Belene: the terrible crimes of the socialist period

Of course, they were not on the scale seen in the Soviet Union, but these pages of Bulgarian history are still recalled with fear.

Bulgaria had not yet become socialist when the systematic destruction of those who did not welcome the new regime began in the country. This affected not only members of the royal family, who managed to emigrate quickly, but also far less prominent people. Many were shot, and for the rest there were

concentration camps. The most famous «political» concentration camp was opened on the island of Persin near the small town of Belene, not far from Pleven. Everyone who disagreed with the country’s policies was sent here: suspected spies, priests, politicians, public figures. There was room on the island for ordinary criminals too, but political prisoners predominated.

The camp was closed shortly before Stalin’s death, in 1953, and in the summer of that same year many prisoners were rehabilitated. But it was reopened more than once after that – in 1956, and then in the eighties, when the persecution of ethnic Turks began in the country.

To this day a prison stands in the western part of the island, now intended for criminal offenders. Access there is possible only with special permits. As for the territory of the former concentration camp, it is open to visitors. Every year on 30 May former inmates gather there to honour the memory of their fallen comrades.

Useful information

• On Sunday afternoons, trips are organised to «Vtori Obekt» (as the camp was called in official papers) for everyone interested in Bulgarian history «without embellishment». Registration for such tours is handled at the «Evgeniy Bosilkov» cultural centre at the Catholic church in Belene, at least three days before the planned trip.
• For groups of more than 20 people, tours can also be arranged on any other day, depending on the operating schedule of the working prison.
• The tours are completely free, although the cultural centre does not refuse voluntary donations.
• Visiting the site independently is not yet possible.
• In the 1990s, construction of a memorial began on the site of the former concentration camp, but it was never completed.

Koprivshtitsa, where the history of free Bulgaria began

Tsarska Bistritsa

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