Abandoned Bulgaria: Lakeside Sports Facilities

Bordering this large manmade lake in Bulgaria are a few remnants of its sporting heyday. Though the lake is still used for swimming and boating, in the past it hosted international canoeing and rowing competitions.

The large, brutal concrete structure was once a scoreboard for these events, originating in the socialist era. The electronics have been stripped, leaving behind bare concrete and jagged metal, now a canvas for graffiti.

Many of the surrounding buildings also played a part in these events in the 1970s, but today are in a state of dereliction and decay. The most significant of these seems to have been some sort of clubhouse, with stunning views of the lake and concrete steps down to the water. These steps are now crumbling and crooked, they moved beneath our feet as we navigated down to the water’s edge.

The lake itself is tranquil, with families walking and playing, it has blended into nature well, not looking like an artificial body of water. Though there isn’t a significant amount of abandoned buildings here, it’s a unique and beautiful spot, and is in some ways symbolic of Bulgaria’s socialist past.