts. Although from an architectural standpoint the development of the resorts was extraordinary, it was also strictly controlled. The contradiction between the communist and consumerist logic, led to a physical division between tourists and locals, limiting the latter's access to most of the newly built attractions. For the common Bulgarian population modest accommodation, private villas, and camping sites were allocated. In this way the State allowed the Bulgarians to enjoy vacations and leisure activities while keeping them busy and away from the picket line. Therefore no matter if an explicitly socialist ambition or a sign of a more general, modern, Fordist trend, the resort development in Bulgaria could be defined by the economic exploitation of both leisure time and undeveloped land.

West / Resorts / Easr 43 Speaking of today, it is difficult to foretell in which direction will the development of the Black Sea coast proceed. The dependencies on prominent external factors such as pandemics, wars, and environmental problems in the recent years, indicated an urgent need for a shift in the way resorts are developed. Exactly therefore it is crucial to understand and to use as an advantage the experimental nature, encoded in the core of the Bulgarian seaside resorts. [fig.44]

[fig.44] - The jump of freedom

44 Amaze / Attract / Observe

Suggestion for further research 77Aneta Vasileva, “Архитектурата На Социалистическа България Като Естетически Обект,” PHS.BG Мястото За Фотография, Хора и Идеи в България (blog), 2017, https:// photosynthesis.bg/statia/arhitekturata_ na_socialisticheska_Bulgariq_kato_esteticheski_obekt.html.

78DOCOMOMO (International Organisation for the Documentation and Preservation of Buildings and Landmarks of the Modern Movement) and ICOMOS (International Expert Organisation for the Preservation of Cultural Heritage with the Specialised Scientific Committee on Twentieth-Century Heritage)

Nowadays, although the architecture from the period between 1944 and 1989 in Bulgaria is still considered as contestable, it undeniably constitutes a large portion of the built environment. Unfortunately, while organisations such as DOCOMOMO and ICOSMOS highlight the importance of the architecture from the XX century, in Bulgaria only few built examples are listed in the The National Register of Immovable Cultural Heritage. This indicated a drastic lag behind the global processes of preservation, development and promotion of this new architectural heritage, highlighting the importance for further exploration. In the case of the seaside, a promising field of future research would appear to be the investigation of the resorts from the perspective of common Bulgarians, who were able to visit it during the Communist times. This could contribute to clarifying the complete image that was developed during those times. In the effort of understanding why and how some buildings became more beloved than others, such a research might contribute to the better comprehension of the Bulgarian national psychology in relation to architecture. Additionally such an investigation could bring forth better planning for the preservation of the architectural heritage from the second part of the XX century. [fig.45]

Suggestion for further research 45

[fig.45] - Attract / Amaze / Observe

46 Amaze / Attract / Observe

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Carmen. “A Disenchanted World? A Review of Holidays After the Fall: Seaside Architecture and Urbanism in Bulgaria and Croatia.” Architectural Histories 3, no. 1 (February 17, 2015). https://doi.org/10.5334/ah.cj.

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Rossitsa. “Review of Income and Wealth: Vol 46, No 2.” Wiley Online Library, 2000. https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/ toc/14754991/2000/46/2.

Raykov, Dimcho. “В 15,50 ч. На 8.06.1959 г. Пристигат Първите Чешки Туристи На Слънчев Бряг. Курортът Израства Като Лас Вегас От Нищото - От Пясъчна Пустиня.” 168 Часа | By Димчо Райков, 2019. https:// www.168chasa.bg/article/7490900.

Shields, Rob. Places on the Margin: Alternative Geographies of Modernity. Routledge, 2013.

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Stoilov, Georgi Vladimirov, and Angel Petrov Sharilev. Arkhitektura Na Nashite Chernomorski Kurorti. State publishing house “Tehnika,” 1971.

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48 Amaze / Attract / Observe

Trifonov, Ivaylo. “При Лошия Социализъм Ходехме На Почивка Два Пъти в Годината.” Informiran.net, November 18, 2020. https://www.informiran.net/при-лошия-социализъм-ходехме-на-почив/.

Vasileva, Aneta. “Bulgarian Architecture in the Second Half of the XX Century. External Influences and Development of Identity.,” 2017. https://uacg. bg/filebank/att_12942.pdf. ———. “Архитектурата На Социалистическа България Като Естетически Обект.” PHS.BG - Мястото За Фотография, Хора и Идеи в България (blog), 2017. https://photosynthesis.bg/statia/arhitekturata_na_socialisticheska_Bulgariq_kato_esteticheski_obekt.html. In the process of topic clarification, on 21.12.2021 an online interview with arch. Aneta Vasileva was conducted by the author.

Images 49

List of figures

Fig.01 | Bozhanova, Kornelia. "Sunny Beach in the end of the 60ies of the XIX century" . Photography. April 03, 2022. https://www.lostbulgaria.com/?p=5740 Fig.02 | Bulgarian state archives. Photo albums for construction, architecture and public buildings. March 26, 2022. https://www.archives.government.bg/637-%D0%91%D1%8A%D0%BB%D0%B3%D0%B0%D1%80%D1%81%D0%BA%D0%B0_%D1%84%D0%BE%D1% 82%D0%BE%D0%B3%D1%80%D0%B0%D1%84%D0%B8%D1%8F Fig.03 | Own image. Fig.04 | Own image, based on Todor Todorov, "Bulgaria - a tourist country" Arhitektura, no. 6, 7, 8 (1972), 9 Fig.05 | A fragment from the Bulgarian movie "S detsa na more” („With kids at the seaside”), 1972. April 03, 2022. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hJTsAL-1Nl4 Fig.06 | Own image. Fig.06.1 | Own image. Fig.07 |Nixon, John. "On the Sands at Brighton: Figures Walking on the Shore" . Ca.1800. 14.6 cm — 22.9 cm. Watercolour and graphite on cream wove paper. March 16, 2022. https://collections.britishart.yale.edu/catalog/tms:11398 Fig.08 | The building of the sanatorium in the area of St.st. Constantine & Elena. April 03, 2022. https://visitstconstantine.bg/images/5c33b21767f30b5512b3005fa91a90eb4d804ad3. pdf Fig.09 | The death of Stalin. March 12, 2022. https://www.thoughtco.com/body-of-stalinlenins-tomb-1779977 Fig.10 | A fragment from the newspaper „Rabotnichesko Delo” in issue 160 of June 9, 1959. The headline says: " Yesterday Sunny beach welcomed its first summer tourists" . April 14, 2022. https://blitz.bg/daydzhest/spomeni-ot-sotsa-kak-izglezhdashe-slnchev-bryag-predi60-godini-snimki_news678491.html Fig.11 | Hotel do Mar. Sesimbra, Portugal, 1960s. April 03, 2022. https://restosdecoleccao. blogspot.com/2013/07/hotel-do-mar.html Fig.12 | Postage stamps. Black Sea Resorts Set, 1972. April 03, 2022. https://archive.abva. bg/en/items/274

50 Amaze / Attract / Observe Fig.13 | Balkantourist logo. April 03, 2022. https://politika.bg/bg/a/view/logoto-dnk-na-nacijata Fig.14-18 | Own image. Fig.19 | Explore Bulgaria by car. A French tourist map from 1972. March 03, 2022 https://archive.abva.bg/en/items/1447 Fig.20 | Restaurant „Khan’s tent” („Hanska shatra”). February 13, 2022. https:// bntnews.bg/bg/a/na-more-v-minaloto-snimki Fig.21 | Own image. Fig.22 | From top-left to bottom-right: Hotel Globus, Golden sands. April 03, 2022. https://www. forumnauka.bg/topic/13022-%D0%BA%D1%83%D1%80%D0%BE%D1% 80%D1%82%D0%B5%D0%BD-%D0%BA%D0%BE%D0%BC%D0%BF %D0%BB%D0%B5%D0%BA%D1%81-%E2%80%9E%D1%81%D0%BB%D1%8A%D0%BD%D1%87%D0%B5%D0%B2-%D0%B1%D1%80%D1 %8F%D0%B3%E2%80%9D/ Y-shaped hotels in Albena. April 03, 2022. https://www.bgspomen.com/2018/10/blog-post_44.html?fbclid =IwAR1b_WnUR02cAMsTmiIlDdjsCOzBtxl6y359OC3RYOybxYX7gXzBBEUtVSs Fidel Castro on a visit in Albena in 1972 with the former head of the People's Republic of Bulgaria, Todor Zhivkov. April 03, 2022. https://www. chernomore.bg/a/2-varna/225369-a-spomnyate-li-si-kak-plazhat-be-nalazen-otpiyanitsi-prosyatsi-i-prostitutki Hotel Intercontinental, Golden sands. April 03, 2022. https:// www.flashnews.bg/brutalnite-istini-za-sotsa-turizam-po-nashenski-bich-mozhei-slanchaka-predi-kakao-bijch-mini-ski-i-chuk-i-gek/ Y-shaped hotels in Albena. Bulgarian state archives. Photo albums for construction, architecture and public buildings.March 26, 2022. https:// www.archives.government.bg/637-%D0%91%D1%8A%D0%BB%D0%B3%D 0%B0%D1%80%D1%81%D0%BA%D0%B0_%D1%84%D0%BE%D1%82% D0%BE%D0%B3%D1%80%D0%B0%D1%84%D0%B8%D1%8F Fig.23 | Typological mix in Sunny beach. March 12, 2022. https://www.forumnauka.bg/topic/13022-%D0%BA%D1%83%D1%80%D0%BE%D1%8 0%D1%82%D0%B5%D0%BD-%D0%BA%D0%BE%D0%BC%D0%BF %D0%BB%D0%B5%D0%BA%D1%81-%E2%80%9E%D1%81%D0%BB%D1%8A%D0%BD%D1%87%D0%B5%D0%B2-%D0%B1%D1%80%D1 %8F%D0%B3%E2%80%9D/

Images 51 Fig.24 | An advertisement about Hotel „ Kontinental”, Sunny Beach. March 16, 2022. https://archive.abva.bg/en/items/532 Fig.25 | Bar Orient & Hotel Kontinental, 1968. March 18, 2022. https://www. sosbrutalism.org/cms/15802395#18861674 Fig.26 | An inner street in the hotel group "Black sea" (arch. Stefka Georgieva, 1973). In "Bulgarian Black Sea Resorts. Genesis and Metamorphoses." , Maria Davcheva, 144. Mio Design, 2022. Fig.27 | Own image Fig.28 | Tourists speak with the waiters dressed as pirates in front of bar „ The Frigate”. April 03, 2022. https://www.bgspomen.com/2016/03/4-60_15.html Fig.29 | A tourist family riding camels in front of hotel "Globus" , Sunny beach. April 03, 2022. https://littlebg.com/poznahte-li-tozi-bulgarski-kurort/ Fig.30 | Themed based restaurants and bars along the seacoast From top-left to bottom-right: Restaurant "Bulgarian wedding" , Druzhba. April 03, 2022. https://www.europeana.eu/en/item/509/libvar_PHOTO_162173 Restaurant "Buchvata" , Sunny beach. April 03, 2022. https:// otioti.info/20-%D1%81%D0%BD%D0%B8%D0%BC%D0%BA%D0%B8%D0%BD%D0%B0-%D1%81%D0%BB%D1%8A%D0%BD%D1%87%D0%B5%D0%B2-%D0%B1%D1%80%D1%8F%D0%B3%D0%BE%D1%82-70-%D1%82%D0%B5-80-%D1%82%D0%B5-%D0%B3 %D0%BE%D0%B4%D0%B8%D0%BD/ Bar-frigate "Arabella" , Albena. April 03, 2022. http://www.bgspomen.com/2014/10/80_67.html Bar "Lilia" , Arkutino. April 03, 2022. http://www.bgspomen. com/2015/11/5-70_29.html

Restaurant "Karakachanski stan", Golden sands. April 03, 2022. http://www.bgspomen.com/2015/03/60_14.html

Bar "Roma camp", Golden sands. Postcard from 1985. April 03, 2022. http://bgdiaspora.h3b.ru/13614 Fig.31 | Bar "Variete" , Sunny Beach. Brochure for the first edition of the Golden Orpheus Festival that took place on August 1, 1965 under the motto „Songs for the Bulgarian Black Sea Coast”. April 10, 2022. https://www. facebook.com/Peoples.Republic.memories/photos

52 Amaze / Attract / Observe

Fig.32 | Bar "Variete" , Sunny Beach 1969. January 20. https://trafficnews. bg/urok-po-istorija/kultovi-zavedenie-miski-po-banski-i-devstveni-plazhove-111606/ Fig.33 | Restaurant "Magoura" , Sunny beach. March 10, 2022. https://www.sosbrutalism.org/cms/15802395#18861674 Fig.34 | Restaurant "Strandzhanski kolib", Sunny beach. April 03, 2022. http:// www.bgspomen.com/2015/11/70_47.html Fig.35 | Restaurant "The windmill" , Sunny beach. April 10, 2022. https://www. facebook.com/Peoples.Republic.memories/photos Fig.36 | Camping "Chernomoret" , Burgas district. Postcard from 1974. http:// bgdiaspora.h3b.ru/13614 Fig.37 | The first "Corecom" in Golden Sands. April 03, 2022. https://dariknews. bg/regioni/varna/kakvo-prodavat-v-pyrviq-korekom-na-zlatni-pqsyci-1530113 Fig.38 | QR-code leading to a gif with postcard collection from the Bulgarian seaside. https://vimeo.com/manage/videos/692187079 The images were received on March 15, 2022. http://detstvoto.net/daskalo/lager/ print:page,1,4687-kartichki-ot-moreto-predi-1990.html Fig.39 | Beauty competition, Golden Sands, 1974. March 20, 2022. https://trafficnews.bg/urok-po-istorija/kultovi-zavedenie-miski-po-banski-i-devstveni-plazhove-111606/ Fig.40 | Sunny beach around 1970. March 12, 2022. https://www.facebook.com/ Peoples.Republic.memories/photos Fig.41 | Brochure for Sunny Beach. April 03, 2022. https://archive.abva.bg/en/ items/502 Fig.42 | Hotel Victoria (Imperial) Palace, Sunny beach. April 03, 2022. http:// theprotocity.com/sunny-beach-resort-dream-bulgarian-seaside/ Fig.43 | Development of Sunny Beach in the period 2003 - 2013 - 2020 using images taken from Google maps. January 23, 2022. Fig.44 | Collage made by the research author based on an image of a woman jumping in the sand in Sunny beach. April 07, 2022. https://www.lostbulgaria. com/?s=%D1%81%D0%BB%D1%8A%D0%BD%D1%87%D0%B5%D0%B2 +%D0%B1%D1%80%D1%8F%D0%B3

Bulgarian brandscapes 53 Fig.45 | Collection of photos From top-left to bottom-right: Restaurant "Palma" , Sunny beach. April 07, 2022. https://www.lostbulgaria.com/?s=%D1%81%D0%BB%D1%8A%D0%BD%D1%87%D0%B5%D0% B2+%D0%B1%D1%80%D1%8F%D0%B3 Hotel "Dobrotitsa" , Albena. Bulgarian state archives. April 07, 2022. https://www.archives.government.bg/637-%D0%91%D1%8A%D0%BB%D0%B3%D 0%B0%D1%80%D1%81%D0%BA%D0%B0_%D1%84%D0%BE%D1%82%D0%B E%D0%B3%D1%80%D0%B0%D1%84%D0%B8%D1%8F Yuseksliev,Ogn. Restaurant "Gorski tsar" , Albena, 1970ies. Bulgarian state archives. April 07, 2022. https://www.archives.government. bg/637-%D0%91%D1%8A%D0%BB%D0%B3%D0%B0%D1%80%D1%81%D0%B A%D0%B0_%D1%84%D0%BE%D1%82%D0%BE%D0%B3%D1%80%D0%B0% D1%84%D0%B8%D1%8F Balevska, V. Restaurant "Hanska shatra" , Sunny beach, 1977. Bulgarian state archives. April 07, 2022. https://www.archives.government. bg/637-%D0%91%D1%8A%D0%BB%D0%B3%D0%B0%D1%80%D1%81%D0%B A%D0%B0_%D1%84%D0%BE%D1%82%D0%BE%D0%B3%D1%80%D0%B0% D1%84%D0%B8%D1%8F Restaurant "Magoura" , Sunny beach. March 10, 2022. https://www. sosbrutalism.org/cms/15802395#18861674 Hotel Globus, Golden sands. April 03, 2022. https://www.forumnauka.bg/topic/13022-%D0%BA%D1%83%D1%80%D0%BE%D1%80%D1%82 %D0%B5%D0%BD-%D0%BA%D0%BE%D0%BC%D0%BF%D0%BB%D0%B 5%D0%BA%D1%81-%E2%80%9E%D1%81%D0%BB%D1%8A%D0%BD%D1%87%D0%B5%D0%B2-%D0%B1%D1%80%D1%8F%D0%B3%E2%80%9D/ Restaurant „Khan’s tent” („Hanska shatra”). February 13, 2022. https:// bntnews.bg/bg/a/na-more-v-minaloto-snimki Restaurant "Strandzhanski kolibi" , Sunny beach. April 03, 2022. http:// www.bgspomen.com/2015/11/70_47.html

Amaze / Attract / Observe

The text has been produced as part of the AR2A011 Architectural History Thesis course at the Faculty of Architecture and the Built Environment - TU Delft Conducted between January and April, 2022 Academic supervisor: Dr. Sabina Tanović Author: Ventsislav Kartselin // venci.svetlinov@gmail.com